gutsy by nutrition
faqs
Find answers to questions like, what is functional health and natural medicine, what is psych-k and how can it improve health, and do you accept international clients?
WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL health & functional nutrition?
Functional health (or functional medicine) is a systems biology-based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease coming from our diet, envirornment and lifestyle. It’s a client-centered approach to health meaning you receive personalised and effective care for your needs. This may or may not include lab testing.
Once we identify possible causes, we can customise a healthy living plan for you from your physical needs—including nutrition, exercise and sleep—to mental and emotional stressors related to social, work and community life. This is called NATURAL MEDICINE.
As part of this I use Functional Nutrition, a research-based, holistic health modality that uses the warning signs and signals your body sends you to identify and support underlying dysfunction at a cellular or building block level. Just like conventional medicine, at its foundation it focuses on the biochemistry of cells, tissue, and organs. When your cells—the basic building blocks of your body—are nutrient deficient your health suffers, eventually spiralling downwards. Food contains chemical messages, either providing what your cells need to function optimally, or placing a toxic burden on them. Functional Nutritionist are trained to help balance your body's chemistry using the tools of nutrition, supplements and lifestyle.
WHAT IS PSYCH-K AND WHAT DOES A PSYCH-K FACILITATOR DO?
PSYCH-K is a methodology that works with the Subconscious, the part of the mind that lies below what we’re generally aware of. It offers the opportunity to change the beliefs, convictions and perceptions we have about ourselves and the world, sometimes ones we’re unaware of.
For example, we might believe it’s inevitable we’ll get cancer because it ‘runs in the family’, or we could make plans for change but find ourselves sabotaging them and not understanding why.
Because our Subconscious mind has so much influence in life, when we change perceptions and beliefs there, it has a beneficial effect on our life and health. Over 50% of these are negative, which can prevent us from living our most fulfilled and healthy life.
A Psych-K balance helps transform limiting beliefs or perceptions of stressful or traumatic events, into new self-supporting beliefs. Ih short, it’s is a way of aligning our subconscious mind’s beliefs, attitudes and values to our conscious mind’s considered goals and directions.
It works by creating a Whole-Brain State for both hemispheres of the cerebral cortex, which is ideal for reducing resistance to change in the subconscious mind and reprogramming your mind with new self-enhancing beliefs.
I offer one-by-one consults or packages, including with natural medicine. Book a call to discuss your needs here.
do you accept clients from around the world?
Yes! I accept clients from Australia and around the world. In terms of consults and time zones, we simply need to find times that suit, which is not difficult.
I have lab testing set up worldwide, and am able to supply or provide access to quality, practitioner-only supplements.
what is mindset (life) coaching?
Mindset Coaching is a positive, life-affirming coaching process that helps clients create the health and vitality they’ve longed for.
It uses simple, deep and powerful tools rooted in neuroscience to empower and motivate someone to make lasting changes quickly and easily, including by freeing emotional blocks and harmful subconscious beliefs.
During our sessions, I will also empower you to bring subconscious beliefs to the surface so you can deal with them yourself throughout your life.
My 10-session, one-on-one program will get you mentally ready to achieve your desired goal – e.g. better health or healing from a long-term illness, or dealing with the root cause of your unhappiness – clarifying the result you are looking for and supporting you to take positive action.
What is Microbiome Mapping (stool testing), and what is it used for?
Microbiome mapping is scientific lab stool testing that provides information on gastro-intestinal infections, which can be used to create a personalised and targeted healing protocol using food and natural supplements. Stool testing provides information on overgrowths of bad bacteria; undergrowths of good bacteria; yeast and fungal infections; parasitic and worm infections; gut immunity status; pancreatic function (digestive enzymes); fat digestion; H Pylori; viral pathogens; autoimmune triggers; gut inflammation; and, leaky gut (zonulin). I use either NutriPATH Integrative Pathology Services testing or the Designs for Healht US-based GI-Map, which use the most up-to-date technology.
Microba testing uses full metagenomics (also called shotgun metagenomics), the most reproducible, least biased and comprehensive DNA sequencing method to provide you with a high-resolution picture of your gut microbiome. Metagenomics is a powerful tool where all the genes from the microorganisms in your sample are sequenced, allowing you to see not just bacteria, but also fungi, protists, and archaea. This method can also identify microorganisms at the species or even strain level and reveals what your microbes are capable of.
Most other microbiome profiling companies use 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This method only sequences a small portion of a single gene to identify known bacterial groups and leaves out the rest of your microbiome. The results are often biased and not reproducible between different labs. Functional information, including what your various gut bacteria do, is limited to known bacteria, which misses a large portion of your overall microbiome.
what is functional blood chemistry?
Functional blood chemistry is not only the gold standard assessment tool for identifying clinical conditions and dysfunctions in functional or integrative medicine, but in terms of nutrition, it uses science to determine nutritional imbalances so they can be addressed before they develop into chronic health conditions. In other words, functional blood chemistry is a powerful screening and preventative health tool.
How does functional blood testing differ from other testing? The tests chosen paint a picture of dysfunction across every system in your body, revealing the causes and links from one area of someone’s health to another.
WHAT IS HAIR TISSUES MINERAL ANALYSIS (HTMA), AND WHAT IS IT USED FOR?
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) is an affordable quantitative screening test that measures the mineral and heavy metal composition of hair. It’s a safe and non-invasive, reflecting the level of nutrients and toxic elements in body tissue, which are recorded in the hair shaft.
Mineral imbalances and toxic metal excesses are linked to many conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, migraines, thyroid and hormone imbalances, learning difficulties, blood sugar imbalances, hyperactivity in children and many more.
What is a Restorative Wellness Practitioner and what do they do?
A Restorative Wellness Practitioner is trained in the science of lab testing, including gastrointestinal or gut healing, hormones including thyroid, and blood chemistry.
Based on lab tests—including possibly a comprehensive stool analysis, SIBO testing, food sensitivity testing, hormone testing, functional blood chemistry and more—I create an individualised and targeted food and supplement protocol to restore gut function and integrity, while balancing nutritional deficiencies in a holistic and natural way that doesn’t cause further harm.
This deeper dive that can be helpful for children and/or people with chronic and complex illnesses such as autoimmune disease.
What is a Certified Gluten-free Practitioner and what do they do?
A Certified Gluten-Free Practitioner is trained in the root causes of gluten related and autoimmune disorders, along with how to assess and test for them, provide support and educate clients presenting with a wide variety of symptoms.
The Certified Gluten Practitioner Program is the most comprehensive practitioner education available for Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, Celiac Disease and Autoimmune Disorders, providing clinically proven approaches to help support clients. It is created and taught by Dr Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN, a world-renowned expert in these disorders.
What is a Health Coach and what is Health Coaching?
I am also a health coach—a wellness guide and supportive mentor. I educate and motivate people to develop positive and sustainable health and wellbeing choices through tailored dietary, lifestyle and behavioural adjustments.
I see Health Coaching as a collaboration between myself and my client with the aim of improving their overall health and wellbeing. Unlike the traditional health approach where patients are told what to do, I help my clients choose their own goals with the best evidence-based wellness options, strategies, information and guidance. I motivate them through gradual and sustainable success rather than advocating discipline and denial. In other words, I add to my clients’ lives rather than take things away. I also look at my clients as whole people and take into consideration their entire lives.
What does foundational or ROOT CAUSE health mean?
Foundational or core health is about setting the stage for optimal health by supporting and bringing balance to the five foundations listed below. By supporting each of these, and helping clients adopt a more nutrient-dense diet, body chemistry can be brought back into natural balance. All five foundations are built on a single, solid base—a properly prepared, nutrient-dense diet. Reaching optimal health requires sincere commitment, possible lifestyle changes and a positive attitude:
Digestion
Blood Sugar Regulation
Fatty Acid Balance
Mineral Balance
Hydration
Do you accept insurance?
I currently don’t accept private health insurance, but I can accept NDIS clients.
I would encourage you to not look at the money alone. In terms of the financial burden, if you take into account out-of-pocket medical expenses, the trial and error of supplements (which I usually avoid), the cost of other treatment and sick days, seeing me becomes easier to justify. There are also the other costs of being unwell in terms of the quality of your life, including on your physical and emotional wellbeing, and the impact on your family and work.