Why should I work with you?

It’s important that you find a practitioner who you feel that you’re able to trust and partner with. That’s why we offer you a complimentary Discovery Consultation before we begin our work – to figure out whether we’re right for each other.

Our mission is to help you to understand where you are on your health journey right now, what the root causes are of any symptoms or conditions you currently have, and to establish targeted dietary and lifestyle intervention points that are going to help to support your health and goals going forward.

We’ve nearly 30 years of combined clinical experience between us, a wealth of knowledge and further education in the field of nutrition and functional medicine and if you become a client of ours, we can guarantee that we’ll commit 100% to supporting you on your health journey and exploring all avenues we possibly can to optimise your health.

We’re not your conventional nutrition or functional medicine practice – we do offer in person appointments but we’ve fully embraced state-of-the-art technology and find that many clients like the flexibility of our Virtual Clinic. This includes an online booking system, a comprehensive online intake questionnaire, web based consultations and online support via your own personal app-based portal.

 In return we simply ask that you’re willing to work with us on a partnership basis, that you’re also asking ‘why?’ and are curious about what is impacting your health, that you’re motivated and are open to making dietary and lifestyle changes, even if this is not the ‘perfect’ time to start a programme (is there ever a ‘perfect’ time?). We’re excited about working with you – and we hope that you are about working with us!

Who is your typical client?

Our EDLW Clinic clients are amazing people. Typically high performers who like to achieve: business leaders; entrepreneurs; busy working mothers; always bright, self-motivated and inquisitive people who are interested in alternatives, who have done enough research to know that diet and lifestyle must be impacting them somehow (but are at the stage where they need an injection of expertise to understand exactly how).

Our clients have often already seen a variety of other health professionals both inside and outside the medical profession. They may or may not already have an official diagnosis and have been recommended, or already be taking, prescription medications. Frequently we find they’ve been shunted from specialist to specialist with no one able to connect the dots, bring it all together and move them forward or to adequately explain to them just what on earth’s going on.

Many of our clients are already be familiar with the term ‘functional medicine’, have consulted Dr Google multiple times, and have possibly started excluding a few foods and taking a few supplements (but maybe not seen enough clear progress) and have now reached the point where they’ve just ‘had enough’ of trying to figure it out themselves.

If this is you, we understand. We get it. We’ve been there ourselves and have come out the other side.

I don’t have a diagnosed condition – can I still come to your clinic?

Yes absolutely – you may have numerous, seemingly unrelated symptoms and no officially ‘diagnosed’ condition; alternatively you may have absolutely no symptoms at all! You may have been trying unsuccessfully for a baby for a while now, have a family history of heart problems or dementia (and have reached the age where you realise you’ve paid no real attention to your own diet, lifestyle and health) – or you may have been told you have high blood pressure, cholesterol or blood glucose at your last medical. A functional medicine approach is suitable for all of these situations. Prevention is far better than cure and many of our clients simply want a health mot with some functional tests so they can identify any areas of concern before they become a problem.

Do you specialise in anything?

We’d love to say we do specialise, and it’s something we continually debate – but the reality is that we actually genuinely enjoy not specialising in any particular condition. We know that we can be helpful to so many people, and that we have expertise in so many different areas so it seems narrow-minded of us to say that we can’t support or work with you because you don’t fall into a particular category; we feel that by specialising, we’d be excluding a large client base who we may really enjoy working with. And we’d be missing out! We enjoy working with gut issues, with auto-immunity, with hormonal imbalances and fertility and with cardiovascular health, brain function and stress. We’ve personal experience of many of these areas. We genuinely feel unable to ‘choose’ just one area.

Where we do ‘specialise’ is in the type of client we take on – we need you to be ready and open to making changes, to be motivated, and to work with us as a partnership rather than us simply ‘telling’ you what to do. Check out section xxx to see if you’re a good fit as a client.

There may be a few cases however, when some of our colleagues may be better placed to support you and if this is the case we will discuss this with you and refer you on to a colleague that we hold in high regard.

Do you have experience with my condition?

We have a wide range of clinical experience as well as extensive advanced practice training with many different conditions. We understand that you may want to see a ‘specialist’ in your condition (e.g. in auto-immunity or gut health); however at the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic our specialism is in the type of person we want to partner with, rather than accepting you as a client depending on what ‘condition’ you may have been diagnosed with. We are confident in our ability to unravel and to help you to understand what’s going on in your health journey, what you may need to do about it, and how to do it.

As a client of Eat Drink Live Well we will work with you to identify your own, unique root causes of your symptoms rather than work with the condition or ‘disease’ itself. By understanding your own personal nutritional status, your root causes, your own environmental and lifestyle triggers and your very individual genetic predispositions, we aim to simply rectify what is out of balance. At it’s most basic, we work to get rid of what you have too much of, and add back in what you have too little of.

We are excited about helping you to finally connect these dots so that you are able to understand the ‘why’ behind your symptoms. We can then work together on an appropriate intervention programme for you – not for your ‘condition’. This is what a functional medicine approach truly is about.

There are books, programmes and free resources online, plus I can Google pretty much everything – what’s the advantage in working with you?

Many people can make huge progress by using free or low cost information (our website and group programmes included) and we would recommend you do this for a while to see if your issues are easily resolved. But if not, and when it reaches the point where you’ve done all you can by yourself, or when your own research is taking up too much of your time, or that the information you’re reading is just conflicting from website to website and you’re ending up confused, that’s the time to take stand back and consider in what direction you wish to go. At this point a little bit of personalised intervention specific to you may be worth the investment in the long run.

Books and programmes are aimed at a ‘general’ person usually with a specific condition – and they can often be effective as they offer a ‘catch-all’ approach, making basic foundational changes to diet and lifestyle. On many occasions this financially attractive option is enough to tip the balance back towards health. This is why the first step is to read through our tips and articles, to engage with us on social media and to join some of our challenges and group programmes. That genuinely may be all you need.

Beyond this, we’re interested in working with you one on one in the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic if you want to fast-track and personalise your programme, or if you just don’t want that broad-spectrum (aka often overly restrictive) approach.

  • By working with us we can personalise your recommendations based on your own history, lifestyle, food preferences and medications.
  • We can arrange functional laboratory testing to understand exactly what is happening beneath the surface and target areas directly rather than applying a broad, scatter-gun approach that covers everything ‘just in case’ (we like to be targeted – it gets results quicker).
  • We can look at your genetic predispositions.
  • We can liaise with, refer to, and work alongside the multiple medical consultants you may have already been referred to
  • We can work with you to connect the dots and identify your own individual root causes, triggers and factors that may be contributing towards your symptoms – and work out your unique priority intervention points based around your own diet and lifestyle.
What will this cost me?

Many practitioners don’t disclose their costs on their website but it is important to us that the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic is fully transparent – to be honest, it’s just a pain not knowing how much something will cost before you buy, it’s annoying to have to contact a clinic and go through their sales pitch before you find you can’t afford it anyway – and expensive financial ‘surprises’ are never well received by anyone (including us).

However, it would leave a bad taste in our mouths if we were to mislead you or unintentionally imply that working with the EDLW Clinic is a cheap option. Functional medicine should in theory be super-cheap (after all, changing your diet and lifestyle really doesn’t cost that much) but for us to understand what’s going on with you right now at this point in your health journey, to support you with regular consultations, to do the testing that we may recommend and to take advantage of short term supplementation in reality, all adds up.

We fundamentally believe the benefits that are gained outweigh the costs. Working with the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic is an investment, and one that we fully intend to benefit your health and therefore also your enjoyment of life in the long term (and if we get it right, it should actually save you money in the long term). It is far more cost effective to identify a problem area before it develops into something more serious and for that reason functional testing is an important part of our clinic.

What do I get for my money?

We offer a complimentary 15 minute Discovery Consultation in order to assess whether we are a good fit to work together and to explain how we work. This is free regardless of whether you move forward with us.

Throughout your time working with the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic you can assume that for every hour that you spend speaking with us, we’re spending an extra hour behind the scenes working on your case – talking to supplement companies about your specific requirements, researching your case, discussing functional laboratory test results directly with the labs, writing your programme, putting together recipe suggestions and meal planners that are unique to you – and generally planning how best we can support you.

Assuming you choose to partner with us – you’ll also benefit from:

  • Nearly 30 years of combined clinical expertise from highly qualified professionals
  • A thorough case history assessment and analysis of your FMA Intake questionnaire
  • Construction of and sharing with you, of your Functional Medicine ‘Timeline’
  • A Wellbeing and Health Assessment starting ‘score’ and regular monitoring and tracking of progress
  • Assessment of food and drug interactions with current medications and/or diagnosed conditions
  • State-of-the-art technology: online bookings, online consultations and communications. Schedule appointments at a time that suits you.
  • Reports: a written programme summary or update following every Eat Drink Live Well Clinic Consultation including as appropriate, dietary and lifestyle modifications, supplement plans, key findings of test results. This will be posted in your online Practice Better client portal, along with any supporting material such as recipes or meal planners, normally within 3 business days of your Consultation
  • Letters: Letters to medical providers including consultants are included within the cost of your Eat Drink Live Well Clinic Consultation or Package
  • Test Interpretation: Interpretation and analysis of functional laboratory tests undertaken with the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic are included within the cost of your EDLW Clinic Consultation or Package.
  • Support: Contact between consultations made via your online Practice Better portal or by email is included within the cost of your EDLW Clinic Consultation Package. Where possible this contact should be simple one line question and answers. For more complex questions or more than one question we respectfully request that you book a 15 minute consultation to discuss this or that you note the question to raise at your next Review Consultation.
  • Background Research: Time spent researching your case, speaking directly with Functional Laboratory Testing companies regarding your test results, and with supplement companies to assess suitability of a particular supplement for you, is all included within your EDLW Clinic Consultation or Package.
  • Technology: Access to software that enhances communication and interaction between the EDLW Clinic and clients such as Practice Better, Living Matrix and Zoom is all included within your EDLW Clinic Consultation or Package. The EDLW Clinic uses state of the art technology to provide our clients with a high quality and effective clinic experience. Please contact the EDLW Clinic at support@eatdrinklivewell.com if you have any questions or issues using this technology.
How can I pay?

You can pay online by credit or debit card either at the time of booking or on your Consultation date.

Can I get a refund if I change my mind?

We really only want to work with people who want to work with us. It’s demotivating for both you and us if we’re working together but you feel things aren’t working out. So if you have paid for a package and after your Initial Consultation (within 14 days) you decide that you do not want to proceed, we will happily give you a full refund on the package less the cost of your Initial Consultation.

Why are you so expensive?

Working with the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic is an investment in your health and we charge based on the value we believe that we offer. There are many cheaper options – but equally there are also many who are more expensive than us. We have years of clinical experience which we believe is crucial: what ‘should’ work on paper is invariably not the case – and frustratingly what ‘worked’ with someone else with your symptoms or condition may not ‘work’ for you. This is why we approach each and every client with a fresh and new outlook, with no pre-conceptions or judgements. There are no set protocols. Your case is different from those we have seen before and as such requires a unique, personalised programme.

When you see an osteopath, physiotherapist or medical consultant you’re paying for the time you’re actually in the appointment. When you visit the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic you’re benefiting from so much more – the time we spend working on your case apart from when we’re physically with you (See ‘what do I get for my money’)

Financially, we offer standalone consultation prices as well as our packages meaning that you can choose the level of care and interaction that you would like from us. If you’d prefer to opt for a payment plan split over three months, we’re also happy to accommodate that.

We take on only a limited number of new clients each month so that we can offer the level of support that we believe is necessary. Our clients are our top priority.

For those who are unable to work with us on a one to one basis financially, or for other reasons are not quite ready, we provide free resources and updates on our website, our newsletter, our social media community and offer lower cost alternatives to individual consultations via Eat Drink Live Well membership and online or group programmes. If you would like more information on Eat Drink Live Well membership or programmes please CONTACT US.

How many consultations will I need?

The number of consultations recommended is really dependent on your health goals and where you are on your current health journey. This will be discussed either during your Discovery Call or Initial Consultation and a working timeframe agreed.

Although some clients may require only one initial consultation, most choose to work with us on a regular basis, typically over a period of 3-12 months, dependent on their goals.

If you have multiple symptoms, have been ill for a long time or if you require frequent adjustments to your programme and review of test results, we’ll probably suggest that we see you more often. Similarly you may want weekly or bi-weekly mini-consultations to help support your motivation, to discuss recipes and supplement changes, or simply to provide a level of accountability, particularly if you’re finding it hard to make some modifications in your diet and lifestyle.

We offer packages (see Fees) for those who would like to work with us on this basis, and when your packaged programme runs out, we offer membership packages to keep you motivated and inspired!

How long should I allow before I start to see health benefits?

While you may not ‘see’ benefits right away, making healthier dietary and lifestyle choices WILL be impacting you in a positive way from day one. We like to think of health like an iceberg – most of the iceberg is under water so we don’t ‘see’ changes that are happening there but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

In reality there’s just no simple answer to the ‘how long’ question. Sometimes progress is quick and sometimes it’s slow (we feel it’s really important that we’re honest with you right from the outset). If you’ve been sick for a while you’ll probably have already realised that there is unlikely to be a magic bullet and overnight recovery – a health journey is exactly that, a journey encompassing ups and downs, rocky patches, grassy plateaus and slippery slopes!

Some clients make rapid progress in a number of weeks, while others (typically those who have been sick for longer) take more time to rebalance their body and health. We aim to set this very individual expectation of timeframe with you at your Discovery Consultation.

We do also need to highlight that there is no guarantee of success. Movement towards and achievement of your health goals depends on many factors, including the amount of effort that you are able to put in, compliance with the recommendations, but also external factors such as sleep or stress for instance (but we’ll work with you on those areas too).

Do I still need to see my doctor?

Yes! This is a non-negotiable condition of working with the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic. We are not medical doctors and we do not diagnose, treat or prescribe medication. It’s important that you have consulted a doctor about your symptoms, or are wiling to do so. We work closely alongside all medical and healthcare professionals – and are happy to write letters to and liaise with them on your behalf (with your permission). And it’s all included in your consultation or package cost.

Do you accept children into your clinic?

We do accept children into our clinic but this is on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us at support@eatdrinklivewell.com or book a 15 minute Complimentary Discovery Call to find out more.

Where is your Clinic?

Presently we only offer an online Virtual Clinic which means that we can work with you from anywhere – providing you have a laptop/tablet/mobile and an internet connection.

I’m not great with technology, will I be able to participate in your Virtual Clinic?

We are also not technology experts but we hope that if we’re able to work our technology then you can too. We’ll support you with any problems you may have and give clear instructions as to how it all works.

Are there additional costs I should consider?

Functional Laboratory Tests and food supplements are additional costs to consider.

Dietary and/or lifestyle changes will always be the cornerstone to your programme, whatever your health issues may be. Certain foods and lifestyle options can be expensive but at the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic we’re committed to working within your food and lifestyle budget. We’re also a big believer that foods need not be expensive if you buy seasonally and locally – we don’t recommend ridiculously expensive foods for the sake of it.

However, having extra budget for supplements and functional laboratory tests over and above your consultation costs can be extremely helpful. Testing in particular can fast-track progress (we can really target intervention points rather than working in the dark, trying to cover all options – and this can actually save money on unnecessary supplements in the long term). Food supplements can also serve to address the balance of nutrients in your body while we work on adjusting your diet and/or optimising your digestion.

As a guide, an average budget of £100-£150 per month for supplements for the short-term duration of your programme can be helpful. Note that this is a guide only – if on certain medication for instance, supplements may be inappropriate and we would work only with your diet.

Tests range considerably in price, ranging from £25 to £600 for a single test. If laboratory testing can be obtained via your doctor then we will absolutely recommend and explore this route with you. However many of the functional laboratory tests we use are not offered through the conventional medical system and are also unfortunately not normally covered by health insurance; therefore private testing is the next best viable alternative. Please see our TEST MENU for further information on test prices.

If you don’t have finances for supplements or testing that’s fine too – tests are a ‘nice’ to have in order to fast track progress, rather than a ‘must’ have, and supplements are there to ‘supplement’ your diet rather than ‘substitute’ for foods. We do ask however that you give this some thought; it’s helpful if we know that at the outset so we can adjust the time-frame of your programme and expectations accordingly.

Do I really need supplements?

We don’t recommend supplements unnecessarily as we believe that they should be exactly that – supplementary to your diet and lifestyle. An energy supportive supplement is misguided if the cause of low energy is lack of sleep; if better sleep can be addressed by lifestyle and/or dietary changes there is no need for an ‘energy’ supplement. However we do find supplements can be useful in the short term (and sometimes long term) particularly for supporting body systems and supporting specific nutrient intakes while changes in diet and lifestyle are being made. If your digestion is compromised and you’re unable to absorb nutrients well from food for the moment, then a gentle, easily absorbable powder or liquid supplement for a time may be a good solution.

What functional laboratory tests can you run?

Please see our TEST MENU for more information on functional laboratory tests.

How does functional laboratory testing work?

Normally, test kits are sent to your home and payment is made when you return the completed test kit. Tests may be saliva or urine samples, or alternatively home fingerprick blood tests. Other tests may require a blood draw at a hospital or via a mobile phlebotomist but we’ll provide details as to how to do that when we order your test kits.

Can I contact you between appointments?

All of our programmes recommend attention to lifestyle and balance, and we like to practice what we preach. We therefore ask for your understanding that we also need our relaxation and family time away from work.

However we understand that regular contact and support is vital for motivation as you begin to make dietary and lifestyle changes and this is why, when you join a programme with the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic, you’ll have access to our mobile app for messaging and easy contact, in addition to our direct emails.

We are unable to respond between appointments to complex messages or email questions that require more than a simple one sentence answer – in this case we respectfully ask that you book in for a 15 minute consultation or wait until your scheduled Review Session to discuss in more detail.

I can’t cook, have no interest in it and/or no time – will dietary changes be achievable?

Absolutely! You don’t need to be a great cook in order to eat better. We do love food but as working mothers we understand what it is to be time pressed and have no time to cook. Part of the service we provide is to coach you on how to make nutritional changes hassle-free yet healthy. If this involves ready meals or meal supply businesses then we can accommodate your personal preferences.

Will I need to eliminate whole food groups as part of the programme?

At Eat Drink Live Well we don’t believe that blanket food elimination programmes are the solution for everyone, which is why we tailor programmes individually. However, while we are addressing health symptoms, we may recommend that you reduce potential trigger foods on a short-term basis. For others, it may be important to avoid some food groups over the longer term. If we ask you to avoid a certain food group for a trial period then we will support you with recipes and ideas to make it easier for you to make these changes, and guide you through reintroduction of that food.

Will I need to make lifestyle changes?

Yes, as we are working from a functional medicine perspective, you should expect some discussion of how your lifestyle affects your health as part of your overall programme (unless your lifestyle is already perfect!). Making specific, simple, lifestyle adjustments around sleep, exercise, mindfulness and relaxation can really help to support the effort and investment you’re putting in around dietary changes, supplements and functional laboratory testing.

Why are you offering a free Discovery 15 minute consultation?

We offer a complimentary Discovery Consultation before we work with you in order to understand a little more about you, what your personal and health goals are, how ready and willing you are to make changes and to establish whether we are likely to be a good fit in working together.

We don’t want to waste your time and money in going through a whole Initial Consultation only to find that you’re not sure about working with us, or that you’re just not at a stage financially or emotionally to move ahead with your programme. And that’s fine – we want you to come and work with us when the time is right for you.

We only take on a select number of clients each month and we want to make sure that we’re working with those who most need and can most benefit from our support on their health journey. Our time and the progress of our clients is important to us, and we want to make sure we’re working with those who are ready and willing to embark on the next exciting phase of their health journey.

Everyone seems to call themselves functional medicine practitioners – how can I tell the difference?

Functional Medicine is an increasingly-used term and you’ll see lots of websites and practitioners using the phrase. But there’s a difference between having some college training in functional medicine and actually being immersed and certified in functional medicine together with a wealth of clinical experience. Becoming a Certified IFM practitioner isn’t an easy (or cheap) career path. It involves completion not only of the Foundational Functional Medicine course (AFMCP) but completion of Advanced Practice Modules on Gut, Detoxification, Immune Health, Energy, Cardiometabolic Health and Hormones. It then involves submission of a detailed case study and completion of a rigorous 4 hour examination.

I think I’m ready to start – what do I do next?

Fantastic! Please click here to book your complimentary Discovery Consultation and to start your health journey with the Eat Drink Live Well Clinic.

If you’re not quite ready to work with us that’s no problem – sign up to our newsletter, connect with us over on our Social Media platforms: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter or email us at sayhello@eatdrinklivewell.com to register your interest for our online group programmes or membership options coming in 2019.