What is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Holistic Nutritionist, or Functional Nutritionist?
What exactly is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, holistic nutritionist, or functional nutritionist?
I'm so glad you asked!
There has been an explosion in alternative, functionally minded health practitioners over the past ten years to meet the increasing demand for more personalized healthcare, a focus on prevention instead of treatment of disease (health care versus sick care), and treatment of the body as an interconnected whole rather than specialized, separately functioning compartments.
What do all these different titles mean?
Many times what health practitioners can call themselves is determined by the laws in their state. In several states, it is illegal to give nutrition advice unless you are a licensed practitioner (dietitian, MD, etc).
In other states, you can give advice as long as you don't use protected words such as "dietitian" or "medical nutrition" to describe yourself. That is why you might hear practitioners describe themselves as nutritionists, functional nutritionists, holistic nutritionists, etc.
I am certified as a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner by the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA). I researched every holistic and alternative nutrition certification I could find prior to choosing the NTA. Then I didn't sleep for two days after submitting my application because I was sure I had lost my mind.
I swore after I finished my doctorate in physical therapy that I was never going back to school again! However, my passion for nutrition and helping others and allowing ten years to pass changed my mind!
Why did I choose the NTA?
After researching a variety of programs, I chose the NTA because I felt like their philosophy most closely matched what I believed personally through my own research and experiences.
I love their focus on real food and addressing concerns from a root cause perspective rather than simply addressing symptoms. The curriculum is not based on dietary fads, but on research surrounding how humans have eaten throughout history and how to apply that knowledge to create personalized recommendations for each client.
What exactly does an FNTP do?
Nutritional Therapy Practitioners address the "Foundations" of Digestion, Blood Sugar, Fatty Acids, Minerals, & Hydration to make sure that your body is optimally absorbing and utilizing your nutrient dense diet. We also address lifestyle, stress, environmental exposures, and more!
Maybe you want to make sure that your digestion is optimal or you are tired of dealing with gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn, constipation, or diarrhea?
Perhaps you've been reading about metabolic health and have symptoms like becoming "hangry" when you haven't eaten, becoming tired after meals, crashing at 3pm, or craving sugar. You may have a family history of high cholesterol, heart disease, or diabetes and want to create a different health future for yourself.
Maybe you'd like to lose weight in a healthy way and are tired of gimmicks, fads, extremes, biohacks, shakes, counting points or calories and want to make permanent, sustainable changes in your health.
What type of conditions do NTPs work with?
- Acid reflux, GERD, indigestion, IBS, Crohn's disease, constipation, diarrhea
- PMS, hormone dysfunction, PCOS, infertility, perimenopause
- Thyroid dysfunction, Hashimoto's, Graves disease
- Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, prediabetes, hypoglycemia, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, obesity
- ADD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia
- Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Lyme Disease, EBV
- Any other health related concerns you might have as nutrition truly affects every part of our body!
What should I expect as a client?
Nutritional Therapy Practitioners utilize a thorough client history, a comprehensive nutritional questionnaire, and a food & symptom journal and integrate the findings to make personalized recommendations based on your current concerns and goals.
Our sessions together will be much longer than what you are likely used to in healthcare. The initial appointment usually takes at least 90 minutes and sometimes upward of 2 hours based on the complexity of concerns. (If this seems overwhelming, we can break it down into several shorter, focused sessions.) Follow up sessions are not time limited either so that we can address all your concerns without feeling rushed.
This is after I have spent at least two hours prior to our visit reviewing all of your paperwork, questionnaires, relevant laboratory testing, & food journals so that our time together can be dedicated to answering questions, education, and making a plan just for you!
Each client's recommendations will differ based on your exact concerns and symptoms and will include nutrition, lifestyle changes, stress management, sleep hygiene, environmental toxin removal, and more. You will receive a written follow up summary after each visit for easy reference. This is truly personalized healthcare!
It is so exciting to watch symptoms that clients have considered "normal" for years such as gas, bloating, reflux, constipation, fatigue, joint pain, & PMS dramatically improve or disappear when the underlying issues are identified and corrected.
I meet with clients via Zoom teleconferencing. This allows me to provide maximum flexibility in scheduling. A three session minimum commitment is required as I believe it is a disservice to both of us to not have adequate follow up to answer questions, make adjustments, and progress your recommendations.
It would be both impossible and overwhelming to thoroughly address all of your health concerns in one visit. Packages allow us to focus on the most pressing concerns first, create a plan, and then assess the results over time to determine what we need to address next.
My job is to integrate my knowledge and experience to educate, encourage, and empower you to be in charge of your health and symptoms, rather than your symptoms controlling you!
Does this sound like what you've been looking for?
Please send me an email or head over to the Work With Me page for more information. You can learn more about my education and my own health journey here.