About Tracey

My passion

I’m Tracey Harper, a leading BANT Registered Nutritional Therapist and IFM certified Functional Medicine Practitioner.  I work holistically with a focus on food and nutrition supporting clients with autoimmune and chronic conditions empowering them with the tools they need to navigate their healing journey.  I believe I can help you transform your health and your life.

As a result of my own healing journey, I understand the impact even a few small dietary and lifestyle changes can have on your overall health and wellbeing.  I am passionate about supporting and motivating you to make the necessary changes helping you to bring your health into balance by addressing the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of your health.

My story

I was a child of the 1970s which marked a turning point in the UK for food with processed and convenience foods becoming increasingly popular.  I spent all my pocket money on sweets.  Always slim, I could eat sweets, biscuits and cakes with impunity, obviously addicted to sugar and no idea of the serious damage I was doing to my metabolic and immune health.  The detrimental impact of sugar and antibiotics to health wasn’t understood and I was setting the scene for a perfect storm.

The straw that broke the camel’s back happened when I was working in a high-pressured environment in London.  My job took over my life and any healthy eating plan or exercise regime I once followed went out of the window.  As the demands of my job took over and challenged my physical and emotional health, the penny finally dropped. The connection between diet, lifestyle and health really hit home and this is when my healing journey began.

I wanted to learn more about how I could look after myself and regain a healthy and manageable work-life balance. And through my own interest in health and wellbeing, I realised I wanted to support other people too.  Time for a career change; I left my job in 2003 and studied to achieve a first class BSc (Hons) in Nutritional Therapy at the University of Westminster.  In 2007 I established my own Nutritional Therapy practice in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.

The journey didn’t end there. I put a lot of pressure on myself spreading myself too thinly and making NO time for self-care.  I was beginning to feel overwhelmed and suffering from bouts of insomnia, plus my mood and energy levels were very low.  I had also entered perimenopause but that’s another story!

Around the same time in 2014, my mum was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia, an auto immune condition which causes imbalance and slurred speech.  There is no orthodox treatment.  I did my own research discovering that gluten is the commonest single most cause of cerebellar ataxia.  Further research led me to Dr Tom O’Bryan world renowned expert on gluten.  I booked to see him at a conference in London where he talked about cerebellar gluten ataxia.  I approached him afterwards telling him about mum.  He recommended I get myself tested because of the genetic nature of the condition.  My own health had been deteriorating gradually over quite a few years and I was experiencing mild symptoms, similar to mum.  I was very concerned.  My plan was to do the test then treat myself.  However, I felt so overwhelmed by the response from the laboratory’s support practitioner, Robyn Puglia, that I asked her to take me on as a client.   This was the best investment I have ever made in my health.

Robyn was training to become a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner with IFM; she introduced me to Functional Medicine.  Everything she said made complete sense.  Firstly, she put me on a strict elimination diet adding sugar, alcohol, and dairy to the gluten I had already eliminated. Within a few weeks after initially experiencing severe detox in the form of headaches, fatigue, and extreme mood swings, I felt amazing – stable moods, lots of energy and clarity of thought.  She also recommended supplements and various functional tests. Working on my diet and nutrition as a first step, gave me the strength to dig deeper into the underlying cause and address the mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects of my health.

In 2015 I enrolled on the IFM introductory module and started incorporating what I was learning into my client work.  In 2018 I had the opportunity to do the whole IFM in person training in the US, followed by the case study and exam. I became a fully certified FM practitioner in February 2019. Now you can find me on the IFM register for IFM Certified Functional Medicine practitioners.

Since then, I have been working mainly with autoimmune and chronic disease clients.  Having been there myself, I understand how easily the daily challenges of life can take over, so that our own health drops to the bottom of the list.

The healing journey never ends, sometimes life gets in the way; we never know what’s around the corner, but I now have the tools I need to bring myself back on track and I feel privileged to be able to pass this knowledge on to my clients.

How I work

Your journey starts with a complimentary 30-minute, discovery call via Zoom where we have the opportunity, to get to know each other and see if we are a good fit.   This is followed by an initial 90-minute consultation and then follow up sessions of 1 hour, 45 or 30 minutes depending on your requirements.  I include weekly email contact between sessions to keep you on track, motivated and accountable.  I am based in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, offering in person consultations on Mondays and online consultations via Zoom Tuesday to Thursday.

If you’d like to know more about how I work and the investment required, check out consultations and prices here.

Book your 30 minute complementary discovery call.