FOR YOUR HEALTH INFO

Nutritional Wellness Center

Nutritional counseling and other forms of preventative medicine are sorely missing from the American health care system. Western medical practices save many lives, and there will always be a place for surgery and medications in healthcare. However, these alone do not keep people healthy and are not the only answer for treating patients with illness or disease. The current health care system believes that medications are the ideal “standard of care,” and that invasive procedures, continual testing, and over-imaging are an integral part of the healthcare system. Sadly, the nation’s healthcare delivery system is overwhelming our personal budgets by rewarding doctors and hospitals who support the status quo. The more they diagnose and treat, the more insurance reimbursement they receive. Unfortunately, this approach supports and rewards disease.

Poor nutrition as a contributor to illness and disease

You may not know that poor nutrition contributes to many of the primary causes of death and disability in the United States. Nutritional factors contribute to six of the ten leading causes of death and sickness. Some common diseases that have a nutritional component include: 

  • Coronary artery disease
  • Cancer
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Dementia
  • Alzheimer’s disease

Mechanisms that destroy or damage cellular nutrition

Chronic diseases share common mechanisms of: 

  • Inflammation
  • Infection
  • Protein glycation (sugar attached to proteins)
  • Oxidative stress
  • Toxic chemical exposure
  • And more

These factors destroy or damage cellular nutrition. The body’s optimal immune system functioning depends upon cellular nutrition, the integrity of the GI system, and the body’s ability to drain and clear wastes and toxins. The human body is complex, and a combination of approaches that includes optimal nutritional health can go along way toward treating and healing disease. The inflammatory process is generally known to be the underlying cause of chronic health conditions, including obesity, one of the leading health concerns facing Americans.

Addressing inflammation in chronic health conditions

A diet high in refined sugars stress supports the process of systemic inflammation. So does eating foods that cause food intolerances and allergies. Human beings need to return to basics concerning meal planning and snacking. We need to consume whole, unprocessed foods in nature’s original form like our ancestors. We should choose:

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables (organic if possible)
  • Non-GMO foods 
  • Quality cold-pressed healthy fats and oils, such as olive oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil, butter, and clarified butter (ghee)
  • Grass-fed beef 
  • Organic, free-range eggs 

These foods address inflammation, support mental health, and contribute to a healthy immune system.  Integrating a comprehensive treatment approach to mental and physical health should be the cornerstone of our American healthcare system. Unfortunately, time is a critical factor in the healthcare arena. It’s much easier and more cost-effective to spend 10 minutes with a patient, write a prescription for medication, and fulfill the “standard of care.” That means patients are being treated by doctors who are neither trained nor instructed to counsel patients on nutrition. They rely on overprescribing drugs to help the sick. If you agree that it’s time to adopt a more holistic approach, a nutritional wellness center can work with you toward your health goals.

RECENT ARTICLES