Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Occupational Therapist?
Occupational Therapists help people who have been injured, become ill or disabled to recover, develop, improve and maintain the skills they need for daily living and working. OTs focus on improving a person’s functional ability to perform the everyday activities that are important to them. According to the American OT Association: “OT is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities.” OTs are able to modify activities, make environmental modifications, and recommend adaptive equipment and compensatory strategies...all to maximize function, independence and quality of life.
What is a Health Coach?
A health coach is a supportive mentor and wellness authority who helps people feel their best through wholesome tailored food and lifestyle changes that meet their personal needs and health goals.
What is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner?
A FNTP is a specialized practitioner who performs a hands-on clinical assessment to discern nutritional and biochemical imbalances in the body that can lead to poor health. A FNTP utilizes advanced nutritional therapy skills (Lingual-Neuro Testing) and promotes properly prepared, nutrient-dense whole foods to restore biochemical balance and function in the body. A FNTP believes that our bodies have innate intelligence that will tell us what we need for restoring optimal health. A FNTP devises a personalized nutrition and lifestyle plan to help clients improve and maintain their well-being.
What is the Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire?
The NAQ is a detailed questionnaire utilizing over 300 signs and symptoms to identify potential nutritional deficiencies and imbalances in the body. It identifies which organs and systems need the most attention from a nutritional perspective. The NAQ reveals patterns and insights that help set the focus of personalized nutrition recommendations. The NAQ must be filled out and returned 3 days before an Initial Intake Assessment.
What is the Functional Clinical Assessment?
The FCA is a hands-on evaluation by an FNTP for assessing a client's health. It utilizes the body's innate connection between the central nervous system and the body's internal organs to uncover the presence of potential imbalance or dysfunction. It includes a series of non-invasive palpations of tissue (reflex points) and other clinical assessment tests such as pulse, blood pressure, muscle testing and balance to help identify areas of foundational health deficiencies. The reflex points connect the neuro-vascular and neuro-lymphatic pathways which surround every organ in the body. When an organ has been under stress, these pathways build up lymphatic congestion, which results in tenderness in the tested reflex points. These readings provide an informative baseline which helps guide the FNTP in the selection of therapeutic foods and/or supplements. These are evaluated through Lingual-Neuro Testing to determine the usefulness of the nutrients before they are recommended to the client. Being trained in this unique form of kinesiology is what sets FNTPs apart from other nutritional professionals.
What is Lingual-Neuro Testing?
LNT is the fascinating finale of a Functional Clinic Assessment. It involves tasting a specific food or supplement for 15-30 seconds and then retesting the most involved reflex points to observe how the body responds. There are nerves in the tongue that quickly scan what is put in the mouth to determine what specific nutrients are contained within the substance. These nerves carry the information to the brain which then sends alerts to the entire body via the nervous system signaling whether the nutrients will be beneficial or not. This biofeedback loop is an amazing part of our survival instinct. It is how wild animals know what to eat when they are sick. LNT is a powerful tool that harnesses this biofeedback loop to inform whether an organ or system will respond positively or negatively to a therapeutic food or supplement. LNT accesses the body's innate ability to discriminate between what it needs and what is does not need in order to correct a specific problem, such as a nutritional deficiency or an organ weakness. This simple and effective technique is what differentiates a personalized nutritional therapy plan from a generic one. The FCA combined with LNT provides FNTPs with specialized tools to offer personalized nutritional and supplemental recommendations that are bio-individually tailored for each client.
Why all the bamboo imagery?
I appreciate bamboo stalks because they remind me of fingers with multiple joints! Bamboo has joints (called nodes) which allow their stems (called culms) to be both strong and flexible. I frequently watch the bamboo in my backyard being moved and swirled around by wind and rain. When weighted down by snow, the stalks will bend over so far that their tips will touch the ground. Is it amazing to watch them return upright as the snow melts. Bamboo stalks have greater tensile strength than steel in being able to withstand tension and stretching pressure. Although human anatomy is different from bamboo, I know that we, like all plants and animals, need proper nourishment and care to grow and be resilient. Whole-food nutrition and holistic health practices help us to become strong, flexible, and adaptable...like bamboo!
What about insurance coverage?
I am not currently billing insurance plans, however, Health Savings Accounts can be utilized for payment. I accept payments for services through Wave accounting, Paypal (jessica@holistichandhealth.com) and Venmo (@Jessica-Rykert-Holt).