Nutrition Services
Dr. Rachel Stummer’s nutrition practice is focused on helping her Rochester NY patients find a healthy and happy lifetime relationship with food. She works through each patient’s whole body system and lifestyle and environmental factors to thoroughly and accurately understand their individual needs.
Environmental factors that can impact nutrition and overall health and wellness:
- Genetics
- Dietary Habits
- Physical Activity
- Sleep Hygiene
- Hormone Health
- Mental Health
- Emotional State
- Environmental Factors
What Can Dr. Rachel help with?
Prenatal and Postpartum Nutrition
Your body works around the clock creating a human life for almost 10 months. Prenatal and postpartum nutrition aids in recovery from the grueling process of pregnancy and birth. On top of that, if you are able to and/or choose to participate in lactation, that creates an entirely new set of demands on the body. Food quality, quantity, frequency and micronutrient content will help you thrive, not just survive.
Hormonal Dysfunction
Genetics, environmental factors, stress, and nutrient deficiencies can disrupt the creation and elimination of various hormones, greatly affecting overall health. Although you can’t control genetics and it can be challenging to control our environment, it is possible to investigate hormonal imbalances and work to improve them through nutrition and lifestyle modifications. Even if you’ve already been diagnosed with a hormonal disorder, nutrition counseling can be used in conjunction with medication and monitoring by your primary care physician.
Inflammation
Inflammation is a natural body response that protects and heals illness and injuries. However, chronic inflammation harms the body over time. The standard American diet and lifestyle has contributed to an increase in inflammation among and a variety of chronic conditions. An anti-inflammatory diet can lower your risk of dangerous health issues in the future such as Alzheimer’s, asthma, cancers, autoimmune diseases, type II diabetes, fibromyalgia, and heart disease.
GI Complaints
Gastrointestinal (GI) complaints are one of the leading reasons for seeking health care, with most complaints being symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), nutrient malabsorption, and esophageal reflux. Gut dysfunction can lead to systemic inflammatory and immunity-related issues, so it’s important to address concerns with the appropriate health care professional. GI function and overall health can be optimized through the use of proper vitamins and minerals, digestive enzymes, and probiotics.
Sex Hormone Imbalance
It’s normal for sex hormones to fluctuate hroughout the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause. However, similarly to the other hormones in the body, they can be negatively affected by a number of factors in and out of your control. It is possible to identify hormone dysfunction or imbalance symptoms such as irregular cycles, lost periods, intense PMS or ovulation pains, low energy, infertility, etc. and heal them with vitamins and minerals, stress management and herbal remedies.
The above list of nutrition concerns covers just the most common seen in practice, but there are many other ways that nutrition counseling can be beneficial.
- Gut-Brain Connection
- Irregular Blood Glucose Level
- Metabolic Function
- Skin Health
- Muscle and Joint Pain
- Overall Wellness
If you’d like to learn more about how nutrition counseling can help you, schedule a 20-minute complementary nutrition consultation with Dr. Rachel.