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Three levels of nutrition.
I am glad you have found your way to our blog. As a person who is concerned about feeling better, functioning better and improving your overall health and wellness, I hope you will find this information useful. Let us start with a discussion about nutrition which has many depths of understanding and applications. I will discuss the various levels of nutrition. There are three major levels to the understanding of nutrition: general nutrition, clinical nutrition and functional nutrition also known as functional medicine.
General Nutrition
Clinical Nutrition
Functional Nutrition
FIRST LEVEL: General Nutrition, is what you chose to eat and drink. It is the foods you select and nutritional supplements you may consider good for you based on what you have read or heard from others. General nutrition is the intake of nutrients, normally based on the body’s energy and dietary needs, with the "self-selection" of nutritional supplements based on each individual’s choice or guess about what may be needed for health. There are the macro-nutrients of protein, carbohydrate, and fat all which provide energy, along with fiber and water; then there are the micro-nutrients of vitamins and minerals. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that good nutrition is an adequate, well balanced diet combined with regular physical activity and is a cornerstone of good health; while poor nutrition may lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced productivity. Most people today, especially in the Western world, do not eat a well balanced diet, because most foods are lacking proper nutrition due to poor soil conditions, commercial farming technique, as well as processing and packaging methods.
SECOND LEVEL: Clinical Nutrition, is the use of diet and nutritional supplements, in "consultation with a trained physician", to address a health issue, and as a way to enhance health and prevent disease. Clinical nutrition is the application of nutrition by a professional for patients with a health concern in a health care setting. Often this is a cookbook approach of referencing health issues and generically recommended nutritional supplements. This is clinical in the sense that it refers to the management by a physician of patients with a health issue or desire for a better quality of life and wellness.
THIRD LEVEL: Functional nutrition, also known as Functional Medicine, is health care that focuses on optimal functioning of the body and its organs, usually involving the systems of holistic principles of treating the whole body with scientifically based nutrition. Specific therapuetic nutrition is recommended by a physician based on lab studies, like blood work, urinalysis, hormone and stool studies, to measure the physiology of the patient’s body. Then an individualized intervention with quality nutritional supplements is started with periodic follow up to measure response and improvement of acute and chronic health issues.
My desire is to help others with their health care needs. My journey began many decades ago when there was little scientific material available. With the advanced training I have obtained, combined with my first hand experiences with the benefits of these approaches, I wish to share these life changing methods with you. Today there is confusing information coming from every angle and I am here to sort out the scientific, evidence-based and supported data to assist you. I hope to lift the veil of confusion about functional medicine, nutrition and other conservative health care interventions and guide you along your path to improved health. I invite you to contact our office to explore our health care options and begin your journey. Call 636-625-6000 to arrange an appointment.
Dr. Beavers