|
|
Nutritional Medicine:
Optimal Health is as Easy as 1-2-3
The Nutritional Medicine principles support the following: 1)
better digestion and assimilation of foods through the use of probiotics
and enzymes; 2) better nutrition through nutrient rich food supplements
and; 3) increased protection against free radical damage (oxidative
stress) through whole food antioxidants. Tens of thousands of
people have used this health model to help themselves. Additionally, many of the studies
and books written by Nutritional Medicine doctors give us the scientific
reasons behind why this specific health model and the supplements
used have helped with many health related conditions. Today there
is a very large number of alternative, allopathic and naturopathic
doctors practicing the Nutritional Medicine approach to health.
What Is Nutritional Medicine?
Nutritional Medical physicians believe that most degenerative conditions
have their origin in the malfunction of the digestive tract and
liver elimination processes. In other words, illness can be directly
related to problems of the digestive and liver detoxification systems
and their related influence on immune, nervous and endocrine system
functions. Therefore, when the health of the digestive and liver
detoxification systems is addressed, the body is given the opportunity
to reverse many degenerative conditions. If the degenerative condition
is labeled lupus, diabetes, or arthritis, etc., a Nutritional Medicine
doctor will first recommend addressing the health of the gastrointestinal
tract. Once the GI tract is well, then the liver detoxification
system should be supported and strengthened.
Today, through the efforts of Nutritional Medicine, we have hundreds
of clinical studies and pieces of scientific research that confirm
what many of us have heard so often from folk medicine practitioners:
"Stomach problems are the cause of all ills" or "Death begins in
the colon."
Jeffrey Anderson, M.D., wrote an article called "How Problems with
Digestion Can Cause Illness Anywhere", and in this article he explains
why you should address the health of the gastrointestinal tract
first, no matter what the name of the degenerative condition. He
explains that "new information on the dynamics of the body make
it clear that conditions in the digestive tract affect the entire
system" (Nichols, et al., 1999, p.125). The "...degradation of
the gastrointestinal environment is one of the primary points at
which health is lost. What we now know is that the same toxins
associated with GI dysfunction are frequently absorbed and distributed
to other parts of the body. First they place a burden on the liver
and the immune system. If liver overload occurs, there will be spill
over, and some of the toxins will be passed on to other organs or
tissues" (p. 125).
"Often, it's a weak link in the system that will be hit by the damage
- an organ that can be anywhere in the body that is most likely
to be vulnerable. The vulnerability may be inherited, caused by
physical injury, toxic exposure, or poor diet" (p.125). For example,
"if the sensitive system is the lungs, toxins that originate in
the gut and circulate in the bloodstream may manifest as asthma
or allergies" (p.125).
Len Saputo, M.D., in his article,"Harmful Flora", also believes
that if the gastrointestinal tract goes out of balance and the liver
detoxification system breaks down, our entire immune system can
malfunction in three ways. First, it can be weakened and the result
called an immune suppression disease. Second, it can overreact and
become hyperresponsive to normal stimuli; this occurs in asthma,
migraine, and food allergies. Third, a malfunctioning immune system
can cause auto immune reactions, where antibodies target our own
tissues, as in rheumatoid arthritis or lupus (p.60).
Jerry Stine, M.D., in his article, "How Digestion Works", explains
that the gastrointestinal tract is the largest immune organ in our
body. Eighty percent of all our protective immune globulins are
produced in the digestive tract (p.16). It doesn't take a rocket
scientist to see that when this large, strategically placed immune
system member isn't working well, our defenses are lowered and once
our barriers are down, it becomes more difficult to defend against
invaders.
Nutritional Medicine Strategies To Reverse Degenerative
Conditions
Nutritional Medicine doctors including the three above mentioned,
Dr. Jeffrey Anderson, Dr. Len Saputo and Dr. Jerry Stine, believe
that cleansing and supporting the GI tract and the liver can and
will clear the body of any and most degenerative conditions.
- First you detox the GI tract.
- Then get the liver detox system working.
- And finally clean up the downstream consequences,
which includes the toxins in the tissues and cells.
Nutritional Medicine doctors believe that you can't deal with
the downstream conditions (symptoms in the body such as lupus, arthritis,....etc.),
until you've treated the upstream problem(s) in the gut and liver
(p.132). When you clean up the upstream issues and the liver, then
the downstream consequences tend to go away.
Nutritional Medicine Solution for Most Degenerative
Conditions. The 4Rs Solution
1) Remove: Abnormal kinds/amounts
of intestinal microorganisms (parasites, bacterial pathogens, small
intestinal overgrowth such as yeast, and food antigens. This can
be done by repairing "leaky" intestinal membranes.
2) Replace: Hydrochloric
acid, enzymes, and fiber deficiency can be addressed and replaced
with friendly bacteria, digestive enzymes and fiber supplements.
3) Restore: Symbiotic bacteria
and GI bacteria through the use of full spectrum friendly bacteria
(L. acidophilus, B. bifidus, L. planetarium, L. salivarius, L. bulgaricus,
etc.).
4) Repair: Replace or
augment with nutrients necessary to support healing of intestinal
lining, plus adequacy of calories, and adequacy of fiber. Support
the liver detoxification system through the use of antioxidants
and food based nutritional supplements (pp. 181-182).
The Difference is in the Quality Of The Nutritional Supplements
There are a multitude of allopathic and naturopathic doctors practicing
Nutritional Medicine today, and they recommend supporting better
digestion, better nutrition, and better protection against oxidative
stress. However, when it comes to supplements, most Nutritional
Medicine doctors recommend standard man-made supplements in their
isolated, single, separated or chemically-manufactured form, such
as zinc, copper, vitamins B, C, E and beta carotene, to reverse
degenerative conditions. However, there are better alternatives
than man-made supplements; i.e. organic whole food supplements.
Whole food supplements are far superior in their quality and effectiveness
for reversing degenerative processes in the human body because they
are produced in their natural and complex configuration.
Why whole food products work better is based on the philosophy that
the human body is a marvelously designed living organism with the
ability to grow, regulate, repair, and defend itself when given
natural, high quality, full spectrum nutrients.
If your goal is to promote good health for yourself, may we recommend
that you address these body functions with the following wholefood
supplements and remember that optimal health is "as easy as 1-2-3":
- Better digestion and assimilation of foods
through the use of probiotics and enzyme supplements.
- Better nutrition through food based supplements
(consuming nutrient rich foods such as wheat grass, bee pollen,
blue green algae...etc.).
- Better protection against free radical damage
(oxidative stress) through whole food supplements (wheat sprouts,
red algae, wheat grass..etc.).
With the use of whole food supplements you can improve the GI tract
environment, decrease the burden of the toxins and thereby take
the stress off the liver. With less toxins there is less need for
a constant high level defense effort and everything in the body
just starts to work better. Dr. Jeffrey Anderson summarizes the
whole concept of healing so beautifully when he said: "you can't
deal with the downstream problems (symptoms in the body) until you
have addressed the upstream problem(s) (i.e., malfunctions in the
gut)" (p. 132).
References:
Nichols, Trent W., and Faass, Nancy. (1999). Optimal Digestion,
New York: Avon Books, Inc.
To learn more about the Nutritional Health Model, take
our FREE online nutritional course. The information in this course
is useful and logical and can put you on the right path towards
health and vitality.
Click here to learn more: The
Journey to Better Nutrition.
|
