Meet Lynne
Registered Nutritionist and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
About Me
I have had an interest in nutrition ever since my father told me as a child "You are what you eat" It made perfect sense to me that a body can only function in the best possible way if it is fed all the nutrients required. I always believed that a varied diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables was all that was needed to stay healthy.
I trained as a biomedical scientist specialising in microbiology and spent 15 rewarding years working in NHS pathology labs. I gained valuable experience in all aspects of clinical testing and test result interpretation.
In my thirties, as a full-time working mum with two young children, my interest in nutrition was heightened when I found that I was stressed out, overwhelmed, and feeling rubbish for at least 50% of the time. My doctor offered anti-depressants but when I declined, he suggested evening primrose oil and talked about the value of vigorous exercise – how radical was he!
That was the turning point. I started taking supplements and because my team hockey and squash had become difficult commitments to fit around the needs of two active youngsters, I joined a running club which meant I could train at times that suited me. Miraculously I started to feel better and found that I quite enjoyed fell-running and was in fact, reasonably good at it.
I began to read more about nutrition and discovered that it can mean different things for different people. I also started to get concerned about the nutrient quality of our food and how our soil is becoming impoverished leading to lower nutrient density in our produce. It became practice for the family to supplement with basic multi-nutrients to combat the challenges to our bodies presented by modern day living and exposure to pollution, pesticides and stress.
A career change to pharmaceutical manufacturing gave me an understanding of how drugs are discovered, developed, and scaled-up for manufacture. My role as Senior Quality Manager was to ensure the highest quality standards were followed and that all regulatory requirements were met. I became aware of the most-often prescribed medications and that these could sometimes be life-long. It struck me that the conventional approach is to treat the symptoms and not to address the root cause. Some drugs make you feel better but don’t fix the problem, so you have to keep taking them. Obviously, many drugs are literally life-saving but they often have undesirable side effects such as nutrient depletion, and imbalance in body systems, not least the microbiome. Many of these side effects can be counteracted or managed with precision nutrition.
"It struck me that the conventional approach is to treat the symptoms and not to address the root cause."
"I went from having an attack every 4 – 5 months (with excruciating pain) to being 7 years totally clear of symptoms."
In my early 50s, I started to suffer gall bladder attacks due to gallstones. My GP recommended that I have my gall bladder removed because “You don’t need it”, and he did not understand my reluctance to undergo this procedure. I decided to research whether this condition could be managed with diet and can report that I have successfully achieved this. I went from having an attack every 4 – 5 months (with excruciating pain) to being 7 years totally clear of symptoms.
This sparked my desire to re-train as a nutritional therapist which is closely allied with the subject of microbiology - my enduring passion. A key area of research is the impact that our individual microbiomes have on our health and well-being and we are learning how to maximise the benefits using diet and lifestyle.
I have acquired the skills to help people understand their gut issues and manage them by taking control. Don’t put up with the misery of acid reflux, the nuisance of irritable bowel, the frustration of constipation or the restrictions on social activity that can result. Click on the link to book a free 20min consultation and discover how nutritional therapy can illuminate the way to feeling fantastic again.
Qualifications
Lynne Cullen DipION, mBANT, rCNHC, mANP, GNCreg, DMLM, F&A Ed Cert, L3 NVQ
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Registered Nutritionist and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
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Registered Naturopath
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Qualified Biomedical Scientist specialising in Microbiology
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Diploma in Medical Laboratory Management
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Further and Adult Education Certificate
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Level 3 Counselling NVQ