Nutritional TherapyNutritional Therapy looks at the individual’s diet and lifestyle in order to identify and correct biochemical imbalances that may lead to body dysfunction. It works to locate the root of the problem and help the body heal itself.
Nutritional therapy may help conditions such as...- Migraines and headaches
- Sinus problems
- Food intolerances
- Skin problems (eg, acne, eczema)
- Female hormonal and menstrual imbalances
- Arthritis
- Chronic fatigue
- Weight problems
- Lack of energy
- Bloating, constipation, diarrhoea
- Frequent colds and infections
- PMS
- Candida
- Recurrent thrush
- Preconception care
- Pregnancy and post-natal nutrition
A consultation enables the practitioner to make an in-depth analysis of an individual’s diet and discover those aspects that could be causing health problems.
What to expect from the first consultation... The nutrition consultant will take a thorough personal history and examine the completed health check form to gain an in-depth understanding of the patient’s health concerns. When necessary, the practitioner may carry out certain physical examinations*.
A tailored diet will be recommended and, where indicated, good-quality supplementation will be suggested. Specific laboratory tests may be needed to provide a better diagnosis and to determine any biochemical imbalances or infections.
A Nutrition therapy consultation is a collaboration between the therapist and the individual. Each person will be given advice on how to help his or her body to heal itself.
At least one follow up appointment should be booked in order to fully benefit.
Tests and supplements are additional costs. These will be discussed during the consultation.
48 hours notice is required if cancelling an appointment or full fee is charged.
*NB This is not a medical check up
Important notes: A health check form and the 3-day diet diary should be completed and returned prior to the initial consultation.
The diet diary should list everything eaten and drunk from the moment of waking until the time of sleep, including anything consumed during the night.
Not everything can be discussed on the first consultation; remaining issues will be discussed in subsequent visits
Tests AvailableThe following are available if deemed necessary and can be administered through a private laboratory:
- Hair Mineral Analysis
- Candida Overgrowth
- Food sensitivities and allergies
- Vitamin and mineral balance
- Digestive tests
- Male or Female Hormonal Panel
- Leaky Gut Syndrome
- Parasite and or bacteria overgrowth
Allergy Elimination
If you suffer with an allergic condition (food, chemical, environmental, emotional allergies), you may require NAET (allergy elimination) therapy. Visit NAET Therapy or Maria's website www.nutritionhealth.net for more details.
Appointments
For appointments contact Maria on her mobile number or email for further information.
About Your Nutrition Consultant
Maria has worked as a complementary health practitioner for the past 12 years, practising in both London and Rome.
She received a BSc (Hons) in Health Science: Nutritional Therapy from the University of Westminster and is a member of the British Association of Nutritional Therapists.
For further information or to make an appointment with the nutritionist in Hackney, north London or central London please Tel: 07956 662 954 or email: esposito_m@yahoo.co.uk |
When Do You Want To Be The Best You Can Be?In Balance combines nutritional advice with personal fitness training and change-management coaching to help you reach your full potential.
Your thoughts and emotions affect all the choices you make, not least what you eat and when - or if - you exercise.
Exercise and optimum nutrition will affect what you think and feel about yourself.
When one practitioner monitors and assists you in all of the above areas you can have a true holistic service and manage change in whatever area of your life you choose.
In Balance provides all the support you need to shape up mind, body and actions. And to feel the best you can be.
PROFILE
Working as a Personal Trainer for over three years I realized that something was missing.
Even though my clients were benefiting from exercise and improving their diet, some of them were unable to achieve their desired outcomes or they kept sabotaging their efforts.
I became curious about the thought patterns involved in their decision-making, and NLP gave me a framework to work with, as well as a toolbox to help clients manage long-lasting change.
I truly believe you cannot separate body and mind or underestimate the influence of the food we eat.
I am committed to offering a 360-degree approach to every client and helping you be the best you can be.
Qualifications:
INLPTA Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Certificate in Life Coaching
Postgraduate Certificate in Exercise and Health Studies
ITEC Diploma in Nutrition and Diet Theory
Kickboxing Purple Belt
Registry of Exercise Professionals (REP) Level 3
SERVICES
Change-Management Coaching
Coaching is a process aimed at supporting clients to achieve their Personal Best and to produce the results they want in their personal and professional life.
With change management coaching you can:
- Give your life direction
- Manage change in your personal or professional life
- Make a powerful action plan
- Deal with obstacles
- Enhance confidence and effectiveness
Personal Fitness Training
Personal Fitness Training is a one-to-one service, which assists the client in achieving their short- and long-term fitness goals.
Personal fitness training will assist you in achieving the following:
- Weight management
- Increased energy
- Increased strength, balance and co-ordination
- Improved posture
- Reduction of stress
- Better quality of sleep
- Increased self-confidence
Nutritional Advice
What you take in your body can dramatically affect your health. By giving yourself the best possible intake of nutrients, you allow the body to work as well as it can.
In Balance can advise you on realistic changes you can make to your diet in order to achieve all of the following:
- Weight management
- Optimal mental performance and emotional balance
- Optimal physical performance
- Lowest incidence of ill-health
- Longer healthy lifespan
- Resistance to infections
- Increased IQ
- Better quality of sleep
CONTACT:
Debbie Quargnolo
In Balance Personal Coaching
07967604208
info@inbalancept.co.uk |
Click here to find out more about nutritional therapy
by Maria Esposito, BSc (Hons)
Nutritional Therapist
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a gastro-intestinal health problem suffered by an increasing number of people.
IBS doesn’t have a single cause or treatment. (3,7).
Many people are prescribed drugs by their doctor that treat the symptoms of IBS, but not the causes. There are, however, a range of non-drug solutions that can treat the disorder itself successfully.
The following are typical symptoms of IBS (3):
Abdominal pain or rumbling
Bloating sensation often combined with visible distension of the abdomen (called Meteorism)
Nausea, indigestion and loss of appetite (4)
Constipation, flatulence and diarrhoea
Abnormal stool characteristics (6)
Slime or mucous in the stool (4)
A sensation of not empting the bowel properly (4)
Often, the intensity of the symptoms is most pronounced in the afternoon or evening.
Incomplete or faulty digestion may aggravate the symptoms while defaecation or passing flatus may provide some relief. The symptoms may come and go over a period of months. (3)
Possible IBS triggers
The following are some of the possible triggers that have been connected with the symptoms of IBS.
Food hypersensitivity or intolerances (1,7)
Stress or emotional problems (2,3 & 7)
Intestinal infections and inflammation caused by parasites or unfriendly bacteria. These can cause an increase in intestinal mucosal permeability (Leaky Gut Syndrome), which allows food and chemicals to enter the blood stream before they are properly digested. This can overload the immune system and cause an increase in the body’s inflammatory response, triggering mucosal sensitivity, abnormal motility and secretory response (8).
Dysbiosis (the imbalance between the good and bad bacteria in the intestinal tract).
Altered bowel flora. This can be the result of antibiotics, laxatives, diarrhoea or low dietary fibre.
Diet and Lifestyle Factors
Diet can have a strong modifying influence on the symptoms of IBS.
An increase in the intake of water and dietary fibre, mainly from fruit and vegetables, can be quite beneficial, as can a reduction in the consumption of diuretic beverages – tea, coffee and other drinks that contain caffeine. (3)
Constipation, diarrhoea and dysbiosis (toxic bacteria) may be directly attributed to food sensitivities and intolerances. (3)
Meteorism (bloating and associated symptoms) is caused by trapped intestinal gas, though the mechanism of this painful condition is not yet fully understood (3). Bacterial decomposition of lactose can increase the amounts of gas, leading to meteorism, intestinal rumbling, flatulence, bloating, diarrhoea or bowel movement immediately after consuming dairy products.
Psychologically, patients with IBS seem to experience more emotional disorders than non IBS sufferers (2,3). Anxiety neurosis, depression and other psychiatric disorders are most common, although it has yet to be indisputably established whether IBS leads to these disorders, or whether it is the other way round. (3).
Food intolerances are thought to play a major role in the pathology of IBS. For example, people who are intolerant to lactose have been found to lack the enzyme needed to digest the sugar in dairy products. This can result in a bacterial fermentation of the sugar, creating an increase in hydrogen gas that may trigger certain IBS symptoms (1,3,5).
NB: IBS should be clinically diagnosed by your doctor after he or she has conducted a series of tests to eliminate other possible causes of the symptoms. These may include taking a medical history, a physical examination, proctoscopy, a routine blood tests (haemoglobin, sedimentation rate, white cell count, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase) and urinary tests (glucose and protein). A barium enema is obligatory, except in young patients. A gynaecological examination and a lactose tolerance test should also be considered (3).
Possible natural treatments for IBS:
The symptoms of IBS can often be reduced by these modifications to the patient’s lifestyle (3):
Drinking one-and-a-half litres of pure water daily, in addition to usual beverage intake.
Reducing or eliminating tea, cocoa, chocolate, cola and alcohol.
Identifying and eliminating possible food sensitivities/allergies.
Increasing fibre intake by eating more fruit and vegetables (NB: eating raw foods can be a problem for some people).
Allowing time and privacy for bowel movements.
Reducing stress levels by finding ways to relax and cope with stressful situation.
When consulting patients who have been diagnosed with IBS, I begin by compiling a detailed account of the patient’s health and a family medical history and by requiring the patient to keep a food diary, recording daily food and drink intake and noting any symptoms that may have developed during the day. An assessment is then made as to whether food allergies or intolerances are aggravating the symptoms. I often recommend parasite and bacterial overgrowth testing to rule out any gastro-intestinal infections.
If it is agreed that emotional problems may be part of the cause, counselling by a qualified therapist or psychologist will be suggested
The treatment is a collaboration between the client and the therapist. It is, therefore, vital that the client be committed to taking an active role in dealing with the disorder. In the case of food allergies or intolerances, the client should be aware that the elimination diet requires forgoing certain common foods and entails some sacrifices in normal eating habits. The client should also be prepared to introduce new foods to his or her diet.
If deemed necessary, I use a non-invasive muscle-energy allergy test to assess food allergies or intolerances. I also suggest private laboratory blood tests for food sensitivities/allergies, leaky gut, Candida overgrowth and other appropriate tests.
References:
1 Bohmer C. J. M. 7 Tuynman H. A. R. E. (2001). The effect of a lactose-restricted diet in patients with a positive lactose tolerance test, earlier diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome: a 5-year follow-up study. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology; 13: 941-944.
2 Douglas A. et al. (1988). Psychosocial factors in the irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology; 95:701-8.
3 Krag E. (1985) Irritable bowel syndrome: current concepts and future trends. Scandinavic Journal of Gastroenterology; Suppl. 109: 107-15.
4 Stewart M. & Stewart A. (1994). No more IBS. London : Vermilion.
5 Vernia P., Di Camillo M. & Marinaro V. (2001). Digestive & Liver Disease; 33 (3): 234-9.
6 Yamada T., Alpers D. H. Laine L., Owyang C. and Powell D. W. (1999) (3rd ed). Gastroenterology (volume II). Phyladelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers.
7 Zar S., Kumar D. and Benson M. J. (2001). Review article: food hypersensitivity and irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther; 15: 149-449.
Bibliography:
1. Alun Jones V., Shorthouse M., McLaughlan P., Workman E. & Hunter J.O. (1982). Lancet; 1115-1117.
2. Chey W. Y et al. (2001). Colonic motility abnormality in patients with irritable bowel syndrome exhibiting abdominal pain and diarrhea. American College of Gastroenterology; 96 (5) 1499-1506.
3. Villanueva A., Dominguez-Munoz E. and Mearin F. (2001). Update in the therapeutic management of irritable bowel syndrome. Dig. Dis.; 19:244-250.
Maria Esposito is a qualified Nutritional Therapist BSc (Hons) and currently works at clinics in Central and North London. To contact her please ring 07956 662 954 or email: esposito_m@yahoo.co.uk
By Maria Esposito, BSc (Hons)
Nutritional Therapist
Normally, approximately 2.5 litres of water is required daily for a fairly sedentary adult in a normal environment to replace the total loss of water that occurs though urine, faeces, skin and lungs (Naghii).
To replace the water loss about 1 to 1.2 litres needs to be in drinks, (mainly water or cold herbal teas), 0.9 ml is taken though food and 0.3ml will be made by the body (oxidative metabolism) (William A. et al).
What happens if you don’t drink enough water?
The following are a series of changes in a case of water restriction:
Increase in pulse rate and in rectal temperature
Increase in respiration
Tingling and numbness of fingers and feet
Increase in concentration of the blood
Diminution of blood volume and more difficult circulation
The difficulty and inadequacy of the circulation of blood under these conditions leads to:
breathing difficulties
gastro-intestinal upsets
nausea and loss of appetite
and eventually to difficulty in muscular movements and emotional instability (Lloyd)
In an animal study, where water was restricted the animals were highly irritable and in some cases bad tempered (Lloyd)
Thirst
It has been shown that under intense activity a man will voluntarily drink only about half as much water as what is needed to replace his losses from sweating and urine. Only after food and rest does a person crave the water needed to replace the deficit. (Lloyd)
Herbal teas
Ingestion of hot drinks may cause internal body temperature to rise, which will result in sweating in order to cool the body down. Hot drinks are sometimes used in medical practice when it is desired either to temporarily increase body temperature of induce sweating (Lloyd). Therefore cold or cool drinks are preferred to hot drinks to replace fluid during the day, especially if the hot drinks are the only fluid daily intake.
In high intensity exercise and in competitive sports
There is a risk of impaired performance and even health damage due to hypo hydration (low water) in a sport or activity with duration of at least 30 minutes of continuous exercise,
Most water loss during exercise or high environmental temperatures is accounted for by sweating. Dehydration is the major danger of low fluid intake during high performance exercise.
This fluid deficit can rapidly reach levels that impede heat dissipation, reduce heat tolerance and severely compromise cardiovascular function and exercise capacity. Prolonged dehydration will lead to cell death and multiple cell losses can lead to the person’s death (Naghii).
The need for replacement of water will depend on the extent of the losses incurred during exercise. Ingestion of plain water for a short duration (less than 90 minutes) is enough to replace the water lost.
In high intensity activity and competition ingestion of plain water in the post-exercise period results in a rapid fall in the plasma sodium concentration and in plasma osmolality (Maughan).
The changes have the effect of reducing the stimulus to drink (thirst) and of increasing urine output, both of which will delay rehydration. Rehydration after the high activity can only be achieved if the sodium lost in sweat is replaced as well as the water (Maughan).
There is no need to take any extra sodium tablets, unless dehydration is so severe, for most individuals the normal dietary intake of minerals is adequate to maintain sodium and electrolyte balance during repeated days of training (Wiliam A). It is sufficient to eat a salty food or food high in natural salt.
Sports drinks typically provide quantities of sodium, chloride and potassium (electrolytes), which can be drunk if in high activity or in competing in a hot environment.
Sugary drinks
During physical activities lasting less than 90 minutes, water is generally the beverage of choice, however, the inclusion of small concentrations of carbohydrate (6%-8% carbohydrate) have been shown to better sustain power output over water alone during physical activities that produce fatigue in 60 minutes or longer (William A.).
References
Latzka William A. and Montain Scott J (1999)’Water and electrolyte requirements for exercise’. Clinics in Sports Medicine Volume 18 (number 3 issue)
Lloyd L.E., McDonald B. E. and Crampton E.W. Fundamental of Nutrition (2nd edition) (chapter 3 water & metabolism). W.H. Freeman & Company; San Franscisco
Maughan R. J. (1992) ‘Fluid Balance and Exercise’. Int. J. Sports Med. 13:S132-S135
Naghii M. R. (2000) ‘The significance of water in sport and weight control’. Nutrition and Health: volume 14 pp. 127-132
Maria Esposito is a qualified Nutritional Therapist BSc (Hons) and currently works at clinics in Central and North London. To contact her please ring 07956 662 954 or email: esposito_m@yahoo.co.uk |
This web page is part of N16health.com an alternative medicine and complementary health resource for the people of Stoke Newington in Hackney and Islington, north London UK and interested people worldwide.
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