Virginia Nutritional Therapy

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Virginia Nutritional Therapy

Nutritional Therapist •International Lipedema Nutritionist• Women's Health Advocate I also offer zoom consultations worldwide.

Virginia Ziulu DipNT mNTOI

I am passionate about good Food and Nutrition and I strongly believe that every person is unique and therefore has different dietary requirements. My aim is to provide you with the best possible tools and knowledge in order to improve your quality of life. I offer 1:1 private consultations in the Active Body Clinic, Portlaoise and Roches in Dublin. Areas of expertise: Lipedema and Lymphedema,Thyroid dysfunctions,Menstrual irregularities:Endometriosis, Fibroids, PCOS, Peri-Menopause, Menopause. Men's Wellness support: Sport and athletic performance

Fatigue, Sleep disturbances,Immune health. Healthy weight management support: Mindset coaching, Food education. Digestive wellbeing, Sleep fundamentals. Stress and lifestyle coaching, lifestyle support tools.

28/10/2026

🧬Lipedema research

We always want the evidence, the proof when it comes to Lipedema care. But the reality is Lipedema research has only really started in the past 4/5 years as everything done before was experimental and pretty much a trial and error from patients.

However the reality is that we still need answers, a lot of them. We can remove pathological tissue safely and efficiently and we have a great team of surgeons all over the world to do so...but we are not stopping the disease. We are just removing "part" of the problem. We can slow down inflammation response with GLP1s but we still don't fully know what causes the inflammation to start in the first place. We need answers but we still need to try new things before we get to those answers. That is how research is ever born.

I have made a promise to my clients, all the Lipedema community and myself as a patient. I will bring that research one day, more than one. It will be big, impactful and committed to research integrity.

I may be a little absent from screens but for a very good reason. The next 2 years are going to be VERY intense and I am sure my mast cells will give out a few times during the process but I'm very excited of what's coming and I can't wait to share the journey with you.

23/10/2026

💜What if we could recognize Lipedema in girls before they spend decades searching for answers?

I'm so excited to shine a light on an important conversation with Wendy Moore,PhD, founder of Connective Truth.

Wendy's story is a powerful reminder that women should not have to wait 30 years to find answers and be heard. Support starts with awareness and early intervention.

-Connective Truth is a non profit that helps girls recognize Lipedema when it first develops, and prepare their families, schools,nurses and coaches around to help them.

🔗Through connect the Daughts,mothers whose daughters have or may have Lipedema meet monthly on Zoom.

Join Virginia Ziulu|The_Inflammation_Specialist and Connective Truth live this coming Monday to hear all about this project they may interest yourself, a family member or a friend.

🗓️Monday October 26th
⏰5.30pm GMT/ 12.30pm CDT
📍Instagram live

Looking forward to seeing many of you there.

16/10/2026

❌Lipedema fat does not respond to diet and exercise

I just want to make something very clear. Lipedema fat does in fact respond to diet and exercise but it has got to be the right one. What cannot be changed or completely removed is the fibrotic tissue that's has already been growing years before or the tissue laxity that is a predominant feature of Lipedema and indeed hEDS.

But that does not mean that diet is not effective to reduce pain! Yes a standard diet with over 100/200g of carbs per day is not going to help your lipedema. It is not just a fluid issue, it's a metabolic issue. Having periods of ketosis helps the body to release one of the most powerful inflammatory molecules: Ketones.

Ketones bodies are anti inflammatory, anti fibrotic and anti proliferative. But timing is important and you do not need to be in Ketosis 100% of the time as chronic low insulin can suppress female hormones and increase cortisol levels. Timing, context and personalisation is the key. We are not blaming carbs, we are just using them smartly and appropriately.

Therapeutic diets were born for a reason. Science evolved but the concept stayed the same: reduce oxaditive stress, stop inflammatory signalling and improve cellular health.

Lipedema does not need a "diet" but a whole systemic approach to address the multiple layers of inflammation. But we have gotta lose the statements" it is resistant to diet and exercise" and change it to "it is resistant to conventional diet and exercise regimes".

15/10/2026

🎙️Instagram Live

I have the pleasure to interview Dr. Med. Brigitte Habermalz who is a specialized Lipedema surgeon at the Lipoclinic by LIPOCLINIC Dr. Heck - Deine Lipödem Experten.

Dr. Brigitte is a board certified surgeon with additional designation in Lymphology and extensive experience in surgical care.

After completing her medical studies in 1999, she built a strong background in general, trauma, vascular and visceral surgery, as well as clinical research.

Since 2015, she has dedicated her professional focus to Lipedema treatment. She has worked at leading Lipedema clinics, including LipoClinic Dr. heck and has performed approximately 3500 liposuction procedures, using both PAL and WAL techniques.

Dr. Brigitte is a recognized specialist within the French-speaking Lipedema community. Dr. Habermalz regularly speaks at national and international events, sharing her expertise and knowledge.

➡️We will be covering what Lipedema surgery involves, real expectations and recovery time and the key role of Nutrition in pre and post operative care and how that can really shape surgery outcomes and results long term.

Looking forward to this conversation. Make sure to tune in and ask questions during the live.

07/10/2026

📍Women's Health Metabolic Assessment

📢The last 2 dates for 2026 have just been added.

This November we will mark the first year since myself and Dr. Scully first launched the Lipedema Metabolic Assessment. Since then we have opened it to non Lipedema patients to cover a wide range of health conditions and ailments.

This is not just a Metabolic Assessment. This is the first step in accessing the right care for Lipedema patients and women living with chronic illnesses.Expert care that could otherwise take many years to reach. The goal was to help as many women as possible and give them the right tools to start their healing journey with confidence and trust.

We are very passionate about our work and we are currently expanding what we will be offering in 2027 and I'm so excited for what's to come.

Make sure to book your place soon as places are limited.

💬comment the word "metabolic" and I will send you more details on how to book and what the assessment includes.

We are looking forward to seeing you then.

02/10/2026

➡️Antidepressants & Women's Health

It is not OK to put women on multiple antidepressants without any hormonal screening. I'm not anti meds, I'm anti system that is not designed to protect women's health.

Women should not be given amiltriptelyne like a sweet pill or sertraline just to be left on them for the rest of their life. That's putting a bandaid without addressing the real root cause.

I'm tired of seeing the long list of unnecessary anti depressants on my clients list of meds. Tired because when I dig deeper they should have never been put on those if their hormone levels were assessed or a simple nutrient blood test was carried out.

Let me explain:

🔼 A relation between low folate status and depression has been recognized since the 1960!!! 1960. And yet very few doctors actually address folate levels below 5. Most of the women I see have chronically low folate because they have one or multiple MTHFR mutations that inhibit them from absorbing folate. This has a cascade effect on the whole system that controls your neurotransmitter production and metabolism!! All of them....

➡️Research proved the link between elevated copper levels in post partum depression( copper levels raises naturally during pregnancy) Elevated copper suppress zinc levels as these 2 minerals compete for each other. Supplementing with zinc can help to restore neurotransmitter levels and improve mood and hormonal balance.

🔽Low progesterone and fluctuating estrogens can significantly affect women's mood and perimenopause is the time where women are at the highest risk. They don't need antidepressants, they need to be screened properly.

Share this with your friend, mum, daughter. Women should not have to shout to be heard and be taken seriously.

28/09/2026

➡️Comt&Estrogens

There is a LOT of talk amongst the Lipedema community about "methylation" and how this can impact Lipedema. So today we will discuss the actual enzyme involved in it which is COMT.

What is COMT:

➡️Cathecol-0-methyltransferase. It is an enzyme that helps down estrogens and neurotrasmitters like Dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine and some medications.

➡️COMT helps to neutralize estrogens metabolites. It helps to make them more water soluble to be eliminated trough the urine or stool.

➡️Women with the genetic variant "rs4580" have slow COMT activity. I have seen this being particularly common within the Lipedema clients I have tested for.

➡️Slow activity symptoms can cause the typical symptoms of estrogen "dominance" and progesterone suppression. Such as anxiety irritability, strong PMS symptoms and PMDD, feeling overstimulated, heavy bleeding and clots.

🔼 You can increase its activity with Methylated B vitamins( especially methylfolate and B12) , B6, magnesium and zinc, choline from eggs, treat any infection( bacteria,viral and mycotoxins), skin of citrus fruits.

Supporting this pathway does not guarantee the whole estrogen detox is going to go smooth as it has several involved and there is a very busy phase I liver detox too.

Hence why hormones aren't that simple in Lipedema and it's not just methylation or just having estrogen dominance. The whole piece of the puzzles needs support!!

📍This is WHY I test. There is no guessing. And only that way you know what your body needs to be best supported with.

If you want to know more about testing make sure to DM me. I work and test clients from most parts of Europe, US and Canada and Australia.

Did you know this?

18/09/2026

Conservative care is not optional. It is vital for lifelong lipedema management.

The number one pillar of conservative care is and continues to remain:

1️⃣Nutrition. This is not a standard anti inflammatory diet. This is personalized for you looking at your own genetics, hormonal component, digestive component, family history. Lipedema MUST be treated as a system disease that needs systemic care and treatment.

📣"Standard" dietary protocols do not work because they are aimed at a metabolic responsive body. Lipedema is a metabolic condition that requires specific metabolic treatment and care to respond. And it DOES respond. It is responsive to dietary interventions. This concept is VERY important to understand and we should not think that diet does not work ..it bloody works when every piece is addressed!!

Surgery and GLP1s are tools. They are not a cure. Without addressing the whole body from metabolic dysfunctions even these tools will not work for long. Regrowth post op happens because there was never a strong foundation to address the strong Lipedema inflammatory component.

🔴The correct dietary interventions can halt progression, maintain results, reduce and eliminate pain( even without surgery) and improve metabolic tissue response.

I will continue to battle to make sure this concept gets loader and louder so women can not survive but thrive in a metabolic responsive and healthy body.

16/09/2026

📍From deficiency to the overconsumption obsession

Yes I opened the protein debate. Because as you know well I'm the one that makes bold statements and opens up new discussions( and intense debates from others not ready to be challenged) .

Let's clarify: protein requirements should be calculated on your lean mass not your total body weight. This will give a more accurate level of what you actually need.1.2 to 1.5g XKG of body weight is considered a good amount and anything over that may be considered *high.
Too much protein can promote inflammation in Lipedema and in particular coming from dairy due to the high IGF-1 stimulation( casein boost IGF1 production).

**A particular mention to Dra. Paula Frederichi | Médica | LIPEDEMA 🇧🇷 and her work on trans Resveratrol supplementation for Lipedema pain management which was presented at the World Conference. This has inspired my connection with VEGFA and Resveratrol which in other papers has been shown to change its signalling and activity.

I particularly enjoyed the presentation from Melissa Seaton on behalf of Karen. Some of which I had presented at the FDRS in March 2025 in an applied clinical case of mine. Forever grateful for Dr.Herbst work on Mast cells.

Great intervention from Dr. Brigitte and Dr. Ana Carolina on surgical interventions for Lipedema and highlighting the importance of a long standing experience respecting anatomy according with lymph sparing techniques.

Thanks to the Lipedema Foundation which to date has founded and supported many of the research on Lipedema all over the world and continue to support patients and clinicians all with the latest evidence based information data on Lipedema.

What are your highlights from this conference if you attended? Let me know in the comments 👇

15/09/2026

🇨🇦Lipedema Canada 1st National Conference

I'm just back from the most wonderful weekend attending the first ever Lipedema Canada National conference. I was honoured to be asked to participate in this movement and make Lipedema history In Canada.

It was a fantastic conference from start to finish with the Doctor is in clinic day where over 70 patients got their diagnosis, follow on care and garment prescriptions and where local physicians got trained by some of the leading world experts in Lipedema. A one of its kind worldwide event.

📍During my sessions I spoke about the role of Nutrition in Lipedema and what nutrition can influence. I spoke about our work on Tirzepatide receptor agonists alongside Dr. Scully and where future research is heading.

It was an honor to listen to Manitoba Health minister speaking about Lipedema. A very inspiring conversation and Manitoba is in very good hands.

During the coming week I will be sharing some insights about the conference and the wonderful other professionals and patients that took part of it.

I'm back in Ireland with a full heart and loads of practical tools to bring to my clinic to support my Lipedema clients in the future.

Thank you Canada. See you again soon 🇨🇦

Address

Active Body Clinic
Port Laoise
R32K295

Website

http://virginiashealthcorner.ie/

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