The Sourdough School

Baking eating and sharing bread to improve physical and mental health

A Social Enterprise: Providing Training & Support for Bakers & Healthcare Practitioners to Teach and Socially Prescribe Baking as Lifestyle Medicine.
Follow on Instagram

Soil Association
Our gardens are certified organic.

Baking as Lifestyle Medicine for Bakers and Clinicians

+44 (0)1604 881274
bookings@sourdough.co.uk
Follow on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Student Login

Navigation
  • About Us
    • Social Enterprise
    • The Team
    • Contact Us & FAQ
    • General FAQ’s about The School
  • Courses
    • Sourdough Retreat + Baking Certificate
    • BALM Baking Certificate
    • BALM Clinical Diploma
    • Club Membership
    • Course reviews
  • BALM
    • Social Prescribing
    • Teaching BALM
    • BALM Educational Awards
  • Student Info
    • Course Enrolment: In-Person Pre-Booking information
    • Login
    • The School
    • Understanding Our School’s Language and Structure
    • Student Welfare
      • The Sourdough School Health And Safety Policy
      • Health & Safety, Legal Requirements & Terms
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Equipment
    • Ingredients

Letter template requesting that your student / patient visits their GP

Learning Objective

This letter is a template and I advise writing a letter to ask someone to see their GP.

 

Learning Outcome

First and foremost, if someone is experiencing symptoms that may be related to a medical condition, it is always better to err on the side of caution and encourage them to seek professional medical advice. This is especially important if the symptoms are persistent or worsening, as this may indicate an underlying medical issue that requires treatment.

Secondly, as a bread making instructor, you may be liable if someone becomes ill or injured as a result of engaging in the activity. Encouraging individuals to seek professional medical advice is a way to mitigate this risk, as it ensures that they are aware of any potential health risks and have taken steps to address them.

Finally, as an instructor, you have a duty of care to your students to ensure that they are safe and healthy while engaging in the activity. Encouraging individuals to seek professional medical advice is one way to fulfill this duty of care and ensure that your students are aware of any potential risks and are taking steps to mitigate them.

Learning Objective

This letter is a template and I advise writing a letter to ask someone to see their GP.

 


One student who reported bloating retired after I asked that she visit her GP to say that it was not bread that was causing her issues. What she thought were vague and non-specific symptoms were in fact symptom of ovarian cancer and it was caught early. ( It is important to note that bloating alone is not a definitive indicator of ovarian cancer.) Nevertheless never assume that you know more than a medical professional and err on the side of caution.

Difficulty digesting bread can be a sign of an underlying medical condition, and in some cases, it may be necessary to ask your student or patient to seek medical formal medical advice. persistent symptoms that may be related to a medical condition, it is far better to err on the side of caution and seek medical advice, even if the symptoms may not seem to be severe or life-threatening.

4 key signs to indicate that a person should seek medical advice for difficulty digesting bread

  1. Persistent digestive problems: If a person experiences persistent digestive problems after consuming bread, such as bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, or constipation, it may be an indication of an underlying medical condition that requires treatment.
  2. Significant weight loss: If a person experiences significant weight loss without intending to, and is also having difficulty digesting bread, it may be a sign of a more serious underlying medical condition that requires prompt medical attention.
  3. Blood in the stool: If a person notices blood in their stool after consuming bread or other foods, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible, as this may be a sign of a more serious underlying condition.
  4. Food allergy or intolerance: If a person has a known allergy or intolerance to certain ingredients commonly found in bread, such as wheat or gluten, and experiences symptoms after consuming bread, they should consult with their doctor or a specialist to determine the best course of action.

In general, if a person is experiencing persistent or concerning symptoms related to digesting bread or any other food, it is important to seek medical advice to rule out any underlying medical conditions or to develop a treatment plan.

When. student or a patient mentions a symptom that is concerning then we ask if they have discussed the matter with their GP.

If they have done then there is no need to do anything else, but suggest that if they have any concerns thy visit their GP again.  However if a person has not mentioned symptoms to their GP then the procedures is that you send a letter that requests that they visit their GP.  A letter ( in my opinion)  a better way to convey your concern for their health in a formal and clear manner. It is often more personal than a text or email, and can demonstrate that you have taken the time to consider their situation carefully.

Procedure

I advise both posting however to protect yourself from any potential issues the procedure requires that you email the person and that you also email The Sourdough School team informing us that you have a concern.

Do not send the persons details to us as this will contravene privacy.

In addition, a letter can provide a written record of your concern and your recommendation for them to see a GP, which can be helpful if they need to provide documentation of your recommendation to your insurance should it been required.  A letter can allow you to provide more detailed information about the symptoms or concerns you have noticed, which can be helpful for a GP in assessing the situation and determining the appropriate course of action. Sometimes people tell us things they are uncomfortable mentioning to the GP, so it is important to be professional and use appropriate medical terminology.  Please refrain from suggesting a specific medical condition unless it the student has specifically  mentioned this to you.

Do not add any further words to the letter. Overall, while there are many ways to convey your concern for someone’s health and encourage them to seek medical advice, writing a letter can be a personal and effective way to communicate your message

Please copy and fill in the blanks using the template below.

Template

Date

Dear [Name],

I am writing to you because.you mentioned that you have been experiencing [symptom], and I am concerned that it may be an indicator of an underlying medical condition. Because of our insurance and prioritising your wellbeing I need to pause your lessons until you can confirm that your healthcare provider is happy to confirm you are able to continue. I realise that this is perhaps not what you were expecting however while I am not a medical professional I have a duty of care to prioritise health and writing to you is part of the Baking as Lifestyle Medicine procedures that make sure we don’t miss something that might be relevant to your health.

I therefore strongly recommend that you visit your GP to have this symptom checked out. It is always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to our health, and I believe that a visit to your GP is the best course of action in this situation.

I want to emphasise that I am not trying to alarm you, but rather, to encourage you to take your health seriously and seek professional medical advice when necessary. Early detection and treatment of medical conditions is key to achieving the best possible outcomes, and I believe that a visit to your GP is an important step in this process.

Why you speak to your GP please request written confirmation that they are satisfied with any medical conditions and that have no concerns about you continuing the course. I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me this confirmation in writing, so that I can provide a copy as part of the procedures that allow me to [ insert teach / prescribe ]  when there is a concern about health.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. I wish you all the best with your health and wellbeing, and hope to hear that you have sought medical advice soon.

 

Sincerely,

[ insert your name]

 

 

Learning Outcome

First and foremost, if someone is experiencing symptoms that may be related to a medical condition, it is always better to err on the side of caution and encourage them to seek professional medical advice. This is especially important if the symptoms are persistent or worsening, as this may indicate an underlying medical issue that requires treatment.

Secondly, as a bread making instructor, you may be liable if someone becomes ill or injured as a result of engaging in the activity. Encouraging individuals to seek professional medical advice is a way to mitigate this risk, as it ensures that they are aware of any potential health risks and have taken steps to address them.

Finally, as an instructor, you have a duty of care to your students to ensure that they are safe and healthy while engaging in the activity. Encouraging individuals to seek professional medical advice is one way to fulfill this duty of care and ensure that your students are aware of any potential risks and are taking steps to mitigate them.

Existing Member Login

All reasonable care is taken when writing about health aspects of bread, but the information it contains is not intended to take the place of treatment by a qualified medical practitioner. You must seek professional advice if you are in any doubt about any medical condition. Any application of the ideas and information contained on this website is at the reader's sole discretion and risk.

A NEW APPROACH

👉🏻 For the past 3 years we’ve been working on something incredible … prescription sourdough bread making courses for our @sourdoughclub members 

📈We have had amazing advances in healthcare, but there is no pill to cure poor diet. The best medicine is prevention via a healthy lifestyle, and many studies have shown that people who eat healthily and exercise regularly sleep better, have less anxiety and depression, have more energy, and lower their risk of chronic illness overall.

🙌 Vanessa’s work on Bread & the Impact on the Gut Microbiome has been turned into something extraordinary. Prescription bread-making courses as a lifestyle intervention, and the Bread Protocol we teach here is designed to address the way you live, exploring behaviour related to nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep, social support and environmental exposures. These courses are 12 weeks long, and designed to maintain health and prevent disease not just in individuals bit in patients and populations, so we have 2 ways to enrol on a course: 

1️⃣ SOCIAL PRESCRIPTION 
If your doctor or healthcare practitioner is one of  our Sourdough School graduates and they feel that this bread-making prescription course is something that will improve your health, then they may can prescribe the course for you as a social prescription free.

2️⃣ SELF PRESCRIPTION 
You can self-prescribe these courses by enrolling yourself on a course to improve your health and wellbeing.

📰 If you are interested in learning more about the prescription courses then please sign up to the newsletters as we will be announcing their launch over the coming weeks and months. 

@vanessakimbell
@drmiguelmateas 
@dralexdavidson 
@dksherratt 

#lifestylemedicine #preventativemedicine #systemschange #socialprescribingday #socialprescribing
🧘 LAST ORDERS TODAY 🧘 I’m prepping the st 🧘 LAST ORDERS TODAY 🧘

I’m prepping the starters to post out on Thursday.

I was thinking why sourdough all these years? I guess it’s because is alive… it’s a culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. We might like to think we can control it, but we can’t control everything. Things change when we bake. The flour changes, the ambient temperature changes, or something happens during the middle of the day and your baking routine changes.

We can be very critical of ourselves. Starting the day by looking in the mirror and criticising our physical appearance. Or looking at something we’ve done or said and overanalysing it. Often, without realising, some of us can be incredibly negative.
It’s the same with bread. I notice that many people are self-depreciating and, while they aspire to make beautiful loaves, they have a distinct lack of acceptance that creating a really aesthetically stunning loaves takes time. It’s an art. It takes many years to be able to understand the nuances of each flour and how each one behaves to create bread. There is no instant fix. And I wouldn’t want there to be.

If you want an instant fix, go out and buy a packet mix – that way the work is done for you. In sourdough there’s no instant fix. That is the whole point of it really. That’s why we celebrate when we do make those incredibly beautiful loaves. And what you are actually celebrating isn’t high levels of gluten or high levels of hydration. It’s that person’s ability to have understood and connected to the flour, to their environment, to the yeast, to the timings and rhythm and everything coming together to create something that is joyous to eat.

To learn more about what we do here at The Sourdough Club and the courses we teach, follow the link in the bio to read 

#mindfulbaking #sourdough #sourdoughsclub #bread #sourdoughlove #sourdoughlover #naturalleavened #leavening #realbread #breadmaking #bakebread #makebread #makerealbread #sourdoughstories #bakingforlove #bakingtherapy #sourdoughbaking
🧂 ARTISAN INGREDIENTS FOR ARTISAN BREAD 🧂 A 🧂 ARTISAN INGREDIENTS FOR ARTISAN BREAD 🧂

Artisan bread starts with artisan ingredients. Honest ingredients that have been grown and harvested with respect for both the people and the earth. The flour has to be organic, the water chlorine free and the yeast has to be sourdough, and so it follows that the salt has to be similarly harvested with principles that are in synergy with our own. Salt making was, up until the industrial revolution, an artisanal craft. Much like bread making salt is also an artisan product that has been industrialised, so we use a hand-harvested salt in our bread.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In our shop, we sell unrefined salt specifically for sourdough - Natural salt contains all of its trace minerals and other elements that are naturally a part of its origin. Our salt is not exposed to chemicals and does not contain anti-caking agents.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Follow the link in our bio to our shop, where you can find the best artisan ingredients for your bread! 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#artisan #salt #iamamember #sourdoughclub #sourdough #sourdoughbread #naturallyleavened #realbread #sourdoughbaking #bakingbread #breadmaking #homebakedbread #sourdoughlove
DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE AN ONLINE SHOP & CAN PURCHASE DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE AN ONLINE SHOP & CAN PURCHASE MY WHITE SOURDOUGH STARTER?
(with worldwide delivery)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I have several sourdough starters but The French white starter is one that I have been using since I was 11 years old and originates in the bakery I grew up baking within France. It takes a bit longer to reach it’s peak and is generally slower and sweeter, and much more forgiving of being neglected for a week, so the one I recommend for beginners. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We have verbal confirmation that the starter originated over 115 years ago and If you swipe right in the video you can listen to me chatting to one of the older residents of the village confirming that bakery did not shut during the war either .. & it has been maintained ever since... it’s a lovely story. Although the microbes double every 20 – 30 minutes when they are refreshed ... so it is either over a century old or 30 minutes old depending on how you want to look at it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You can purchase a pot of my starter, along with a grey moon kilner jar & a mini video course on looking after your starter. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
TAP THE PICTURE TO SHOP.
 
Swipe right to see the amazing video of the French bakery where the starter originated from @vanessakimbell has been baking with this starter for over 20 years … and first baked almost 40 years ago with it …#romantic 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#breadbosses #breadporn #flourwatersalt #breadtalk #bread #breadstagram #sourdough #sourdoughschool #bread #sourdoughlove #sourdoughlover #naturalleavened #leavening #levain #realbread #breadmaking #bakebread #makebread #makerealbread #learntobakebread #breadmakingclass #sourdoughstories #bakingforlove #bakingtherapy #sourdoughbaking #bannetons #bakery
🌾 BARLEY - DO AS THE ROMANS DO 🌾
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Oats & Barley. We love both, but this week we have been diving to barley with our students, learning about nutritional value, what role plays in supporting key butyrate producers for gut health and why gladiators were call 'barley-eaters'!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And naturally, we will be talking about how we can incorporate barley into our baking and our botanical blends.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
To find out more, become a student of the Sourdough Club! 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#grains #wheat #einkorn #emmer #spelt #heritagegrains #freshlymilledflour #milledflour #milling #freshlymilled #botanicalblend #fromscratch #unrefined #mockmillproud #mockmill
Follow on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Email Sign Up

Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2023 Vanessa Kimbell
Call +44 (0)1604 881274 | Email bookings@sourdough.co.uk
Registered in England & Wales: 08412236
Website by Callia Web