Illness and Pain Focused Nutritional Therapy
When you have chronic pain or chronic illness, sometimes it can be hard to feel in control of your body.
Nutritional therapy can help you look deeper into common symptoms and patterns that may be further impacting your life and your condition. We will look at your diet, digestion, stress levels, movement, sleep patterns, menstrual cycles, emotional load, and more to create a holistic, full picture of your health. When we look at all of these lifestyle patterns together, we can see more than just what blood work tells us.
By focusing on the foundations of nutritional therapy - diet, digestion, blood sugar regulation, mineral balance, quality fats, and hydration - we can optimize the systems of your body and give you a chance to feel your best.
If you're experiencing headaches, rashes, bloating, heartburn, gas, insomnia, fatigue, excessive hunger, etc - let's take a look to see what we can do from a nutrition and lifestyle perspective to help you with the possibility of feeling better.
Chronic Pain-Focused Nutritional therapy is a guided process. Let's enter this path together to support your body and health.
What is Chronic Pain and Illness Focused Nutritional Therapy?
Chronic Hope Counseling aims to address pain from every angle we can. We understand that many people who find themselves here have been told to change their diet. Maybe you've been told "try this fad diet", "eat this" or "don’t eat that" many, many times. And often times, making an appointment with a nutrition specialist may be difficult. But now at Chronic Hope, it's all for you in one place!
Just like everything we do at Chronic Hope, our nutrition services are conducted with you, chronic pain, and illness being at the forefront of every appointment. We listen to your goals and ideas and incorporate them into your personalized nutrition and lifestyle recommendations. Our nutritional therapist, Brianna, has personal experience with chronic pain and symptoms herself. She has the experience and understanding to help you learn to live beyond your pain. Reach out to chat with her!
Read More About Our Nutritional Therapist, Brianna King On Our Meet the Team Page!
Benefits of Chronic Illness-Focused Nutritional Therapy
What we put in our body is going to affect how it runs. When we consider how delicate our bodies can be when it’s dealing with chronic pain and illness it matters even more what we put into it. Food can become the fuel that helps our bodies heal.
According to a meta-analysis of 73 studies that investigated the impact of a variety of nutrition interventions on self-reported pain severity in adults with chronic pain, it was found that:
Dietary intake can enhance the function of the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems, directly impacting pain experiences.
Losing or maintaining weight reduces the load on joints, and reduces meta-inflammation.
Dietary intake and weight status impact the risk and/or severity of other chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and poor mental health, including anxiety and depression), often occurring concurrently with chronic pain.
An in-depth study in 2020 titled “Dietary Patterns and Interventions to Alleviate Chronic Pain” studied the effects of a plethora of different diets on many different chronic ailments from headaches to ulcerative colitis to cancer pain and found strong correlations between diets and how the patients felt. You can read more about it HERE.
Long story short, if you like to research and like to look at the science behind things. Science strongly supports that what you eat can affect how you feel. I will link more books and articles for my fellow science nerds to check out in the resources section at the bottom of the page.
Brain Fog and Your Diet
In 2017 a study by Drake showed a correlation between poor quality food, foods high in simple carbs, trans fats, high food additives and low nutrient density foods has been associated with increased systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation. Both of which are related to brain fog. Brain fog is often an infuriating friend to chronic pain and illness Let us help you get on a path to less brain fog!
Chronic Pain-Focused Nutritional Therapy can help you overcome brain fog and get back to focusing on the important aspects of your life!
Fight, Flight, Freeze and Your Digestion
WebMD describes fight, flight or freeze (FFF) as a well-known stress response that occurs when hormones are released in your body, prompting you to stay and fight or run and flee danger. If your body perceives itself to be in trouble, your system will work to keep you alive.
During FFF adrenaline is released which can increase your heart rate, elevate your blood pressure and boost your energy. Your body releases cortisol which can increase blood sugar and curb non-essential functions like the digestive system.
When your body deals with anything stressful for a long period of time, whether that’s anxiety, pain, or illness your body can get “stuck” in fight, flight, or freeze. When that happens the cortisol being released can be damaging to your gut and digestion.
Chronic Hope Counseling can help you get out of FFF with mental health counseling and then support your digestive system with nutritional counseling! Chronic pain/illness sucks, let us help!
Chronic Illness-Focused Nutritional Therapy
Breakdown
All appointments take place through telehealth on our patient portal
-
Initial assessment paperwork
(1) 90 minute consult
(1) 60 min recommendation
(1) 60-minute check in call
(1) 30-minute check in call
Unlimited messaging in Counsol
Cost for Non-Chronic Hope Client (10% off purchasing individually): $594
Cost for Current Chronic Hope Client (additional 10% off): $534
-
Complete initial paperwork, food and mood journal and comprehensive symptom assessment
This must be completed before purchases any other individual nutritional service
Cost for Non Chronic Hope Client: $200
Cost for Current Chronic Hope Client: $170
-
Discuss initial findings, symptoms, and additional lifestyle factors via a 90 minute appointment
Cost for Non Chronic Hope Client: $175
Cost for Current Chronic Hope Client: $148
-
Recommendation call to discuss a custom diet, lifestyle, and wellness plan to help you reach your goals and support any symptoms
Cost for Non Chronic Hope Client: $125
Cost for Current Chronic Hope Client: $106
-
Discussion of symptoms, edits to your customized diet and lifestyle recommendations, and general support about how you’re feeling about the process and your goals
Cost for non Chronic Hope Client: $100
Cost for Current Chronic Hope Client: $85
-
Discussion of symptoms, edits to your customized diet and lifestyle recommendations, and general support about how you’re feeling about the process and your goals
Cost for Non Chronic Hope Client: $60
Cost for Current Chronic Hope Client: $51
Begin Nutritional Therapy in Raleigh, NC
Dealing with chronic pain and chronic illness can be a lonely and challenging journey full of ups and downs. Nutrition can play a huge role in managing the symptoms that accompany chronic pain and illness. At Chronic Hope Counseling our skilled team of therapists has first-hand knowledge and personal understanding of chronic pain and chronic illness and we understand the role Chronic Illness-Focused Nutritional Therapy plays in healing. We want to support and guide you on your journey to understanding and living with chronic pain and chronic illness in a nonjudgmental and caring environment. Follow the steps below to get started on the road to living your best life.
Get to know our team of caring therapists.
Book an appointment on our convenient contact form.
Begin your journey to emotional well-being.
Other Counseling Services Offered at Chronic Hope Counseling in North Carolina
In addition to Nutritional Therapy, we also offer a variety of other services that are geared toward people who exist within the world of chronic illness and pain. These include Chronic Pain Counseling, Chronic Illness Counseling, Chronic Fatigue Counseling, Long Covid Counseling, Ehlers Danlos Counseling, Family and Relationship Counseling as well as Caregiver Counseling and Support. If you are hurting, we see you and care. Reach out to us today!
