Bio-individuality: I refer to this phrase a lot. It’s the basis of how I operate as a nutritional therapy practitioner, and it really should be the main consideration for everyone involved in healthcare and healing. It means that we are all different, and therefore require different approaches in achieving our most vital and healthy selves. One dietary protocol might work wonders for one person, but can be quite harmful to another. One vitamin or mineral could help manage symptoms of a group of 100 people, but might not be the best route for you. Of course, clinical experience and anecdotal evidence is extremely important when navigating health and wellness - I’m a big fan of looking to the past to help guide our future. But it shouldn’t be the only approach. A collection of symptoms doesn’t equate to a cure-all prescription. Said symptoms might guide the practitioner on finding a protocol that will suit your needs based on past experiences, but your unique biology, history, and current lifestyle will all come into play when finding the right fit for long-lasting results.
This is why, when working one-on-one with clients, I send them a collection of forms, questionnaires, and a food journal that they fill out even before our initial consultation. This gives me a great idea of what we’re working with, and how their unique narrative might guide me in helping them achieve their wellness goals. I then spend a solid hour during our first session further exploring their past history, present lifestyle, and future goals, and discussing my findings from their paperwork. Looking back at my personal health struggles, and clinical experiences, I really wish our current health model more regularly accommodated this process. But this is certainly not an argument of holistic vs. allopathic medicine. My own father is a retina specialist with an extremely busy practice, and I completely understand why that model exists. Luckily for my clients, and for me, I don’t have to operate that way!
Speaking of how I operate...the second session: generally during the second session, I do something called Lingual-Neuro testing - a valuable biofeedback tool that allows me to determine the usefulness of a nutritional supplement before it is dispensed to my client. LNT accesses the body's innate ability to discriminate between what it needs, and what it does not need, in order to correct a specific problem - a weak organ or a nutritional deficiency, for example. This simple and effective technique makes the difference between a generic nutritional therapy plan and a personalized one.
Following these first two sessions, clients can opt for a number of different options when constructing a wellness plan that best suits their goals and lifestyle. However, one thing always remains the same: each plan is specifically catered to the client’s bio-individuality. There is no set diet I suggest to all clients. There are no supplements I encourage everyone to take. There is no form of exercise I think all people benefit from.
The same applies to my posts. You may see some patterns arise, and there are certainly some things I feel strongly everyone could benefit from. I try to keep my posts catered to those general rules, but encourage you to explore a number of different options for your health, whether it’s different wellness practices such as acupuncture, meditation, and emotional counselling, or different dietary guidelines like paleo, WAPF or plant-based eating. We are bi-individuals, but luckily there are so many wonderful ways we can all find our whole happy!