Nutritional Empowerment - Causes of Nutritional Deficiencies

Poor Digestion and Absorption of Nutrients

Low HCl in stomach – Can’t get iron, B12, calcium
Lack of enzymes - Can’t break food down
Toxic bowel – Food Intolerances, Test with Food Intolerance Test

Food intolerances are the cause of food allergies and toxic bowel.
Each of us has a lack of enzymes to digest certain foods, we are just not aware of which ones until we do this test.
When we have intolerances, and each those foods, then the contents of the gut putrify and can cause damage.
This then leads to leaky gut and we bring food particles into the blood stream and create an immune response against them.
– Poor functioning gastroitestinal tract,
Test with Stool analysis - look for dysbiosis, increase in bad bacteria, deficiency in good bacteria, decreased immune function of gut.

Stress - Fight or Flight mode

Leads to poor digestion
Need to balance adrenals
Test with Adrenal Stress Index by Diagnostechs

Parasites

Nutrional Interferences

Phytates – found in unsprouted seeds and grains and forms a complex with many minerals:

calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, zinc. – Sprouted grains contain phytase which breakdown phytates.

Oxalates – uncooked Spinach , reduce abs of Ca, Fe
Coffee and Black Tea tannins, – manganese, fiber, calcium, magnesium
Phosphates (soda/pop) can decrease iron absorption.
Zinc interferes with copper absorption
Vitamin C enhances iron absorption

Drugs and Nutrition

Metformin and Tagemet – interfere with B12 absorption.

Antacids – decrease B12, iron, calcium absorption and protein digestion.

Hydrochlorothiazide diuretics – deplete sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc.

Loop diuretics (Furosemide) – deplete sodium

Alcohol – depletes thiamine, folate, B6, Vitamin A, zinc.

ASA/NSAIDS – can cause iron deficiency anemia from bleeding, damage gastrointestinal lining

Birth control pills – Deplete B6, Vit C

Statistics from the USDA

Some of the differences in vitamin and mineral content from 1975 to 2000

50% drop in the amount of calcium in broccoli
Watercress down 88% in iron content
Cauliflower down 40% in vitamin C
Vitamin C in sweet peppers has plummeted from 128 mg to 89 mg.
Vitamin A in apples has dropped from 90 mg to 53 mg.

Nutritional Deficiency Research

“90% of women and 71% of men get less than the RDA for vitamin B6." - From Dietary vitamin B-6 intake and food sources in the US population: NHANES II, 1976-1980. Kant AK, et al. 1990.

We need B6 to make Serotonin!!

“People with low levels of retinol, beta-carotene, vitamin E and selenium are more likely to get cancer." - From Serum retinol, beta-carotene, vitamin E and selenium as related to subsequent cancer of specific sites. Comstock GW, et al. Am J Epidemiol 135:115-21, 1992.

“Supplemental vitamin D reduces the risk of colon cancer by 50% compared to dietary vitamin D which reduces it 12%." - From Calcium, vitamin D, and dairy foods and the occurrence of colon cancer in men. Kearney J, et al. Am J Epidemiol 143:907-17, 1996.

We Need Supplements

Considering the information above, there are good reasons to take supplements.
Many apparent genetic or chronic diseases can be due to nutrient deficiencies.

The bioavailability of the nutrients is increased if you buy high quality supplements that only naturopathic doctors can prescribe. IV nutrients are available also for those who want an immune boost or are more depleted.

Food produced by factory farms can be unpredictible when it comes to nutrient content and bioavailability. www.consumerlabs.com is a good place to compare different brands claims to their actual content of the vitamins.

Health Conditions - How specific nutrition can help – Three Examples

The following are examples of how a chronic problem can be treated from the prospective of replacing the nutrients in the body that are deficient.

This information is not a substitute for the knowledge and guidance of a licensed health care practitioner. It is recommended that you recieve assistance from a knowledgeable physician when addressing potentiallty serious illnesses.

Each person with symptoms associated with a “disease" will need different treatment.

We are only addressing the physical health of the body, however the emotional, mental and spiritual health also need to be addressed as well.

Asthma

B6
B12 shots – daily if severe
Magnesium
Fish oils
Quercitin
Vitamin C – astmatics shown to have low levels

Other considerations:

Clean up the diet! – No sugar, limit salt (salt stimulates histamine release)
Hypoallergenic Diet (Food Intolerance Test), Candida, Heavy Metals

Migraines

Vitamin B2
Magnesium
Omega 3’s