Nutritional therapy is a complementary therapy, which means it can work alongside orthodox medicine. It is a way of using food, gentle naturopathic techniques and supplements to encourage the body’s natural healing. It does this by:

• Detoxifying the body
• Correcting vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Restoring healthy digestion
• Developing a positive attitude

In order to achieve the above goals, a nutritional therapist will go through a great deal of questions about all aspects of your health and well being including medical history, dietary history, family history, menstrual problems, digestion, energy levels and exercise. This helps the therapist discover if you have any problems such as food allergies, nutritional deficiencies, toxic overload or general nutritional problems.

Besides asking questions the therapist might suggest doing tests such as health screening, food sensitivity testing, vitamin and mineral deficiencies testing or stool testing in order to get a better understanding of your current health status.

The nutritional therapist will suggest foods you should eat and foods to be avoided and may also recommend a specific type of diet. Supplements may be suggested to encourage your body to heal itself.

Stress , pollution and the fact that the quality of our food has deteriorated in nutrient value, whilst increasing in sugar, salt, fat and artificial chemicals, gives us less of a chance to fulfill our true potential. By providing key nutrients needed to build a stronger, more efficient and resilient body so we can allow us to face the future with renewed energy, optimism and confidence.

Self-diagnosis after reading a book on nutrition or a newspaper article can lead to inappropriate food and supplement choices which may adversely impact on your health. Nutritional therapy uses nutrition and health science to promote optimal health, peak performance as well as disease prevention and control.

After your first appointment you will be given a review date so that your progress can be monitored and if necessary changes can be made to your program to encourage your body to continue healing.

A successful session of nutritional therapy will result in the client starting to take control of his or her diet and lifestyle, and moving towards long-term positive change.

An intake questionnaire is filled out prior to the first consultation. This gives you the opportunity to give details of your health concerns, medical history and dietary habits amongst other things. This information is treated with the strictest confidence, and helps us to learn about your lifestyle and pinpoint the possible underlying causes of your symptoms.

The initial consultation takes approximately 45-50 minutes. This provides an opportunity to have a thorough face-to-face discussion and devise a personalised diet and lifestyle programme to suit your individual needs. Where necessary, supplements may be recommended to address vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Where appropriate health screening and/or food sensitivity and stool testing may be recommended to help pinpoint the underlying cause of a health problem.

A comprehensive personal report will follow the consultation, which will attempt to explain the underlying causes of your health problems, and confirm the agreed, manageable initial strategy to improve your symptoms and meet your health goals.

The first follow-up consultation (usually 2-4 weeks later) provides an opportunity to discuss your progress, give continuing support and encouragement, as well as assess whether you're ready to proceed to the next phase in the nutritional programme.

In the course of your nutritional therapy at Ultimate Balance we will work with you through the ‘3 stages approach’ focusing on diet, naturopathic techniques and dietary supplements.

A close look at your diet will allow us to help you to reduce any challenge that your body currently is experiencing. Our goal is to assist your body in performing its natural cleanse on a cellular level which will reduce the toxic load.

When looking at diet we are also aiming to bring your body more in line with the seasons. Eating seasonally matches the natural energy of the time. By realigning your nutrition on a seasonal basis, your body will have optimum nutrition providing it with the energy required to nurture and heal itself.

At Ultimate Balance we use of gentle naturopathic techniques in order to achieve balance in any systems of the body which are struggling. An unhealthy body is not functioning at optimum levels and these techniques are employed to ensure that any toxicity is leaving the body by an appropriate route and not backing up to another system and creating further problems. We are working with the body’s natural detoxification process.

Children in particular respond well to the non-invasive naturopathic techniques. These should only be undertaken under supervision from a practitioner.

We may suggest some initial use of dietary supplements according to each individual’s requirements. Our philosophy at Ultimate Balance is to treat each client’s needs on an individual basis as we are all unique – one diet or health plan does not suit all.

The following are all conditions which respond well to nutritional therapy:

• Anxiety and depression
• Arthritis
• Candida
• Chronic Fatigue
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Eating disorders
• Food cravings
• Gas and/or bloating
• Hormonal imbalance
• Hyperactivity in children
• Hypoglycemia
• High cholesterol
• IBS
• Infertility
• Migraine and headaches
• Osteoporosis
• Premenstrual tension
• Recurrent colds and infections
• Sinusitis and catarrh
• Skin problems
• Weight gain / weight loss
• ...and many others

Other areas of support are:

• Baby and child nutrition, including weaning onto solids
• Comprehensive nutrition and lifestyle check-up
• Feeding teenagers
• Healthy ageing, including memory retention and mental agility
• Healthy conception and pregnancy
• Managing menopause
• Optimisation of energy levels

If your condition is not listed here, please get in touch to discuss whether there may be a nutritional therapy may be of benefit to you in dealing with your particular challenges.

What’s the difference between a nutritional therapist and a dietician?

• A nutritional therapist works on optimum amounts of nutrients which are the amounts needed to minimize health problems and promote optimum health. A dietician works on recommended daily amounts of nutrients (RDA’s) which are set by the government and are the amounts needed to prevent diseases such as scurvy and beriberi.
• A nutritional therapist works on prevention of health problems as well as encouraging the body to heal itself. A dietician doesn’t always recognize the role of nutrition in some health problems e.g. sinusitis, menstrual problems, asthma.
• A nutritional therapist uses lots of research from peer reviewed sources. A dietician uses research based on scientific evidence.
• A nutritional therapist looks at environmental factors. A dietician does not.
• A nutritional therapist looks at the patient holistically. A dietician tends to focus on a particular problem.

The initial consultation as well as any follow-up consultation takes approximately 45-50 minutes. This provides an opportunity to have a thorough face-to-face discussion and devise a personalised diet and lifestyle programme to suit your individual needs. Where necessary, supplements may be recommended to address vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Each person is individual, but it is usual for a nutrition programme to be supervised over one year with 4-6 visits, although in some cases your therapist may recommend to start with a more intensive frequency. Specific tests or treatments may be recommended during consultation, such as health screening, food sensitivity testing, vitamin and mineral deficiencies testing, stool testing or colon hydrotherapy. These tests and treatments are of course optional.

A course of dietary supplements may also be recommended for a specific period of time in addition to any dietary modifications. Individual dietary and financial circumstances are always taken into consideration when devising a nutritional programme.

24 hour cancellation is required for any appointment. Should you have an appointment on a Monday you woul need to cancel at the very latest on the previous Saturday before the equivalent time of your appointment on the Monday. If you cancel within 24 hours of your appointment time as explained above your payment card will be charged the cancellation fee at the cost of the consultations unless we are able to refill your cancelled appointment slot. The full cancellation fee will also be charged to you payment card if you do not attend your scheduled appointment and have not given us at least 24 hours notice as described above.

Nutritional therapy is not intended to replace the relationship with your GP and our consultation is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from our education, research, and experience.

The information and service provided is not used to prescribe, recommend, diagnose or treat a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for medical care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your GP.