Category: Nutrition

Functional medicine vs traditional medicine, how do they approaches compare? Many people probably have never heard of Functional Medicine, but it is increasing in popularity in the medical field. What exactly is it, and does it work? Keep reading to find out more about how this approach to healthcare is not only growing but works.

Study Comparing Functional Medicine vs Traditional Medicine

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a landmark study about Functional Medicine/Nutrition. The researchers showed this approach provided patients with a significantly better result than those who visited a traditional family healthcare setting. JAMA is one of the most prestigious medical journals! 

The study was a 5-year study that compared 1,595 patients who received Functional Medicine care and 5,657 patients who visited a family health center. All patients had a similar range of chronic health problems.

The Results

The Journal summarized that patients under Functional Medicine care showed improvements in their overall quality of life scores and overall symptom relief. These scores were significantly larger than those who visited the family health center. The data points they looked at were at 6 and 12 months.

Yep, you read that right- significantly better outcomes with Functional Medicine/Nutrition! The results of this study are exciting. The cutting-edge approach helps people who are not getting results with conventional medicine. 

What Is Functional Medicine/Nutrition?

Functional medicine looks to address the root cause of disease instead of just the symptom. It looks at the body as a whole and how each part of the body affects the others. Conventional medicine usually focuses on treating the symptoms and individual parts of the body rather than the whole person. 

Functional Nutrition is the same idea as Functional Medicine. It uses vitamins, herbs, and other nutraceuticals- along with things like diet and exercise to address lifestyle- to help balance the body and restore health.

Which Chronic Conditions Can Functional Nutrition Treat?

The answer to this is MANY! Here are a few:

• Fibromyalgia
• Arthritis
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Hypothyroidism
• Heart Disease
• Hypertension
• Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
• Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease, and other abdominal diseases
• Eczema, Psoriasis, and other skin disorders
• Autoimmune conditions like Multiple Sclerosis and Lupus
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• And More!

Here at Dody Chiropractic Center for Wholeness, we specialize in Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Arthritis, although we can help with many other conditions as well.

If you, or someone you know, suffers from one of these conditions, please give us a call at 303-794-1737 or schedule a FREE evaluation here.

Holistic nutrition is popular among all generations, so a person of any age can benefit from this lifestyle change. However, if you don’t know what it is or how to do it well, you won’t be able to benefit from it.

What is a holistic nutrition plan, and what does it do for you? In other words, why bother? 

On the outside, holistic nutrition looks like eating healthy foods. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that it’s a way for the body to heal and a way for you to help yourself grow as a person.

If you want to learn about what holistic nutrition really is, why it can help you, and how to get started, keep reading below to find out what you need to know.

What Is Holistic Nutrition?

Holistic nutrition is the idea that you can heal and help your body by eating certain foods. It is a type of wellness that focuses on being healthy by approaching nutrition and lifestyle in reference to the whole person.

Basically, if you practice holistic nutrition, you’re eating foods that promote a healthy lifestyle and keep your entire being well. 

You can take holistic nutrition courses to learn even more about this specific type of approach to health. It will help you determine what foods best fit into your plan. 

In addition to that, reading a holistic nutrition guide that goes in-depth about what you should look for and what to expect may be helpful if you are just starting out. 

To find out what specific foods would benefit you most, a holistic nutritionist will create a food plan for you. This plan will account for the foods you like, the foods you’re allergic to, and your lifestyle. A holistic nutritionist is helpful because you get to have a walking and talking resource available to help you along the entire way. 

How Does Nutrition Heal You?

When you eat food, you’re impacting every part of yourself. The things that you decide to put into your body affect your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

A holistic nutrition professional believes that if a person is eating the food that is best for them, they will experience healing in every part of their body. We all know that food satisfies hunger, but it also can help a person feel safe and happy when following the proper nutritional plan.

A good nutrition plan that focuses on a holistic approach can help you:

• Feel better physically and mentally
• Increase your confidence in your health 
• Enhance your sense of belonging
• Increase self-esteem
• Enhance your energy levels
• Feel good about helping yourself
• Increase your quality of sleep

As you can see, a holistic nutrition professional or guide is a great way to be sure that you can reap all of these benefits with the right nutritional plan. 

What Does a Holistic Nutrition Plan Look Like?

Your holistic nutrition guide will help you learn about other benefits of holistic nutrition and healthy eating when you talk about your plan. 

You will be able to learn about the foods that you can have in your diet, potential recipes you may want to try, and how to meal plan within your nutritional goal restrictions. 

Your health professional will also talk to you about other things, including:

• How often you should eat
• How much you should eat at a time
• Planning your meals with mindfulness
• How to enjoy your food more
• Being “in the moment” while eating 
• How to balance your diet over time

A nutrition specialist knows the “ins and outs” of creating a tailored plan for your specific needs. For this reason, working with someone that is aware of how to meet your needs and being honest about your goals is a crucial step in being more holistically healthy. 

Why Not Just Eat Healthy Foods?

You may be wondering why you would need to create a specific holistic nutrition plan when you could just eat clean foods on your own.

This is a valid question, but remember that holistic nutrition focuses on treating the whole body and mind. Eating clean without a plan in mind is healthy, but you aren’t targeting anything specific this way.

Having a plan that explains why you’re eating what you’re eating helps you be sure all of your needs are met. A nutritional specialist will be able to create a plan that is geared toward your specific needs and ensures you get all of the nutrients you need within your diet. 

Holistic Nutrition and Fitness

Anyone that wants to be healthy knows that it is about more than what you eat – it’s also about your activity levels. 

In order to be holistically healthy, you have to have a fitness plan that matches your holistic nutrition plan. This way, your body will use the energy you are giving it in the most efficient way possible.

A holistic nutrition plan is likely going to give you more energy and focus in your daily life. Your body is able to break down whole, clean foods much easier than processed foods and utilize them for maximum potential. 

It’s not always easy to figure out what is best for your body on your own.

If you find that you’re struggling with this specific type of lifestyle, this is yet another reason you may want to consult a nutrition health coach to get some help.

Are You Interested in a More Holistic Approach to Health?

Holistic nutrition isn’t complex, but it is a commitment. Choosing to start a new holistic nutrition plan will make you feel better, and it will benefit your overall well-being. 

We have a nutritional specialist on our staff that can help you on your journey to holistic wellness and health. 

If you’d like to reach out to a chiropractor in Littleton, CO, for more support or to get your questions answered, contact us today. 

Humans spend just over an hour each day consuming food and beverages. During this little bit of time, you can make a massive difference for your entire wellbeing.

People post cookie-cutter diets all over the web, claiming to know the secret. But, how can one plan cater to every unique body?

Holistic nutrition focuses on each individual’s nuances, with the understanding that everybody needs something a little different.

Read on to learn why the holistic approach to nutrition works.

Food Does More Than Curb Hunger

Your body tells you when to eat. Through cravings, it may even tell you what to eat in a roundabout way. But, food does much more than curb the sensation of hunger.

Food consists of the macronutrients protein, carbohydrates, and fat and micronutrients, like sodium, magnesium, potassium, etc. Your body breaks it down and sends crucial elements to fuel energy, create structures, and carry out chemical processes.

What you eat impacts how you function physically, but it also affects your thoughts and feelings.

Many people suffer from skin rashes, inflammation, exhaustion, sleep disorders, and mood swings, all from eating foods that do not agree with their body. On the other hand, you can use specific foods to eliminate all of these symptoms.

Eating “good foods” may help you stay fit. But, eating the foods that fit your needs through a functional nutrition plan maximizes your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Individual Focus

Personalized nutrition takes a full look at the individual, rather than assuming that everybody needs the same thing. Setting aside size and weight, which significantly differs among individuals, people also possess different bone structures, fat compositions, hormone levels, and the mind’s intricacies.

This approach assesses the health of a person’s mind, body, and spirit to feed each personal aspect properly. It looks at what you need first and then translates that into a plan. Taking in precisely what your unique body needs means maintaining wellness.

Proactive Approach

Western approaches to anything health relates typically look at symptoms. But, when you only look for signs and symptoms, you wait for something to go wrong before stepping in.

Functional alternative nutrition takes a proactive approach to wellness. We look at the whole person and the entire body. You can use food to fix ailments that arise. The focus is on preventing illness in the first place, instead of dealing with issues as they arrive, by catering to the needs of the individual. 

Longterm Wellness

Medicines often help you feel better for the moment. However, all medications have side effects or unintended effects that can cause adverse outcomes. Personalized nutrition looks specifically at you as an individual and works to keep you feeling your best.

You do not only use it when you feel sick. Every meal becomes a conscious decision towards living a healthy life; this leaves you with a long-term solution rather than a bandaid fix. We want to use nutrition not only to get you healthy but keep you healthy for a lifetime.

Start Your Holistic Nutrition Plan

Are you living your best life? Holistic nutrition may change the way you answer that question! Eating right means living well.

We see you as a whole human who needs something a little different than anybody else. At our practice, we offer services that take care of the entire body. 

To get more energy, focus, and stamina, please fill out our new patient form and begin your journey to wellness today! 

Do you want to improve your diet? Do you struggle with finding the right meal plan? The U.S. diet and weight loss industry are worth $72 billion with hundreds of different diets out there—no wonder it’s so confusing!

Functional nutrition considers every aspect of each individual’s diet, health, lifestyle, and more to give them the right nutrition recommendations for their body. There are many benefits of functional nutrition that are unexpected such as: 

• no one-size-fits-all diet, 
• getting essential nutrients, 
• gut health is vital, 
• it is not only about food and 
• quality matters.

Keep reading to discover why you should consider functional nutrition in Denver.

Benefit #1: No-Diet Works for All

There’s a reason there are so many diet plans out there; there is no one diet that works for everyone. Your diet needs to change with your age, lifestyle, and health. Functional nutrition plans are personal, so it focuses on the individual patient.

Some people need targeted interventions with specific foods to help treat underlying health issues. Everyone is different, so nutrient plans should differ from person to person.

Benefit #2: Get Essential Nutrients

Your food makes up the building blocks of your body. Nutrients such as probiotics, minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, complex carbohydrates, amino acids, and more keep your body healthy. 

When you give your body what it needs, you are setting your body up to stay healthy. Holistic nutrition plans cater to your body.

Benefit #3: Prioritize Gut Health

More than 80 percent of your immune system is in your gut. By feeding your body the proper food, you can lower your risks for inflammation, infections, autoimmune diseases, and hormone imbalances. 

You need to keep your gut healthy with beneficial bacteria and prevent pathogens and the wrong food from causing issues. Problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and leaky gut tell you that something is wrong. 

Benefit #4: Functional Nutrition Is More Than Food

While it is powerful to eat wholesome food, it is also imperative to know that there is more to your health than what you eat. 

For example, functional medicine dieticians will look at your whole health to treat the entire body, including your sleeping habits, stress levels, and the environment. These factors also play a massive role in your overall wellbeing and health. 

Your stress and sleep can affect how you digest and absorb your food; this means you may not experience optimal health even with the right food. 

Benefit #5: It’s All About Quality

It’s important to know what is in your food. There are substances in our food that weren’t there years ago, such as pesticides, GMO crops, and factory-farmed animal products. The impact can be extreme on your body. 

Just like the gas you put in your car, the quality determines how well it drives. The components of your food dictate how your body runs. Functional nutrition will help you be aware of what to look for to avoid ingredients that can compromise your systems. 

Find Functional Nutrition in Denver

As you can see, functional nutrition has many unexpected benefits to your health. You have the power to take control of your body. With the right diet for your body, you can feel your best. 

If you are looking for help with functional nutrition in Denver, contact Dody Chiropractic Center for Wholeness. One of our friendly staff will help you schedule an appointment or answer your questions. We will work with you and your needs with a personalized, holistic approach.

Did you know that functional nutrition therapy can help your thyroid function optimally? If you want to find out how keep reading.

For the approximately 20 million Americans who endure thyroid diseases, maintaining a healthy weight can be challenging. However, more daunting is the slew of illnesses that they are at increased risk for, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. If you suffer from thyroid disease, you may wonder what you can do. 

One of the increasingly effective methods for treating thyroid issues is nutrition therapy. This article will help you better understand functional nutrition and how it can help those who suffer from health problems. 

What Is the Thyroid Gland?

It is vital to get a general idea of the thyroid’s role in metabolic function to understand how functional nutrition therapy works. The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped organ, is only about two inches large and located in the neck’s front. Though small, it is a major gland in the endocrine system and impacts nearly every organ. 

Some of its primary functions include regulating: 

• fat and carbohydrate metabolism
• respiration
• brain development
• cholesterol levels
• heart and nervous systems
• body temperature
• blood calcium levels
• menstrual cycles
• skin integrity

Hypothyroidism 

Most commonly, individuals suffer from an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), which can be caused by an autoimmune response known as autoimmune thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s disease. This response occurs because the body mistakenly identifies its tissues as intruders and attacks them until the organ is damaged. 

This autoimmune response inhibits the thyroid from releasing sufficient levels of hormones T3 and T4. These hormones are necessary to keep the body functioning correctly. A lack of them can slow down the metabolism, leading to weight gain, difficulty concentrating, hair loss, dry skin, and other frustrating symptoms. 

Hyperthyroidism

Another common thyroid condition is an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), sometimes a result of Graves’ disease. It is is another autoimmune disease that causes the body to produce too much T3 and T4 hormones. Symptoms include weight loss, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and diarrhea. 

Standard Treatment for Thyroid Disorders

Doctors usually treat hypothyroid patients with levothyroxine, a human-made version of T4. This medicine can help patients see some improvement when given the right dose. However, this approach only manages the symptoms and doesn’t get to the root of the problem.

Doctors rarely use nutrition to treat the source of thyroid problems. For example, patients with hypothyroidism that are overweight, have high blood pressure, and chronic fatigue may be prescribed a DASH diet and instructed to cut their calories. They might lose some weight, but this approach is not enough to resolve thyroid concerns like fatigue. 

What Is Functional Medicine and Functional Nutrition? 

On the other hand, functional medicine is a very personal approach that works to get to the root of the illness by examining the patient’s history and triggers. Scientific evidence supports that the body has an immense ability to heal when given what it needs, which is the goal of functional medicine. 

A registered dietician practices functional nutrition by treating the root cause of many autoimmune diseases like some thyroid conditions. These are typically related to inflammation, leaky gut, or micronutrient deficiencies. By treating these, the healing process can begin, and thyroid function will improve naturally. 

How Functional Nutritionists Help to Improve the Thyroid 

When you meet with your functional nutrition provider, they will ask you about your symptoms and help you identify your triggers. They will also take specific nutrition blood work and tests to understand better what is happening in your body. These might include: 

• micronutrient testing
• antibody testing
• gluten sensitivity testing
• sensitivity to other foods
• organic acids
• microbiome analysis
• genomics

With the information acquired in the tests, your nutritionist will better understand what nutritional deficiencies you have. It is common to see patients with thyroid diseases with several nutritional deficiencies, including vitamin D, magnesium, iodine, iron, and more. For this reason, your nutritionist will carefully analyze which supplements you need to address these deficiencies. 

They will also target and eliminate food sensitivities and triggers like dairy, soy, gluten, or corn to treat inflammation. They will then reduce the leaky gut, which is when antigens, pathogens, viruses, and bacteria pass through the stomach wall and into the bloodstream. When this happens, it can trigger the immune response, such as those in autoimmune disorders. 

So, what causes leaky gut? An overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine can cause imbalances in the microbiome. It occurs for the following reasons: 

• chronic stress
• food intolerance
• gluten
• nutrition-depleted diets
• medications like antibiotics, steroids, and birth control pills.  

By treating leaky gut, inflammation, and micronutrient deficiencies, your body will be able to replace toxins with necessary antioxidants and nutrients, restore gut function, and reintroduce probiotics.

So, as you can see there are many ways functional nutrition can help your thyroid.

Foods Used in Nutrition Therapy

Since food plays such an essential role in improving thyroid function, it’s vital to rethink your diet. While seeing a nutritionist is necessary to know which foods you should be eating or avoiding, doctors recommend these foods to hypothyroidism patients. 

• Minimally Processed Foods: To know if something is minimally processed, look at the packaging ingredients. If the food contains more than ten components or you can’t identify their source, it is best to avoid this food. 
• Homemade Broth: To heal gut imbalances, many dieticians recommend making homemade broth as it is rich in nutrients.
• Seaweed: Since it is high in iodine, which is essential for thyroid hormone production, you should consider implementing it in your diet. 
• Fermented Foods: Food like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and kimchi are good for gut health, as they are probiotics.
• Water: Drinking enough water is essential when dealing with thyroid issues. It will help you to counteract the side effects of an underactive thyroid and get rid of harmful toxins. 

Functional Nutrition in Denver, CO

If you think functional nutrition can help your thyroid and you are looking for a functional medicine practitioner in the Denver area? We can help. At Dody Chiropractic Center for Wholeness, we offer nutrition therapy, so you can significantly improve your quality of life and get to the root of your thyroid disease.

Want to improve your thyroid function naturally? Get in touch with us now directly from the bottom of our website or by calling our office!

Are you choosing a safe multivitamin? We rely on multivitamins and other supplements to provide nutrients that we are not getting from our diets, so choosing the right multivitamin is incredibly important.

The overflowing supplement shelves in supermarkets and health food stores do not make this task any easier. These supplements are often generic vitamins that don’t offer much nutritional value and are not very high quality. This problem makes it even more important to choose a high-quality vitamin and know how it is processed.

How Does Your Multivitamin Stack Up?

Learning how to choose the right and safe multivitamin for you can involve some work and research. First, you should look at the ingredients in the vitamin you are considering…but do you know what to look for? By glancing at all the labels on the vitamins, many can look the same. However, the vitamins you find at the supermarket and health food stores often use cheap, synthetic ingredients that are not absorbed by the body very well and are usually stuffed with fillers that do nothing for your health. At best, these ingredients lack nutritional value and, at worst, are harmful to your health!

You may think picking up supplements at a pharmacy or bix-box store would get you a good quality supplement. Think again! These, too, are usually filled with cheap ingredients, fillers, and sometimes even artificial ingredients. These will not deliver high-quality, bioavailable vitamins to your body.

Quality Matters In Safe Multivitamins

Different vitamins have different formulations and are complex chemical compounds and minerals. High-quality vitamins are those that include micronutrients that are effective and bioavailable. Figuring out the quality of vitamins usually involves some research and maybe even some digging. It consists of looking at the raw ingredients, where the ingredients are sourced, and how they are processed. You should also learn a bit about the company that makes the vitamins and their standards. These things all make a big difference when it comes to finding a quality and safe multivitamin.

It can take a lot of time and effort to go through all this information, as usually, it is not easily found on the bottle or the company’s website. Let us help you with this! We have already done all the digging and vetting for the company we recommend, Xymogen. Xymogen’s ActivNutrients is their multivitamin that we recommend. We also include some of the things to look for, specifically when you choose a vitamin.

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Vitamin B12

Avoid Cyanocobalamin: This is a synthetic form of Vitamin B12 and made from cyanide! Many manufacturers use it because it is cheap, but it is also poorly absorbed. 

To read more about Vitamin B12 and Cyanocobalamin, check out Why Do Vitamin B12 Supplements Contain Cyanide?

Look For Methylcobalamin: This form is not made with cyanide and is better absorbed, especially if you have an MTHFR gene mutation.

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Folate (Vitamin B9)

Avoid Folic Acid: This form is not absorbed well. In addition, many people have the MTHFR gene mutation, which prevents an enzyme from working. This enzyme is needed to break down this vitamin properly.

Look For Methylfolate (5-methyltetrahydrofolate): This is absorbed by the body well, even for those with the MTHFR gene mutation.

 

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Magnesium

Avoid: Some multivitamins do contain magnesium; however, not enough. This is because magnesium is bulky, so adding the correct dosage to the vitamin would make it too big. For this reason, it is best to supplement with magnesium separately. 

Look For Chelated Magnesium: This form is bioavailable. Magnesium has many, many benefits in the body, and most people are deficient.

 

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Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Avoid: This should not be included in your multivitamin. It is best to take this separately. Many fish oils contain heavy metals and pesticides. Furthermore, some are hard to digest, giving you a “fishy” aftertaste/breath.

Look For: A high-quality fish oil with responsible and clean sourcing without the toxins the cheap brands have. Look for a product that is easily and fully absorbed. Omega MonoPure has been proven in tests to be 3x more absorbable and is a very well-sourced and clean product.

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Conclusion of Choosing a Safe Multivitamin

These are some tips and tricks to help you find a safe multivitamin and generally the best supplements. Taking high-quality supplements that are well formulated makes a huge difference! 

If you don’t want to go through all the time and trouble to vet the supplements yourself, don’t worry! We have already done a deep dive into Xymogen’s products and have found that they meet the highest standards. In addition, they have very synergistic formulas and patented formulas you won’t find anywhere else. All of their products are highly bioavailable and are processed carefully, preserving their potency. You can check out their products here.

If you have any questions or would like to find a personalized supplement program for you, please give us a call at 303-794-1737 or schedule an appointment here.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy:

What Is Functional Nutrition?

Natural Immune System Modulators

Did you know that according to a recent study, over 75% of Americans are not eating a nutrient-dense diet? Nutritional deficiencies can cause a type of malnutrition. Malnutrition is a serious problem with long-term effects, such as chronic health problems and weaker immune systems.

People often overlook routine blood chemistry panels, but standard blood tests are essential. After all, they can tell you about your health, what you need to improve, and if you have nutritional deficiencies in your current diet.

Keep reading, and we will walk you through what you need to know and how you can make improvements to your lifestyle.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional deficiency is when the body isn’t getting enough nutrients. This includes vitamins and minerals. Your body requires vitamins to stay healthy and to function.

Vitamins are in the foods we eat, but this is not always enough. This is true, especially today, when the soil is less fertile than ever before. People that have certain conditions or lack in some natural vitamins need to compensate with extra supplements.

Vitamin deficiencies are more common than you think. Always consult with a health professional before adding a new supplement to your diet.

Chronic undernutrition affects more than 925 million people in the world. 

If you face malnutrition, you will lose weight, your body can lose its normal functions, and your body fat and muscle can deteriorate.

Malnutrition can cause organ failure, poor wound healing, and other conditions.

 Malnutrition can cause serious health problems, such as stunting your growth, eye problems, and chronic conditions.

You want to make sure your body has the right amount of nutrition. You also want to make sure you’re getting all the vitamins and nutrients you need.

Routine blood tests will help test your nutrition levels. It is essential to get a physical every year, but it’s equally as crucial that you get your blood tested as well.

Why Routine Blood Tests Are Important

Getting a comprehensive blood chemistry panel is an important way to keep track of your physical health and well-being. It’s an efficient and cost-effective general blood screening test.

The panel will help you understand your current condition, and from there, you will work with us to create a customized plan to meet your body’s needs to stay healthy.

Though this isn’t the same type of blood panel that your medical doctor will request, it’s vital for your body’s wellness, and will still show you more in-depth information about your nutrition levels and what your body needs.

At Dody Chiropractic Center for Wholeness, we provide a comprehensive blood chemistry panel and an in-depth report of your results. We look beyond what blood test results would say are “normal” and dig deeper into the chemical imbalances in your body.

Our goal is to bring your body back into a balanced state. We will come up with a plan together on how to do this, and we will help you every step of the way.

How do you get started? It begins with a phone consultation before you get your blood drawn. Afterward, you will receive an in-depth report, and you’ll learn more about what the numbers mean and what changes you can make.

Flaws in Standard Blood Tests

How other places find their average ranges for routine blood tests are often flawed. They aren’t always accurate because current averages are calculated by looking at 100-200 people tested recently at that lab.

Averages aren’t set by one central lab or multiple working together to get the most accurate results. They are set by each lab individually, which poses the problem of not having a proper sample size.

The lab takes the average number from the lab results for the clinical range and finds high and low marks. Using high and low deviations, they find the normal range.

Another error in this system is that people usually get a blood test because they already have a health problem. This adds to the calculations being off of what is considered healthy. In addition, we look at the “healthy” ranges for biomarkers whereas your doctor will look at “normal” ranges.

Here at Dody Chiropractic Center for Wholeness, we look to help you find the underlying cause of the nutritional deficiencies and fix it. We aim to decrease medications, if possible, to relieve any symptoms you’re having and bring wellness and harmony to your body.

You can start small with health goals that help improve your body’s imbalances. We can help walk you through the best plan for you and your body.

Achieve Your Health Goals

Blood work can also be your guide to find the right diet and fitness routine. You want to make sure you take your blood work into account, so your diet or fitness routine is best for your body.

It can also be a guide for what supplements you should include in your diet. In some cases, taking too many supplements can be harmful, as it can cause overcorrections.

That’s why you should consult a professional to help guide you on what supplements to choose and how much to take per day. Routine blood tests are the starting point that can restore balance in your diet.

After the tests, you can work toward your health goals. By choosing the right diet and getting the proper nutrition levels, it can help improve your skin, hair, nails, and improve the function of your body.

Your health goals can start small. This includes changing your diet, incorporating more healthy foods, and eating well-balanced meals. They can also include exercising, such as going on walks, biking, or even running.

Schedule Your Routine Blood Check Today

Now that we’ve gone through the benefits of why you should get routine blood tests, it’s time to schedule your appointment.

We are a holistic wellness center that aims to help people improve their health and quality of life.

A comprehensive blood panel will help keep you healthy and maintain your body function and nutrition levels. The test makes sure that you are taking care of any imbalances and avoiding future health issues.

Schedule your blood work today. Contact us to get a 15-minute consultation, and ask any questions about how getting your blood tested will help your health.

Functional nutrition, what is it? You need to know! This article will walk you through the basics of functional nutrition and how it has the potential to change your health forever! 

Most of us know what it’s like to be stuck in a dieting cycle that never seems to end. Maybe the goal is to lose weight, or have more energy, or even to reduce gastrointestinal issues. Whatever your reason, the constant adjusting and readjusting of one’s diet can be exhausting. 

It’s time to put an end to the dieting cycle and start eating for health and wellbeing.

So stop with the one size fits all such as fasting and the low-carb and the no-dairy nonsense. Try something that will actually make you feel better—functional nutrition.

 

What Is Functional Nutrition?

Functional nutrition was developed based on the ideas of functional medicine. Functional medicine is a unique way of treating and preventing illness. This method addresses the whole self, not just the apparent symptoms.

For example, say you went to visit your doctor because you were experiencing flu-like symptoms. They might send you home with a prescription and check in with you after a few days.

But with functional medicine, the doctor would try to address why you developed these symptoms in the first place. Was it stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, or some combination of those things? The doctor would then try to address those underlying issues from all body systems. 

The goal of functional medicine is not only to cure any existing issues but to prevent future ones.

These same principles can be applied to nutrition. Functional nutrition is a highly personalized plan of eating for health. Functional nutrition is all about using food as medicine, mainly to help a person increase their health and wellness.

How Does It Work?

Now you know the basics—functional nutrition is based on functional medicine, aiming to treat all body systems. It does this by addressing the root cause of the symptoms rather than the symptoms themselves.

So now, let’s review how functional nutrition works in practice.

A person visits their doctor complaining of abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and bloating. While a standard diet or nutrition expert may suggest a particular meal plan, a functional medicine dietician would likely run more tests.

They may try food sensitivity testing or other labs to learn more about your individual system. Then they can use the tests to see how your body responds to certain foods. These types of tests can narrow down which foods or additives are causing the body to react negatively.

Additionally, a functional medicine dietician can test for specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies that could contribute to your symptoms. 

A functional medicine dietician may recommend an elimination diet. An elimination diet is when you cut out certain foods to determine whether they may be the culprit of your health issues.

Then, the functional medicine practitioner might suggest certain supplements or foods that will replenish levels of vitamins or minerals that may have been missing from your diet.

Once your functional medicine dietician has established the right diet for you, they may want to dive deeper into other lifestyle conditions. 

Sleep, stress, activity level, and other factors can make have an effect on how and when you experience certain symptoms. Therefore, functional nutrition aims to address these factors, as well.

Increasing sleep and activity level while reducing stress may have just as big of an impact on symptoms as the foods you consume. 

How Is This Approach To Nutrition Unique?

Maybe you have already sought help from a professional for your gastrointestinal or other gut health issues. How would seeing a functional nutrition expert be any different from that?

Here’s how!

1. Treating the Whole Person-

   A functional nutrition practitioner’s ultimate goal is to help you alleviate your symptoms. But more than that, they want to make sure you are holistically well. They believe that each of the body systems is interconnected. So, in order to promote optimal wellness, functional nutrition advises on diet and lifestyle conditions.

2. A Personalized Approach –

   Functional nutrition is all about personalized care. No two people are exactly alike—even if their symptoms are the same. Functional nutrition diet plans take into consideration everything that makes you unique.

   This approach increases the likelihood that you can find a sustainable, long-term solution to your health issues.

3. Different Models For Care-

   Functional nutrition practitioners use unique systems and models in practice -for example, the functional medicine matrix. The matrix is made up of various sections, each of which addresses factors that contribute to your health. 

   The 5-R protocol is another common tool used by functional nutritional practitioners. This protocol is defined by the following steps: remove, replace, repopulate, repair, and rebalance. It describes the way in which a functional nutrition practitioner would study and treat a person with gastrointestinal issues.

Where Can I Get Personalized Nutritional Services?

If you are interested in getting a consult with a functional nutrition practitioner, there a few places you can look. There are independent dieticians that are experts in functional nutrition as well as groups that use functional medicine, including functional nutrition.

Centers for wellness may be another good place to look. When you are looking for functional nutrition services, check out testimonials from other patients to see what you can expect. 

When you meet with a functional nutrition practitioner, feel free to ask any questions you may have. They can walk you through the testing and treatment processes.

Now That You Know What Functional Nutrition Is, What Are You Waiting For?

Now that you know much more about what functional nutrition is, it is time to take action. If you have consistently struggled with diet, GI issues, or nutrition-related illnesses, it is time to try functional nutrition.

Now that you can answer the question, what is functional nutrition, it is time to experience the benefits for yourself. Find a functional nutrition expert in your area and contact them today!

If you want more information on functional nutrition and overall wellness promotion, check out our other blogs!

Did you know that many of the vitamin B12 supplements contain small amounts of cyanide? Many people assume that the mass market vitamin manufacturers have your best interest in mind when developing and selling products. Roaming the aisles in the store, you will find thousands of “natural” products in this category that you may not think twice about what is in them. However, after taking a closer look, you will find a dark side of this industry, especially supplement companies that are owned by the pharmaceutical giants like Bayer.

How Is Cyanide Found In Vitamin B12?

The form of vitamin b12 used in nearly all mass-market vitamins is called cyanocobalamin. This is a cyanide-based form of b12 and it is the most common form found on the market! Unknown to most consumers, cyanocobalamin is found in a wide range of vitamins and foods as a synthetic additive.

This form of b12 is used because it is so cheap. This form is made via total chemical synthesis, from mammalian tissue, or recovered from activated sewage sludge! Ew- gross! Another reason why it is used is that it is quite stable and won’t easily perish.

How Does Cyanide Affect B12?

However, despite most vitamin manufacturers using this form, it is not the ideal form of vitamin b12. This is because the cyanide must be removed from the cobalamin in order for the cobalamin to perform its biological roles in the body.

People with a higher toxic body burden or higher cyanide exposure are less likely to be able to properly detoxify the additional toxins, such as the cyanide they consume through their supplements. This could be quite dangerous as the body’s toxic burden will eventually hit a threshold where it will no longer be able to handle any more toxins of any kind.

It is quite interesting that cyanocobalamin is listed in the government’s toxicity database as generally known or suspected to cause serious health problems. Cyanocobalamin is also on the list of toxins that the EPA must regulate, set a standard for, and try to reduce or eliminate.

So, what should you do?

There are severe consequences of vitamin b12 deficiency though as well.  Luckily there is another form of vitamin b12 and the ideal form for supplementation is methylcobalamin. This form is typically more expensive. However, you are getting a natural, biologically available form of vitamin b12 without any toxins! This form is able to absorb under the tongue and is also a methyl donor.

After much research, we have found this vitamin b12 to be the best on the market! And no, it does NOT contain any cyanide!

Please contact us at Dody Chiropractic Center for Wholeness if you have any questions regarding vitamin b12 supplementation!