What is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and how can I help you?

In June, I finished a nine-month certification course and became certified as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP). I’m now available for in-person and online consultations! This is a very exciting time. But first, what is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and why should you work with one? I’ll explain that in this post, and continue in an upcoming blog post, where I will talk more about my area of focus, what to expect as a client, and about my Reiki and energy healing services.

What is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner?

I am certified as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) through the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA). So, what is that? Here’s the official description, from the NTA’s course materials:

“A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner is a nutritional therapist certified by the NTA to evaluate nutritional needs and make recommendations for dietary changes, helping clients balance body chemistry and achieve optimal wellness. NTPs are not trained to diagnose or treat pathological conditions, injuries, or diseases.”

What does this mean? NTPs help clients tap into their body’s “innate intelligence” to support the foundations of health and get the systems working properly. What is your body’s “innate intelligence?” Well, basically, your body knows what it needs to heal itself. What are the foundations of health? The NTA teaches that these are the foundations: a diet consisting of properly-prepared, nutrient-dense foods, digestion, blood sugar regulation, fatty acid balance, mineral balance, and hydration.

By giving our bodies the nutrients it needs, and by insuring that through proper digestion, that our body is actually absorbing these nutrients, we can support our body’s natural pathway to health.

As an NTP, I cannot diagnose or treat any medical conditions. Instead, I work with you to balance your body and support your systems so your body can heal itself. You can work with me alongside working with a doctor, and we can focus on helping your body heal through a nutrient-dense diet, lifestyle modifications and making sure you are properly digesting and absorbing what you eat.

Focusing on the causes, not the symptoms

NTPs focus on the “root causes” of health dysfunction, rather than just addressing symptoms. Looking at diet, digestion and lifestyle helps support the foundations of overall health, rather than just one or two issues. Many people certainly want help fixing one or two issues, and NTPs can help with that, but many people leave with other issues being resolved at the same time! If someone comes in complaining of bloating and indigestion, Nutritional Therapy can address that, but at the same time, these clients will find that their mood is more balanced, that they lose weight, their skin is clearer, and their energy levels increase. They may have not even known that they had issues in these areas!

Nutritional Therapy Practitioners are also trained to perform the Functional Evaluation and to use Lingual-Neuro Testing techniques with clients. The Functional Evaluation is series of palpations and physical assessments to identify deficiencies and imbalances in the body. Based on these findings, the NTP can recommend diet, lifestyle, and supplement changes to support the foundations of health. Not all NTPs actually use this evaluation, but we are all trained to perform it. Lingual-Neuro Testing allows us to determine which specific supplements will work best to support the client’s body.

What conditions can nutritional therapy help?

As an NTP, I can help you with nutrition, but I don’t believe in a “one-size-fits-all” approach to diet. So, don’t expect me to tell you to go vegetarian or keto, unless those diets will work for you! As an NTP, we believe in working with your unique needs into account. I can help you improve your diet and lifestyle for general health, and for preventative care to help you prevent health problems as you get older. Many of these problems can be prevented by addressing lifestyle changes or diet now!

Besides prevention, NTPs can also help you with a litany of conditions. Some examples include bloating, digestive distress, constipation, gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances, autoimmune conditions, joint pain, anxiety, depression, chronic health conditions, stress levels, energy levels, and weight management. As I mentioned, I cannot diagnose or cure these conditions, and I cannot guarantee any results, but I can help you support your body’s foundational health and aid in its self-healing.

When you look at the root causes of health issues, and support the foundations of health (digestion, blood sugar regulation, fatty acids, minerals, and hydration) through diet and lifestyle modifications, and balance out the body, many symptoms will begin to heal on their own.

Who can an NTP help?

Anyone struggling with health issues could use the help of an NTP. We come from a real food, holistic approach. Certainly, if you are looking to manage your weight, help with digestive issues or autoimmune conditions, an NTP can help you. If you are diagnosed with a health condition that requires the care of a doctor, however, please make sure that you are under the care of one! Recommendations from NTPs do NOT constitute medical advice and should not be taken as such. I will work alongside your doctor’s recommendations, and support your body’s healing through diet, digestive support, and lifestyle modifications.

If you require in-depth lab tests, some NTPs are certified to do so, and I’m working on that, but I can refer you to a naturopath or Functional Medicine Doctor if needed. It’s often best to work with a nutritionist first, prior to testing or even prior to working with a naturopath or Functional Medicine Doctor. Often, your lab results can change after you’ve adjusted your lifestyle and diet. It’s also more cost-effective this way. So much can be helped by addressing the food you eat, how you’re digesting and absorbing your food, lifestyle changes and even supplementation. An FMD will have you start with diet and lifestyle changes anyway, so it would help if you did that with an NTP first. Then, if and when you move on to a Functional Medical Doctor, you might find that your body has already begun to heal itself.

Nutritional Therapy and other holistic health support

Consider working with an NTP along with other holistic practitioners – acupuncturists, massage therapists and so on. I am also certified as a Reiki practitioner and do energy healing, so if this interests you, I can give you Reiki healing sessions in-person or via distance. I’ll have more information on my Reiki services in a future blog post!

What can you expect when you are my client?

You will meet me in-person, either in my office or I can come to you. I also consult with clients online and via phone, so you don’t even have to live near Laguna Beach to get help! First, you will be asked to answer some in-depth information about you, your health issues, and what you’d like to address with with nutritional therapy. You’ll then be given a link to a form that asks you very in-depth questions about your general health. Then, I’ll have you fill out a three-day food journal, which will help me see where you are and where you can make modifications. There is no judgement with these food journals, and no one is perfect! It’s important to be honest when filling these out, to get the best recommendations from me.

Then, if you are interested, I can conduct the Functional Evaluation (FE), which I will explain to you in-depth when you become a client. It isn’t required – and some clients prefer to just use interviews and food journals to get diet, digestive and lifestyle recommendations. That’s fine! However, the FE allows me to tap into your body’s innate intelligence via a series of palpations and tests, to pinpoint where your body needs help with healing. From there, we can consider supplementation as well.

Then, you will receive a graph that details which parts of your body’s foundations and symptoms need to be addressed, in order of priority. After that’s determined, further tests can be scheduled and you will receive a personalized nutritional plan, lifestyle recommendations and supplement recommendations. I also schedule follow-up visits and am always available for support, anywhere you are in the world!

I’ll follow up with a blog post about my pricing, more information on what happens when you sign up to be my client, my Reiki healing services, and more about the NTA! But first, some of you might be wondering how I differ from a health coach or dietitian.

What is the difference between an NTP, a health coach, and a dietitian?

Health coaches do amazing work. I chose this program because it gave me more in-depth knowledge of how the body works, and I am also now eligible to sit for the exam to be board-certified as a Holistic Nutritionist. Like a health coach, I can give you motivation and guidelines on dietary choices, fitness programs, and lifestyle modifications. However, NTPs believe in bio-individuality, so we don’t think one-size-fits-all when it comes to diet. I will work with you to formulate what nutritional program works the best for you and your health conditions.

Registered dietitians (RDs or RDNs) are licensed with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. They have a B.S. or M.S., can perform medical nutrition therapy and work with patients in hospitals, long-term care centers and nursing homes, as well as private practice. I am not licensed to work with patients in hospitals, but I am allowed in the state of California, and online, to provide individual and group nutritional counseling to clients. I do not follow the USDA “My Plate” guidelines, as many dietitians are encouraged to do by the Academy.

Now, this isn’t a knock on dietitians! They take difficult course work and an intensive internship to get where they are. And I, too, have decided to join the ranks of the traditional health care system, even though I prefer a holistic approach. I believe the system is changing because of people like us!

I have completed two years of pre-requisite coursework in Physiology, Anatomy, Biology, Human Nutrition, Microbiology, Genetics, Food Science, Statistics, Human Development and soon, Chemistry and Biochemistry. I have a BA in English and Journalism, but of course, didn’t take those courses as an undergrad.

My original goal was to be an NTP AND a “real food” RD, so I could help patients in hospitals with medical nutrition therapy from a holistic approach. I’m still considering that, and have one more class to finish, but may instead get my BSN/MSN and become a holistic nurse, as I am so confident in the nutrient-dense, whole foods nutritional education I received from the NTA. I’ve also been cautioned that some RDs have lost their licenses by recommending things like eating real food, or low-carb/high fat diets, so I’m not sure I want to be part of an organization that is going against the current research in nutrition. So watch this space, as I am making my final decision in Spring 2019 on what part of the “medical system” I’ll be joining. And don’t worry, I’ll still be practicing as an NTP, no matter what I do in traditional health care! I’ll just be adding to my services.

I just wanted to point out that in addition to my training as an NTP, I have taken the rigorous science courses that pre-RDs have. So there’s no need to worry about working with me – my recommendations come from the NTA’s guidance, but are also backed with scientific knowledge of the human body.