Everything you wonder about orthomolecular guidance.
Before you take a first step, you want to know what you are getting into. Below I answer the questions I get most often, honestly and without small print.
Is this woo-woo?
No, quite the opposite. Orthomolecular therapy is based on biochemistry and physiology. My advice on vitamins, minerals and fatty acids is backed by laboratory measurements. No gut feeling, but measurable values as the basis for every choice.
What is the difference between Feeling Gut and my GP?
Your GP is essential for acute care, diagnoses and ruling out serious illness. Orthomolecular therapy focuses on the grey area in between: you are not 'ill' by medical standards, but you don't feel at your best either. I look at your biochemistry, nutrition and lifestyle to restore that foundation. We don't replace your doctor, we complement them.
Do I need a referral?
No, you don’t need a referral from your GP. You can book directly. Not sure whether your complaint fits here? Start with the free gut check or book a free intro call, and we will look at it together.
What does a program look like?
We start with an extensive intake of about 60 minutes. Based on that, we decide which lab testing makes sense. Once the results are in, you receive a concrete personal plan for nutrition, lifestyle and, where needed, supplements. After that we follow your progress with check-ins and adjust where necessary.
Can the program be done online?
Yes. The intake and the follow-up sessions work well via video call. Lab testing is arranged via a blood draw location near you or a home kit. So the guidance also works if you don’t live nearby or have a packed schedule.
Will I have to take a lot of supplements?
No more than needed. Supplements are a tool, not a goal. Where your lab results show a deficiency, we supplement specifically, and once your values are back in order, we phase out again. The biggest gains are almost always in nutrition, sleep and lifestyle.
Are the costs covered by my health insurance?
With many supplementary Dutch insurance policies, orthomolecular therapy falls under the coverage for natural or alternative medicine. Whether your sessions are (partly) reimbursed depends on your policy. Always check with your insurer; I am happy to think along about what you can submit. Current rates are on the pricing page.
Why do you work with AI?
Because it makes Mariam perform better as a therapist, not because it takes over her work. Your intake holds over a hundred answers, and it is the cross-connections that tell the story: often feeling cold, dry skin and a slow gut are three small things on their own, but one pattern together. Our system checks all those connections and lines them up for Mariam, informed by the hands-on experience of multiple therapists. So all her attention and expertise go to you instead of to sorting work, your first session goes deep right away, and the lab advice is more targeted, without unnecessary testing. That puts Feeling Gut ahead, also compared to the large orthomolecular practices in the Netherlands.
You use AI in the intake. What about my data?
Our smart system reads along with your intake and lines up patterns and points of attention, purely as preparation for Mariam. Your name and contact details are not included: the system works with your answers, not with who you are. Your data is also not used to train AI models. The system makes no decisions about you; Mariam always weighs and decides herself. This only happens with the consent you give in the intake itself, which you can withdraw at any time. You can read exactly how it works at human + technology and in the privacy policy (in Dutch).
“No sales pitch and no half answers. First understand what is going on, only then a plan.”
Mariam van der Helm
Start small. Take the free gut check.
A few short questions show you where your gain is. Then, in a free intro call, we see whether orthomolecular guidance fits you.