Designed Nutrition for Your Personal Needs

Have you read about certain vitamins or minerals that are good for you but are confused because “what’s good for you” changes all the time? Are you carrying around grocery bags full of vitamins but unsure if they are working for you? I understand your confusion and want to help. I can help you with a personalized health and nutrition program. This program will be custom designed for you.

The whole food vitamin supplements that I use in my office are nature’s own medicine whose purpose is to give your body the nourishment it needs not only to function optimally but also to help your repair and rebuild itself. The body is a self healing organism and is designed to be well! Wellness is our natural state.

How do I know what your body needs? I use a detailed health history form plus I do a comprehensive health exam that incorporates the body’s own neurological reflexes to help me identify your body’s health priorities and needs. These reflexes convey information on energy flow and vitality (or lack) for every organ and function of the body. I am not looking for diseases but functional imbalances that are preventing you from feeling good.

With the information learned from the health exam, I am able to make detailed and specific nutritional recommendations for you. This eliminates confusion surrounding what supplements you should take. I may also ask you to keep a food diary because even the best nutritional program can be derailed with a poor diet.

It’s important to distinguish between “over the counter” vitamins and whole food vitamins. “Over the counter” vitamins are synthetic, dead chemicals created in a lab and are only fractions of the vitamin. Vitamins are living complexes that contain cofactors, enzymes, phytonutrients and mineral activators in them that allow the body to process and use them. Because “over the counter” vitamins are only fractions of vitamins, they lack these synergistic components. Since your body can’t process the fractionated vitamin without the synergistic components, your body has to supply them. This can result in further depleting your body and essentially robbing it of what it needs to function.

It’s important to remember that the body is dynamic and ever changing. Also, as the body is increasingly nourished with improved function, your body’s needs may change. Therefore, it is important to be monitored on a regular basis.

Some suggested reading material for you include

Why Do I Need Whole Food Supplements and

Going Back to the Basics of Human Health.

I have them in my office if you’d like to look at them.

I’d love to help you regain control over your health and feel good about the vitamins and

minerals you are taking. Call the office at 919.845.3280 for more information. Be Well!

Back to School!

It’s getting to be that time of year! As you are preparing your children for school, it’s important to get them off to the right start with proper nutrition for their minds and their bodies! When working with children I recommend several whole food nutritional supplements.

1. Chewable Catalyn: This is a pleasant tasting multiple vitamin, mineral and trace mineral concentrate for children who have trouble swallowing pills. Teenagers can benefit from regular Catalyn.


2. Tuna Omega 3 Chewable: This balanced source of DHA and EPA essential fatty acids is essential for brain and nervous system health as well as vision health. The orange flavor passes muster with even finicky eaters.


3. Calcium Lactate Powder: Calcium in necessary for proper bone growth and strength plus is an essential nutrient for the nervous and immune systems.


4. Min Tran: A source of minerals that children need for balanced nervous system function. Minerals are calming to the mind and body. Other things to keep in mind that children need for proper mind and body development include:

• Children need fat in their diet. Fat is essential for a developing healthy brains and nervous system. Nuts and seeds are an excellent snack and pack a nutritional punch with their balanced protein, fat and carbohydrate content. Almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds are excellent choices. Coconut oil is a great addition to breakfast smoothies.


• Never give carbohydrates alone. Children need sustained energy and carbohydrates given alone will only feed hyperactivity and the inability to focus. If you give your child an apple or a banana, give then some nuts and seeds, nut butter, or a slice of deli meat along with the fruit to keep their energy fires stoked.


• I make numerous types of low carbohydrate “granola” or nut and seed bars. I get a lot of inspiration from blogs. A few of my favorites include:

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

http://www.elanaspantry.com/

http://www.cookingtf.com/

Contact CCW’s Wellness Coordinator, Jennifer Campbell at ccwwellness@gmail.com for additional recipe ideas.

Children’s Health: Growing Pains

Although children may commonly experience “growing pains,” it is not normal. Most commonly it is a mineral deficiency, mostly calcium. Most of the calcium in the body resides in the bones. In fact, 99% of the calcium in the human body can be found on bones. However, there is 1% that stays in the blood and is responsible for a variety of functions. These functions include maintaining the immune and nervous system and enabling muscle contraction.

When a child does not have enough calcium “growing pains” can result. These pains occur when joint ends grow too quickly and there isn’t enough calcium to keep up. Similarly, another consequence of insufficient calcium is muscle cramps.

Restoring good calcium levels is critical to resolving the joint pain or muscle cramps. Not only is the right calcium important but also, the body needs appropriate essential fatty acids to drive the calcium into the muscles or bones. The best calcium is Calcium Lactate. It is extremely bio-available which means that it only goes through one enzymatic process so the body can use it. Other forms of calcium require between 3 and 13 different processes before the body can use it. Calcium Lactate is quick and effective.


I also use Cataplex F tablets as a calcium mobilizer. Cataplex F is a source of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids that transports calcium from the blood into the tissues. And lastly when treating children with “growing pains” or muscle cramps, I use the natural mineral tranquilizer called Min Tran. Min Tran contains numerous minerals, of which many children are deficient. Additionally, Min Tran is a natural calming agent.

Your Child's Health

The statistics are startling. By 2004, approximately 10 million children had been diagnosed with asthma with another 9 million being diagnosed with allergies. The childhood obesity rate has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Stomach pain is now the most common reason for a pediatric office visit. Spending on psychotropic drugs for the treatment of depression and psychosis in children has increased 49% recently. And lastly, autism is currently the fastest growing developmental disability, with a current growth rate of 10-17% annually. This means austism affects 1 in 150 children.

What’s going on? The reasons behind these escalating children’s health issues are numerous and specific to the individual children. Because of that, deciding how to evaluate and treat a child can be confusing.

In my years of practice, the number of pediatric patients I treat continues to rise. For that reason, I’d like to offer some thoughts on how I evaluate and treat children. As with any patient I see in the office, it’s important to look at the whole child, not just the symptoms. Only through addressing the root causes of a child’s illness will allow the body to heal itself.
Some tools I use in the office include:

1. Youth Health History Questionnaire: this form seeks to illustrate specific foundational issues a child is experiencing.
2. Symptom Survey: this form is a detailed examination of symptoms as they relate to various body systems such as blood sugar handling, digestion, and hormone dysfunction.
3. 7 Day Food Diary: this form helps identify excess of deficiencies of certain foods plus issues associated with hydration and meal/snack timing.
4. Iodine Patch test: this test is an inexpensive and simple tool to evaluate the iodine status of a child
5. Saliva testing: these non-invasive tests help to identify imbalances in a child’s stress hormones but also common food allergies. Saliva is a more affordable option than blood testing as well as no blood draw.
6. Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis: this test evaluates the functions and relationships of 11 different minerals that are necessary for basic body functions. This test also evaluates for heavy metal toxicities.

I have found these tests to yield the best, most comprehensive information on how to address a child’s health issues. Please contact the office if you’d like more information.