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About Me

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Hi there! I'm Hayley, registered nutritionist and women's hormonal health specialist.

When I was a teenager, I dreaded my period. PMS disrupted my life on a monthly basis and my mood swings and cravings were out of control. I would cry at absolutely everything (even adverts on TV) and I was tired, constantly bloated was also struggling with terrible IBS.

 

What’s more, my periods had started to become quite painful. I remember once going to watch my Dad in the London Marathon and actually ending up in one of the runner’s ambulances as I had thrown up and passed out due to the pain. When I did seek medical help, my Doctor was only able to offer me pain killers and the contraceptive pill which, as a 13 year old, I wasn't very impressed at this being my only option.


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I first came across the power of nutrition during my Mum’s own battle with cancer. She, like me, had always struggled with painful periods and signs of hormonal imbalance, but unfortunately was diagnosed with stage 3 Ovarian cancer at the age of 34, when I was just 10 years old.

 

After her conventional course of treatment left her cancer returning just two years after getting the infamous ‘all-clear’, she decided that enough was enough and made the very brave decision to reject the traditional treatment that Western medicine had to offer her and put her life in the hands of a brilliant medical team at a hospital based in Mexico.

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It was here that she underwent a range of alternative and complementary therapies. Part of her treatment plan was nutritional therapy, where her diet was drastically transformed into one full of nutrient-dense and organic foods. She then continued to adopt this new lifestyle for the next 8 years.

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It wasn’t until I began studying at University some years later that her health started to deteriorate and she sadly died in 2010. Although this was an extremely difficult time for me and my family, I now look back and am really thankful for the time we did have with her as she far outlived her initial prognosis which I believe was largely due to her healthy lifestyle.

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Following from my Mum’s passing, I wanted to look at food as medicine but this time for my own health. The pill had been masking my symptoms for the last 10 years but I knew that (after a little of research) if I didn’t sort my hormones out, then I might be putting myself at a higher risk of cancer. However, after doing a little bit of research on how to balance my hormones naturally, I soon become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information available.

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It wasn't after graduating the University of Southampton with a 1st Class Degree in Sports Studies, that I decided to switch career paths and embark on a three-year diploma course in Nutrition at the College of Naturopathic Nutrition (CNM).

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My qualification gave me the knowledge, skills and tools I needed to address the root cause of my symptoms (my hormone imbalance!) and I finally started to feel at home within my body. I was shocked that in only a few short months with a couple of simple changes to my diet, that my health had completely transformed. I was full of energy, completely off pain relief, off the pill, and my monthly periods were no longer something I dreaded.

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I have since helped many women to balance their hormones and providing them with the support and knowledge I wish I had known in my teenage years. It’s my mission to empower women to take control of their own health and help bring their own hormones back into balance, so they can reach their full potential and they too, can start feeling at home in their bodies again.

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Are you ready to balance your hormones and take back control of your health? Get in touch. 

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I look forward to working with you! 

Education & Memberships

Follow me on INSTAGRAM @hayleydownnutrition

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