Jo Gamble was the UK’s first functional medicine practitioner in Nutrigenomics to graduate from the prestigious Institute for Functional Medicine in 2013.
Her passion to dig down deep, and explore the root causes of illness started when her now 21 year old daughter was diagnosed with her first autoimmune disease at 19 months old; this went on to become multiple autoimmune diseases that required chemotherapy treatment to suppress her daughter’s overworked immune system.
Jo’s passion as a parent started her on her journey to become a practitioner whose skills and expertise allow her to take her clients on a journey and not give up until she has answers. She works internationally as both a functional medicine practitioner and as a fellow in integrative oncology where she draws on her metabolic training under Dr Nasha Winters.
Jo’s passion begins in nutrigenomics and uses ‘epigenetic modifications to bathe the individual genome in the optimal environment’. This is personalised medicine from the root up.
“Prior to the birth of my 21-year-old daughter, I was a practising behavioural therapist, specialising in children with autism and complex learning and behavioural difficulties.
When my daughter became ill at just 19 months old, life would never quite be the same again. She was diagnosed with her first autoimmune disease which developed into multiple autoimmune diseases. These required a four-year chemotherapy regime to suppress her immune system at just 3 years old. This gruelling treatment made her so unwell. If you are a parent with a child, or looking after someone you love who is struggling, I hear you, I see you, I understand, and I am here for you.
Having always been interested in the importance of food as medicine, I knew I had to make immediate changes to regain control of my daughter’s failing health but couldn’t find the guidance to help me make life-affecting decisions. Despite meeting some inspiring people, I didn’t feel there was one person who could tie it all together, connect the dots, answer all my questions and support our progression back to health. So, I set about digging for the answers to my own questions, and here I am, ready to use this knowledge for you.
I wanted to share my first-hand experience, learning, and determination to inspire and support others to achieve wellness. So I began the journey to create the ‘no stone unturned’ approach to wellness by studying nutritional therapy with The College of Naturopathic Medicine. My hunger drove me to develop further knowledge to answer my favourite question: WHY? Why do people become sick? WHY do people experience the symptoms they do? WHY are they not responding to medical treatment?
I embarked on my functional training in 2011 and in 2013 graduated as the first functional medicine practitioner in the UK from the Institute for Functional Medicine. I had finally fulfilled my desire to gain the skills to support my clients by digging deep into the underlying causes of their disease.
With an increasing rate of clients with cancer, my thirst grew to understand why the risk rates for cancer are increasing each year. To develop my knowledge in this field, I completed my Fellowship in Integrative Cancer. I feel I have the tools to start unravelling the underlying reasons behind this disease and to work on rebalancing and rebuilding the body systems related to the quality of life and wellness.
In my job, no two days are ever the same. I wake up every day eager to explore new challenges and fight for health and wellbeing. My clients, the families I work with, the students I teach and practitioners I mentor continually inspire me to keep making a difference.
As well as my busy functional medicine practice supporting people throughout the whole of the UK, I lecture at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels internationally, sharing my hunger for science along with years of clinical experience.”
