About Samantha
Samantha’s interest in nutrition began after healing herself from IBS, chronic eczema and asthma.
Samantha struggled through her youth, restricted and crippled by these debilitating conditions. She became no stranger to hospitals and after unsuccessfully trying every available medical treatment, she resigned herself to a life of poor health. However, that was to change. After a radical transition in dietary habits during her undergraduate years, Samantha was surprised to experience a complete reversal in her conditions. Amazed by this result, she decided to embark on formal studies into the science of nutrition.
However, after many years of overwork and excessive physical training, Samantha was later diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME. Once again, the absence of available conventional medical treatment led her towards the natural approach. This involved a plant-based dietary therapy based on Gerson®* principles, gentle yoga, and mindfulness practices including meditation.
To her consultant's surprise, within nine months she had made a significant recovery from this crippling condition. Reaffirming her faith in the power of an integrated holistic approach to health, Samantha expanded her practice to incorporate mindful bodywork, in addition to nutrition.
*The Gerson Therapy® was designed for the treatment of chronic ‘incurable’ disease.
A lifetime of experience in Nutrition & Bodywork
Samantha has over 20 years of clinical experience in the field of health and nutrition, and a lifetime involvement in dance and bodywork. After graduating with a distinction in Nutritional Therapy her continuing studies drew her to explore the evolving fields of nutrition and health. In the early years she studied the revolutionary concept of Metabolic Typing®, graduating as a certified practitioner in the programme's Advanced system. Through her continuing research Samantha has studied many and varied aspects of nutrition. From roots in Naturopathy she now practises using a Functional Medicine evidence-based approach. Samantha holds an MSc in Personalised Nutrition awarded by Middlesex University (London) in collaboration with the Centre for Nutrition Education and Lifestyle Management (CNELM). Her research thesis focused on the role of the intestinal microbiome in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Her research interests include the microbiome with a focus on gastrointestinal health and its impact on all body systems, and autoimmune disease.
Samantha undertook her initial Pilates mat and machine training under the tutelage of the legendary Alan Herdman. She has trained with many other esteemed teachers including Lynne Robinson, Karen Clippinger and Elizabeth Larkam. Samantha is also a qualified Garuda® Apparatus, Barre, Foam Roller and Brick teacher.
“Samantha has been my personal Pilates teacher for over 15 years and I cannot recommend her as a person, or her teaching ethics and ability, highly enough.
She is exceptionally knowledgeable about Pilates in general, one's whole body mechanisms and she will have the answer to most of your nutritional problems too!"
J Brown, Cockfosters
Training, Teaching & Writing
With teacher training also under her belt Samantha has extensive teaching experience. She was a tutor for 6 years lecturing in Nutrition and Integrated Health Management. During this time she also wrote and published a healthy lifestyle course entitled Detoxification: A Maintenance Plan for Healthy Living.
In addition to her clinical practice and her Pilates teaching, Samantha also writes articles and makes media appearances as an expert speaker on health and nutrition. Samantha is a member of the Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (FNTP), The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and the Society of Authors (SoA).
Samantha combines her passion for health, nutrition and bodywork with an avid interest in music, dance, writing and walking; as well as art, photography and literature.
"I got to know Samantha Flower when she was a regular contributor to ‘Coffee’n’Carrots’, the newsletter of the Gerson Support Group UK, which I edited at the time. She wrote a series of excellent articles on the pioneers of nutritional medicine. Her research was thorough and her lively curiosity enabled her to dig up interesting nuggets of information.
Working with her was fun - she has a pleasant, warm personality which I am sure her patients find helpful, and although her views on health and nutrition are clear and well defined, there’s nothing dogmatic in her approach. As a recovered Gerson patient I am pretty deep into nutrition myself, but if I came up against some unfamiliar problem, I’d ring Sam for advice."
Beata Bishop, Psychotherapist, Lecturer, Journalist and Author of A Time to Heal: Triumph Over Cancer and Healing the Gerson Way: Defeating Cancer & other Degenerative Diseases with Charlotte Gerson
