The Nutritional Supplement

Which course did you graduate from at CNELM and when did you graduate?

I did the MSc in Personalised Nutrition and the NTPD and graduated in 2020.

What did you do before doing this course?

I had a totally different career – I was a marketing manager for over a decade.

What made you decide to embark on this course of study and what attracted you to CNELM? 

My own personal health journey. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 26 years old and put on strong immune supressing chemotherapy medications and steroids, and yet I was getting worse. Despite the medications I was becoming increasingly unwell and my Rheumatologist told me to expect to be fully disabled within 8 years.

I started experimenting with diet and supplements and within 2 years I felt so much better, I came off the six medications I was on and I haven’t looked back. It has now been 8 years since I manage my RA medication free.

I thought that nutrition changed my life and I wanted to help other people such as my old self, and this made me want to re-train.

What was your first role after graduating?

I set up my own clinic, Optimal Health Nutrition and shortly after I also started contracting for the Health Matters Group.

How did you kickstart your practice / career?

Because of the Covid pandemic I decided to set up an online clinic specialising in autoimmunity, gut/hormonal health and Lyme Disease.

Because I am originally from Bulgaria, I partnered up with a few doctors over there and was getting some international referrals, too.

It was difficult at the beginning, starting a new business with the uncertainty of the pandemic, but I tried to employ my marketing skills and find ways of promoting my practice.  

Initially, as a way of promoting myself and volunteering I was writing articles for magazines, recipes for different charities and slowly I started getting more and more business, too.

Where has your career taken you so far?

My career as a Nutritional Therapist so far has been so challenging and very, very rewarding.

My proudest moments were when my research dissertation was published in December 2020 on the topic of RA and nutritional interventions – something I am really passionate about and when I published my book ‘Lyme in the Limelight’ in May this year.

I am also thrilled to be working for the London Clinic of Nutrition, the biggest functional medicine clinic in Europe, where I have the opportunity to support complex case clients and to exchange knowledge with some of the best practitioners in the sector.

Do you specialise in a particular area of health? 

Mostly autoimmune diseases, Lyme Disease and co-infections, mould/mycotoxin illness, gut and hormonal issues.

Autoimmune diseases and Lyme Disease are both areas which I am passionate about, as I have personal experience with them both.

Which part do you think has been the most rewarding or successful? 

Helping people to change their lives – this has been the most rewarding aspect of the job for me, as well as trying to spread awareness of Lyme Disease through my book, social media channels and other work – it is an underappreciated infection, which is linked to many conditions, including many autoimmune diseases. It is also a lot more common that we suspect – recent research came out that 15% of the world population may have Lyme Disease!

Is there anything you wish you’d known before finishing your studies that you might have prepared for differently?

I wish I realised how much admin and bookkeeping and other non-nutritional therapy work is involved if you run your own clinic – invoicing, booking clients, commissioning work – I am getting better at it I think, and some of the modules in the Practice Diploma really helped with that.

What or who has most inspired you in your work? 

In terms of what – the ability of the human body to recover when main imbalances leading to disease are resolved.

I have met many inspirational people in my journey – I found Dr Michelle Barrow’s story and her personality inspiring, and I was very lucky to have her as a research supervisor.

I always admired established functional medicine names such Dr Jeffrey Bland and Dr Mark Hyman.

I am also in awe of the work of Dr Horowitz and Dr Klingardt  – who have done so much to raise awareness and establish protocols for the treatment of Lyme Disease.

Do you have any tips, hints, things you’d have done differently...? 

Choose an area that you are good at and focus on it. If you have personal story relating to it – don’t be shy to share it – clients really resonate with that.

Social media is a free tool to help establish your presence, but it is also important to have a professional website.

Be prepared to continuously need to update your knowledge through webinars and the like, beyond the CPD. I aim to spend at least 20% of my time doing new courses and keeping up to date with research.