Alternative Health Services & Specialist Treatments

Advanced Nutrition

Advanced nutrition tailors your dietary intake, hydration, and nutrient support to your individual biochemistry and genetics, rather than following generic dietary guidelines. It considers how your body metabolises nutrients at a biochemical level, often drawing on nutrigenomics to match vitamins, minerals, and whole foods to your genetic profile.

For example, standard advice might simply recommend leafy greens for B vitamins. An advanced nutrition approach recognises that certain common genetic variants (such as the MTHFR gene variant) can affect how efficiently the body converts some nutrients into their active forms, and aims to account for that with a more individualised nutritional strategy.

Potential benefits of an advanced nutrition approach

• Better-matched nutrients: Provides forms of vitamins and minerals chosen with your individual needs in mind, which may improve how well they’re used.
• Energy support: Aims to support healthy mitochondrial function and address contributors to fatigue and low concentration.
• Reducing dietary triggers: Works to identify foods that may not suit your individual profile.
• Gut and general wellness support: Uses targeted nutritional strategies intended to support the gut lining and overall wellbeing.

Environmental Illness

Environmental illness refers to chronic symptoms that some people associate with exposure to low-level environmental factors such as certain chemicals, heavy metals, or mould. It’s sometimes also called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). It’s worth noting this is a contested area within medicine, and symptoms attributed to it can have a range of causes that are worth investigating properly.

Our approach focuses on reducing avoidable exposures and supporting the body’s normal elimination pathways. Genetic variation can influence how efficiently a person processes certain substances, and we consider that alongside your wider picture.

What people describe under this heading

• Reactions some people report to everyday substances such as fragrances, cleaning products, or plastics.
• A sense of being more affected by exposures than others around them.
• Concerns about the body’s capacity to clear chemicals, heavy metals, or mould.

If this resonates, a consultation can help work through what may be contributing and whether our approach is a fit for you.

Fatigue — CFS & Energy Problems

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME) is a complex, recognised medical condition involving persistent, debilitating exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest, often alongside poor concentration, unrefreshing sleep, and worsening of symptoms after exertion. It’s a serious condition, and anyone experiencing it should be under appropriate medical care.

Our work in this area focuses on supporting energy-related biochemistry — for example, factors involved in cellular energy production and the methylation cycle — as a complement to, not a replacement for, medical care.

Understanding CFS and energy problems

• Definition: Extreme, ongoing fatigue lasting months that disrupts daily life.
• Common associations: Often linked with immune changes, prior infections, mitochondrial factors, and chronic stress.
• Related symptoms: Unrefreshing sleep, muscle and joint discomfort, difficulty concentrating.

Factors we consider

• Cellular energy production: How efficiently the body’s mitochondria generate energy, and factors that may interfere with that.
• Methylation: The methylation cycle contributes to energy metabolism; genetic variation and other factors can affect how it runs.
• Inflammation and immune load: Ongoing immune activity can be draining.
• Stress response: How the body manages stress and recovery.

Gut Health

Complex gut conditions involve the microbiome, the gut lining, and inflammation, and include a range of diagnoses. Some of these — particularly the inflammatory bowel diseases — are serious conditions that require medical management, so our role here is supportive alongside your medical care.

Some conditions people ask about

• IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome): A functional disorder causing abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits.
• IBD (Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis): Serious chronic autoimmune inflammatory conditions that require medical care.
• SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth): An abnormal amount of bacteria in the small intestine.
• Increased intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”): A concept describing weakened gut-barrier function.
• Constipation: Infrequent or difficult bowel movements.

How we approach gut health

Our practitioner considers gut health from several angles — including microbiome testing, how genetic variants may relate to digestive function, and identifying individual contributors — to inform a natural, individualised plan alongside any medical care you’re receiving.

Hormone Balancing

Hormone balancing refers to supporting the endocrine system so that key messengers — such as insulin, cortisol, oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid hormones — stay within a healthy, functional range. When these get out of balance through stress, diet, poor sleep, or ageing, people can experience fatigue, weight changes, mood changes, and other symptoms.

What a natural approach aims to support

• Steadier energy: Supporting balanced blood sugar, which may help with energy and weight management.
• Stress resilience: Stress isn’t inherently harmful, but poor stress tolerance can be — the aim is to support better resilience.
• Digestion: Supporting a calmer “rest and digest” state, which tends to favour better digestion and nutrient uptake.
• Day-to-day wellbeing: Working to identify and reduce contributors to hormone imbalance.

Because hormone issues can have many causes, a consultation helps work out what may be relevant for you.

Immune Disorders & Autoimmune Disease

Immune disorders occur when the immune system doesn’t function as it should — this includes autoimmune diseases (where the immune system mistakenly targets healthy tissue), immunodeficiencies (reduced immune defences), and hypersensitivities (such as allergies). Many of these are serious conditions that require ongoing medical management, so our role is supportive and works alongside your medical care.

Understanding immune and autoimmune conditions

• Immune disorders: A broad term for conditions where the immune system is overactive, underactive, or misdirected.
• Autoimmune disease: A condition in which the immune system mistakes healthy tissue for a threat.
• Common examples: Rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, lupus, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
• Medical management: These conditions are managed by medical specialists, often with medication, and that care should continue.

How we may be able to help alongside medical care

• Reducing avoidable triggers: Working to identify environmental and dietary factors that may contribute to symptom flares for you individually.
• Gut and general support: Considering gut health and the microbiome, which interact with immune function.
• Everyday wellbeing: Supporting sleep, nutrition, and energy, which can be difficult to maintain with these conditions.

If you’re managing an immune or autoimmune condition and want nutritional and lifestyle support in addition to your medical care, a consultation can help you understand what may be appropriate.

Reversing Broken Nutrition

“Broken nutrition” is a concept coined by Russell Browne — explored in his book The Genetic Advantage: Are BAD Genes Holding You Back From Good Health? — describing how generic, one-size-fits-all nutrition advice can fall short when it doesn’t account for an individual’s genetics.

The idea is that standard dietary guidance is often applied broadly without considering genetic variation, such as the MTHFR gene variant and others that can affect how the body processes certain nutrients. Russell’s framework focuses on nutrigenomics and tailoring nutrition to the individual.

According to this framework, generic nutrition can fall short because it:

• Overlooks individual genetics: Everyone processes food a little differently, and generic advice doesn’t account for that.
• Focuses on symptoms over contributors: It may not address specific, individual biochemical needs.
• Applies the same rules to everyone: A more individualised approach can suit some people better.
• Doesn’t account for nutrient conversion: Some genetic variants affect how efficiently the body activates certain nutrients, such as folate.

Menstrual Problems, PCOS & Irregular Periods

Menstrual problems are common issues related to the monthly cycle, including painful cramps (dysmenorrhoea), heavy bleeding, and irregular periods. A natural approach aims to support hormonal balance and reduce contributors to symptoms, alongside appropriate medical care where needed.

Common menstrual problems

• Dysmenorrhoea (cramps): Pain in the lower abdomen linked to the cycle.
• Irregular periods: Cycles that vary in length or are missed.
• Heavy bleeding (menorrhagia): Flow heavy enough to interfere with daily life.
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS): Physical and emotional changes before a period.
• Amenorrhoea: When periods haven’t started by the mid-teens (primary), or stop for several months in someone who previously menstruated (secondary).

Common contributors

• Natural life stages: Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause.
• Lifestyle factors: High stress, significant weight change, or very heavy exercise.
• Health conditions: Hormonal conditions such as PCOS, or thyroid issues.

Because irregular or absent periods and conditions like PCOS can have several causes, they’re worth assessing properly — a consultation can help work through what may be relevant for you alongside any medical care.

Mental Health & Neurodevelopmental Conditions

This section covers a range of distinct mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. These are serious and require appropriate professional care. Nothing here should be taken as a reason to stop or change any prescribed treatment, and no one should make changes to mental health medication except under the guidance of their prescribing doctor. Our role, if any, is limited to general nutritional and lifestyle support that complements — never replaces — the care of a qualified mental health professional.

Understanding the conditions (general definitions)

• Anxiety: Persistent, excessive worry that interferes with daily life.
• Depression: A mood condition involving ongoing low mood, low energy, and loss of interest.
• Panic disorder: Repeated episodes of intense fear and physical distress.
• Bipolar disorder: Significant shifts in mood and energy between highs and lows.
• Schizophrenia: A condition affecting how a person thinks, feels, and perceives reality.
• Autism (ASD): A neurodevelopmental difference in social communication, sensory processing, and interests — a difference, not an illness to be cured.
• ADHD: A neurodevelopmental condition involving inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
• OCD: Intrusive thoughts paired with repetitive behaviours.

If you’re receiving care for one of these conditions and would like general nutritional and lifestyle support in addition to that care, you’re welcome to discuss whether it’s appropriate in a consultation

Metabolism — Weight, Fluid Retention & Slow Metabolism

These terms describe how the body handles energy, food, and fluid: weight gain, excess body fat, fluid retention (holding extra water), and a slower metabolic rate (burning energy at a lower rate).

Understanding the terms

• Weight gain: An increase in total body weight from muscle, fat, bone, or water.
• Excess body fat: A level of body fat that can affect overall health.
• Fluid retention (oedema): Extra fluid building up in body tissues, causing swelling.
• Slower metabolism: Burning fewer calories at rest and during activity than expected.

Some factors that can play a role

Weight is usually influenced by several factors at once rather than a single cause. Some of the less obvious ones we consider include:

• Blood sugar regulation: How steadily the body manages blood sugar, which can influence appetite and fat storage.
• Fluid balance: Individual differences, including some genetic variants, can affect how the body manages fluid.
• Stress and energy: Difficulty tolerating stress, and low energy production, can make it harder for the body to use stored energy efficiently.
• Environmental factors: Toxic load and related factors may play a role for some people.

A consultation can help identify which of these may be most relevant to you.

Methylation & Homocysteine

Methylation is a fundamental biochemical process in which a small chemical group (a methyl group) is added to DNA, proteins, and other molecules, acting like a cellular “switch” that helps regulate a wide range of functions. Supporting healthy methylation is associated with mood regulation, detoxification, and energy production.

Understanding methylation

• A regulatory switch: It influences how genes are expressed — turned up or down — without changing the underlying DNA sequence.
• Constantly active: The process runs continuously throughout the body.
• Key inputs: It relies on “methyl donors,” including active B vitamins such as folate (5-MTHF) and B12 (methylcobalamin).

Why methylation matters

• Mood: Contributes to the production and breakdown of brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine.
• Detoxification: Supports the processing and clearance of metabolic waste and excess hormones.
• Cardiovascular health: Involved in recycling homocysteine, an amino acid linked to cardiovascular risk when elevated.
• Cellular repair: Contributes to energy production and DNA maintenance.

A note on homocysteine: Homocysteine is a blood marker related to methylation and cardiovascular health. Both high and low levels can be meaningful, and reference ranges vary between laboratories. Any homocysteine result should be interpreted by a qualified health professional in the context of your overall health rather than read against a single fixed number.

Migraines & Headaches

Headaches are pains in the head that range from mild to moderate, while migraines are a neurological condition involving throbbing pain, often on one side, sometimes with nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. A natural approach aims to identify and reduce individual triggers and support overall wellbeing, alongside appropriate medical care.

Headaches vs migraines

• Headaches: Typically mild to moderate, dull or tight pain, often on both sides (as with tension headaches).
• Migraines: More intense, throbbing pain, usually one-sided, sometimes lasting a day or more, and often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

What a natural approach may consider

• Hydration and electrolytes: Including individual differences that can affect fluid balance.
• Nutrition and targeted support: A tailored approach intended to address individual contributors.
• Trigger identification: Tracking personal patterns — such as foods, stress, or sleep — to help reduce how often episodes occur.

Because frequent or severe headaches can have many causes, and some warrant medical assessment, it’s worth having them properly evaluated.

MTHFR Detection & Treatments

An MTHFR gene variant is a common, inherited genetic variation that can reduce the efficiency with which the body converts folate (vitamin B9) into its active form, methylfolate.

Understanding MTHFR variants

• The enzyme: MTHFR stands for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, an enzyme involved in processing folate.
• Common variants: The two most-studied are C677T and A1298C.
• Impact varies: For many people the variant causes few or no issues, but in some cases it may be associated with higher homocysteine levels or differences in how folate is processed.

How the variant is identified

MTHFR status is determined by genetic testing, not by blood markers alone. Some routine blood results — such as homocysteine, B12, or certain red-blood-cell measures — may prompt a practitioner to consider genetic factors, but they are not themselves a diagnosis of an MTHFR variant. Any such results should be interpreted by a qualified professional in the context of your overall health.

A natural and lifestyle approach may involve

• Active forms of nutrients: Some people use pre-converted forms of folate (such as L-methylfolate/5-MTHF) and B12 (methylcobalamin). Important: this isn’t right for everyone and can cause problems for some people — learn more here.
• Whole-food folate sources: Emphasising folate-rich foods such as leafy greens, legumes, and avocado. Whether to limit synthetic folic acid is individual and best discussed with a practitioner, as the evidence here is not one-size-fits-all.
• General wellbeing: Supporting sleep, stress, and overall nutrition, which can help with day-to-day symptoms.

MTHFR, fertility and miscarriage

MTHFR variants are sometimes discussed in relation to fertility and recurrent miscarriage. As noted in the fertility section above, the evidence linking MTHFR variants to pregnancy loss is mixed and routine testing isn’t currently recommended by major guidelines. Anyone experiencing fertility difficulties or pregnancy loss should be supported by their GP, obstetrician, or fertility specialist; a consultation can help you understand nutritional and genetic factors as part of a broader picture alongside that care.

Sleep Problems — Insomnia, Light Sleep & Non-REM Sleep

Sleep problems involve difficulty falling or staying asleep, or getting enough restorative rest. A natural approach aims to identify and support individual contributors to poor sleep.

Understanding sleep terms

• Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early.
• Light sleep: Early sleep stages from which you’re easily woken; too much time here can mean less deep rest.
• Non-REM sleep: Includes the deeper, restorative stages where the body carries out much of its repair.

Factors that can affect sleep

• Genetics: Individual variation can influence the production of sleep-related chemicals such as melatonin, and the balance of calming versus stimulating neurotransmitters.
• Stress: Difficulty winding down can make it harder to fall and stay asleep.
• Environment and lifestyle: Light exposure, routine, and other environmental factors can all play a role.

Some people also raise factors such as mould exposure or electromagnetic fields; these are areas of ongoing discussion rather than settled science, and a consultation can help work through what’s genuinely relevant for you.