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Discover
nutrition’s role in chiropractic health.
By Pattie Stechschulte
In today’s world of fast foods and convenient microwave meals, understanding
and promoting the science of proper nutrition can be a hard sell to most patients.
People do understand the need for proper nutrition and they want to learn how
to eat healthier, according to the 2000 HealthFocus Survey. The majority of
consumers claimed they recognized that making healthy choices positively affects
them on an emotional, health and cosmetic level. Over half of the consumers
reported that they are interested in learning more about nutrition and how it
can affect their health.
| Working
with Nutrition Professionals |
The Importance of Proper Nutrition
If your body is getting essential nutrients including carbohydrates, fats, proteins,
vitamins and minerals, it will help your body function, which includes digesting,
absorbing, metabolizing and excreting which leads to homeostasis.
Bad eating habits that include diets high in sugar and fats, may lead to fatigue
and possible diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancers.
“Nutrition goes along with the chiropractic philosophy – treating
the whole person by helping the body to naturally heal,” explains Christina
Caro, M.B.A., R.D., L.D., dietetic internship coordinator, Life University’s
Department of Nutrition. “To neglect the diet when helping a patient is
very naïve. The old saying, ‘You are what you eat,’ is somewhat
true.”
Chiropractic and Nutrition
Many chiropractors believe that proper nutrition is an essential part of preventive
health care along with exercise, rest and spinal adjustments.
Dr. Wayne Neal, who practices in Smyrna, Ga., believes there is a natural fit
between chiropractic and nutrition. “Chiropractic is trying to heal the
body naturally. When you are eating natural foods, it helps the body with the
ability to heal itself,” says Dr. Neal.
“Nutrition can directly impact subluxations from the standpoint that improper
nutrition can affect fluid levels on a cellular level which affects nerve transmissions.
Proper nutrition may help patients hold an adjustment longer,” explains
Caro.
Helping Patients with Nutrition
Neal first became involved in nutrition and weight management after reading
the The Maker’s Diet: The 40 Day Health Experience That Will Change Your
Life Forever by Jordan Rubin.
“I was at a conference when I saw the maker’s diet book at a booth
and I remembered that my nutrition teacher recommended the book. It was based
on foods mentioned in the Bible, so I decided to read it and try the diet myself,”
said Neal. “I found that I was holding my adjustments longer, so I began
sharing it with my patients.”
“I believe it has been building up my tendons and allowing me to hold
adjustments longer. The book recommended replacing artificial products with
natural products like using honey instead of artificial sweeteners,” said
Neal. “I began to notice that when my patients changed their diets, they
became healthier.”
He advises other chiropractors to try the diets themselves before recommending
it to their patients. “I will research the diet on myself first, to find
out if it works before I start recommending it,” says Neal.
He also admits that if he has a complicated case, he will refer his patients
to a professional with an extensive background in nutrition and allergy testing.
Integrative Approach
Many patients are looking to chiropractors who are helping them manage specific
health problems through an integrative approach that encompasses nutrition.
Integrative health care focuses on how biochemical individuality, metabolic
balance, ecological context, genetic predisposition, lifestyle patterns and
other factors have the potential to strongly influence human physiology and
the push pull dynamics of health and disease as defined by Great Smokies Diagnostic
Laboratories.
Using patient samples of stool, urine, saliva, blood or hair, these integrative
tests can provide focused and advanced insight into key areas of physiology,
including gastrointestinal function, cardiovascular disease, nutrient metabolism,
immune/antibody response and hormone secretion/activity.
As an example, some parents of autistic children have found that following a
diet free of gluten (grains) and casein (dairy) products may improve the child’s
behavior based on extensive testing of their digestive system which does not
produce the necessary enzymes to break down these specific foods.
Chiropractors who include clinical nutrition or nutrition therapy/services in
their practice start out by assessing the patients a case history, testing,
physical examination, review of current diet and lifestyle.
After the evaluation and testing is completed, qualified chiropractors will
be able to make recommendations on what foods to eat, what foods to eliminate,
how to remove toxins, possible supplements for specific needs and exercise.
“Chiropractors already have a background in science which should serve
as a base of knowledge to understand how nutrition affects the body,”
said Caro. “The average person knows very little about nutrition. They
know the basic facts that fatty foods are bad or to avoid too much sugar, chiropractors
can do a great deal in educating and motivating their patients.”
| Online
Nutritional Resources |
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Reading |
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