Nutritional therapy is a complementary nutrition and lifestyle medicine that is appropriate for individuals who would like to bring their health back in balance and support their well-being. The therapy is not a replacement for medical advice and the practitioner will always refer a client to a medical practitioner where appropriate. Nutritional therapists do not diagnose or treat illnesses but rather use nutrients and lifestyle modifications to optimise the functioning of bodily systems, address imbalances and encourage the body’s natural ability to return to optimal health.
A nutritional therapist aims to determine how an individual’s intricate network of systems in the body can be thrown off balance by stress, unhealthy diet and lifestyle choices. The practitioner will use various tools to identify how these imbalances may be linked to an individual’s symptoms and develop a unique, personalised nutrition and lifestyle programme to help bring the individual back on track.
Nutritional therapists function on the premise that each person is unique and they do not adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach as the manifestation of a person’s imbalances may depend on their individual genetics, diet, lifestyle and environment. A nutritional therapist is trained in clinic to provide one-to-one health advice.