Nutritional medicine is a holistic approach to the interactions of both nutrition and environment on human health.
Nutrients are the building blocks of our physical body. When the body is supplied with the correct balance of foods, vitamins and minerals we have a better chance at remaining healthy. All humans are unique in terms of biochemistry, metabolism, anatomy and genetics. Our internal environment differs in gut flora, integrity of the intestinal wall and the immune system. All of these affect our ability to process foods, absorb nutrients and detoxify and expel wastes.
When assessing nutritional status we need to include the impact of the external environmental factors. These include exposure to toxicity from heavy metals, fertilisers, pesticides, and synthetic chemicals including pharmaceutical and recreational drugs.
In addition, food additives, flavourings and colourings or naturally occurring chemicals in foods themselves may lead to sensitivities, allergies and intolerances. Chronic parasitic, fungal, bacterial and viral infections can disturb our internal environment. Poor sleep and psycho-social stresses also affect and our ability to cope effectively and impact on our health.
Living an optimally healthy lifestyle provides the best conditions for the body to both prevent and heal from disease states. Improving our diet by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains and drinking plenty of filtered water is a good start. Foods may be depleted in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as a result of depletion in our soils, green harvesting and cold storage and all too often we consume foods that are highly processed and overcooked or of poor quality and little nutritional value. Our bodies are then affronted daily by excessive production of free radicals caused by our polluted environment and stressful lifestyles. As a result oxidative stress has now been connected to over 70 chronic degenerative diseases.
Nutrition plays an important role in virtually every medical condition. It follows that correcting nutritional imbalances is fundamental to the prevention and treatment of many common conditions.
When assessing nutritional status we need to include the impact of the external environmental factors. These include exposure to toxicity from heavy metals, fertilisers, pesticides, and synthetic chemicals including pharmaceutical and recreational drugs.
In addition, food additives, flavourings and colourings or naturally occurring chemicals in foods themselves may lead to sensitivities, allergies and intolerances. Chronic parasitic, fungal, bacterial and viral infections can disturb our internal environment. Poor sleep and psycho-social stresses also affect and our ability to cope effectively and impact on our health.
Living an optimally healthy lifestyle provides the best conditions for the body to both prevent and heal from disease states. Improving our diet by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains and drinking plenty of filtered water is a good start. Foods may be depleted in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as a result of depletion in our soils, green harvesting and cold storage and all too often we consume foods that are highly processed and overcooked or of poor quality and little nutritional value. Our bodies are then affronted daily by excessive production of free radicals caused by our polluted environment and stressful lifestyles. As a result oxidative stress has now been connected to over 70 chronic degenerative diseases.
Nutrition plays an important role in virtually every medical condition. It follows that correcting nutritional imbalances is fundamental to the prevention and treatment of many common conditions.
Nutritional Medicine at Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing
Photo by Emelia Ebejer @emeliaebejer
|
To determine a person’s nutritional status a number of tests and observations may be employed. These include blood tests, urine tests, tongue and nail assessment, and dietary assessment. Nutritional counselling and supplementation if required are some of the treatments used by our holistic nutritionists.
Importantly, vitamins and minerals can be synergistic or antagonistic. Therefore it may be dangerous to supplement with a single vitamin or mineral as each one acts as a catalyst for the absorption of other vitamins and minerals. To be safe it is always advised that supplements be prescribed by a qualified practitioner. Nutritional medicine supplements can be effective used alone or therapeutically combined with a variety of other nutrients. For example probiotics, herbal medicines, homeopathics and fish oils. Taking the correct nutrients at appropriate doses can increase or decrease the levels of important chemicals in the body’s biochemistry. Nutritional medicine has evidence for reducing inflammation, toxicity, managing oxidative stress, correcting hormonal imbalances, improving immune function, altering genetic expression and reducing coagulation of blood. In effect, nutritional medicine may assist in the correction of many underlying biochemical problems that contribute to chronic degenerative disease states. Some of the issues Casey has experience in treating are: |
|
|
At Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing, each person is treated as an individual, with the belief that no two people or two diseases are the same. You can be sure each treatment plan is tailored specifically for you. We view the body as an integrated whole thus the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects are all integrated into our treatment approach.
In line with our Non-Diet, Body Acceptance, Health at Every Size® philosophy we prioritise a focus on WELLBEING rather than WEIGHT in all services and treatments including our nutritional medicine approach.
This makes us extremely unique as one of the only HAES-centred nutritional medicine practitioners in Australia at this time.
This makes us extremely unique as one of the only HAES-centred nutritional medicine practitioners in Australia at this time.
|