Nutritional consultation
Paula Bickel, Owner/Nutritional Consultant
Research conducted over the last four decades has made it clear that many of the major chronic diseases of Americans may be nutrition-related health problems. Indeed, four of the ten leading causes of death are associated with diet and nutrition: heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Dietary imbalances and nutritional deficiencies also contribute to other health problems such as artherosclerosis, hypertension, osteoporosis, obesity and many more.
Proper nutrition is essential in reducing our risk of disease.
Long before any disease may present itself, there are indications that things may not be working as well as they used to. These may merely be pesky little discomforts and inconveniences – things that we take for granted, not realizing that nutrition may be involved.
You may get a clean bill of health from your doctor. There may be no abnormal medical tests, yet things do not feel quite right. Perhaps energy levels are low, there is some mild ache or pain somewhere, thinking appears fuzzy, fingernails break easily, skin is dry, hair lusterless – and so on. All these signs can relate to nutritional imbalances.
Researchers have found that certain changes take place in the body when it gets too little (or to much) of a given nutrient. By studying this body language, one can determine deficiencies (or excesses) of specific vitamins, minerals, protein and other factors. This analysis is often referred to as nutritional symptomatology. It is a way of interpreting bodily signs (through an extensive questionnaire) to find underlying causes. It is especially helpful at finding sub-clinical conditions that do not show up on conventional laboratory tests.