The Autoimmune Academy. Professional mentoring Program. Next Cohort January 2025. Register Now!

The Autoimmune Academy. Professional mentoring Program. Next Cohort January 2025. Register Now!

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Meet Robyn Puglia

Robyn is a Clinical Nutritional Therapist with a specialised interest in the Functional Medicine approach to health. Robyn is very involved with the field of Coeliac Disease, Gluten-Reactive Disorders and Autoimmune Disease. Her passion for the healing power of food, has led her to work with complex cases, involving multiple diagnoses, and chronic health issues such as ME, auto-immune diseases and fibromyalgia.

She also has a passion for working with the growing tide of chronic, lifestyle mediated illness, and runs a lifestyle intervention clinic for these issues. Robyn works with patients to nutritionally support their bodies, so that they can heal. She has successfully helped many people around the world improve their health and increase their quality of life.

Robyn has seen clients in London, Tokyo and New York, and now has a virtual practice that allows her to work with people who are unable to visit her in person. 

Education & Experience

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1996 – 2013

Medical Aesthetics
I started my career working with skin health. In particular people suffering from eczema, skin sensitivity and redness, eczema and rosacea. Eventually the need to better understand these conditions and to work at a deeper level with them, led me to study nutrition and then Functional Medicine. 

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2005 – 2009

Nutritional Therapy 
Studied Nutritional Therapy and Nutrition Science at The Institute for Optimum Nutrition and the University of Bedfordshire

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2008 – Present

Lecturing and Educating
I started my public speaking career for the UK supplement company, BioCare with a lecture on skin health. Since then I have given hundreds of presentations for multiple supplements companies, functional testing laboratories, nutrition colleges, BANT and many more. I’m a confident, sought after speaker and educator, known for explaining complex concepts in simple easy to understand terms, and translating the scientific research in to practical clinical practice. 

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2009 – Present

Clinical Practice
I started my nutritional and FM clinical practice in 2009, first while I was still the practice manager of a medical aesthetic practice in Wimpole St in London, before moving to a sole private practice in multiple locations. I travelled regularly to New York and Tokyo during this time to see clients there also. I took my practice virtual in 2015 when I had my first baby, and it remained virtual so I could see people who needed me but were in pain or fatigued and couldn’t travel. It also allowed me to see people all over Europe and the UK. 

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2011 – 2016

Functional Medicine 
Studied with the Institute for Functional Medicine, completing 7 Advanced Practice Modules before my final exam in 2016 to become one of the first UK certified Functional Medicine Practitioners. 

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2011

Environmental Health Advanced Practice Module – Institute for Functional Medicine
Applied Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice – Institute for Functional Medicine

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2012

Hormone Advanced Practice Module – Institute for Functional Medicine
Immune Advanced Practice Module – Institute for Functional Medicine

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2014

Cardiometabolic Advanced Practice Module – Institute for Functional Medicine 

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2015

Bioenergetics Advanced Practice Module – Institute for Functional Medicine
GI Advanced Practice Module – Institute for Functional Medicine

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2016

Pass Final Exam  and achieve Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner

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2017 – Present

Created my group practice
Outgrew my capacity for sole trading, and expanded my practice to create my team and created my signature group program, The Foundations of Health.

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2019 – Present

Professional mentoring
In response to a need that I saw in the industry in the UK, along with two friends and colleagues, started a professional mentoring program called the Applied Functional Medicine Mentoring Program to support other Nutritional Therapists and physicians who were new to Functional Medicine on all the aspects of clinical practice. 

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2021

Mould Literacy Training 
Certified with Dr Jill Crista as a Mould Literate Practitioner in order to better support people suffering from mould and mycotoxin related illness. 

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Present Day

Continuing Professional Development and Kharrazian Institute 
I am currently in the middle of the Kharrazian Institute Clinical Mastery Training, and have been taking the KI Advanced Practice Modules since 2019. 

Every year I attend multiple advanced practice and continuing professional development classes, modules and webinars to continue my education and development and to teach and support also my staff and mentees.

My Story

Many people come to work in this field because of their personal struggles with health.

I was already a nutritionist when my own health bottomed out, but this experience has definitely shaped my practice, and driven my focus on autoimmune disease, complex cases, unexplained illness and all things gluten related.

Coeliac Disease changed my life twice.

The first time was when I was finally diagnosed.

My pre-diagnosis story is quite typical for many with Coeliac Disease.
I had symptoms for two decades, and got progressively more ill during that time.
Like the majority of people with Coeliac Disease, I never had gut-related symptoms. Instead, my symptoms were terrible migraines all through my childhood and adolescence, severe eczema from infancy all the way through till diagnosis and then acne from 13 years old, chronic chest and sinus infections and hay fever, constant iron deficient anaemia that didn’t respond to oral iron therapy, I was underweight, caught everything going around and fatigued easily.

In the two to five years before diagnosis I got progressively more fatigued until every day was a struggle. I was often too tired to speak and I just didn’t get out of bed at all on my days off. I was severely underweight, but partially because I was often too tired to eat. Preferring to just go to bed when I got home from work.

I saw many doctors for the migraines, the eczema, the anaemia and the hayfever and regularly saw my GP where I was given painkillers, steroid creams and was pretty constantly on antibiotics and antihistamines.

My diagnosis finally came when I begged a doctor for help, believing I had cancer or something else equally terrible. I laid out my whole medical history for her – everything I could think of including the small fact that the eczema got a bit better when I avoided wheat.

She said that based on my observations about wheat, and how underweight I was, she would run a blood test for Coeliac Disease and before I even had the blood drawn I just knew that was it.

The test came back positive, I had a biopsy to confirm it and that was it.

I went gluten free and it was like a miracle. My eczema completely cleared up for the first time in my life. The migraines that had plagued me so badly since I was a child – gone. I put on a bit of weight, resumed something of a normal life and didn’t really think much more of it.

About 18 months later I decided to do a degree in nutrition, although that decision wasn’t based on my own health. I was working in medical aesthetics and was looking for answers for my patients with acne and other chronic skin problems.

Fast forward several years, and Coeliac Disease changed my life again.

This time, I had a massive, unintentional gluten exposure at work, and I got sick. Really sick. And I didn’t get better, even when my villi healed and I had addressed the various nutrient deficiencies that invariably come from ‘being glutened’.

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What I learned then was that I didn’t know very much about Coeliac Disease. And I wasn’t alone. The doctors I saw didn’t know how to help me. The other nutritionists I saw at that time were at a bit of a loss also, although in their defence this was before the knowledge about the impact of Coeliac Disease outside the gut, particularly on the brain and nervous system, was as well understood as it is today.

I started reaching out to experts in the USA and other countries. I scoured the medical literature.

I started travelling to America to study with the Institute for Functional Medicine.

I also reached out to the Coeliac community, and I discovered that there where a lot of other people out there who were in the same situation I was.

People who were struggling with their health, or the health of their children, but couldn’t find any answers regarding why they were ill, or what to do about it.

This was when I realized my mission in life: to share my knowledge in order to help people heal.

In the beginning, this was mainly other people with Coeliac Disease, or Gluten-Reactive illness, but to my joy it has expanded out to include other complex cases and unexplained illnesses.

I love to unravel the health stories and the biochemistry to get to the heart of the problem, and to help support nutritional and lifestyle changes that have the ability to transform people’s health.

I will never stop learning, growing and searching for information, because my passion is to help as many people as possible, in as many ways as possible, all around the world.

I have seen incredible changes in the health of my clients, and I hope to do the same for you.

Speaking & Education

Robyn is a highly regarded and sought after speaker and educator in the field of Nutrition and Functional Medicine. She has lectured on such diverse and complex topics as the biochemistry and genetics of the methylation cycle, advanced thyroid health, autoimmunity, skin health and brain health. Some of her most popular presentation have been case studies from her own clinic, as she shares how to skilfully assess and support a client with complex health issues, using the Functional Medicine model.

Robyn Puglia’s media page allows you to access a biography or download a profile photo for use in promotional materials.

Janet

“You are the only person who gave us solutions to our problems when we were at rock bottom. I can’t thank you enough.”
 

— Janet (Mum of patient)

Nikki

“Nobody was able to provide answers to Abi’s unexplained illness and more importantly a strategy and solutions to help my daughter get better. Robyn provided the strategy and solution!”
 

Nikki

Fernando

“I suffered for 16 years because nobody recognized the impact food can have on your health… I know I’m only at the beginning of my journey – but if these positive results are only the start, then I am very optimistic for the future.”
 

Fernando

Ready to Get Started?

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