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Tag: FNTP

Meet Our Functional Nutrition Therapy Practitioner!

We are excited to introduce Nicole Cunningham as our new Functional Nutrition Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) and Restorative Wellness Practitioner (RWP). Nicole is joining our team at The Oxford Center after a long journey with scientific research, fitness, wellness, and nutrition.  

At The Oxford Center, Nicole will be helping clients form a healthy relationship with the food they eat and to understand what foods are best for each client’s body and lifestyle. 

Why Nutrition?  

Nicole’s journey with nutrition began 10 years ago with the birth of her son, Cameron. Cameron was born with over seven true food allergies and about a dozen food sensitivities that caused his body to break out in rashes and made eating exceedingly difficult. Overall, Cameron felt miserable. A deep love for her son and a focus on improving his quality-of-life motivated Nicole to launch her journey in nutrition.  

After feeling frustrated about the lack of progress through traditional doctors, Nicole began a deep dive into researching nutrition. She sought to learn about and understand food. Nicole looked at how food interacts with the body and how that food was specifically affecting herself and her son. She spent countless hours poring over research, trying different foods, and tracking the effects different foods had on her and her son’s body.  

Eventually Nicole’s efforts paid off, and she eliminated all but one of her son’s food allergies. Nicole was able to rid him of rashes and eczema, and turned him into a thriving, healthy, and happy boy. Through this journey, Nicole discovered a passion for nutrition. She loves understanding the effects someone’s diet might have on their body and overall health. 

Nicole’s History & Background 

Growing up, Nicole always had an interest in fitness. She played every sport she could and worked as a gymnastics coach from age sixteen to twenty-three. In college, Nicole first received a Bachelor of Science in biology and began work researching for pharmaceutical companies. After some time, Nicole did not feel fulfilled in this job and knew this was not something that she wanted to continue doing for the rest of her life. When she got pregnant with her first child, Nicole pursued an MBA in business administration. Unfortunately, Nicole was still unsure of what she wanted to do with this degree and her career.  

Following her degrees and a passion for health, Nicole became a certified personal trainer. Nicole quickly became the head trainer of a gym in Ohio. She was always approached by gym clients for nutrition advice, so in 2020 Nicole pursued and graduated with a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, or FNTP, Certification. While Nicole enjoyed helping others on their fitness journey, she quickly discovered that her true passion lay in nutrition. She sought to help others understand food the same way she sought to after her son was born.  

Meeting The Oxford Center 

Our Functional Nutrition Therapy Practitioner joined The oxford Center as a patient first.

In 2021, Nicole was involved in a head on collision. In the accident, Nicole found herself with four fractures in her leg, unable to use or move her leg, bedridden for four months while losing muscle mass, developing a bone infection, going on antibiotics for six months, multiple surgeries, and a stomach infection. She was exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. She tried absolutely everything to help her heal but was repeatedly being told there was no more doctors could do. That is, until Nicole found The Oxford Center. Like we have for many others, The Oxford Center offered Nicole hope when she thought her options had run out.  

Nicole moved from Ohio to Michigan while she was a patient here at The Oxford Center. In Michigan, Nicole began working part-time as a fitness instructor and as the after-school director for her child’s school. Nicole was quickly approached about her qualifications as a Functional Nutrition Therapy Practitioner and nutrition expertise at The Oxford Center and devised an exciting new program centered around her true passion- nutrition!  

Nicole’s Program  

Nicole’s nutrition program is designed to help anyone who wants to learn what food is and how to take care of themselves. A client in Nicole’s program could be anyone wanting to understand more about food and their body or could be someone with a preexisting condition who has been recommended to seek help. 

This program is designed to uncover and correct the root problem rather than offering a bandage to mask symptoms. Nicole offers a way to look at food differently from others and has worked with all different types of people. She has personally gone through everything a client would go through and is here to help guide every client on their way to understanding food and their body and improving their overall quality of life.  

Clients have nothing to lose, but everything to gain from partaking in this program. They will gain a knowledge, understanding, and autonomy over their food, body, and health. Clients will find that it is empowering knowing that you can change and improve your health without needing help from anything else.