Nutritional therapy

Healthy eating and multivitamins can be fine for people when they are well but they are generally limited in treating illness. Nutritional therapy combines science (biochemistry and nutrition) with naturopathy (natural, drug-free medicine) in order to return the patient to a state of good health. Nutritional therapy is holistic because it is designed to treat the body as a whole - curing the causes of problems, not just the symptoms as is too often the case in conventional medicine

The factors that always accompany chronic illness are toxin accumulation, inadequacy of key nutrients, and loss of cell vitality. None of these can be put right by taking either prescribed or over-the-counter drugs and remedies. These may suppress the symptoms experienced, but do not put right the basic cause. They also add to the level of toxins already in the body, and give the system more work in breaking them down and getting rid of them.

Diagnosis is crucial in effective Nutritional Therapy and is the key to understanding the therapy.

The three main diagnostic categories are:

• Nutritional deficiency
• Food intolerance
• Toxic overload

Treatment involves using higher range dietary supplements combined with dietary advice. Supplements, and their dosage are carefully selected according to factors such as absorption rate and relative balance of each individual nutrient. In certain circumstances, herbal supplements may also be prescribed to help stimulate digestive juices, liver function or to reduce candida overgrowth.

Nutritional therapy is the application of nutrition and health science to enable individuals to maximize their health potential. Nutritional therapy can help alleviate a wide range of conditions and assist in the recovery from many ill-health situations. Nutritional therapists recognise that each person is an individual who has unique dietary and nutritional requirements.

Nutritional therapy, by taking careful account of the patient's history of illness and the treatments already undergone, aims to remove toxins, nourish the cells of the body, and increase cellular energy so that the body can function much more as it should.

Nutritional therapists assess nutritional status and functional capacity. They recognize that each person's needs are unique, depending on a number of factors, from inherited strengths and weaknesses to the influence of diet, lifestyle and environment. Nutritional therapists work with clients with chronic health problems and provide advice on disease prevention and control.

The nutritional therapist will take a comprehensive client history and may use biochemical and other types of clinical assessment to formulate a treatment plan. In addition to dietary and nutritional advice, recommendations may include guidance on natural detoxification, methods to support digestion and absorption, procedures to promote colon health, and also the avoidance of ingestion or inhalation of allergens or toxins.

What can you expect at your first consultation?

Before your first appointment you are asked to complete an extensive questionnaire on your symptoms, childhood illnesses, current medications, etc. You are asked also to complete a three-day food diary. The questionnaire is returned before the first consultation, so the therapist can focus more on clarifying details during the consultation. Better information is obtained this way and less time is spent obtaining basic information during the consultation.

Your first consultation takes between 60-90 minutes. Your case history will be discussed in detail and your questions will be answered. You will be prescribed some supplements and suggestions for a therapeutic diet regime tailored to help alleviate symptoms and improve overall well being. Occasionally, to aid diagnosis, laboratory tests are recommended. Follow-up consultations are shorter in duration and are spaced two to three weeks apart.