Nutrition
consultations aim to identify your potential nutritional imbalances and
how these may be contributing to your particular symptoms of
ill-health. A detailed case history will be taken and laboratory
tests may be recommended. A personalised, achievable, nutrition
programme will then be prescribed to meet your individual needs.
Nutritional therapy - what is it?
Many
of us lack the basic raw materials (from food and drink) to function at
our best. Intensive farming, pollution, stress, stimulants and an
over-reliance on processed foods are just some of the reasons for us
being deficient in vital nutrients.
As a result, we may start
to get energy slumps, headaches, poor digestion, cravings for sugar,
starches or stimulants, or just feel generally sluggish. If this is
you, learning how to eat well can be a vitally important addition to
whatever medical treatment you are undergoing.
But Nutritional Therapy is not only about understanding the basics of
healthy eating. Foods that are good for one person may not be good for
another and many of us feel that we are not in optimum health, even
though we are eating a supposedly 'healthy' diet. If a medical
condition is suspected, you should see your GP. But sometimes,
symptoms may be exacerbated by exposure to toxins (from bacteria,
parasites, allergies or chemicals), or because of factors like impaired
digestion or absorption, a hormonal and/or brain chemical imbalance or
an overburdened immune system.
The nutritional therapist
Lorraine Nicolle will work to identify any such potential imbalances
that may be contributing to your specific health problems and
preventing you from reaching optimal health and peak performance.
What to expect from a consultation
Before
your first appointment you will be required to complete a questionnaire
and you may be asked to seek medical advice to investigate any
potential underlying disease. At the initial consultation
(allow 75 minutes), a detailed picture of your life story will be
taken. This will include your health history, your family history,
current and previous medications, psychological and emotional factors,
exercise, stress levels, dietary habits and any symptoms of
ill-health. These are just some of the many factors that will be
discussed in-depth. In certain circumstances, laboratory tests may be recommended. These
enable a more targeted and individualised nutrition programme to be
devised and they can also help to monitor your progress as you work
through the programme.
You will then be given personalised:
- Explanations of dietary and lifestyle factors that may be contributing to your symptoms
- Recommendations of appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes.
These
will be backed up with a pack of information giving clear guidelines on
foods that you should add to your diet and any that you should avoid.
Menu plans will also be provided, where appropriate.
Any
dietary
supplements recommended will be tailored to your specific needs and if
you are on medication, a check will be made for any potential
drug-nutrient interactions. (Please note that dietary supplements
are not a substitute for healthy eating or medical drugs). Sometimes
supplements are not prescribed until the second consultation
(usually lasting 45 minutes), following the analysis of any laboratory
test results.
Some people
may only need two consultations, while others, who may have more
deep-seated issues, may feel the need to come back more often, in order
to meet their nutritional health goals.
Occasionally,
individuals experience reactions like headaches, skin eruptions or bad
breath during the initial stages of nutritional intervention. These are
quite normal and this period is usually followed by a sense of
well-being and increased energy.
Is Nutritional Therapy for me?
- Do you want to find out if you are getting all the nutrients you need?
- Are you looking to optimize your energy levels?
- Do you suffer from symptoms of ill-health?
- Are you keen to have a healthy old age?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, it may be worth considering nutritional therapy.
Like
all nutritional therapists, Lorraine Nicolle recognises that each
person is an individual with unique requirements; and she takes time to
define a personalised nutrition plan to meet your particular needs,
rather than simply rely on a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
How does it work?
Nutritional
therapy is the application of nutrition science in the promotion of
health and peak performance. It aims to identify potential
nutritional and biochemical imbalances and to help you understand how
they may be affecting your current state of health.
The types of body processes that are analysed for potential imbalances include:
- The digestion and absorption of food and nutrients
- The processing of toxins by the liver
- The control of blood sugar levels
- The regulation of hormones, such as sex hormones, adrenals and thyroid
- Immune and inflammatory processes
- The metabolism of nutrients to produce energy
- The creation and accumulation of oxidative stress
- The regulation of brain chemicals.
The
nutrition programme is created only after listening to your needs, to
ensure that you are given goals that are truly realistic and
achievable, taking into account the particular pressures and demands of
your life.
What are the underpinning belief systems of Lorraine Nicolle?
When
considering whether or not to see a complementary health practitioner
for the first time, it is invariably helpful to know what sort of
belief systems the therapist is basing his/her practice on. Lorraine Nicolle uses a scientific, evidence-based approach to
nutritional therapy. She bases her practice on the following principles:- That each client is biochemically different from the next, and thus has individual needs
- That the nutrition intervention should be geared towards helping the person, rather than simply targeting a disease
- That
the ability of the body to respond to a changing environment and to
buffer new and changing ‘stressors’ is crucial to health
- That the body functions as a network of interconnected systems, rather than as individual organs functioning autonomously
- That health is a positive vitality, not merely the absence of disease
- The promoting organ reserve now, is necessary for healthier years in later life.
These
principles were devised by the Institute of Functional Medicine.
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