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Qualifications. Diploma in nutritional therapy. BSc adult nursing.
Training. I studied with the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and completed my training in July 2021. The course was part-time for three years. I also completed a BSc in adult nursing with the University of the West of England in 2003.
Main therapy: Nutritional Therapy
Why did you decide to become a nutritional therapist? It was always my intention to train to become a nutritional therapist. I took advice before I left high school that a grounding in health care would give me a good foundation with which to build upon which is why I started with nursing.
How long have you been in practice? I opened my clinic doors for the first time on the 21st September 2021 to coincide with world Alzheimer’s day. Since then, it’s been a series of firsts. The first enquiry, the first phone call with a potential client, the first client! I did wonder a couple of times during the first few months if I had made the right choice in specialising. I was encouraged by my nutritional therapy colleagues that it was the right choice and the business coaches all say that specialising pays off in the long term. That’s just under five months at the time of writing this and I’m happy to say that I love my business and am so happy that I can offer this important service.
Do you run your business full time? I run the business full-time now. I finished my part time job as a memory clinic nurse and research nurse at the RICE Centre in Bath end of May 2023. I still help out RICE on their clinical trials from time to time. I love being able to work with food 100% of the time now.
What’s it like being a nurse and a nutritional therapist?
Taking on a new client gives me the same thrill as it did to enroll a patient into a research study. The difference is that’s it’s my personalised protocol that I’m following, not a clinical trial protocol. Having the knowledge of working with chronic diseases, medications, and within a multidisciplinary team has definitely left me with an advantage that my clients benefit from.
Where do I practice? I rent a clinic space at the Green Park Natural Health Clinic in Bath. I try to be accommodating and also offer home visits to people who may find it difficult to get out of the house due to their health conditions. I offer video consultations too. My preference is to see people face-to-face for that initial consultation as it helps to create a good rapport with the client. It also has the advantage of being able to check blood pressure, pulse, and weight and look for any signs of nutritional deficiencies. I also offer my own blood taking service.
What conditions or types of clients do I specialise in?
I specialise in supporting people with memory difficulties or dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson's disease. This is such a worthwhile group of people to help with nutritional therapy. Meal planning, shopping and cooking are complex tasks that can become much harder with a memory difficultly or physical disability. There are also a multitude of potential mediators that could be implicated in memory loss. There are tailored dietary strategies that could be really helpful for these groups of people too.
What are your aspirations for your business? I want to make Nutritional Therapy available to everyone who wants to access it. I give talks and run courses. Later this year I'm teaming up with RICE to run a MIND Diet course. This will be funded so will be free for people to take part.