The Nutritional Therapy Descriptor

Nutritional Therapy is the application of nutrition science in the promotion of health, peak performance and individual care. Nutritional therapy practitioners use a wide range of tools to assess and identify potential nutritional imbalances and understand how these may contribute to an individual's symptoms and health concerns. This approach allows them to work with individuals to address nutritional balance and help support the body towards maintaining health. Nutritional therapy is recognised as a complementary medicine and is relevant for individuals with chronic conditions, as well as those looking for support to enhance their health and wellbeing.

Practitioners consider each individual to be unique and recommend personalised nutrition and lifestyle programmes rather than a 'one size fits all' approach. Practitioners never recommend nutritional therapy as a replacement for medical advice and always refer any client with 'red flag' signs or symptoms to their medical professional. They will also frequently work alongside a medical professional and will communicate with other healthcare professionals involved in the client's care to explain any nutritional therapy programme that has been provided.

The Nutritional Therapist (NT) requests that the Client notes the following:

• The degree of benefit obtainable from Nutritional Therapy may vary between clients with similar health problems and following a similar Nutritional Therapy programme.

• Nutritional advice will be tailored to support health conditions and/or health concerns identified and agreed between both parties.

• Nutritional therapists are not permitted to diagnose, or claim to treat, medical conditions.

• Nutritional advice is not a substitute for professional medical advice and/or treatment.

• Your Nutritional Therapist may recommend food supplements and/or functional testing as part of your Nutritional Therapy programme and may receive a commission on these products or services.

• Standards of professional practice in Nutritional Therapy are governed by the CNHC Code of Conduct.

• This document only covers the practice of Nutritional Therapy within this consultation, and your practitioner will make it clear if he or she intends to step outside this boundary.

The Client understands and agrees to the following:

• I am responsible for contacting my GP about any health concerns.

• If I am receiving treatment from my GP, or any other medical provider, I should tell him/her about any nutritional strategy provided by my nutritional therapist. This is necessary because of any possible reaction between medication and the nutritional programme.

• It is important that I tell my nutritional therapist about any medical diagnosis, medication, herbal medicine, or food supplements, I am taking as this may affect the nutritional programme.

• If I am unclear about the agreed nutritional therapy programme/food supplement doses/time period, I should contact my nutritional therapist promptly for clarification.

• I understand that the advice is personal to me and may not be appropriate for others.

• I must contact my nutritional therapist should I wish to continue any specified supplement programme for longer than the original agreed period, to avoid any potential adverse reactions.

• Recording consultations using any form of electronic media is not allowed without the written permission of both me and my Nutritional Therapist.