Brainstorm Health® is a unique clinic based in the Harley Street medical district, focussed on providing a Functional Medicine approach to supporting the health and wellbeing of children.
We specialise in working with children with Autism, ADHD, ADD, PANS and PANDAS, as well as those with behavioural and learning difficulties and food and chemical sensitivities.
There is overwhelming evidence that the health of the body is intrinsically linked with the health of the brain. Stella Chadwick, our Founder and Registered Nutritional Therapist and Functional Medicine Practitioner, has dedicated much of her personal and professional life to formulating nutritional and biomedical strategies to enhance these “gut-brain” connections and is passionate about helping the children she works with reach their full potential.
When you work with our team at Brainstorm Health®, you are assured an evidence-based methodology and consultancy path – which is aimed at changing the current health and development outcome for your child.
There is increasing and compelling evidence, coupled with direct experience in a clinical setting, to suggest that individuals with Autism spectrum conditions often suffer from issues with digestion and absorption; food and chemical sensitivities; oxidative stress; compromised immune function; mitochondrial disorders; impaired detoxification systems; and higher than normal bacterial, viral and parasitic load.
We approach these complex health issues using functional medicine and work to address and support each body system in a step-by-step way.
Our team of specialists, who practise under the supervision of Stella Chadwick, have been hand selected for their considerable experience, qualifications and ethos of using functional medicine principles in delivering their health support plan.
Meet our Founder
Stella Chadwick, BSc (Hons) mBANT CNHC
Stella is the Founder of Brainstorm Health® and is a CNHC Registered Nutritionist. Her extensive professional training includes a 1st Class BSC Honours (Nutritional Therapy) degree as well a specific training focus on the principles of Functional Medicine – which assesses and addresses the underlying causes of conditions.
She has a special interest in gut-brain health and the impact of autoimmune conditions (like PANS and PANDAS) and food and chemical sensitives. One of her underlying focuses is on restoring a healthy link between the gut and the brain by combining carefully planned nutritional and lifestyle changes, utilising her specialised functional medicine-led approach.
Meet our Brainstorm Health® Practitioners
Coriander Stone, BSc (Hons) mBANT CNHC ESLM
Coriander is one of our nutrition practitioners and works with our families to directly support them through their Health Plan. She is an experienced Registered Nutritional Therapist (CNHC) and Nutritionist (BANT) trained to degree level (1st with Honours) in the functional medicine approach.
With a background as a professional Chef she is well placed, together with her Nutritional Therapist training, to work with our families on their Health Plans. She has many years’ experience working with children diagnosed with autism and other neurological issues. Her food and nutrient knowledge, together with her great approachable personality works perfectly in supporting Brainstorm Health® patients. Her experience is in putting personalised nutrition protocols together and working one-on-one with patients with a wide range of health conditions.
Leslie Mello, Dip Nat Nut mBANT CNHC
Leslie is a Registered Nutritional Therapist and is one of our nutrition practitioners working with our families to directly support them through their Health Plan. She has a diploma in Naturopathic Nutrition (1st equivalent), and a keen interest in children who may be suffering from anxiety or autoimmune disorders such as PANS/PANDAS. (Shortly after her own son developed PANDAS in 2012, Leslie retrained in nutritional therapy to learn as much as she could to support his health.)
Leslie’s background is originally in design (BFA (Hons), 1st) and she loves using creative techniques to help make nutritional protocols as clear and easy to follow as possible. From experience, she knows how important it is to tailor plans to a family’s unique circumstances, working at their pace and with the tools they have available to them.
Kirsty Lang Vere, Dip NT, mBANT, regCNHC
Kirsty is an experienced Registered Nutritional Therapist and is one of our nutrition practitioners working with our families to directly support them through their Health Plan. Following years of personal and family health issues, including a son with a genetic condition and ASD/ADHD diagnoses, she has experienced and seen the transformative health benefits of the right nutrition interventions and wellbeing practices to reduce or resolve many symptoms. With a previous corporate HR career in Australia and the UK, she is skilled and experienced in connecting with and supporting a wide range of people.
Kirsty understands the full impacts on family life where there are undiagnosed behavioural, learning and food issues or when there are specific diagnoses. She is always empathetic to your family circumstances when developing your child’s health plan.
Maria Lloyd Jones, PgCert PN, Dip(HE Nursing), mBANT
Maria is an experienced Registered Nutritional Therapist and is one of our nutrition practitioners working with our families to directly support them through their Health Plan. Maria is a former Registered Nurse with varied community and hospital experience particularly in the areas of epilepsy, brain injury, and mental health. She pursued further postgraduate education in Personalized Nutritional Therapy, Naturopathy and Functional Medicine after the birth of her daughter, who in 2006 was diagnosed with severe form of Epilepsy Syndrome and Encephalopathy, Profound Learning Difficulties and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Maria is passionate about helping children and young people with Epilepsy and Autism and has extensive experience with various dietary and supplementary strategies to help them achieve the best health outcome and enjoy their lives despite the most difficult of diagnoses.
Brainstorm Health® recommends
Dr Ioná Bramati, PhD BSc (Hons) Ost Med DO ND at IBCcare
Dr Bramati is a specialist with a doctorate on the effects of visceral osteopathy in autistic children suffering from gastrointestinal dysfunction. She is committed to helping improve the quality of life and wellbeing of children on the autism spectrum using a non-invasive form of therapy, Visceral Osteopathy.
Dr Bramati is an international speaker at a large number of osteopathic colleges and conferences in the UK and Europe and was awarded the Elsevier/International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research New Researcher Prize at ICAOR 10 in Brazil for her research in treating autistic children with visceral osteopathic techniques.
We are pleased to have Dr Bramati as an associate extension of our Brainstorm Health® team to work with our patients who would benefit from her osteopathy specialism. Upon agreement with the patient, a referral form is completed and one of the IBCcare team members will contact you for an appointment. IBCcare Referral Form.
Meet our support team
Gill Parkins
Gill is Stella Chadwick’s PA and primarily coordinates and oversees the day to day running of the practice. It is Gill’s ultimate goal to ensure that all our patients receive an efficient, effective service to enhance their experience with Brainstorm Health®. Gill has worked for over 25 years in the PA field at both Senior and Board level. Her knowledge and understanding of the basic principles in administrative healthcare is extensive.
Emma Dadd
Emma works alongside Gill in not only greatly supporting the administration and co-ordination of our clinic sessions, but strives to provide a smooth running of the practice, both internally and externally.
Emma has worked extensively in administration for many years and is passionate in supporting our patients with their requests.
Helen Cook
Helen has been part of our team since 2014, and helped to implement many of our systems and processes in managing our business today.
Her main responsibility is in co-ordinating and ordering laboratory tests, products, updating our appointment system and working on special projects.
