What is a Functional Nutritionist?
Functional nutrition is a holistic approach to nutrition taking into consideration all aspects that could be influencing your health presentation, including dietary, lifestyle, and environmental factors. This approach is an individualised approach to nutrition.
The core concept is that chronic illness is an outcome of imbalances in the key underlying physiological systems in your body. When inflammation, blood sugar imbalance, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, hormonal problems, and systemic upset occur the body spirals out of balance.
This in conjunction with poor diet, lack of essential nutrients, emotional stress, environmental toxins, lack of exercise, and other lifestyle issues set the stage for chronic disease to develop.
Functional nutrition focuses on finding the root cause by using the latest research as well as traditional knowledge to customise functional nutrition programs tailored to your needs that includes individualised diets and condition-specific supplements – all tailored to your unique physiology.
As a functional nutritionist and member of the Australian Natural Therapists Association, there are six principles that provide the framework for when we approach patient care and treatment.
1. First do no harm. This principle is about choosing the most natural and least invasive method of treatment possible for the desired outcome. A functional nutritionist spends time investigating all aspects so that no harm is done in the process of treatment.
2. The healing power of nature. This principle is about using natural therapies and incorporating a natural environment as the foundation to human health. Functional nutrition practitioners recognise and harness the body’s inherent wisdom to heal itself when guiding clients to total health and wellness.
3. Identify and treat the cause. This principle is what sets natural medicine aside from allopathic medicine (holism vs reductionism). A functional nutritionist will identify the cause of disease and treat accordingly. This is all about finding the root cause and not just simply prescribing nutritional supplements to cover up symptoms.
4. Doctor as teacher. This principle is about educating and empowering patients to give them the tools to take their health into their own hands. This is fundamental in achieving and maintaining long-term health and wellness.
5. Treat the whole person. Functional nutritionists understand the interconnectedness of our body, our environment, and our lifestyle on total health. It is only through this whole-person-based approach that maturational practitioners seek to restore balance and health.
6. Prevention. Prevention is always better than suffering through illness. Through their comprehensive practice, nutritional practitioners combine all six principles in order to identify potential areas of imbalance and understands a person’s predispositions to prevent illness or disease.
A natural medicine practitioner is an ally through all stages of life. Your health is an investment.
