5 Questions with Lucy and Monika
If you’ve ever had an appointment with us at The Functional Gut Clinic or even just called to make an enquiry, chances are you’ve already spoken to Lucy or Monika.
But helping patients feel supported from the first call through to diagnosis is just one part of the vital role they play in keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
We asked Lucy and Monika some key questions to find out what a typical day looks like for them, how working at The Functional Gut Clinic has shaped their own approach to nutrition, and what advice they’d give to anyone interested in a career in gastroenterology.
Lucy
What does a typical day look like for you at The Functional Gut Clinic?
As soon as I am logged on, I go through my emails, sort out any queries, make sure my admin team are ok, dealing with any issues, and always looking at the week ahead.
How has working at The Functional Gut influenced your approach to your own gut health and nutrition?
Since working at The Functional Gut Clinic, I am more self-aware of what I am eating, I make a conscious effort to get my meat from the Butchers, my fruit/veg from the Farmers Market and I only cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
Developing and motivating my team and hearing positive feedback from patients, regarding their experience with The Functional Gut Clinic.
What advice would you give someone who wants to work in the field of gastroenterology or clinical health services?
To be prepared with the different type of questions you will be asked regarding Gut Health and how much research is going on behind the scenes.
What’s the best Gut Health tip you’ve learned while working here?
I have heard so many tips over the years, but the two that I always use are - when trying to sleep but you have bad indigestion, sleep on your left side of your body and I never peel my carrots if I am roasting/boiling them, the skin on a carrot benefits your bacteria.
Monika
What does a typical day look like for you at The Functional Gut Clinic?
A typical day consists of assisting our patients either face to face when they come for their tests, or via emails/phone calls. We are an extremely busy clinic and have patients travelling to our clinic from all over the UK and abroad. There are also a lot of people interested in various tests where they can self- refer for which involves making sure patient follow the correct preparation and guidelines advised by our clinic.
How has working at The Functional Gut Clinic influenced your approach to your own gut health and nutrition?
I have been on a healthy diet for the past 10 years and always had the passion for working out in the gym. This place definitely made me appreciate my health more and motivated to be even more healthy – my diet includes more fermented foods which are the best for your gut.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
I’m not the physiologist carrying out the tests, but patients first hear from me and if I can have a nice chat with them about the tests and make them less stressed, this makes my day. I bond with my patients, and it makes a huge difference to their overall experience at the clinic.
What advice would you give someone who wants to work in the field of gastroenterology or clinical health services?
I find this is an extremely interesting field where research never ends. Stomach is one of the most important organs in our body and if we don’t look after it well, it impacts the functioning of the rest of our body especially if we cannot eat properly.
What’s the best Gut Health tip that you’ve learnt working here?
That we don’t have to shop for expensive/ advertised super foods. It’s all about the quality of our local food and really focusing on what we eat. We don’t only eat for ourselves, we need to remember the most important are the good bacteria in our gut which need feeding the right foods so they can then work for us and our good health.
