Professional bio - Christina Georgallou

Christina is a Nutritional Therapist specialising in digestive disorders, with a particular focus on the microbiome and its implications on the root cause imbalances associated with constipation, bloating, diarrhoea, SIBO and other IBS symptoms. With a combination of health information gathering and functional lab testing, Christina is able to support her clients with tailored and evidence-based diet, lifestyle and natural supplement protocols.

Having spent over two decades addressing her own journey with chronic constipation and other digestive symptoms, Christina is extremely passionate about using her professional qualifications, clinical and first hand experience to support her clients with empathy, evidence and enthusiasm.

With a first class Bachelor degree in Physiology (BSc.) from King’s College London and a post-graduate Diploma in Nutritional Therapy from the College of Naturopathic Medicine, Christina is well qualified to confidently identify and address the imbalances contributing to clients’ GI symptoms. From small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and gut infections to food intolerances and microbiome dysbiosis, Christina is an expert in guiding her clients through the gut healing journey and back to optimal health.

Christina most commonly supports clients with:

SIBO testing and natural protocol recommendations
GI Map testing and natural protocol recommendations for bacterial overgrowths, parasite infections, yeast overgrowths, dysbiosis and other microbial imbalances

Christina Georgallou- Gut Clinic UK Nutritionist IBS SIBO

My personal health journey

When I reflect on my health journey to join all the dots of my story, I realise that the beginning was much earlier than I had ever appreciated. It was around age six, when I recall my first run-in with bodily pain, these recurring tummy aches that would last a whole day, sometimes two. My parents took me to see a gastroenterologist and after a brief review, my condition was diagnosed as psychosomatic and related to anxiety. This was my first encounter with the concept of the gut-brain axis, as well as the unhelpful idea that my symptoms were ‘in my head’.

With nothing more to go on than the invisible, "in my head" diagnosis, I struggled on through my teens and into my twenties with a whole host of gut troubles. Constipation, bloating, low energy and skin breakouts were just a few of the symptoms that at the impressionable age of 16, had me turning to my diet for change. After some sloppy Google searching and the subsequent years of experimenting with restrictive diets, I caused enough damage to see my periods vanish, while my gut troubles continued to worsen.

After seeing every specialist under the sun, laxatives and the contraceptive pill were supposedly the only options. And then it hit me, if I was to get any proper and long term relief of my symptoms, it would have to come from something outside of these conventional pathways.

Born out of a refusal to accept that this was the only way forwards, I began my next chapter. Inspired by the naturopathic healing journey that had seen my Dad’s chronic condition resolved in a matter of months, I decided to enrol at the College of Naturopathic Medicine. Over the next few years, I would learn more about the impact of diet and lifestyle that would take me on a journey of discovery about my own health.

It is through this personal journey that I was finally able to understand what my body needed, to find regularity and to feel healthy and unhindered by my gut symptoms. I now live not only to tell the tail, but also to dispel the poo taboo and support my clients to take back control of their gut health and embrace life as the healthiest version of themselves.

“It's been a real blessing, after years struggling with chronic gut issues, fatigue, abdominal pain and extreme bloating, to finally find an institute where I truly felt listened to and understood.

Working with Christina has been a smooth journey, despite the roller coster the protocol she implemented for me made me feel: because bear in mind that, like everything in life, health and especially recovery isn't linear. It's been lots of ups and downs to finally heal (for real!), but what's been consistent has been Christina's support and ability to provide me with good advice along the way. I'm now in my stabilisation phase, and we keep working together because something about The Functional Gut Health Clinic's approach is that they won't gaslight you with a quick fix or a magical pill to cure your chronic issues: they will guide and support you to first understand, and then rebalance what's been dysregulated in your body, by changing not only your diet, but your lifestyle. I couldn't recommend them enough!”

★★★★★

Léonie (Paris, France)

“Thank you Christina, you literally changed my life, I would even say that you made me live again.

It's my first Christmas since I was 14 without experimenting gut symptoms. I was categorised as a "functional colopath" that's how we say in France. Well my last 10 years have been ruled by my gut, I had problems eating everything except rice and pastas, I couldn't eat even a few onions or garlics. In term of social activities, it was really limiting. When I achieved my last year of my medical studies and became an intern, my girlfriend and I were like there might be a solution... And then she found the Functional Gut Health Clinic by Bella Lindemann. We started our journey with Christina who is a really empathic and kind person. She really made me feel understood and she was really attentive to my story and my symptoms. The analysis are really precises on what's in your guts, which makes the treatment different for everyone, It's adaptated to you, and unique. After almost a year (time do to test, get the results, get supplements, start the journey), I feel cured, I can eat almost whatever I want without experimenting abdominal pain, I can go out with friends without being stressed about my guts. That really changed my life

★★★★★

Benjamin (Occitanie, France)

'“I actually went to the The Functional Gut Health by Bella Lindemann for skin reasons - my gut problems were secondary. I was suffering from acute facial and body flushing after every time I ate food, which caused severe eczema, skin flaking, peeling, cuts and frequent infection. At times the pain my condition caused was unbearable and the effect it had on my face eroded my confidence to leave the house.

I had no idea if the FGHC could help. I had been to a dermatologist, dietician, immunologist and gastroenterologist through my GP. But no one had knowledge or supported the idea of the gut and skin connection and I was told the only treatment left to consider was immunosuppressants (which I felt would only mask and not address the underlying issue)

A year on, and I’m so happy I took a leap of faith with Christina and the FGHC.

For the first time in almost four years, I'm no longer on two strong antihistamines a day. I’ve gone from using steroid creams on a weekly basis to not even once a month. I don’t experience severe facial flushing and am eating a wide range of foods again and out at restaurants with family and friends.

To manage expectations, going down this route is not necessarily a cure for eczema. On occasion, I still have ‘normal’ eczema patches as eczema is such a complex condition with numerous triggers. However if you’re experiencing chronic, acute skin flares similar to what I had above, then I would highly recommend you consider the FGHC.

The FGHC’s approach was holistic and very informative and Christina, my practitioner, was absolutely brilliant. She clearly explained every step which gave me peace of mind (I’m highly detail oriented) and I felt incredibly supported, particularly as with food sensitivities there can be a few curveballs along the way.

I was initially worried about an online appointment only, so before the FGHC, I tried an in-person appointment with a skin and gut specialist on Harley Street. Unfortunately the whole experience and how they operated nearly put me off seeing another functional medicine practitioner altogether! So don’t be deterred that the FGHC is online only. The most important thing is that you feel at ease with your practitioner and I really cannot recommend Christina and the FGHC highly enough. Thank you Christina, Bella and the lovely team at the FGHC. I will always be eternally grateful.”