Supporting Complex Health Conditions
Here at Urban Wellness, we specialise in working with individuals with more complex health histories and symptoms.
Working with Nicola
Nicola strongly believes that everyone has the capacity to be well, no matter how long they may have been struggling. To achieve that level of wellness can often be challenging, and it needs not only a multi-system approach, but personalisation to the individual, as well as support and accountability.
Working with Nicola you will receive unlimited support not just in our sessions together, but in-between our sessions too. Nicola will also take a deep dive into your whole health history, choose the most informative functional tests, tailor any supplement recommendations, and ensure that your nutrition & lifestyle plan fits in around you so that it is realistic and achievable.
Let's get started!
Nutrition and functional medicine for complex and chronic conditions
At Urban Wellness we specialise in supporting individuals who have more complex, chronic, health conditions. We regularly work with individuals who have been referred to us by other practitioners, or directly with clients who have seen may doctors and specialists and yet don't feel like they are any closer to feeling better or having their symptoms eased or resolved.
Complex conditions often have more than one system or cause at play, and this may include gut health, immune system dysregulation, inflammation, food sensitivities and stress. This is where functional medicine steps in!
Functional medicine is all about a multi-systems approach: we look at you as an individual, and how all the systems in your body are connected, looking for what may be the drivers or triggers for your symptoms.
We then work with you to ensure that we personalise our work to you - no protocols! This is about working with you, and your body, to uncover what support you and your body needs to then give it the capacity to achieve wellness.
Key areas that we work with
Below is an example of some of the conditions we support clients with, many of which can be overlapping.
GUT HEALTH & MICROBIOME HEALTH: Gastroparesis, slow bowel motility, SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), Intestinal Permeability ('leaky gut'), chronic constipation, IBS and IBD including Ulcerative Colitis and Coeliac Disease
FOOD INTAKE OR FOOD ANXIETY: fear of introducing new foods, long-term restrictive diets, food sensitivies, emetophobia (fear of vomiting), ARFID (Avoidance Food Restrictive Intake Disorder), OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and selective eating
HISTAMINE CHALLENGES: MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), chronic urticaria or hives, histamine intolerance, itching, and headaches or migraines
HORMONAL IMBALANCES & STRESS: puberty, menopause, PMT and PMDD, adrenal dysfunction, 'burnout', chronic fatigue, nervous system support
MENTAL HEALTH AND BRAIN HEALTH: depression, anxiety, antidepressant withdrawal, brain fog, concentration challenges, and neurodivergence, including Autism and ADHD
OTHER CONDITIONS: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), autoimmune conditions, viral conditions (e.g. EBV) and Lyme disease, heavy metal and mould toxicity
-
What is functional medicine?Functional medicine is a systems-based approach to your health and wellbeing that aims to restore balance by addressing modifiable lifestyle factors such as sleep, movement, nutrition, stress, and relationships. It focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease, whilst also understanding an individual's genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors so that a personalised treatment plan can be created. Functional medicine aims to remove what is causing imbalance and provide what creates balance.
-
Who does a functional nutritionist help with?A functional nutritionist is someone who has trained as a registered nutritional therapist, and in the functional medicine approach. They can then specifically support a client with their health through personalised nutrition plans, and they are also trained to recommend supplements which can help support an individual.
-
What can I expect from a nutrition and functional medicine consultation?We work with our clients for a minimum of three months. The first consultation is 90-minutes, and we will discuss your health history, lifestyle, diet, and any symptoms or health concerns you may have. We’ll also consider your family history, genetics, and environment so that we can understand the root cause behind your symptoms or disease, and then we will create a personalised treatment plan that includes dietary changes, supplements, and lifestyle modifications. We’ll then meet weekly or fortnightly to check-in, see what is working and what we need to change, as we move you towards your health goals and allow the body time to adapt and heal. We may also recommend working with a health coach if you find change difficult. Click here to read more about how we work
-
How can I find a functional medicine practitioner near me?The team at Urban Wellness are all functional medicine trained, but you can also look at the directory at the Institute For Functional Medicine, or head to BANT for a list of registered nutritionists. You can also ask for recommendations from healthcare professionals. Urban Wellness offers functional medicine services in the UK. Get in Contact with us today.
-
What is the difference between functional medicine and conventional medicine?Conventional medicine is aimed at diagnosing disease or illness, and then provides help on managing or treating the symptoms (e.g. a painkiller for when you are in pain or an antidepressant for when you have low moods). Functional medicine focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of diseases. It provides a personalised approach and looks at how changes to diet and lifestyle can then begin to bring the body back in balance.
-
What conditions can be treated with functional medicine?Functional medicine can help treat a wide range of conditions including chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders, as well as conditions like hormonal imbalances and digestive issues. Here at Urban Wellness, we specialise in mental health, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction, as well as eating disorders and disordered eating. Find out more about areas of mental health we can help you with.
-
How can functional medicine benefit me?Functional medicine can benefit you by providing a personalised treatment plan that addresses the root cause of your health issues rather than just treating the symptoms. Most of our clients here at Urban Wellness have been living with their symptoms or illness for some time and found that conventional medicine either doesn’t help or doesn’t go far enough. We understand that, for example, people get diagnosed with depression and yet why is started and how it feels is individual for every person. This is why the personalised, functional medicine approach is key, because it is about you as in individual, and not the diagnosis!
Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe and get the latest news, tips and advice for supporting your mental health and wellbeing