Nutritional Medicine
Clinical nutrition involves the use of supplemental vitamins, minerals and diet therapy in the treatment of health conditions. Naturopathic physicians receive a minimum of 110 hours in Clinical Nutrition alone, with additional nutritional therapies included in the remaining 2800 hours of classroom and clinical studies over a 4 year course of training. The average medical school curriculum includes 10 to 20 hours of specific training in Clinical Nutrition.
Nutritional medicine is the foundation of naturopathic practice. Educating patients about the role of diet in their condition is a crucial aspect of the healing process. Using the clinical studies from published medical journals, naturopathic physicians use both cutting-edge science and the time-tested wisdom of naturopathic medical principles in formulating a treatment plan for patients.
Nutritional Assessment Lab Services we offer:
- Food Allergy Testing
- vitamin and mineral testing
- Amino acid and organic acid assays
- Genomic testing to determine genetic needs for specific nutrients
How Common Are Nutritional Deficiencies?
According to a recent study published in respected medical journals (references at bottom of this document) 92 percent of all Americans are deficient in at least one vitamin or mineral in their daily diet (and that includes the vitamins they may be taking). The criteria for the definition of deficiency in this study were not optimal levels for functioning in a stress-filled world, but the prevention of things like frank deficiencies; for example-scurvy in those not getting enough vit. C.
In another study, USDA research showed that a full 70 percent had diets deficient in vit. E, 75 percent had diets deficient in zinc, 37 percent weren’t getting enough vit. C and 40 percent weren’t getting enough iron.
The subjects in these studies were working adults and children without serious diseases eating a normal American diet.
Unfortunately, environmental exposures to toxins (in the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink) as well as prescription medications can increase our need for nutrients.
How Would I Know if I Had a Nutrient Deficiency?
A careful and thorough patient history and physical exam are important in assessing the need for nutritional evaluation.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be tested for, in most cases these are standard blood tests for blood levels of B vitamins. In some cases, they are more specialized tests- for example- a Medicare approved test for magnesium deficiency, Exatest.com , which involves a small sampling of cells under the tongue. This test is published in cardiology medical journals but few physicians know about it because nutritional medicine is not the focus of their training or practice.
Food Sensitivities / Food Allergies
In our practice we emphasize the importance, not only of good nutrition, but the role that foods, both the RIGHT ones and the WRONG ones, play in health and disease. The proper identification of food allergens and sensitivities is basic in finding a diet that allows the body to thrive. Lab testing for food allergies is a documented method of identifying these foods and with the help of a trained provider, a trial of elimination of the offending allergen may identify the cause of chronic health problems.
Bottiglieri T. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. 2005;29:1103-12.
Hampl KS, Taylor CA, Johnston CS. Am J Public Health 2004;94:870-875.
Noble JM, Mandel A, Patterson MC. Pediatrics 2007;3:e783-790.
Ames BN. Arch Biochem Biophys 2004;423:227-234. Review of studies on supplements and optimal health.