Understanding nutritional therapy
Most people today realize the importance of natural laws like proper diet and nutrition when it comes to good health. It was only about 45 to 50 years ago that even medical doctors weren’t so sure about that. I remember watching a debate between a cardiologist and a lay nutritional expert arguing about the importance of nutrition for healthy hearts. The cardiologist actually stated that foods are only needed for energy and there was no other nutritional benefit from eating foods. He totally dismissed the importance of vitamins and minerals and he was a doctor. So the fact that laypeople might have confusion about diet is understandable. There are 2 components about nutrition that I would like to speak to. One of those is diet and matching the proper ratio of fats,carbs and proteins to particular genetic makeup.
In some ways we’re all the same but in other ways we are different. Our genetic code determines how we utilize certain nutrients. Our body shapes will require different ratios of fats carbohydrates and proteins. So the foundation of proper nutrition is eating the right diet for your particular body type.
Nutritional therapy, using supplements to balance body chemistry, is the focus of this discussion. Just like each different body type requires a different ratio of fats carbs and proteins each individual has slightly different demands for certain nutrition. That’s one reason why a multivitamin is completely unable to supply what a given person needs. There are even some studies that show negative effects from taking multivitamins. We only give multivitamins in very specific cases. Our main goal is determining what nutrients are needed in reestablishing a better chemical balance as well as health status.
Different things can impact on your demand for nutrients, stress, exercise or the lack of exercise, disease, toxicity and many other factors. As these factors change your nutritional needs will change and so nutritional therapy is a dynamic and ever-changing approach towards health. The idea that you can take 4 or 5 nutrients that are most commonly talked about in the news is not the way to maintain good health.
Working with nutritional needs since 1976 I have found that nutritional therapy is quite a dynamic endeavor and one might need to change their program on a regular basis as her body reaches higher levels of function and health. We might pick up a nutrient that you need that you might only take for a week or a month or maybe over a year. Our testing procedures allows us to not only determine what nutrients or nutritional formula that you need but we can also determine how long you need to take that.
Many people don’t realize the advancements in nutritional therapy over the past 40 some years. The fact is with today’s knowledge there are very few health issues that can’t be effectively addressed. Acid reflux, cardiovascular disease, different hormonal imbalances, reoccurring infections, allergies and blood sugar disorders are just a few of the conditions that can respond. But the process isn’t as simple as we find a few nutritional formulas and you take those and everything clears up. It’s more complicated than that, because there can be several layers of dysfunction with any given problem. For instance you might have a blood sugar problem that could be related to the liver issue and adrenal gland dysfunction and an immune system disorder. Each of those will need to be addressed and sometimes in a specific order to resolve the original blood sugar problem. So during the process of treating the presenting blood sugar problem is going to be a time when we need to focus on the liver, and then the adrenals and lastly the immune system. Each of those could require separate nutritional approaches at separate times. Sometimes the body can’t address everything at once. So through periodic testing and re-addressing the nutritional program that you’re on full healing can take place over time.
When we go about developing an overall strategy to help someone recover their health certain testing might be indicated. A complete physical exam, blood work and other laboratory testing as well as Vega testing. Vega testing is a biofeedback form of testing that allows us to plug into your computer, so to speak, and pick up important information concerning your nutritional needs. Individualizing nutritional programs produce the best results in the long run. Vega testing allows us to individualize an approach and also minimize the number of nutrients needed in an effective program.
The most important part of the supplemental program is taking the supplements on a regular enough basis to get well. Some people have expressed difficulty in swallowing pills. There are a few secrets in making this process easier. One of them is taking your supplements with food, if were talking about tablets putting a little bit of butter on the tablet allows it to go down easier. Capsules are the easiest to swallow if you have the right head position. Capsules will float on water where tablets tend to sink. So when you’re swallowing a capsule lean your head forward and if you’re swallowing a tablet lean your head back. It’s best not to combine capsules and tablets if you have any problems swallowing pills. I have found when you’re taking in water right before you swallow the pill breathe in through your nose. This will help close off the windpipe so supplements don’t try to go down the wrong way and will make swallowing pills much easier.