What is functional nutrition? 

Functional nutrition, also referred to as nutritional therapy and nutritional medicine, utilises a functional medicine approach - this considers all possible root causes of a health condition and/or of presenting symptoms, including genetics, nutrient deficiency and excess, environmental and lifestyle factors, trauma and stress

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Is functional nutrition/nutritional therapy covered by health insurance?

If you have health insurance you may be eligible for a refund of your appointment fees. You should discuss this directly with your insurance provider. At this time, I do not liaise directly or collaborate with any health insurance providers.

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Is our consultation confidential? 

You Nutrition follow strict GDPR guidelines, which means that all of your records are securely stored and everything discussed is completely confidential. You can request your records, or request deletion and/or transfer of your records at at any time. 

 

Is nutritional therapy available on the NHS?

Unfortunately, functional nutrition/nutritional therapy isn’t yet available on the NHS.

 

When and how do I pay?

Payment is required ahead of appointments. You can pay by direct debit or I can provide you with a safe payment link using Stripe. Payment details will be provided when you book your initial consultation.

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Are consultations in person or online? 

All consultations are available via Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. 

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How many consultations will I need?

Everyone’s individual health needs are different. However, most clients will require a minimum of an initial consultation plus 2 follow-on appointments. Packages are available for more complex health concerns. See below. 

 

What is the duration of the appointments?

The initial consultation is 1 to 2 hours in duration, depending on the complexity of the case. During this appointment, depending on your capability and needs, a range of recommendations will be made for implementation. Follow-up appointments are 40 minutes in duration. Follow-up consultations that include test interpretation are an hour in duration. For pricing, see below. 

 

What is the frequency of appointments?

This varies depending on client need but generally speaking, appointments are scheduled between 2 and 4 weeks apart.

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Can I contact you between appointments? 

We encourage clients to reach out following an appointment for clarification on any of the recommendations made, and between appointments if there is an issue e.g. a change in symptoms, to provide an update, or to send in GP test results. If clients feel that they require midpoint appointments between full appointments, they can schedule a 20-minute consultation at a cost of £50. 

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Do I need to complete any paperwork?

There is paperwork to be completed ahead of the initial consultation. A Terms of Engagement document needs to be completed before an initial consultation can proceed. Further paperwork includes an initial questionnaire and a timeline of life events. There is also sometimes the need to complete a food and symptoms diary. Completing this provides me with the level of detail I need to fully review your case and maximises the support I can offer you.

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What if the paperwork feels too much?

Not everyone has time or ability to complete paperwork, so there is an option to extend an initial appointment by 30 minutes for an additional cost of £75 if you would prefer for us to complete your paperwork with you in the initial consultation.

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Are there any additional costs?

Additional costs may include supplements. When these are recommended, they are sent in a ‘shopping basket’ via the Natural Dispensary online supplement shop with a 10 % discount applied. Clients can also opt to source their own supplements directly from supplement companies. Private functional testing is often recommended - test costs vary depending on the type of test selected (see below). There may also be additional costs as you implement the recommendations such as changes to your weekly shop.

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Will you run any tests?

Quite often, testing will be suggested to determine markers for health. Where possible, tests are requested via your healthcare provider. However, in some cases, there may be grounds for ordering private functional tests which have varying costs. Options for these will be discussed in full during appointments. Functional tests range from £100 - £700. Tests will be suggested based on your case presentation and your budget. 

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Functional testing, including gut microbiome testing (Invivo GI Ecologix), Nutrigenomic testing (Lifecode GX)  and metabolomic testing (Genova Diagnostics Nutraeval), is recommended for all clients presenting with a neurodegenerative condition, a mental health concern or symptoms of neurodivergence.

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Further functional and predictive tests may also be suggested on a case-by-case basis, and may include testing for heavy metals, pesticide and chemical exposure, Lyme disease and associated pathogens, mould exposure and viral load. These tests help to determine the root cause of presenting symptoms. Testing is generally carried out within three to six months, depending on case presentation and the client's financial capacity.

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​Please note that there is an added charge of £30 to £70 per test to review functional tests that have been carried out prior to the initial consultation. 

 

Will you speak with my healthcare provider?

I will write to your healthcare providers to request tests or to report any concerning symptoms. Your permission would be requested and you would be copied into all correspondence.

 

What is your availability?

Appointments are scheduled around other commitments so please reach out if you'd like to schedule an appointment and we can discuss this further. 

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