What Do My Services Include?

Good Old Fashioned Nutritional Consultations

I will sit down with you and we will take a good look at your state of health in all areas of your life – a holistic approach. Then I will recommend some nutritional changes, supplements, lifestyle changes or perhaps a change of priorities. I will explain to you the root cause of your problem and what you need to do. We set the aims and priorities and design a plan of action which will be dictated by your condition.

Lifestyle Coaching

We will start with your vision where do you want to be in the future – e.g. in 3 months. Then, I will create a plan of action which is based on your vision, and implement incremental, realistic goals. This can include nutrition, lifestyle or yoga. You will be in the driver's seat. I will motivate you, inspire you, remind you, I will be here for you when going gets hard. I will be available through email or phone calls at certain times for an ongoing support. There will be regular follow up consults to evaluate your progress.

Food Audits

I can come to your home or you can give me a list of items in your pantry, fridge and freezer to find out if there are some healthier options for you. You will receive a healthy shopping list based on your condition taking into account your likes and dislikes.

Supermarket Tours

A tour in your local supermarket. How to read labels, what to avoid, what to embrace, substitutions.

Nutritionist vs Dietitian - What Is the Difference?

Both professions advise people about nutrition. Because the field of nutrition in unregulated in Australia, anyone who has done a shorter course can in theory call themselves a nutritionist or a dietitian.
However, there are also both nutritionists as well as dietitians who possess tertiary qualifications and are members of professional organisations, which abide to industry standards and codes of practice. Therefore it is important to check whether the practitioner you are considering has advanced diploma or bachelor qualifications and is a member of a professional organisation.
The main difference between the two is in the underlying philosophy and mode of work. Dietitians have an in depth knowledge about human metabolism, are very meticulous in their approach and their main focus is on a diagnosed condition. This is the mainstream medicine approach. Dietitians can work with anyone, but this approach is especially suitable for medically sensitive patients, in clinics or hospitals.
Nutritionists, on the other hand, see the patient as a person - they look at interplay of all the body systems,  interactions between the mind, body and the environment and therefore their treatment includes more modalities, not only the diet and supplements. Their strength is in preventative medicine - you deal with your problems before you are out of action and when you can still return to full health.
Tertiary qualified dietitians and nutritionists can both offer private health funds rebates, but only registered dietitians and registered nutritionists who provide Enhanced Primary Care and GP Management Plans provide Medicare rebates for their patients. I am not one of them.

​What can you expect from your consultation?

I will have a good look at your situation and assess your health first to explore which areas need support and where your strengths are. I will look carefully at various diet and lifestyle factors, your posture, breathing and clinical tests as well as how you feel. Sometimes there is a direct link between a health problem and food we eat, sometimes it is not as simple as multiple causes are involved.

Next, I will outline the options of treatment that are available to you and explain how you got into this situation and, in reverse, what can you do to get from imbalance back to harmony.
I will prescribe high quality practitioner only supplements if required and/or refer you for further testing if necessary. I will suggest changes in your diet and your lifestyle (i.e. an individualised treatment plan) and give you some relevant information.  Also, as a part of my consultation I can give you some yoga exercises to do at home tailored to your condition.
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You will receive the information and the tools for change, you will have my support, but it is you who will need to make the change and it will be you who will reap the benefits. It is very satisfying because you are in charge of your course.
At the beginning it may seem a bit difficult and slow. This is where my support comes handy. Each illness takes long time to develop and therefore your body needs some time to heal it. There is no magic pill that would conveniently do everything for you, it takes dedication and patience.
Pharmaceuticals do not restore the balance, they cover up the symptoms. They are necessary in advanced stages of disease, but they always come with some side effects. So, get healthy and keep healthy while you still can.

Michal's Approach

For me, health, satisfaction and sense of purpose are about the connection of body, mind and soul and our harmonious alignment with the world we live in.
Nutrition is only a part of it, but an important one. Sometimes, long lasting health problems can be healed by changing the diet only.
We get so much information about nutrition that we should all be super healthy, yet we aren’t. There is a lot of contradictory information, including diets which can be unhealthy or not realistic.
My approach towards nutrition is gentle and doable. There is no need to worry about counting calories. Rather, you will become more mindful about what you eat and how it affects you.

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And yes, I do eat cake every now and then, especially if it's torta cabrese (gluten free) with butter cream!

Your Body WANTS to Heal, It Just Needs the Right Conditions

Your body has an innate ability to self-regulate and to heal itself. Your mind, too, can heal itself or heal your body as long as there is something to live for. Acknowledging where you are at, trusting yourself, acting with integrity and sincerity, being patient and kind to yourself - these are your great self-healing tools. Every illness is an opportunity to learn, to grow and to adapt.

The Causes of Poor Mental Health

You may ask: "How could nutrients possibly help me? I eat the same food as everybody else around me!" The answer to this is complex as there are many reasons. We all react differently to different things and it often takes a long time before we notice any changes. Also, our bodies and minds have limited capacity and sometimes the strain we put on them is too much and too long. Everything is interconnected and all individual influences add up. 

It is mainly our lifestyle and our diet which cause the problems. The other factors involved are our genetic and familial metabolic predispositions, past traumas (injuries), infections (bacterial, viral or fungal) or exposure to environmental toxins.

Common causes of biochemical imbalances in the brain:
1. Copper overload combined with Zinc deficiency
2. Excessive methylation or folate deficiency
3. Insufficient methylation - the opposite to the previous condition
4. Excess of pyrroles or other forms of oxidative stress
5. Deficiency of essential fatty acids

To complicate things even further, these can be combined with heavy metal toxicities, lack of vitamin D, unstable blood sugar, thyroid or adrenal stress, or a poor nutrient absorption caused by imbalanced gut bacteria or low digestive function. Any of these factors can disrupt function of our brain in various ways.

Holistic practitioner needs to work like a detective to make a proper diagnosis. Often, blood, urine or saliva tests are necessary for confirmation.

Some people may say: "It's all in your head!" or "Change your attitude, stay positive and you will feel better!" You know that it often does not work that way.
If the brain can't function properly because of inflammation or deficiencies no amount of psychotherapy can help. The healthy brain function has to be restored first before entering the stage of recuperation and emotional healing.