Lorna Driver-Davies

Lorna Driver-Davies has practiced for 13 years as a registered clinical nutritional therapist, integrating functional medicine and naturopathic practice with her knowledge of botanicals as a herbal medicine dispenser.

She has significant experience in women’s hormone and gynaecological nutrition, working with diagnosed conditions and irregularities (including psychological changes related to menstrual and hormone health), menstrual cycle optimisation and the promotion of healthy female hormones, minimising the affects upon organs and systems that connect to the stress response, sleep and energy optimisation.

Her specific areas of expertise and clinical focus include menstrual health at all stages and conditions and later, when women move into the stages where their periods are less regular, and also when their cycle comes to an end.

She has significant experience in hormone conditions and hormonally-related disease. Particularly those that are connected to the immune system, and women who may have required surgical treatment for gynaecological disease. Lorna also has an interest and experience in vaginal and female genitourinary health at all life stages/ages. 

​Lorna recognises the important role of the immune system, digestive health and the microbiome, detoxification and genetics in women’s health. Lorna has special skills in working with complex conditions that require medical or surgical intervention and medication and is able to ‘complement’ medical support with safe appropriate nutrition and lifestyle programmes. 

​Lorna refers to an receives referrals from surgeons and other doctors, for positively integrated patient care. Lorna has significant experience of working with hormone and medicine prescriptions or treatment, alongside nutritional therapy. She also regularly teaches and mentors fellow nutrition professionals and medics. 

Lorna regularly attends (sits in) live gynaecological theatre (surgeries), furthering her passion for gynaecological anatomy, physiology and disease pictures. This also helps her to understand how common gynaecological conditions procedures are treated medically, keeping up with the latest advances/science and diagnostics in gynae disease and where nutrition and lifestyle can compliment this for an integrated approach to women's gynae and hormone health. This is also helpful when clients are navigating potential treatment routes, with multiple options and choices to make. 

Lorna has always felt this 'practice' (nutrition science and natural healing) feels so natural for her because its in her DNA - coming from a family ancestry which includes surgeons, pharmacists, apothecaries and more recently as the daughter of revered Medical Herbalist and Naturopath, Jill Rosemary Davies. Her childhood and teens gave her the foundation of understanding that healthy food and medicinal plants can have an amazingly optimizing effect on our mind and body. Lorna was ahead of the game, being raised from 1982 on natural, organic and delicious home-made meals – full of antioxidant and microbiome supporting herbs, spices, plants and wholefoods.

​At home there was also a focus on the provenance of foods such as meat, fish and dairy (local, free range, grass fed and so forth) and a preference for traditional ways of preparing foods such as fermentation, ‘live’ cultures (such as home-made unpasteurized yogurt) and slow cooking. During that time Lorna was exposed to new concepts about health that were considered very ‘uncool’ or radical in the 1980s, but which today we accept positively as scientifically validated. From her teens she keenly absorbed clinical information from her mother on supporting female clients with herbs and naturopathy. All this has given Lorna the passion and drive to help others today and she still often lectures alongside her mother to nutrition and herbal students, as well as professionals, on plant chemistry and naturopathic practice.

​Lorna’s philosophy is that while food and meals can be healing, it should also be a joyful and non-stressful experience to eat and explore new tastes and smells. And that eating well does not need to be complicated or exhausting for those who lack time or skills

Other professional experience or positions:

·        Regularly lectures to members of the public, medical and nutritional professionals and mentors nutrition students. She is quotes on female health and nutrition for the media and press.

·  Regular Nutrition speaker for BSGE (The British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy) annual meetings. This is medical society comprised of gynaecological surgeons and specialist nurses. 

·        Published work: Case chapter on female hormone and thyroid support in 'Case Studies in Personalized Nutrition (Personalized Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine for Healthcare Practitioners)': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Personalized-Nutrition-Lifestyle-Healthcare-Practitioners-ebook/dp/B07X1M78JX/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=angela+walker+singing+dragon&qid=1571925705&sr=8-1

·        Regularly attends CPD (continuing professional development) lectures and seminars in nutrition, functional medicine and botanicals in order to keep up to date with research, practical applications and, most importantly, safe practice.

For more information on fees and bookings, please contact Lorna.

I am now taking new clients. 

The initial / first consultation

First consultations are 90 minutes in duration.

Together we will devise realistically achievable goals that focus on optimizing your health, including addressing the underlying cause of any health issues.

What will happen during the consultation?

• An in-depth examination of your health history and current health picture.
• Your chance to have a better understanding of any current health issues.
• Assessment of your personal future goals and how your practitioner can help you with these.
• Analysis of your personal food diary (completed before the consultation).
• Re-education on any misconceptions about what to eat and how to eat.
• Helping you to understand the particular nutritional strategies that may be undertaken.
• Discussion and advice regarding any lifestyle issues that may be adversely affecting your health

What will happen after the consultation?

An individualised programme will then be created for you, to include:

• A food management programme to give you an optimized healthy foundation to build on. This programme may change over time to suit the progression of your treatment plan.
• A personally selected supplement regime, if required, including herbs and nutritional supplements. These may also be altered over time, to adjust to changes in your situation and progress.
• Lifestyle changes may be suggested that can help to improve your health picture.
• You will be given food and diet education handouts and/or recipes.

Additionally:

You may be asked to see your general health care practitioner (GP) for further clarification of any suspected health conditions that have not been diagnosed (nutritional therapists do not legally diagnose). This is so that the nutritional therapist can work safely and understand the health issues that may be affecting you.

You may be asked to undergo specific tests through your GP or a private laboratory.

Follow-up consultations

Follow-up consultations are up to 40 minutes in duration (although a 1 hour session is bookable).
Scheduled between three and six weeks after the first consultation.

Why are follow-ups necessary and what do I, the client, gain from these?

• Nutritional therapy is step by step process, working towards an end goal. Therefore several sessions are usually required in order to complete this process.
• Follow-up consultations allow us to assess your programme and make any adjustments based on changes to your health in response to diet, supplements and lifestyle modifications.
• Follow-ups are your opportunity to ask any questions about your ongoing treatment and discuss any changes you are experiencing.
• You may have undergone tests or been asked to see your GP concerning a health issue. Follow-ups are where you learn about your results or other health information and what this means in relation to your nutritional programme.

After any follow up appointment, your personal plan will be updated in light of changes, progress and future goals.