Modern medicine seems to be winning the war against infectious diseases and is good at repairing the body from trauma, these used to be the main causes of ill health and death in western societies. The major cause of ill health and death in the 21st century in the western world is now from degenerative diseases such as coronary artery disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimers and cancer. Modern medicine is less effective against these degenerative diseases because it has a blinkered approach of using drugs to suppress the symptoms and does not to look at the bigger picture of why the disease has come about in the first place. Modern medicine uses drugs to stop a single step in the overall process leading to illness which is ineffectual and has a high risk of side effects. Many people are ill in hospitals from side effects caused by their drug therapy for their original illness, this is called iatrogenic illness. For example painkillers can cause ulcerations and gastrointestinal pain, anti-ulcer drugs can cause impotence and Viagra a treatment for impotence can cause structural damage to the penis. As illustrated with modern medicine you can start with one symptom and end up with a multitude of health problems. This is most evident with the therapies to treat cancer - chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are all debilitating, painful and disfiguring treatments which use a multitude of drugs to combat side effects. This is a typical approach of modern medicine in that it practices crisis management; it waits until the diagnosis then bombards the patient with drugs. This is all too late as by the time the symptoms of degenerative disease appear, the damage has already been done and drugs cannot address this. Modern medicine does not look at the overall picture and asks itself why are people getting these diseases in the first place and how can we prevent them. Degenerative diseases are the result of a mechanism within the body being tipped off balance causing slow deterioration into disease. For example, coronary artery disease happens when the speed of fats being oxidized and deposited in the artery walls is quicker than which the body can remove them. These problems arise when the bodys natural defense mechanisms are undernourished or overloaded. Even a slight imbalance if unchecked will lead to major problems many years down the line. The self-destructive ways that many people now live, tip their bodys scales from self-repair to self-destruction. Nutritional therapy recognizes that the body can self-repair itself over a period of time by increasing vital micro-nutrients, exercising and restricting the intake of harmful substances such as tobacco smoke, sugar, salt and alcohol. It recognizes that prevention is better than cure. A lot of people who look and feel healthy are in fact pre-ill due to their self-destructive lifestyles, which in time will lead to a degenerative illness such as cancer and coronary artery disease. Nutritional therapy addresses the pre-ill problem and rectifies it before it becomes clinical. Most people in the developed world are depleted in most micro-nutrients which will over years develop into ill health; drugs cannot rectify this only good micro-nutrient repletion plan can. The main reasons for why we are depleted in micro-nutrients are: We dont eat enough resulting in less micro-nutrients being consumed. We eat too much process foods that are depleted in micro-nutrients. The soil that animals and plant are raised on is depleted in key minerals which are due to use of intensive farming. Bad habits such as smoking, sunbathing and heaving drinking all deplete the body of anti-oxidants. As we get older we become more depleted in micro-nutrients this is because older digestive systems are less efficient in absorbing them. No one persons nutritional requirements are the same, for example a 60 year old who has been a heavy smoker all his/her life would be different from a teenager who likes to eat junk food. A Nutritional Therapist would analyze each individual nutritional status and then tailor make a dietary plan specifically for him/her.? Nutritional therapy aims at reaching optimum nutritional levels which research shows will protect the body against degenerative diseases. A healthy diet which is rich in vegetables, fruits, soy, oily fish combine with moderate exercise plus cutting out smoking and heavy drinking and adding a good supplement plan will keep the body healthy.? In Dr Paul Claytons book Health Defence he illustrates the complex subject of nutritional defence by visualizing a nine piece jigsaw which once put together will form the bigger picture of a nutritional plan which will defend against degenerative diseases and promote good health.? This is a concise version of his nutritional jigsaw. To protect your cells against free radicals by consuming anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin D, the flavonoids Q10 and the mineral Selenium. To consume Carotenoids such as beta carotene, lutein and lycopene which have anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. To take Flavoniods such as grapeseed extract, green tea extract and pycnogenol which are strong anti-inflammatory and anti-aging agents, these will also protect against heart disease, cancer, asthma and arthritis. To consume Omega 3 oils which are found on oily fish and certain plants, these defend against conditions such as asthma and arthritis. To protect against cancer and help with the menopause take Isoflavones (such as Genistein), they are found in Soy. To help against heart disease and Alzheimers take Betaine. Use pre-biotics such as FOS and inulin to help and protect the bowel against cancer. Take A-Z type multi-vitamin and mineral supplement. To protect the bodys cellular structures take the co-enzyme Q10 and glucosamine.? To conclude, modern medicine waits for something to go wrong then tries to suppress the symptoms by using chemicals that are alien to the body which intern normally causes more problems with side effects. Whereas Nutritional therapy uses compounds that the body is familiar with to repair, support and protect the body against disease and infection. |
