This page answers questions you may have about my Devon naturopath clinic in Totnes, Devon (South Hams).

Firstly I will offer some explanation of what naturopathy is, its potentially ancient roots, how its philosophical principles apply to clinical practice and why this matters. I am also a nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner, but here I will focus on naturopathy.

I will also present a strong case for naturopathy in the modern world, where it is needed more than ever before.

Then I will outline my Devon naturopath clinic services, what you can expect when working with me, and how naturopathic principles inform the practical aspects of my work.

Finally I list my Devon clinic prices where you will also find how to contact me and how you can find my Devon clinic.

What is naturopathy?

Naturopathy is a philosophy of healing that is said to begin with a 19th century movement to ‘work with nature’, often referred to as the ‘Nature Cure’ movement. I appreciate that the phrase ‘work with nature’ sounds vague and I will elaborate on its meaning shortly with a practical example to help ground your understanding.

The Nature Cure movement was based in Germany and similar ideas evolved into naturopathy in the United States and then Britain. Many influences and influencers formed this loosely knit stream. Christianity, vegetarianism and socialism all played a significant role in advocating dietary practices, fasting, herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, exercise, sun exposure, spending time in nature, healing of the spirit and mind as well as the body (1, 2, 3).

Despite the sometimes more puritanical tones of 19th century Christian thought in this movement, it was also permeated by ideas that might have a distinctly non-Christian origin, such as living in alignment with nature.

Naturopaths sometimes claim that Hippocrates was the first naturopath, although the term was coined over 2000 years later.

The old tradition of naturopathy made use of many modalities of healing based on a set of principles that may indeed stem back as far as Hippocrates’s principles of “First do no harm” and “Let food be thy medicine” (which he would agree with even if those were not his precise words).

Did naturopathic principles really begin with Hippocrates?

To my mind it is plausible and in fact likely that Hippocrates was himself influenced (via trades routes to the east) by ancient Taoist philosophy and medicine.

Indeed, whether or not Hippocrates (and thus naturopathic medicine) was influenced by ancient Chinese medicine rooted in Taoism is a topic under discussion by scholars, with complex evidence for and against.

One aspect that both Greek and Chinese medicine shared was the concept of bodily channels, which in the Chinese system carry chi, or life energy. (4).

Taoism also placed importance on nutrition, which may have influenced Hippocrates, who we might also think of as an early Western nutritionist and lifestyle medicine practitioner.

Aside from the energy channels, the importance of diet and the historical evidence, my observation is that the guiding philosophy of Taoism permeates that of naturopathy, with some striking similarities.

To make this clear to you I will need to outline a few Taoist concepts before delving into some of the key principles of naturopathy and how I think they are influenced by this ancient Chinese tradition that is fundamentally mystical and yet has so much of the practical and ordinary to teach us.

The Tao of naturopathy?

Understanding a few of the central ideas of Taoism and how they are applied in various disciplines other than medicine could give you a better idea of what naturopaths mean by ‘working with nature’. It can also provide a philosophical framework for safe and effective clinical practice.

Taoist principles were applied in martial arts, medicine, lovemaking, visual art and daily living.

Here I will outline just a few of these Taoist principles and illustrate them with examples from martial arts and from Western medicine and then discuss how they relate to naturopathy.

I am not a scholar of Chinese philosophy nor a master of martial arts, but this kind of simple discussion can potentially help us to more deeply understand what naturopathy could be (whether or not its origins are in China), and such discussion seems to be lacking elsewhere.

Learning from nature and working with nature

Taoists, much like Western scientists, learned from nature by observing the ‘nature of things’. They came up with the concept of wu wei, often translated as ‘non-action’. Less literal translations might include ‘not forcing’, ‘effortless action’, ‘not interfering’ (with the nature of things), ‘going with nature’, ‘using the most intelligent least effort for maximum effect’ or ‘not fitting a square peg into a round hole’.

Also related is the idea of ‘not doing more than is necessary’. I will give a practical example of this later so you can understand how it could have prevented one of Western medicine’s great mistakes.

It is important to note that in ‘non-action’ the nature one flows with, the Tao, includes one’s own inner determination and essence, rather than just being tossed about aimlessly and absently on the currents of opinion from outside oneself or on the currents of more superficial impulses.

Perhaps also I should correct my statement that the Taoists came up with the concept of wu wei, as if it was an idea that dropped into their minds. More likely is that they experienced wu wei, they were wu wei, and then came up with some representation of that reality in words that of course is not the reality itself. If you have ever had an experience of your body moving itself, dancing itself perhaps, or created a work of art where it felt like the art made itself through you, or you were ‘in the flow’ when playing a sport or a musical instrument, then perhaps you have had some taste of wu wei.

Yin and yang

You are probably familiar with the concepts of yin and yang.

We can think of yang as the active principle, much promoted in Western culture, the principle of doing, creating, getting things done.

Yin tends to be undervalued in the industrialised West. It is receptive, listening, sensing, unformed, yielding, resting, being rather than doing.

Wu wei in martial arts

Yin supports martial artists in many ways, especially when we are talking about the more internal martial arts, such as aikido and T’ai Chi. A relaxed, sensing, receptive quality can support a martial artist to drop into the effortless flow of wu wei.

If you sense (yin) an opponent’s yang drive in the form of a push, you could respond by yielding (yin) and turning, so that if your opponent overreached they would be thrown off balance.

Conversely ‘doing more than is necessary’ (too much yang effort) might mean that you overreach to strike or push an opponent, thus losing your centre of gravity so you are then vulnerable to being thrown to the ground.

When in close combat and in physical contact such as in a wrestle or in the T’ai Chi practice of push hands the yin qualities of being receptive, soft, and ‘listening with your body’ could enable you to sense where your opponent is tense and lacks fluidity and thus to artfully apply the minimum of force in just the right place to throw your opponent off balance.

Alternatively you could try to just angrily force your opponent over (reactive yang). If your opponent is artful they will then sense where you are tense and direct your force of aggression so that you are the one who ends up on the floor. The weak point is the point of tension, of resistance, which is where you lack yin sensitivity and thus fluid responsiveness.

When I use the word ‘sensing’ I am not referring to some kind of telepathic or other extraordinary powers, but simply feeling physically, where your bodies are in contact, where there is tense resistance and where there is fluidity or flexibility, with a quiet, rested but alert mind. The ability to sense is a skill that can be trained, or at least invited in by practising it, whether or not that is in the context of a martial discipline such as T’ai Chi Ch’uan or aikido or not.

So if you ‘do more than is necessary’ you lose your centre of balance. If you lack the sensitivity to respond in time when an opponent is beginning some kind of yang movement you are not ‘dealing with the difficulty while it is still small’.

An example of the consequences of ‘doing more than is necessary’ – antibiotics

These ideas may still seem abstract to you, so let me give you another example, just one of many possible examples where in the modern world our rushing headlong to embrace a new treatment or technology we didn’t take he time to fully understand the impacts of has led to some serious consequences which we have had to learn to live with.

Antibiotics have prevented millions of deaths (and amputations) due to infection, so it is understandable that we very quickly gave them our full embrace and began to prescribe antibiotics indiscriminately.

We now know that antibiotics can cause poor gut health.

Beneficial gut flora help to keep other species in check and killing these off with antibiotics can result in overgrowths of clostridia bacteria and fungal species like candida albicans.

Antibiotic use has also led to the emergence of in antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA, though toxins such as pesticides could also be causing antibiotic resistance.

Infections with antibiotic resistant strains lead to double the risk of adverse outcomes when compared to similar infections cased by strains that are susceptible to antibiotics (5).

We didn’t have the scientific understanding of the complex interactions of a multitude of microbial species in the gut. We didn’t understand the subtlety and complexity of nature.

Maybe we got carried away with our own importance in the universe, our own (apparent) domination of nature, rather than our reverence for nature?

The medical profession is now more cautious with regard to antibiotics (which certainly have their usefulness), but we should heed the same lesson in general. Whether it be a novel medical treatment, supplement, technology or even a novel diet or lifestyle intervention, we need to take the time to understand the impacts and slowly gain experience of the novelty before becoming too enthusiastic about its use.

The principles of naturopathy

Here I will discuss 6 key principles of naturopathy. There is a large degree of overlap with the principles of functional medicine, which was pioneered largely by naturopaths, and these principles also inform the practice of nutritional therapy.

As you will see, most of these principles could be seen as quite close to some of the key ideas of Taoism.

However there is also a very significant difference between Taoism and naturopathy; Taoism in essence is more focused on something far more mysterious and spiritual that ultimately cannot be expressed in concepts, with medicine being just one more practical offshoot of Taoism.

1. First do no harm

Doing too much, as the Taoists might put it, such as prescribing antibiotics for a cold, violates what is both a naturopathic principle and the core principle of the Hippocratic oath sworn by medical practitioners to this day; first do no harm.

Doing more than is necessary is going against the way of nature.

Whatever goes against the way of nature will cause harm according to Taoism, and in naturopathy we seek to align our actions with the healing power of nature.

Perhaps this is why Hippocrates was such an advocate of dietary medicine, because food is certainly natural to the body, as long as it is not ultra-processed. The more overly processed a food is the less natural it could end up being. Olive oil is processed to a certain degree and yet has many health benefits, but modern ultra-processed pre-prepared meals are in a completely different category.

I would consider nutritional supplements to be to some extent natural in the body, in that they are components or extracts of foods that human biochemistry has evolved to make use of (unlike pharmaceutical drugs). However there is a degree of processing and the dose is not usually the natural dose one would receive from just eating whole foods. Moreover some understanding of synergistic nutrients and phytochemicals often found together in whole foods can more safely guide the use of nutritional supplements.

Hippocrates would have considered herbs next in the hierarchy of potential harm that in some cases might outweigh the benefits, and thus requires a little more caution in its use than foods.

Surgery would have been a last resort and one of the most risky and harmful kinds of medical intervention in Hippocrates’ time.

Less aligned with nature and more likely to cause harm than nutritional supplements and herbs at normal dosages are pharmaceutical drugs, with their long lists of potential side effects.

I have already outlined the potential harm to your gut microbiome that can be caused by antibiotics.

Beyond any harm caused to your gut, drugs are toxic and when they are absorbed into the bloodstream they need to be detoxified. Every class of medication thus has the potential to harm your liver, especially when overly burdened detoxification pathways are not supported with adequate micronutrients (2).

Unfortunately many people turn to medication (and sometimes even surgery) as a first resort rather than as a last resort. This arises from not understanding the powerful effect of our dietary and lifestyle choices on health and disease.

2. Doctor as teacher

That is why naturopaths are educators in accordance to another naturopathic principle, often stated as ‘Doctor as teacher’ (though I am not a medical doctor). Gaining understanding can motivate you and empower you to make healthy choices, which is why nutritional therapy also seeks to promote understanding and active engagement.

In clinic as the Devon naturopath I explain things to you in my clinic in a way that matches your interest and understanding. I ask for your feedback as to what level of explanation you would like.

Another area I seek to support your understanding is in researching and writing my blog.

3. Prevention is better than cure

One of the principles of naturopathy is often stated as ‘Prevention is better than cure’. If you have read this post all the way through until now and have some understanding of the Taoist idea of ‘dealing with the difficulty while it is still small’ this naturopathic version of the same principle will not require too much further explanation.

Suffice to say that once your body goes out of balance it tends to activate compensatory mechanisms, but the further off balance you go the more likely it is that vicious cycles will develop that can make your return to a healthy balance far more challenging.

In practice most of clients in my Devon naturopath clinic are already bearing signs of these vicious cycles having developed, and few come to me exclusively for preventative medicine, but in any case I aim to leave you with some knowledge of how to prevent or reduce the risk of future illness after having worked with me (as far as that is your interest too).

4. The healing power of nature

One aspect of wu wei in naturopathy is that we ally our approach with the pre-existing natural mechanisms for healing, which naturopaths refer to as the ‘healing power of nature’. The healthy balance that the body ‘seeks’ at the physical level is acknowledged by Western medicine as homeostasis.

5. Finding the root cause of disease

A certain degree of sensitivity and curiosity is called for in that process of rebalancing, as well as in the examining the process of disease in each individual.

We could get excited about one biochemical pathway, and lose sight of the fact that it usually turns out to be one of a multitude of known potential pathways that could be driving a disease process. We could get far too yang about that one pathway and even specialise in it, to the detriment of our wider understanding.

The listening, sensing, receptive yin aspect of Taoist practice is akin to the open-mindedness that is often needed to find the root cause of disease, a naturopathic principle also shared with functional medicine and nutritional therapy alike. My experience as the Devon naturopath means that often your symptoms paint a picture that I might recognise as having certain causes, but I aim to not rush to a definite conclusion if there is any degree of uncertainty.

The root cause of disease can be thought of as the true nature of the disease. Rather than using an algorithm to determine which treatment to prescribe for a given symptom, naturopaths gather information, investigate, research and seek to understand the root cause or root causes of a disease process, and in the process are open to learning something new.

The root cause is where the least effort can have the greatest impact.

It is also often where the effort causes the least harm; in naturopathy it is understood that suppressing symptoms can be harmful.

A headache can have many causes. You could recommend aspirin to alleviate the headache but if the headache is caused by a blood sugar dysregulation that you are not addressing, that blood sugar dysregulation could go on to cause more headaches once the aspirin wears off, to say nothing of the many potential consequences of long-term blood sugar dysregulation, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Elsewhere I have outlined just one example of how painkiller use can make headaches worse in the long run. This is indeed an example of ‘least effort’ but this effort is not applied in the effective place, which is at the root cause of the disease. This example also illustrates the naturopathic idea that suppressing symptoms can cause more harm, which is also central to functional medicine and nutritional therapy.

The symptom suppressing approach of merely taking painkillers fails to ask the question “What is causing the headache in the first place?”. It is as if we think of our headache as something that is inevitable and even natural, rather than wondering in what way are we living out of alignment with our own nature to be causing a headache. Later in this article I will give two examples of modern conditions that we may assume are inevitable, and I will demonstrate that they are in fact far from inevitable.

If you think all of this is just common sense I would agree with you, but the fact of the matter is that many health professionals fail to practice it.

In my Devon naturopath clinic I do sometimes suggest supplements that can alleviate symptoms whilst working on the root causes of the symptoms. The supplements I suggest are ones that are unlikely to cause harm. For example anxiety and stress may be rooted in various physiological imbalances as well as in challenges that might require the support of a psychotherapist or counsellor, but there is one very safe compound extracted from tea that can help reduce anxiety and stress.

6. Treat the whole person

I could be an expert in blood sugar dysregulation and treat the headache in my example above by improving blood sugar regulation. This might work for some people.

However what if the headache is caused by a burden of environmental toxins?

Or by iron deficiency?

Or by poor gut health, hormonal imbalances, psychological stress or food sensitivities?

It’s no good my being an expert in blood sugar regulation if I want to be effective in healing more than just a small proportion of headaches.

All the systems of the body are interconnected in a complex web, such that an imbalance in one area, organ or system can have an impact on every other area, organ or symptom. Of the potential causes of a headache I happened to list above, only one (psychological stress) would usually be thought of as originating in the head, though some hormonal imbalances could also originate in the brain.

This is what is meant by working holistically, and in naturopathy as well as nutritional therapy this principle is often stated as ‘Treat the whole person’. This is why in my work as the Devon naturopath I am a generalist and not a specialist. A wide breadth and depth of knowledge is needed to understand the most effective way to work towards optimal health.

The case for naturopathy today

Your body has an innate intelligence, an innate capacity for self-healing, given the right circumstances. It is designed intelligently as a responsive entity, responsive to imbalances by having a set of checks and balances to bring itself back to equilibrium, to homeostasis. This is the the ‘tao’ or ‘nature’ of the body, as Taoists believe, and as naturopaths also believe.

Whether or not you attribute any kind of divine quality to this masterpiece called your body, or if you just ascribe the wondrous complexity down to evolutionary forces, the body is not some crude object, but a sensitive and responsive vessel that should be respected, its ‘symptoms’ heeded.

The body can bounce back from an ‘insult’, but if you keep piling insult upon insult it may lose its homeostatic set point and get trapped in vicious cycles of disease.

We are living through an epidemic of chronic disease that comes from not living in accordance with our true nature, and not paying attention to what the body is telling us.

This may sound abstract, this idea of living in accordance with our true nature, and what even is our true nature anyway?

Let’s illustrate this with a few examples of not living in alignment with our natural needs and some of the evitable consequences, bearing in mind that here I am focusing more on the physical aspect of your true nature, rather than the deeper spiritual aspect of who you really are and why you are here.

Man-made toxins

The human body evolved to make use of nutrients and to protect itself from toxins found in the natural environment. It has not evolved to cope so well with many of the molecules in food, water, air and medicine that did not exist before man created them or that were not found at the same levels that they are today (6, 7, 8, 9).

So what is not natural, and thus potentially harmful, is chronic exposure to these man-made chemicals. Of course this definition of natural will not suffice, because we are making chemicals when we cook some food to make it more digestible and snake venom is clearly natural but far from harmless.

The question to ask then, is whether a particular chemical we are making is really necessary and if the benefits really outweigh the risks? Is the smooth Teflon coated glide of some brands of dental floss really worth the potential health risks of exposure to forever chemicals that you might never be able to detoxify, for example?

For many other toxins we can make use of naturally occurring micronutrients in artificially concentrated form (as vitamin and mineral supplements) because these act as essential catalysts that our body’s detoxification pathways have evolved to make use of. We have not evolved any such detoxification pathways for forever chemicals, so we can certainly consider these to not be natural.

Perhaps the benefits of such compounds do outweigh the risks for some individuals, since a molecule that did not previously exist in nature can be patented and thus profited from.

Man-made abundance – ruined by our own success

Type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease – when your survival instinct is killing you

We take many conditions for granted, such as type 2 diabetes. “It just happens”, we say.

It used to be adult onset diabetes, but has been renamed because type 2 diabetes is now being diagnosed in infancy.

That should be enough to make you wonder if this disease is really inevitable, or if it is a product of our environment, and if some worsening of this environment has caused diabetes to be diagnosed at an ever younger age.

In the case of diabetes one aspect of the environment that comes to mind is the food environment. We are programmed to eat our fill of carbohydrates to store calories for times of food scarcity. This is a survival instinct., but our success in cultivating and processing carbohydrate food sources so that they are readily available at any time of the day and usually with minimal effort expended has resulted in this survival instinct reducing our lifespan through diabetes, weight gain and heart disease.

We might consider this survival instinct to be natural, but the abundance of foods that are overly processed and engineered to be highly addictive to be unnatural, along with a lack of physical exercise.

Diabetes is certainly a disease of our modern lifestyle and diet and can be reversed when we follow a dietary and lifestyle changes more in accordance with the dietary patterns and the levels of physical activity that we evolved with over the millennia.

Until recently there was a conviction in the scientific research community that in more advanced cases of type 2 diabetes the pancreas would be damaged beyond repair, but now we know that with the correct dietary and lifestyle approach the pancreas can be healed even in such cases.

No acne observed in Kitavan islanders and Aché hunter-gatherers

Acne is seen as something we are inevitably stricken with in our teenage years, a mild case if we are lucky, or a more severe case if we are unlucky. Perhaps if we have bad genes we will have even worse luck with acne persisting into adulthood.

But in cultures following traditional diets and living their ‘natural’ lifestyle in their ‘natural’ environments acne is completely unheard of until they are placed in a modern industrialised culture and following a typical Western diet (10).

Naturopathic benefits for chronic disease

These examples suggests that there may be something to this idea of living according to your nature after all, even if what is ‘natural’ would be somewhat difficult to define and initially sounds vague.

When examining the evidence, many conditions or symptoms that we have taken as normal turn out to be a result of pushing our body and our being too distant from its natural needs in a myriad of ways: unnatural diet, chronic stress, toxic exposure (that has also become normalised), lack of or excess of physical or mental activity, lack of purpose, meaning or spiritual orientation, and even electromagnetic stress.

None of this is to detract from what science and technology have given us and I am not in any way promoting a deindustrialised society or way of life. Naturopathy builds upon scientific evidence to guide us towards health in part by making a realistic risk benefit analysis of various aspects of our modern lifestyle where we do have some choices that can be made.

Naturopathic medicine has been shown to be effective in treating a wide range of complex chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, PCOS and musculoskeletal pain (11).

Devon naturopath services and what to expect in clinic

Devon naturopath – Naturopathy, functional medicine and nutritional therapy

Whether or not naturopathy indeed has its roots in Taoism, it’s principles inform both functional medicine and nutritional therapy, both of which I am also trained in, working with all three overlapping approaches together.

Working collaboratively

In my Devon naturopath practice I also take wu wei to mean that I work with you in a collaborative way, without trying to force you to do what you are not willing or ready to do.

You may value your occasional drink or cake more than reducing your risk of disease to an absolute minimum. You may on the other hand be very focused on optimising your mental and physical performance in a very dedicated way.

Either way I will support you with your goals, although to benefit from my input you will need some willingness and motivation to make dietary and lifestyle changes, and more so if your goals are more challenging or ambitious or your illness more complex and severe.

The tools of the Devon naturopath

So how do I find the root causes of disease and investigate the interconnected body systems so that I can offer you a path to healing that is personalised to your unique needs?

I make evidence-based recommendations based on the use of functional lab testing and further information about you, such as your symptoms, your sleep patterns, your levels of stress, your medical history, the medical history of your closest relatives, your dietary and lifestyle patterns, known toxic exposures, genetic makeup and more.

I gather this information from you in several ways:

• in a detailed online health questionnaire you will be asked to fill in before your initial consultation
• in a diet diary you will usually be asked to fill in before each consultation
• orally in each consultation, which will include how you responded to the recommendations from previous consultations
• from functional lab testing
• from genetic testing

Personalised recommendations

I outline my recommendations during the consultation so that we can discuss any challenges you may have in implementing the recommendations. I do ask that you communicate any challenges you can foresee due to your personal life circumstances, preferences, religious or ethical beliefs, financial and time limitations and personal capacity to make changes in your life, so that together we can find the best approach for you.

Recommendations generally fall into 4 main areas:

• dietary recommendations
• lifestyle recommendations
• lab testing
• supplements

It can take much of the initial consultation to build up an in-depth picture of the factors that could be driving your disease process.

Functional lab tests at the Devon naturopath clinic

Lab tests are recommended according to your individual needs, being selected from a wide range of tests focusing on gut health, hormones, cardiovascular health, micronutrient testing, antioxidants and oxidative stress and much more. Samples you provide could include blood, saliva, urine, hair and breath.

I am often asked about DUTCH, Organic Acids, NutrEval, GI Effects and GI360 stool testing, all of which I offer.

The only test for both vitamins and minerals currently available in the UK that I recommend is the Spectracell Micronutrient Test, which also includes testing for antioxidants such as glutathione.

Test kits are usually sent to your home and can usually be done at home, except for blood tests which would depend on a mobile phlebotomist being available in your area.

I explain your lab test results during a consultation.

In my interpretation I relate your test results to your symptoms, previous test results and any other relevant information, so that we build a fuller picture of what are the key causes or drivers of your symptoms and how best to support you in optimising your health.

The interpretation fee is included in the price of the test.

I charge an hourly rate for interpretation of the results of any lab tests that you have ordered independently or with previous practitioners. (This is the time it takes me to interpret your results before your consultation).

Consultation report

After each consultation with me you will receive a written report which can include:

• A commentary section that may include the following:
  • potential causes of your symptoms and why they may be having an impact
  • notes on your progress and any challenges you have met
• Any lab tests recommended, with some instructions (more complete instructions come with the lab test kits
• Any recommended home diagnostics or experiments
• Dietary recommendations
• Lifestyle recommendations
• Recommended supplements

All of the important points discussed in the consultation will be covered in your report, so that you can focus on the consultation without having to make any notes.

Nutrigenetics consultations with the Devon naturopath

We could describe nutrigenetics simply as nutrition for your genes, which takes personalised medicine to the next level. Although it can be very helpful and interesting, it is best to first begin naturopathy consultations and then we may discuss whether a nutrigenetics consultation could be helpful for you. This means that I can then relate the results from your genetic testing to everything that I have already learned about you.

Nutrigenetics report

The report you will receive after a nutrigenetics consultation is organised differently. It outlines your genetic variants, how they may potentially impact your health and what you can do to benefit from this knowledge, which usually involves dietary and lifestyle interventions or supplements, and sometimes monitoring your health with regular lab testing.

This is a very detailed report with long-term guidance and the many recommendations are then prioritised and implemented in subsequent Devon naturopath consultations.

Although personalised medicine and the use of genetic profiling carried out in this way is sometimes referred to as precision medicine, please be aware that knowing your genetic profile does not lead to a prescription of supplements in precise dosages and precise dietary and lifestyle interventions.

Time allocation

It takes time to thoroughly investigate your unique causes of disease, to understand how you are responding to the dietary and lifestyle changes and any challenges you are facing in implementing the changes, and then to give you guidance step by step. That is why I allocate 80 minutes for each naturopathy consultation and no less, and 2 hours for a nutrigenetics consultation.

I also allocate time to read through your notes or your questionnaire and your diet diary and to interpret any test results before your consultation.

After your consultation when I am writing your report I may do some further research if you have any unusual symptoms or test results that push the boundaries of my knowledge.

This time enables me to work deeply with you and to investigate (for example) how test results relate to your previous test results as well as to your symptoms and your responses to dietary and lifestyle changes and supplements. This can often make the difference between success and failure, especially if your presenting symptoms are more complex.

All of this time is covered in the price of your consultation and lab tests (which are only interpreted for you in a consultation and in your consultation report).

Frequency of consultations

Consultations are usually every 6-8 weeks. This gives time for you to make any recommended changes, make them habitual and see how you respond to them over time. It also gives time to complete lab tests.

Coaching calls and support calls with the Devon naturopath

If you need further support as you are meeting unforeseen challenges in implementing my recommendations, you can book a support call or a coaching call.

A support call can be helpful to fine-tune practical details to help you follow the recommendations successfully, rather than to give completely new advice. I include some time to read through your most recent consultation report before your support phone call but since I am not giving completely new advice I do not update my notes after these phone calls. This allows the time allocated to a phone call to be sufficiently short that I can usually book you in at short notice, usually within a few days or a week.

A coaching call is focused on the emotional or psychological challenges you may meet in implementing dietary and lifestyle changes into your daily life. It can also be booked at short notice.

The person-centred approach of the Devon naturopath

Functional medicine, naturopathy and nutritional therapy all emphasise the uniqueness of the individual.

As my client I welcome your input and do my best to respond to your unique health needs. We work together according to your goals, preferences and limitations. If your limitations are likely to hold back progress to your goals I will seek to find a way through or around the obstacle with you.

Devon naturopath services I do not offer & who I do not work with

I do not offer

• meal plans
• e-mail support in between consultations – see my e-mail policy and guidelines

I do not work with

• cancer
• anorexia nervosa, bulimia or any other eating disorders
• chronic kidney disease
• people who are unwilling to implement dietary & lifestyle changes
• people who are working with other practitioners who also recommend dietary changes, supplements or herbs

Please note: As a nutritional therapist, naturopath and functional medicine practitioner my interest and training is in dietary and lifestyle medicine. I do not offer medical advice nor is my work a substitute for medical care. Please refer to a functional medicine doctor or to your primary care physician for medical treatment.

Free 20 minute phone call to learn more about the Devon naturopath clinic

Book a free no-obligation 20 minute phone conversation with me using the form on the right hand side to ask any further questions about consultations in Devon.

For legal reasons I cannot give dietary and lifestyle advice in this phone call.

How to find the Devon naturopath clinic

Consultations are held at Nautilus Rooms on Fore Street, Totnes.

Wisdom Nutrition, Nautilus Rooms, Totnes, Devon