About me
ELINA DUNFORD
My education
My name is Elina Dunford and I am a qualified Nutritional Therapist, BSc (Hons), DipNT CNM, mNNA registered with Naturopathic Nutrition Association.
I am also a mum of two: I have a beautiful 32 years old daughter Alisa and a 12 year old son Jake.
Long before I became a Nutritional Therapist, I obtained a degree in Dentistry after 9 years of training. I worked in the clinic in Russia for many years before moving to the UK. Later in the UK I attended a year-long course in the Steiner Beauty College in London and graduated with an International CIBTAC diploma in beauty therapy.
So, my interest in health goes back a long way, and now I feel that I have all necessary tools in my hands.
I am also a mum of two: I have a beautiful 32 years old daughter Alisa and a 12 year old son Jake.
Long before I became a Nutritional Therapist, I obtained a degree in Dentistry after 9 years of training. I worked in the clinic in Russia for many years before moving to the UK. Later in the UK I attended a year-long course in the Steiner Beauty College in London and graduated with an International CIBTAC diploma in beauty therapy.
So, my interest in health goes back a long way, and now I feel that I have all necessary tools in my hands.
My health journey
My interest in health goes back a long way, and now I feel that I have all necessary tools in my hands.
My health journey started when life brought me to the small island of Koh Samui in Thailand, which turned out to be a health mecca, filled with spa, yoga and detox centres. During the 7 years of living there, I began listening to my body, learning to give it what it needed. I started eating whole foods, doing daily yoga and found my health improving dramatically!
But it was not until after my son was diagnosed with multiple food intolerances and I was diagnosed with Graves disease (hyperthyroidism), that I had started looking at the food in a different way and my views on eating, cooking and supporting the body have been changed forever.
My health journey started when life brought me to the small island of Koh Samui in Thailand, which turned out to be a health mecca, filled with spa, yoga and detox centres. During the 7 years of living there, I began listening to my body, learning to give it what it needed. I started eating whole foods, doing daily yoga and found my health improving dramatically!
But it was not until after my son was diagnosed with multiple food intolerances and I was diagnosed with Graves disease (hyperthyroidism), that I had started looking at the food in a different way and my views on eating, cooking and supporting the body have been changed forever.
After unsuccessfully trying professional medical help for about a year, I concluded that the only way to go is to try a natural approach to healing. Our family had no choice but to completely change the way we cook and eat. It has been an interesting challenge so far, which turned our approach to food completely upside down… I started reading, researching the internet, putting together pieces and clues about food intolerances and thyroid problems, I have read every book and website on allergies and holistic medicine. We tried Raw Food Diet, Paleo Diet, Gluten Free diet, Dairy/Egg free diet…you name it.
It was a start of my transition from concerned mum, who ironically was trained and worked as a conventional doctor in the past, to a holistic nutrition specialist.
It was a start of my transition from concerned mum, who ironically was trained and worked as a conventional doctor in the past, to a holistic nutrition specialist.
I needed to learn how to love and nurture our bodies through food! Just by changing the foods that I put in my mouth, I felt a dramatic increase in energy levels and felt better in dealing with stressors of daily life. I became very interested in the health properties of whole foods and ways of incorporating these foods into my diet by preparing delicious meals. Upon our move back to London, I decided to take the plunge and train as a Nutritional Therapist at The College of Naturopathic Medicine.
I base my work on the principles of Functional Medicine.
Functional Medicine is a personalised and integrative approach to healthcare which involves understanding the prevention, management and root causes of complex chronic disease.
Functional medicine utilises the most current scientific knowledge regarding how our genetics, environment and lifestyle interact as a whole system to diagnose and treat diseases based on patterns of dysfunction and imbalance – without necessarily treating the specific disease. Functional medicine treats the person who has the disease, not the disease the person has.
Functional Medicine is a personalised and integrative approach to healthcare which involves understanding the prevention, management and root causes of complex chronic disease.
Functional medicine utilises the most current scientific knowledge regarding how our genetics, environment and lifestyle interact as a whole system to diagnose and treat diseases based on patterns of dysfunction and imbalance – without necessarily treating the specific disease. Functional medicine treats the person who has the disease, not the disease the person has.
Instead of suppressing symptoms through medication, functional medicine looks for the root cause of the issue. It finds the person’s needs that are unmet in the areas of diet, rest, exercise and stress reduction. By providing what’s missing and creating health building habits based on individual needs all of the body’s systems can be brought back into balance. That’s what we need to thrive!
I work with in-depth, one-to-one consultations to try to get to the root cause of your health concern. This leads to a tailored nutrition and lifestyle plan to improve or get back to your optimal health.
I work with in-depth, one-to-one consultations to try to get to the root cause of your health concern. This leads to a tailored nutrition and lifestyle plan to improve or get back to your optimal health.