What is integrative functional nutrition?
Integrative and Functional Nutrition (IFN) is an approach to nutrition counseling and therapy that combines the very best of modern science, clinical wisdom, and critical thinking found in traditional medicine and complementary alternative medicine. In other words, it is the nutrition arm of an integrative functional medicine body.
Another way to look at it is to break down each part:
Functional medicine takes a systems biology approach to find and treat the root cause of illness or disease. Rey accomplishes this by reviewing your medical history, client intake forms, lab work, medications, supplements, and diet. From these pieces of information, they build a therapeutic plan to help you achieve better health.
Integrative medicine supports the functional approach by looking at lifestyle (i.e. diet, exercise, stress, sleep, social wellbeing, environment, religious or spiritual practice, etc) and mind-body systems(i.e. nervous system and trauma response) that may be contributing to your dis-ease. This accounts for a large part of the counseling work that Rey does. They will discuss options to help you balance these parts of your life to support wellness.
Insight Nutrition’s approach may differ from other providers due to Rey’s inclusion of generative practices. Generative medicine supports the body’s innate wisdom to heal from injury or disease. Healing is a function largely governed by addressing dysfunction in both the digestive tract (including the liver) and the nervous system.
What’s the difference between a Dietitian and a Nutritionist?
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) earn a medical degree from an accredited university or college and complete 1200 hours of supervised clinical training. Then, they must pass a national exam in order to obtain licensure (varies by state) as healthcare providers, as well as complete continuing education units to maintain registration. As certified or licensed medical providers, dietitians are qualified to practice medical nutrition therapy (prescribe a diet for a medical condition), can work with your doctor as part of your medical care team, and can bill insurance for services.
There is no standard definition for the title “nutritionist” or “health coach”. States that do define such titles will differ from one to another. These certifications generally do not require any formal academic education, supervised training, or medical licensure. They also may be unable to bill your insurance for services.
Is meeting with an integrative dietitian right for me?
While I believe that an IFN model can meet everyone’s needs, I recognize that for some people it may not be a good fit. If you struggle with the philosophy or concepts of an integrative functional model, I recommend that you spend more time learning about it before you make a commitment to work with me. If you are curious to learn more, start with this video.