Step 1: Nourish to Flourish

Discover the Root Causes & Triggers of Your Child's Autism Symptoms and cultivate a healthy future with a personalized health strategy that reduces systemic inflammation, improves digestion, neurotransmitter activity and overall wellbeing. 

Who is Nourish to Flourish for?

It began as a programme to help autistic children reach their full potential, but very quickly evolved into much more.  So first I have a question for parents and relatives of a loved one who is on the autism spectrum....

• Do you feel overwhelmed by the volume of contradictory advice on how to help your autistic child?
•  Has your doctor been unable to give you anything helpful beyond an 'autism diagnosis'?
• Do you worry that your child is not getting enough nutrients because s/he has such a restricted palate?
• Have healthcare professionals told you that even if your child only eats beige food, it's OK because at least they are eating?
  
• Is your child non-verbal? Becoming increasingly angry and aggressive? Less aware of danger? 
• Does your child have complex health needs that extend beyond autism?
  
• Are you, as a parent,  stressed out, overwhelmed, worried about the future, isolated, struggling with family dynamics, afraid of losing your job due to childcare needs, sleep deprived.... I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture.
  

So the answer is that the 'programme' is for your child, but the 'support' is for you, the parent.  Read on to find out more....

What Is the Nourish to Flourish Programme?

This is Step 1 of a 3-Step Programme that lasts approximately 12 months, but will vary from one family to the next. 

The first step is called "Nourish to Flourish" and has been designed to help you understand your child's unique metabolic and digestive needs, identify hidden triggers and create a personalized plan to support their overall health and ideally improve their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Optimizing nutrition is the foundation for everything to do with your childs' physical, emotional and mental health, but it can be the most challenging with an autistic child, due to restrictive eating habits. 

It is important that you complete this step and are comfortable with progress in your health strategy before moving on to Step 2.

Bespoke Nutritional Advice & Resources

We know that many autistic children have sensory sensitivites that can lead them to have a very restricted diet, often prefering 'beige' food.  The purpose of this programme is to identify a way that we can ensure your child gets the nutrients that his or her body really needs to function properly.  This will be a process rather than a 'solution' because their choices are likely to change gradually over time as the inflammation reduces.

2 Advanced Functional Tests

We need to know two basic things. Firstly, is your child getting the nutrients they need for core body processes to function. Secondly, if they are getting the right nutrients, are they able to break down, digest, absorb and transport those nutrients to the cells where they are needed.

•  Comprehensive Gut Function Profile to uncover imbalances in your child's gut microbiome that may be contributing to symptoms.
 
• Metabolic Profile: Identify nutrient deficiencies and detoxification challenges that could be leading to neuroinflammation, impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, erratic energy levels and more.

Expert Guidance & Support

We will have four 1:1 sessions between 90 minutes and 45 minutes long.  This will be either telephone or video call.

Together we will take a deep dive into your child's health history and current challenges so we can gauge the 'direction of travel' and prioritize health goals to put into a Personalized Health Strategy for you to refer to going forward.

Client Portal

To keep consultations, advice and information running as smoothly as posible, we use GetHealthie, an electronic health records platform to keep your information secure.

• Download the Healthie App to stay organized
• Schedule video or telephone calls for all your consultations, get appointment reminders, reschedule if you need to.
• Secure Chat feature for clients with quick questions
• Keep all your results together in one place for sharing with your child's healthcare team so you don't have to keep repeating yourself. 
  
• Use the shared journaling feature if you want feedback and encouragement
  
• Set Health Goals & Reminders
• Access Courses, videos, handouts tailored specifically for you.
  
• Access your Online meal plan with meals specifically suited to a gluten-free and casein-free diet, the best starting point for anyone on the autism spectrum.
  

What You Can Expect...

Lets Make a Plan

If you answered 'yes' to any of the questions at the top of the page, then a personalized approach using functional medicine for autism could be the solution you are looking for.

However, functional medicine for autism is new to most people, so before you go any further, I would recommend you find out more for yourself by following these steps.

1. Watch this video about Functional Nutrition for Autism.  It is a 40-minute talk I (Simone Buehner) gave a The Autism Show, Cardiff in 2024.
2. Read this blog post about the CHARGE Study.  CHARGE stands for Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and Environment.  The study found that up to 40% of autism symptoms are due to environmental causes rather than genetic.  This means that if we can identify and address the environmental causes (diet, environemntal toxins, detoxification pathways etc) then we can potentially improve autism symtpoms very significantly. 
3. If you are still unsure or have more questions, you can  Book a FREE Discovery Call with Simone, otherwise you can click below to get started right away!
   

Our D.A.R.I.N.G. Approach

At Barefoot Medicine Ltd. we have a trademarked protocol known as the D.A.R.I.N.G. Approach, which we use to get to the root cause of any health condition.  Unlike convventional medicine, we focus on body systems, not symptoms, which is why we get lasting results, rather than a quick fix that suppresses symptoms.

Discover

4 In-Depth 1:1 Consultations

Roots to Radiance Consultation: A deep dive into your child's health history     and current challenges.

Metabolic Health Review: Learn how to tailor your child's meals and snacks to meet the nutritional deficiencies that have been identified by the laboratory. If your child is a 'picky eater' (as most are) we will cover strategies for short, medium and long-term benefit, which may include supplementation so we can 'break the cycle' of malnutrition and picky eating. You will also be offered in-depth advice on addressing sensory sensitivities around food.

Gut Health Review: We will discuss the findings from the lab results and add actionalbe steps to your childs health strategy to address the findings.  However, this is a very detailed topic, so there will be additional resources for you in your Healthie portal to refer to as and when you are ready  Consultations will cover what you 'need' to know only, so as not to overwhelm you.

Health Strategy Call: A customized plan to address your child's unique needs, including dietary recommendations, targeted supplementation and lifestyle adjustments.  The goal of the strategy is for it to be realistic and achievable foor your whole family.  This is a long term solution, not a quick fix, so the important thing will be to tackle everything in order, one step at a time. 

Analyze

Advanced Functional Testing

• Comprehensive Gut Function Profile to uncover imbalances in your child's gut microbiome that may be contributing to symptoms.

• Metabolomix+: Identify nutrient deficiencies and detoxification challenges that could be leading to neuroinflammation, impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, erratic energy levels and more.

Report

Personalized Health Strategy

• 7 Body Systems: Using your lab results and the information from our 1:1 consultatations, we will prioritize which systems need to be addressed in which order for maximum benefit, whilst taking personal circumstances and lifestyle into account. EG In acute situations or conditions, there may be over-riding priorities that have to be addressed first. 

Integrate

Pacing & Patience!

Journaling: Change is challenging for everyone, especially those who are on the autism spectrum. Your Health Strategy will advise what the priorites are, but you will need to journal any interventions then assess the results.  This part of the process cannot be rushed!

Nourish

Food As Medicine

• Online Meal Plan: When you get your results back, you may wish to change to a different meal plan such as anti-inflammatory, detoxification, mitochondrial support etc.  Throughout the programme, you will be given 3 months' free access to our online meal plans.
• Herbal Remedies May be useful to kill opportunistic bacteria in the gut.  The lab will advise which herbs and medications they have tested on anything that they were able to culture and indicate its efficacy so you can choose which route you would prefer to go down. 
• Nutraceuticals: the laboratory will recommend dosages of any nutrients that are found to be lacking in the metabolic test.  They will be categories into a traffic light system so you will know to prioritize anything i the 'red' zone. 

Guide

Client Portal

Healthie App: Your Health Strategy will be available on your portal for step-by-step guidance. You will also be able to refer to handouts, online courses, videos and your lab reports or any documents we share.  If you get 'stuck' there is also the secure chat facility on there so you can reach out to Simone, or if you are a client you will have credits to access Simone's calendar so you can book a telephone or video call for a longer discussion. 

Memberships and Accreditations 

So You Know You Are in Good Hands

Barefoot Medicine Ltd.

Phone: +44 7715 239 999

www.BarefootMedicine.co.uk