At Fairfield Nutrition, we focus on identifying and addressing the root cause of your health problems using Functional Medicine.
Unlike conventional medicine, we do not simply treat your symptoms. Instead, we take the time to identify what may be going on in your body. This then allows us to address the causes of your health issues through dietary and changes to your lifestyle. Our aim is to help you return to health without unnecessary drugs or surgery.
This approach works well for those living with chronic illness but also for others who just want to optimise their health and well being.
Stephen Ward from Fairfield Nutrition here. This is my story on how I developed such a passion for all things health and nutrition. As with many practitioners, it all started when I developed my own unexplained health issues..
Stephen Ward (MSc Personalised Nutrition)
In my mid-30s, I noticed that I was feeling increasingly tired, depressed and anxious, and slowly putting on weight – my energy of younger years was already disappearing.
I wasn’t sure if I was just ‘getting older’ so I went to see my GP and had some standard testing done.
I was told that I was Hypothyroid and was given a prescription for Thyroxine, a thyroid hormone, to take for the rest of my life. I was shocked to say the least, and really wanted to know what had caused the auto-immunity and what changes I could make to support myself.. Unfortunately my GP wasn’t able to help with these questions. I felt confused, isolated, and somewhat let down. I wanted to know what I could do…
From my test results I worked out that the elevated anti-bodies meant I had an auto-immune disease called Hashimoto’s (this wasn’t mentioned by my GP!).
This caused me to research my condition, and find out how I could halt or slow the auto-immune process by making changes to my lifestyle and diet. I worked to improve all areas of my health including my gut health. The good news is my thyroid antibodies are now within range!
From there I trained in Functional Medicine & Nutrition because I knew that there must be so many other people out there not getting better because the root of their problems wasn’t being treated.
Since then I’ve gone on to treat patients with a wide range of conditions that they’ve often had for years. From auto-immunity, to gut issues, to less common issues like body odour or hair loss. I help many people that are feeling fatigued and not quite themselves, or are not happy with the level of care they’ve received so far..
As the center of what I do revolves around working with clients one-on-one, I thought you might like to know what I stand for and stand against, so here you are:
We desperately need a new approach to healthcare that prevents and reverses chronic health conditions by addressing the underlying causes, rather than just managing the disease after it occurs. Functional Medicine is that approach, and its popularity is growing..
Unlike ‘conventional’ medicine, in Functional Medicine, we don’t treat the disease itself, but instead the underlying imbalances in the body that are causing the disease. It offers new hope to people suffering from chronic health conditions.
Functional Medicine says we should dig deeper rather than just treating the symptoms. This can be a more effective approach for chronic health conditions such as fatigue, hormonal issues, IBS, and auto-immunity.
Have worked with Stephen for a number of months now and have found his knowledge and experience has really helped me to improve my overall health and lifestyle. Highly recommend him.
Christine Waldron-KellyI went to Stephen to loose weight and feel better generally, if possible, and I'm so thrilled. He listened to how I behave, what I like and dislike, and gave me advice that's been very effective. I've lost weight steadily and learned some simple healthy ways to eat that I enjoy. Can't thank him enough.
Manita JohnsonHaving worked with many health practitioners over the years without much success, I was ready to give up. However, Stephen has helped me to undercover some underlying causes I hadn't even considered before, and I feel like I have more answers and hope than ever! He is very thorough and knowledgeable, and I am very grateful for all his advice and support. I would highly recommend Stephen for anyone else with chronic health issues.
Debbie Rae-Smith