Vitamin D is not just about calcium absorption and healthy bones. As a hormone, it has many other roles in the body, including boosting immunity and damping down inflammation.
Find out more about Dr Sarah Brewer – a licensed medical nutritionist, author and registered nutritional therapist – ahead of her Keynote at camexpo 2016.
Who or what has been the biggest influence on your career?
Recognising that diet underpins health and ill health. As a GP working in a deprived inner city area, I started asking my patients about their diet. Many ate only pasties, pizzas, pies, pastries, chips and donuts with little fruit or veg and felt tired all the time with lots of niggling health problems. I started prescribing vitamin and mineral supplements and when they perked up and had more energy they were more open to improving their diet.
What’s your most memorable work moment?
Diagnosing hypoglycaemia in an elderly lady admitted with a presumed stroke. Even though the glucose meter gave a ‘normal’ reading something didn’t feel right. I gave her a glucose infusion ‘just in case’ and watched her come back to consciousness almost immediately. Always follow your intuition!
What’s the single biggest challenge in your work?
Finding enough time to write all the articles and guest blogs I want to post on DrSarahBrewer.com, MyLowerBloodPressure.com and ExpertHealthReviews.com.
What’s one emerging trend or research that anyone working in your field should know?
That vitamin D is not just about calcium absorption and healthy bones. As a hormone, it has many other roles in the body, including boosting immunity and damping down inflammation – hence the recent headlines that adding vitamin D to asthma treatments can halve the risk of severe asthma and reduce the need for oral steroids.
What are your top three tips for someone just starting out as a Nutritional Therapist?
- Obtain a recognised qualification and register with BANT and/or CNHC so you are taken seriously.
- Find a niche in which you can specialise and become a go-to expert.
- Write articles and blogs about nutritional therapy to build your media profile.
What are the key points you’ll be covering in your Keynote at this year’s camexpo?
Why we all need vitamin D supplements and the many health benefits that an adequate vitamin D status provides.
In addition to your Keynote, why would you recommend practitioners/therapists visit camexpo 2016?
It’s a great place to network with like-minded people with a keen interest in nutrition and natural approaches to health.
See Dr Sarah Brewer at camexpo: Do you need more vitamin D? (Sep 25, Keynote Theatre).
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