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Nutritional Therapy and Chiropractic

What is Nutritional Therapy?

Simply put, Nutritional Therapy is use of whole foods and whole food concentrates to clinical potency to restore and maintain health. Dr. Lawson utilizes whole food supplements.

The products are available only through health care professionals.

The Importance of Whole Food Supplements

As a nation, we eat poor-quality foods that have been stripped of nutrients. We do not consume enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Many of us get our whole grains from instant rice, refined wheat breads, pastas, and cereal. We eat a tremendous amount of prepackaged, pre-made meals. One-quarter of Americans eat at fast food restaurants each day. Americans are overfed and undernourished.

We eat plenty but we are still starving.

The foods we eat are not providing our bodies with the nutrition it needs to survive and be healthy.

We are starving our bodies and we are sick. We suffer from diabetes, heart attacks, obesity, and the list goes on and on.

There is good news

Given proper nutrition, the human body has an amazing ability to heal itself. If properly fed and given the right nutrients, the human body is designed to repair itself. To do so, we need to eat a healthier diet, exercise, and take high-quality supplements made from whole foods. Whole food supplements supply our bodies with nutrients we are not getting from our diet, all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, and phytonutrients that foods possess in a way that nature intended, in a whole food form. Only whole food supplements complete the nutritional gap.

Whole food supplements are made by concentrating foods for use in supplements. When processed correctly, they supply a multitude of the plant's components. Foods provide nutrients that work synergistically. They work together to provide you with optimal nutrition for good health.

A word of advice: Not all whole food supplements are the same . Many whole food supplements available in today's marketplace range in quality. Companies are riding the wave of supplement popularity rather than focusing on commitment and quality.

Understanding Supplement Labels

Two Basic Types of Nutritional Supplements

Brand A (whole food supplement)

Whey (milk) protein powder, flax meal powder, brown rice protein powder, calcium citrate, magnesium citrate, buckwheat juice powder, Brussels sprouts (whole plant), kale, choline bitartrate, inositol, barley grass, alfalfa juice powder, soybean lecithin powder, grape (seed) extract (includes Masquelier's® OPC-85; 98% total phenolic compounds; 65% proanthocyanidins), carrot powder, and red wine extract (95% total phenols).

Brand B (isolate-based supplement)

Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Chloride, Cellulose, Ascorbic Acid, dl-alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Acacia, Croscarmellose Sodium, Zinc Oxide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Stearic Acid, Dextrin, Titanium Dioxide, Niacinamide, Silicon Dioxide, Hypromellose, Gelatin, Soy Extract, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Silicate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Polyethylene Glycol, Corn Starch, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Mannitol, Cupric Oxide, Resin, Lecithin, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Acetate, Chromium Chloride, Folic Acid, Dextrose, Beta Carotene, FD&C Red #40 Lake, FD&C Blue #2 Lake, Sodium Selenate, Biotin, Phytonadione, Cyanocobalamin, Ergocalciferol.

In Brand A, vitamins and nutrients are derived mainly from recognizable food sources. In Brand B, the vitamins and nutrients are man-made chemical isolates not recognized as food sources.

There are many different kinds of supplements on the market, and it can be very confusing to determine the true value of a supplement. Understanding the label will help you know if you are taking a quality supplement.

Where do the nutrients come from?

Look at the ingredients on the food label. Do you recognize any of them? Just like any other food label, the nutrients are listed in a particular order and some manufacturers put the source next to the nutrient. In a quality, wholesome product, you will recognize and be able to pronounce most of the ingredients on the label.

What is the importance of whole food ingredients?

Only whole food ingredients can provide you with all the nutrients contained within the food, rather than just isolated components. For example, in brand B (left) the sixth ingredient is dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate. This is not a food ingredient. It is an isolated component of the vitamin E complex. If you were to take a supplement with just dl-alpha tocopheryl, you would be missing at least five other important nutrients as well as hundreds of other nutrients that occur within the whole vitamin E complex. These nutrients are only available by consuming natural, whole food forms of vitamin E, such as wheat germ oil, pea vine, green leafy vegetables, nuts, sunflower seeds.

To be effective, don't I need to get at least 100% of the daily value?

We often think that more is better. However, when choosing supplements, quality is far more important than quantity. A small amount of a vitamin in whole food form is far more effective in the human body than a large dose of an isolated vitamin. This is because the isolated form is just a fraction of the whole and is missing important nutrients that the body needs. Taking more of the isolated form will not make up for its deficiencies. The only supplements that contain the entire whole food complex are whole food supplements.

Quality of Ingredients

Just like any recipe, the quality of the ingredients you use affects the quality of the final product. Therefore, it's important to answer all these questions when evaluating a supplement and its effectiveness.

Where do the ingredients come from?

Manufacturers who grow many of their ingredients have the unique ability to control the quality of the ingredient from seed to supplement. Some manufacturers own certified organic farms to further enhance the quality of their ingredients.

When are ingredients processed?

When you buy a tomato, you inspect it for quality. You wouldn't knowingly buy one that was mushy and bruised. This same principle holds true for when ingredients are prime for harvest. Different foods reach their peak nutrient value during different times within the growing season. Pea vine, for example, is at its peak during the flowering stage. Once harvested, food begins to lose its value. It is perishable like the tomato. If there is a delay of hours, days, or months from when an ingredient is harvested to when it's processed, many of its very delicate phytonutrients are lost.

Are the ingredient's vital factors retained?

Each ingredient has its own set of rules in relation to how to best extract and package its vital life. The manufacturing process needs to retain the vital nutrients within the ingredients. Too much heat will destroy enzymes and phytonutrients. The manufacturer should use a low-temperature, high-vacuum process to make sure that the ingredient's nutrients are preserved.

Do you have any questions or concerns about how Nutritional Therapy and Chiropractic can help your problem? Contact Us or call Dr. Lawson DC directly at 858-576-6329. He will be happy to answer your questions and set up a prompt appointment.

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