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About Us
renewal health clinic
Where you can learn to relax and enjoy life
Using applied nutritional science, our goal is to empower you to discover, understand and rectify potential nutritional imbalances as well as lifestyle issues which may be affecting your current health condition
Since we are a complementary therapy, we do not diagnose, treat, or cure, but rather work alongside any existing medical treatment you may be having
Nutritional therapy and functional medicine testing are not replacements for conventional care, but rather they are powerful practices which can help you better get to grips with your condition and improve quality of life by optimising your nutrition, digestion, and lifestyle
Meet our Founder
Cambridge-educated Maeve Thompson-Starkey, Founder and Clinical Director, Renewal Health Clinic
Maeve set up Renewal Health Clinic after having completed her training in Nutritional Medicine at the University of Worcester, UK. Maeve has done further training with Cogence Immunology (Dr Sam Yanuck) and is also a certified Personal Trainer with additional courses in Nutrition for Sports & Exercises, Pre- and Postnatal Exercise, and the CISN Short Course in Integrative Sports Nutrition
Kelly Horton
MSc Nutritional & Lifestyle Medicine (Nutritional Therapy)
Special Interests:
oral health/oral microbiome
digestive health
Maeve Thompson-Starkey
MSc Nutritional & Lifestyle Medicine (Nutritional Therapy)
Special Interests:
autoimmune conditions
allergies, asthma, eczema
Have you been through the traditional health system?
Most clients who come to see us have been seen by a GP and/or other health professionals but have either stalled or made little progress in their health journey. Some people we see have been sick for many years and really need to get a deep understanding of what is going on with their body. Nutritional and Lifestyle Therapy is ideally placed to help such people as it seeks to address nutritional imbalances, relieve/manage stress better, and aim towards a better quality of life by addressing root causes rather than looking at symptoms alone.
By viewing the person as a unique individual, we can create tailored plans that work alongside any other professionals with whom you are working already. This means that we can optimise aspects of health that go unaddressed by the traditional route, such as exercise, stress, and especially diet.
Having access to advanced functional medicine testing allows us to do a deep dive into your health by looking at clinical data from blood, stool, saliva, or urine via comprehensive analysis.
Important Information on what we do and don't cover
Nutritional and Lifestyle Therapy is not a replacement for primary care. Our Clinicians are trained to investigate the whole person, and we usually work alongside other medical professionals under whom you are currently being treated. Our purpose is to enable and empower you to understand your condition, gain more control, and improve quality of life by addressing dietary intake, digestion, absorption, inflammation, and many other aspects of health. For example we may prescribe including more or less of certain foods, taking a supplement, and a stress management technique, or a relaxing activity as part of your programme.
Please note that we do not treat, cure, or diagnose medical conditions. Any testing done is not for the purposes of diagnosing, but rather to gain further insight into nutrient/toxin levels, microbial diversity, inflammatory markers, etc. Any “red flag” symptoms or results showing the need for medical attention would require a referral back to your GP or PCP.
About Titles
What’s the Difference Between Dietitian, Nutritionist, and Nutritional Therapist?
These titles can be confusing, but we hope the following will clear things up:
- Dietitians and Registered Nutritional Therapists are both clinically trained in supporting individuals as well as the general public about food in general, nutrient balance, and overall health when it comes to nutritional concerns. Dieititans register with the BDA, whereas Nutritional Therapists usually register with BANT which is the largest professional body for Nutritional Therapists.
- Dietitians differ from Nutritional Therapists in that the former are trained in enteral nutrition and end-of-life care. Dietitians have this acute training which makes them ideal for the hospital environment.
- Nutritional Therapists are clinically trained to support persons with non-acute medical conditions, especially chronic, inflammatory, allergic, or autoimmune diseases. Nutritional Therapists do not support certain conditions such as persons with kidney disease. They can also serve the general public with general talks to schools, organisations, etc.
- Nutritionists (AfN Registered) do not usually have any clinical or therapeutic training and therefore do not usually have the skills, training, or experience to undertake private consultations which aim to improve health. This is because they have no clinical training within their nutritional education, but as they typically have a BSc in Human Nutrition they are best placed to serve public health type environments well e.g. general talks (not specific to individuals) or the food industry.
One of the problems with titles in the UK at present is that Dietitian is a registered title, like Nurse, Doctor, or Solicitor. Only people with specific qualifications can use those titles. Nutritionist and Nutritional Therapist are currently not protected titles, therefore it is very important to check someone’s education and qualifications. BANT have protected the title “Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner” with a trademark.
All our Therapists are BANT-Registered Nutritional Therapists, meaning they have a BSc or higher and are clinically trained to support individuals therapeutically to improve their health with nutrition and lifestyle methods. BANT registered Nutritional Therapists are also required to be registered with the CNHC which governs professional standards for complementary healthcare providers, ot otherwise be statutorily registered.
Summary
Only Dietitians and BANT-Registered Nutritional Therapists are clinically trained and meet the required national standards to work in 1-2-1 consultations. For more information, please see here.
