NUTRITIONAL THERAPY
Nutritional Therapy is a Alternative Therapy that holds a great deal of promise for improving and protecting a person's health. Nutritional deficiencies can effectively decrease the function of the body and result in disease. The body has to struggle to perform the biochemical reactions needed for life and this results in disease.
It is our feeling that the RDA's (recommended daily allowances) printed on food labels and supplements need revised and are inadequate for keeping people healthy. Due to crop fatigue and over-processing our food simply isn't as nutritious as it once was and we need to compensate for that or risk the consequences.
In addition to trying to overcome the effects of nutrient-specific malnutrition, many supplements have a phsyiologic effect in the body. In fact, this effect is often mimicked by pharmaceutical companies and patented. The difference is that the natural substances can provide many of the benefits of the drugs, but are naturally-formed and thus easier on the body. Synthetic chemicals mimick these natural substances, but do so imperfectly and can result is in serious side-effects. For example, the "statin drugs" used to manage cholesterol are derived from a natural substance found in Asia called "Red Yeast Rice" which has a similar effects in the body without the side-effects of statins.
Many approach their use of food and supplements in a haphazard fashion. They may eat a certain way or supplement with something "because they heard it works for such-and-such." Most don't achieve the kind of success they want because they are unwittingly doing things to counteract the effect of the supplement.
The biggest error I see in people trying this approach to health is in the use low-quality supplements. Walmart, Target, Walgreens and other big national brands are not tested by an objective third-party. That means you may be able 5-gallon bucket of a supplement, but likely has very little real effect in the body. There is very little regulation on supplements. Legally, these large companies are not required to meet the requirements of their own labels! That means they could have 5% of the active ingredient actually in the bottle and still sell it!
Another huge error people make, nutritionally, is that they believe that a "One-a-day" Multivitamin is enough to keep you nutritionally sound. It isn't. A One-A-Day will help keep you "status quo" but it will not overcome a nutritional deficit for you. Again the Recommended Daily Allowances are badly in need of revision, especially in the areas of Folic Acid, B12, EPA/DHA and trace minerals. The companies that make these multivitamins simply cannot get enough into that single tiny pill to make a difference! It is physically and chemically impossible. Additionally One-A-Day's like "Centrum" use sub-optimal versions of supplements like Vitamin A instead of Beta Carotene and Vitamin D2 instead of D3.
Confusing isn't it? That is why you need someone to help walk you through it. Many of the health problems you face could be a direct result in some error in your eating or supplement regimen. Sadly, most MD's are ill-equipped to perform this service. Clinical Nutrition is often an elective in Medical School, one that most opt not to take. Their education centers on the use of pharmaceuticals, but that doesn't stop them from commenting on supplements.
A Nutritional Consultation usually involves Dr. Johnson taking a health history, providing a patient with a "Comprehensive Health Questionaire" and "3-day Food Diary," and if necessary scheduling a time to collect a lab sample. When all the data is collected, Dr. Johnson will formulate a Nutritional Treatment Plan. Nutritional Treatment Plans are designed to be simple, easy-to-follow, and are based on scientific data indicating the supplements efficacy.
Make no mistake, we are using nutrition to cure, prevent, and treat disease. Yours!
A Patient Treatment Plan will often contain:
-Treatment Goals
-Dietary Recommendation
-Supplement/Nutriceutical Recommendations
-Lifestyle Recommendations
Our office has Nutritional and Lifestyle-Related Strategies for the following conditions:
-Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
-Rheumatoid Arthritis
-Weight Loss/Fat Loss
-High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
-High Cholesterol (Hypercholesterolemia)
-Type II Diabetes
-Cushing's Syndrome (Hypercortisolemia)
-Bowel Dysfunction (IBS, Colitis, Diverticulitis)
-Prostatitis and BPH (Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy)
If nutrition can help cause disease, then it is only logical to think that it can help cure it as well. Call today to find out how Nutritional Therapy may be useful in helping you reach your health goals.