As Functional Nutritional Therapists, what we aim to do, is to tell the client's health “story”!
We do this by mapping out a client's health Timeline and functional Matrix (of signs and symptoms).
The timeline goes right back to before the client was even born, to examine the maternal environment - in other words, to what was going on before conception and throughout the pregnancy?
We examine factors that may have been triggering or mediating the client's chronic symptoms?
We identify those moments/events/traumas/diagnosis, where clients proclaim that they have "never been well since".
For example, throughout the client's childhood, were they:
· always suffering with ear infections
· throat infections
· eczema
Any of those signs and symptoms, are in essence, the client's body saying, "there's something going on in here, there's something not quite right!"
It's like a series of red flags - clues if you will, that there's a need to dig deeper - to look for root cause(s).
During a pre-consultation analysis of a client’s questionnaires, we capture an over-view, on a one-page timeline (and on a functional matrix of symptoms), that clearly exhibits the client’s past and presenting health issues/symptoms. This is a Functional (Systems) Medicine approach.
With all of this information captured in such a way, a client has a clearer overview of all the factors (many within their control) that have led them to the point of seeking help.
The client will then collaborate on a clear plan (an ‘upskilling’ of sorts) in terms of the Modifiable Lifestyle Factors (think of these as the level of self-care).
This collaborative process empowers the client to really take control of their own health into the future.
To your health,
Eileen