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CLINICAL NUTRITION
Clinical nutrition can be defined as the use of dietary intervention and the use of supplemental vitamins, minerals, amino acids, glandulars, and essential fatty acids in therapeutic dosages for the relief and treatment of acute and chronic disease. Many medical
conditions can be treated as effectively with foods and nutritional supplements as they can by any other means, but with fewer complications and side effects. A growing body of scientific knowledge in this area is reflected in numerous professional, peer-reviewed
journals of medicine, nutrition, and dietary sciences, validating the efficacy of diet and nutrition.
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Many medical conditions can be treated as effectively with foods
and nutritional supplements as they can by any other means,
but with fewer complications and side effects.
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Nutritional biochemist Roger Williams’ formulation of the concept of ‘biochemical individuality’ in 1955 helped give insight into the unique nutritional needs of each individual., how to correct in-born errors of metabolism, and even how to treat specific
diseases through the use of nutrient rich foods or specific nutrients. Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel Prize winner, coined the concept of orthomolecular medicine, and provided further theoretical substantiation for the use of nutrients as therapeutic agents. Our
practitioners are experts in their understanding and application of clinical nutrition and dietary intervention and will help design a personalized plan for your specific condition.
ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
Environmental Medicine focuses on understanding how environmental factors influence our health and behavior. The human body works very hard to optimize and maintain health and is constantly adjusting and adapting to it’s surroundings. Many agents including toxic
chemicals, allergens, physical phenomena such as extreme cold or heat, malnutrition, as well as psychological stresses can dramatically and negatively impact our bodies homeostasis mechanisms, thus throwing many of our systems out of balance.
Our goal is to address these often overlooked environmental factors and create a treatment plan that is designed to restore harmonious balance and optimal function to the major players of our body: the endocrine, immune, and central/peripheral nervous systems.
BOTANICAL MEDICINE
From the earliest times, herbs or botanicals have been used for their pain relieving and healing abilities, and today we still rely on the curative properties of plants in about 75% of our medicines. About 500 herbs are still employed within conventional
medicine, although whole plants are rarely used. In general, the herbs provide the starting material for the isolation or synthesis of conventional drugs. In fact, the majority of our pharmaceutical drugs today can trace their ‘roots’ to an isolated constituent
of a particular plant.
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Herbal medicine is the most ancient form of health care known to humankind.
Herbs have been used in all cultures throughout history.
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Although it is important to understand the actions of individual ‘active constituents’, botanical medicine, unlike it’s pharmaceutical counterpart, utilizes the pharmacology of the whole plant which reduces many of the side effects associated with prescription
medications. The human body is much better suited to treatment with botanical remedies than with isolated chemical medicines. We have evolved side by side with plants over thousands of years, and our biochemistry and physiology as a whole are geared to digesting
and utilizing plant based foods, which often have a medicinal value as well as providing sustenance. The use of herbal or botanical medicines is experiencing a dramatic renaissance in our country, partly because no effective conventional treatment as yet exists
for many chronic disease conditions.
In addition, the side effects associated with surgery and prescription medications are encouraging a health conscious public to look for alternative, safer, more gentle forms of treatment. Botanical medicines are effective and safe when used properly, in the
right dose, and in the proper combinations with other treatments. Each year a growing body of clinical research is published documenting the health benefits, safety, and efficacy of botanical medicines. Like all forms of medicine, botanical remedies must be
treated with respect because a few can produce side effects. Our practitioners are highly trained and experienced in the use of these medicines.
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