Nutrition Frequently Asked Questions
- NUTRITIONIST VS DIETICIAN; WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
- WHAT IS DIET VS NUTRITION?
- WHAT ROLE DOES NUTRITION PLAY IN DISEASE?
- WHAT TYPES OF TESTING, IF ANY, DO NUTRITIONISTS DO?
- WHAT IS DETOXIFICATION AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THOSE AT THE HEALTH FOOD STORE?
- WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR A NUTRITIONAL CONSULT?
- What Is An Allergy?
- Return to Nutritional Therapy:
1. NUTRITIONIST VS DIETICIAN; WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
A nutritionist works to identify nutritional deficiencies by interpreting lab tests and using a symptom/history questionnaire to get to the cause of the issue and then develop specific programs based on special diets and nutrients. This is done to re-establish biochemical balance and to promote optimal health and prevent nutrition related diseases. Nutritionists like to get to the cause of an individuals particular symptoms rather than just treating the symptoms.
A dietician, on the other hand, basically works in a hospital setting, to do meal planning for patients. They may also work in extended care facilities, schools, and perhaps a physician’s office. Most do not believe in nutritional supplementation as they believe we can get all of our nutrition through food.
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2. WHAT IS DIET VS NUTRITION?
Diet is what one eats and drinks whereas nutrition is what one eats, digests and absorbs. Good nutrition happens when we feed our bodies the right nutrients in the forms that can be utilized by the body. Unfortunately, our mainstay of 3 good nutrition, the food we eat, has become more refined, which means it is empty of the vital vitamins and minerals we need. Consequently, most of us need to supply our diets with nutritional supplements. In today’s world, we are dealing with more emotional and physical stress, exhaustion, environmental toxins, lack of sleep, dieting and illness. All this adds additional stress on our bodies, which further robs them of vital nutrients.
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3. WHAT ROLE DOES NUTRITION PLAY IN DISEASE?
Nutritional deficiency is one of the basic reasons for aging and disease. Changing our lifestyle, especially the foods we eat, can dramatically slow aging and increase our lifespan. By eating whole foods and supplementing our diets with nutritional supplements, we can prevent or postpone many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Nutrition research has been exploding in the 21st century. We are learning about the benefits of whole foods and supplements and how they are affecting our bodies. We are learning about the healing effects of good fats and the damaging effects of bad fats. We are learning how cinnamon, chromium, lipoic acid and vitamin D are very beneficial for diabetics. More evidence-based nutrition will continue to surface and we will find that nutritional supplements will be used like drugs, but the good news is that they will be much safer. With more than 100,000 people dying each year due to the side effects of drugs, a safer alternative will be great news.
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4. WHAT TYPES OF TESTING, IF ANY, DO NUTRITIONISTS DO?
Nutritionists do testing for informational purposes only. Even though we do not diagnose, everyone has the right to know what is going on with the state of his or her health.
We take a blood chemistry profile and look at if from an “optimal health” point of view. Our goal is to look for problems that have the potential to develop. For instance, blood sugars that may slowly be creeping up, a thyroid that is not functioning at its optimal best or liver enzymes that are a little too high. Looking at a blood chemistry, all the numbers may look appear to be in the so called normal range. However, by being pro active and looking at the chemistry from a functional point of view, we can catch markers before they become abnormal. This is true preventive medicine. We offer many blood tests at our clinic. Please go to the “blood testing” section and take a look for yourself.
When I do a nutritional consult, I will look at the symptom/history questionnaire that I have my clients fill out. From that, I will make recommendations regarding testing. A good rule of thumb is “test, don’t guess”. In the long run, testing will pay for itself.
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5. WHAT IS DETOXIFICATION AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THOSE AT THE HEALTH FOOD STORE?
Detoxification is a way to bring the body back to a state of balance or homeostasis. Sometimes, when you have many symptoms, a detox program will help to reduce or eliminate most of them. From that point, it is easier to work with a patient.
The 21 day detox program that I use covers many organ systems in the body. It first starts by eliminating many foods that tend to cause an allergic response, such as dairy, wheat, soy and citrus. The daily protein shakes that are used help feed the body with much needed nutrition for cellular repair. The supplements used work on the adrenal glands to reduce stress. Nutrients for the liver and gallbladder are added to improve liver detoxification and removal of the toxins through the bile. Also, supplements to support digestion, repair of the gut, elimination of yeast and parasites are also added to the protocol. Antioxidants are needed to suppress the free radical production that occurs during a program such as this. Obviously, those detox kits from the health food store would not be as extensive.
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6. WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR A NUTRITIONAL CONSULT?
First, you would print out a copy of the symptom/history questionnaire from our website, fill it out, and get it back to the office. Also, include any blood work or other testing you may have had done with in the past month. Once we receive your info, we would contact you and schedule an appointment. This information is then put through our computer program. This gives us an idea of where your health is at this particular point in time.
From that info, I would develop a food plan, supplement program and an exercise plan. I would also recommend any testing that I think you would benefit from.
Remember, this is something that is a slow process and will take time. You won’t be “cured” in 1 or 2 visits. If you have had the symptoms for 6 – 12 months, then it will probably take that long to make you feel better. But once you spend the time getting yourself back to optimal health, you will be glad you did!
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7. What Is An Allergy?
Eliminating Food Allergies:
Clinical studies of the BioSET allergy elimination technique have proven it to be the most effective, easiest, and fastest treatment for the elimination of allergies. To understand how BioSET works, it is useful to think of the body as an organism through which electromagnetic energy flows along invisible pathways. According to Chinese medicine, this electromagnetic energy in our bodies, which it calls chi, manifests as lines of force that run near the body’s surface, and then pass into our internal organs. These lines of force are called meridians. The amount of energy conducted through our acupuncture meridians can be measured and recorded. This is done either through muscle testing or with an electrical device that measures the electrical properties of the body’s meridians and indicates whether they are balanced, stressed, weakened, or blocked. Acupuncturists employ a variety of techniques to eliminate imbalances or blockages in the natural flow of energy through the body. BioSET uses tools drawn from acupuncture, chiropractic, and kinesiology to locate and remove blockages in the electromagnetic pathways that are specifically related to allergens.
Why Allergic Reactions Take Place:
When an allergen enters the body, there is a clash between the energy field of the allergen and the energy field of the allergy sufferer. This sets off a chain reaction in the body. First the immune system makes a concerted effort to protect the body from a substance it perceives as harmful by identifying the allergen and sending an alert throughout the body via messenger chemicals. The immune system responds by producing antibodies that aid in the destruction of the substance, blocking the allergen from damaging the system. Technically, this occurrence is called an antigen-antibody bond, and it is the immune system’s defense against foreign matter or germs.
When any substance perceived as a foreign agent enters the body, whether it is ingested, inhaled, touched, or injected, the body defends itself with white blood cells such as T cells, B cells, as well as antibodies. Antibodies are minute proteins that function as artillery, bombarding germs or allergenic food particles. This type of immune reaction causes the release of substances such as histamines from the cells into the bloodstream. These substances are called immune mediators and are part of the process of tissue inflammation in the body, which is what commonly creates those swollen, red eyes we see in allergy sufferers. These immune responses may also cause blockages in the body’s electromagnetic energy pathways. So the body’s reactions to allergens can produce any number of symptoms from constricted sinuses, throat, or breathing passages, to vomiting, diarrhea, or watery eyes.
The operation of the body’s immune system is complex. We still do not fully understand how a substance triggers, regulates, or stops an immune response. Nor do we really understand why some individuals are allergic to cashews and others to shrimp or shellfish. Genetics plays a role in this, as do stress, poor digestion, environmental toxicity, and poor nutrition. I have named this the load phenomenon, based on the idea that we can go for years without being allergic to something. Then one day, when our emotional and physical stresses increase to a certain point, we suddenly have a burden great enough to tip the balance within our body. Common physical stresses include menopausal changes and poor dietary habits.
Whenever energy blockages occur in the body, health problems inevitably result. The symptoms produced by such blockages include bodily aches and pains, sore throats, fever, chills, painful lymph nodes, weakness, extreme fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, irritability, confusion, depression, forgetfulness, burning sensations in the body, frequent urination, crying spells, sores in the mouth, indigestion, bloating, water retention, or even suicidal behavior and death. But virtually any symptom can be the result of a blockage caused by an allergen.
Symptoms vary depending on the meridian along which the energy blockage occurs. For instance, if the energy flow is blocked in the meridian that leads to the lung and large intestine, a person might suffer from severe respiratory distress, asthma, chills, sinus problems, constipation, or diarrhea. If the blockage is in the kidney meridian, the person may suffer from water retention or frequent urination. A blockage in the energy flow of the gallbladder meridian may produce pain and swelling in the breast, pain in the rib and chest muscles, abdominal cramping, heavy menstrual bleeding, severe mood swings, aggressive behavior, or anger. Energy blockages in the heart meridians can cause heart palpitations, cardiac arrhythmia, insomnia, dry mouth, heavy sensations in the chest, night sweats, fatigue, or insecurity.
BioSET practitioners use chiropractic spinal techniques to stimulate acupressure points connected to each meridian. If a blockage affects a certain meridian, the practitioner stimulates the acupressure point along the spine connected to that meridian. For example, a wheat allergy can cause a blockage in the lung meridian and can result in breathing difficulties. To treat a wheat allergy, a BioSET practitioner stimulates the acupressure points along the spine that are related to the lungs while the patient holds the particular allergen, in this case wheat. Soon after the treatment is completed, the person will no longer be sensitive to wheat. Through the BioSET technique, the body’s allergy complexes can literally be reprogrammed, one allergen at a time.