About me...

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I have seen in my practice and personal life how food and lifestyle choices can turn one's life around.

Let food be thy medicine

and medicine be thy food

(Hyppocrates)

 

Why I became a naturopathic nutritionist

         

As a child and young adult, I suffered from chronic asthma , bronchitis and pneumonia.  I consulted many doctors over the years, mostly allopathic (traditionally medically trained doctors) and also an acupuncturist and naturopath.  It wasn't until I took an active decision to improve my diet, exercise regime, lifestyle and mental wellbeing that I broke the cycle of recurrent lung related illnesses.  I am now completely drug-free having broken from the frequent, sometimes daily use of bronchodilators, corticosteroids, antihistamines and NSAIDS (paracetamol and the like) and feel strong and resilient, two qualities that were previously alien to me. 

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Later as a parent, I noticed that my children were prone to dietary intolerances, particularly to dairy. I had to reinvent how to feed my infants when all around me health care professionals and mothers were telling me that cow's milk, yogurt and cheese were the foundations of a child's healthy diet.  All I could see was diarrhoea and eczema.

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Also as a parent of a dyslexic child, I looked for dietary interventions to help with their accompanying brain fog. I learnt about gluten and its potentially deleterious effect on the gut and the brain for those with a sensitivity to it, and the healing powers of good fats. 

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I also have a mother and parents-in-law, all in their early 80s, with the health and cognitive challenges this age can often entail.  I am sensitive to issues regarding memory and cognitive acuity, be it Alzheimer's, dementia or Parkinson's, they have also been associated with the side effects from medication for apparently unrelated health concerns. 

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This does not mean in the least, that as a family, we do not have any health struggles, but these experiences coupled with my training and professional experience, have taught me the power of naturopathic medicine as an effective intervention.  

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How to rethink 'illness' and 'wellness'

The typical Western model of disease sees illness as a debilitating state of being, making us feel victim to some outside force rather than our body's way of signalling to us that there is something amiss or out of kilter.  I prefer to think of it as dis-ease, as a lack of harmony within the body and with its interactions with the outside world, when the body’s innate intelligence or vital force is unable to carry out its functions to its optimal capacity.

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As a practitioner, I aim to support the whole individual looking at their internal 'workings' (such as the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut) and their relationship with their outside world (such as their work/life balance).  It is through evidence-based research that I  make my recommendations.  They will be individually tailored to your own specific needs and desires.

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