Personalized, Clinical Nutrition
Dr. Hampton of Arizona Prohealth in Gilbert, AZ has developed a unique and exclusive treatment strategy called IDNS, Identify, Detoxify, Nutrify, Stand by. The third part of IDNS is all about nutrition.
Nutrition is the foundation upon which the entire human organism is built. Generally, good nutrition equals strength and poor nutrition equals weakness. Attempting to build a strong body with poor nutrition is similar to building a house upon a foundation of sand.
The leading nutritional problem in the United States is that people consume far too much of the foods that lack quality nutrients and contain far too many chemicals. Examples include but are not limited to the majority of fast foods, processed foods and many frozen foods.
The excessive consumption of fast foods, processed foods and frozen foods is often referred to as the Standard American Diet (SAD). Although people generally eat plenty of food, it is usually not the kind of food that builds strong bones, provides energy and stimulates a vital immune system.
Many studies have concluded that nearly two thirds of an average American’s diet is composed of unhealthy fats and refined sugars that have minimal or no nutritional value. These dietary habits contribute to nutrient deficiencies even though people are eating more than enough food. The SAD
has been routinely cited by numerous researchers and studies since the 1960’s as a contributing and frequently causative factor in a variety of “killer diseases” including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer, just to name a few.
Most doctors typically only recognize severe nutritional deficiencies such as Beriberi (Vitamin B1), Pellegra (B3/Niacin), Scurvy (Vitamin C), or Rickets (Vitamin D). Fortunately these severe deficiencies are less common today, however, even mild to moderate nutrient deficiencies can be problematic, the symptoms of which may often be subtle, overlapping and greatly varied.
Many times the symptoms of nutritional deficiencies are mistaken as being a normal part of the aging process. However, many symptoms are actually subtle signs that can be responsive to nutrient supplementation and dietary modification.
For example, the symptoms of a B Vitamin deficiency include, insomnia, moods swings, depression, anxiety and fatigue. Oral forms of B Vitamins can be effective in the majority of cases, however most people respond much quicker to the use of intravenous infusions of vitamins that rapidly increase levels of this and other nutrients in the body.
Your specific levels of vitamins, minerals and amino acids can be measured using sophisticated laboratory tests which can help to replenish deficiencies while monitoring treatment progress.
The father of medicine, Hippocrates, is credited with the quote “Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Let Medicine Be Thy Food”. Those were and still are very simple yet profound words.
Everything we put into our mouth in the form of food and drink, including drugs and nutritional supplements, results in changes to our biochemistry and physiology that will either contribute to health or disease.
In today’s fast paced modern lifestyle laden with convenient, preserved, chemical rich food and drink, the need has never been greater to carefully examine the impact our dietary choices have upon our health.
Numerous complex, chronic and difficult cases can begin to resolve be merely supplying the body with the nutrients it so desperately needs. Attempting to restore health and treat illness without addressing one’s nutritional status is similar to expecting high performance from your car’s engine using watered down gasoline. Nutrition is simply that important.