Our Nutritionist, Richie, specialises in dietary education for weight management and sports nutrition to help you keep on track for the long term, enhance health and to address sport specific requirements or performance goals. Richie’s nutrition advice and support is both evidence based, and results driven, ensuring you achieve your goals in the easiest way possible.

Although one session may be all that you feel is necessary, most of our clients find further sessions invaluable to track their progress and receive on-going support. Follow-up appointments allow Richie to evaluate how you have managed with your initial plan and to make necessary adjustments that help you to achieve and maintain your goals long-term. Our nutrition packages which offer support between appointments are there for designed to help support you towards long term change and maximum results.

During your initial appointment a full anthropometric assessment can be made where body measurements including weight, height, waist circumference and skin fold measures are taken. This helps to understand how much of your tissues are made up of muscle, body fat and fluids to ensure the changes we make during each appointment are having the desired effect on your body composition. These measures can be repeated at follow up appointments so that you can see how your body composition changes over time.

At every consultation, Richie will analyse your diet using specialist software to understand your current macronutrient (fat, carbohydrate, protein) and micronutrient (vitamins, minerals) status. You will be given a report of your current energy (calorie), macronutrient and micronutrient intake to identify where there may be scope for change. Richie will then be able to analyse this information and devise an action plan making appropriate changes to reach your desired lifestyle, health and/or sports performance goals. 

New Body Nutrition Services

Lifestyle, health and wellbeing:

• Weight management
• Eating well for busy and stressful lives
• Planning and shopping for a better diet
• Long-term diet strategies
• Vegetarianism and veganism
• Fertility and pregnancy

Sports and Exercise:

• Nutritional requirements for sport & exercise
• Nutrient timing
• Recovery nutrition & fatigue prevention
• Optimising body composition e.g. fat loss & lean muscle gain
• Hydration and fluid intake
• Maximising adaptations to training

Medical conditions:

• Heart health, hypertension, cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes
• Osteoporosis and bone health
• Gut health (bloating, IBS, etc.)

Medical acupuncture, which is usually offered as part of an osteopathy treatment plan, is an adaptation of Chinese traditional practices, backed up by the principles of evidence-based medicine.

Medical acupuncture involves the insertion of fine needles through the skin and briefly left in position. Two or three needless are inserted at a time and manual stimulation is applied to assist the process. Acupuncture stimulates the nerves in skin and muscle. Evidence has shown that it increases the body’s release of endorphin and serotonin (our natural painkillers) in the pain pathways of the spinal cord and the brain. This changes the way pain signals are received and, as a result, the level to which pain is experienced. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends considering acupuncture as a treatment option for tension headaches and migraines.

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing aimed to restore the body's equilibrium. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions such as tension headaches, migraines, stress and anxiety, morning sickess to menopausal hot flashes as well as IVF assistance. It is believed to stimulate the nervous system and cause the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. The resulting biochemical changes influence the body's homeostatic mechanisms, thus promoting physical and emotional well-being.

IVF and Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been gaining support in the western medicine world of IVF as science has started to recognize its many benefits. There have been a variety of studies conducted reviewing the implications for acupuncture and fertility, and recent reports have shown a 65 percent increase in pregnancy success rates when IVF is combined with acupuncture treatments. Those same studies have shown rates of live births nearly doubled in cases where acupuncture was used, compared to IVF patients who received no acupuncture or sham acupuncture.

What makes acupuncture so effective?
The reason acupuncture can increase success rates aren’t fully understood. Ultrasounds have shown that acupuncture can improve uterine blood flow, which may create a more hospitable environment for implantation.

One thing most doctors and scientists seem to agree on is that acupuncture at the very least can have a calming effect on patients. While embroiled in the stress of fertility treatments, that improved relaxation can be crucial to overall wellness – particularly when you understand how stress hormones can inhibit fertility. If for no other reason, acupuncture can be a great relaxation technique to rely on.

Remember that acupuncture is not a guarantee that your IVF cycle will work, but it can be a natural way to improve your chances of success. If you're going through IVF come in or make an appointment with our registered Acupuncturist Jas Kandola to discuss things further.