Nutritional Support for Women and Men

Nutritional Deficiencies
There is compelling data that the nutritive value of food in the typical American diet is severely compromised.  The use of exogenous steroids, growth hormone, and antibiotics is the norm in the  raising of our commercial livestock, poultry and fish.   In addition, these animals are almost entirely corn-fed instead of grass, or free-range fed, resulting in animals that are “fattened” but not nutritionally robust.  Our whole green and red foods (vegetables & fruits) are also grown in soil that is treated with every variety of herbicide, pesticide and insecticide.  This, along with lack of crop rotation, & overplanting of ‘cash crops’ results in soil - and consequently vegetables and fruits - that are deficient in minerals, vitamins, fiber and nutrients.   Finally, genetic modification is often introduced not only into animal species but into vegetable and fruit seeds, thus allowing for lush growth, but at the expense of nutritive value.  (Those strawberries that are the size of apricots are genetically modified descendents of the real fruit that our grandparents ate).

There are a number of documentaries that discuss these issues in a compelling manner.  Preview video links of two documentaries can be found on YouTube at the following links:
                “Food Matters”:  Food Matters Official Trailer
                “Food Inc.”:   "Food Inc." Official Trailer


The USDA recommends that we take in a minimum of 7-9 helpings of [organic] vegetables and fruits daily in order to maintain ideal health.  This minimum nutrition helps our bodies’ natural cleansing mechanisms to eliminate toxins and waste and to keep our cellular functioning at peak performance levels.


Environmental Toxicity
Environmental toxicants have always been around, but have escalated dramatically in quantity and character over the last one hundred years of the industrial age, and continue now in the information age.  While some toxicants are obvious (cigarette smoke, volatile organic compounds (VOCs, wikipedia link) ,  and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, (wikipedia link), others like polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, wikipedia link) are more inscrutable and less well recognized.


Unfortunately, the plethora of toxicants in our environment has been clearly linked to an increased prevalence of many disease states.  In particular, chronic inflammatory conditions, allergic conditions, pain syndromes, and many cancers are affecting greater numbers of us with every passing decade.   Chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, multiple allergies, & dysphoric syndromes, reproductive difficulties, and obesity are just some of the disease states that have been linked to chronic toxicant exposure. Traditional allopathic medical approaches often leave the patient with these conditions unsatisfied, because allopathic approaches are aimed at symptom relief, not at alleviation of the causative event.

A compelling discussion of the unavoidability of toxicant exposure can be seen in a short video clip by Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group.  The first four minutes of this clip is profound and really worth a look:  Ken Cook, Ten Americans Study.


Consequences
The typical westernized diet is high in calories, but very low in nutritive content.  Without adequate (or better yet, ideal) nutrition, the natural ‘cleansing’ mechanisms of the body cannot function efficiently.  Inefficient cleansing mechanisms cause our bodies to become overburdened with toxicants, and this leads to the many problems discussed above.

 

What can you do?
There are a number of simple guidelines to follow to get started. 

  1.  Drink at least half your body weight (in ounces) of pure, filtered water every day.  More than this if you use caffeine or alcohol.
  2. Decrease or eliminate caffeine from the diet.  Note however that processes used to decaffeinate things like coffee, for example use toxic chemicals… so one cup of regular coffee daily is better than a pot of decaffeinated coffee.
  3. Decrease or eliminate carbonated beverages, especially sodas.
  4. Decrease of eliminate processed sugars such as high fructose corn syrup.
  5. Decrease or eliminate high-sugar beverages such as pure orange or apple juice.  Have the whole fruit instead.
  6. Try to eat at least 7-9 servings of organic whole green or red fruits or vegetables every day.
  7. Consider a formal nutritional cleansing program.  Dr. Horvath and his wife Dr. Virginia Giugliano do seminars on this topic on a weekly basis.  Drs. Horvath & Giugliano are also available to personally discuss these issues with you at any time.  Contact information for nutritional cleansing and replenishment only is getslim2day@gmail.com:

 

Antioxidants: Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that are associated with the degenerative aging process. Free radicals steal electrons from healthy cells causing cellular damage. They are byproducts of normal metabolic processes in the body and are produced by exposure to environmental pollutants including cigarette smoke, smog, harmful chemicals, toxins, and sunlight. Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables help counter the effects of the damaging free radicals. Unfortunately, most of us do not eat the USDA-recommended daily amounts of fresh organic fruits and vegetables which we should. Antioxidants supplementation is thus recommended. Common antioxidants are vitamin A, C & E, carotenoids, selenium, flavenoids, lycopene, and lutein. Most antioxidants are not made by the body, but must be consumed.  Patients who smoke are at additional risk for damage from free radicals and should, in addition to attempts smoking cessation, take supplements.  The question of which antioxidants and how much of each to consume on a daily basis can be confusing, and difficult to comply with.  There are many options on the market.  We encourage you to research your options.   We have found that simplicity in supplementation offers the greatest advantages, as complicated regimens are often not followed.

 

Vitamins/Folic acid: All women trying to conceive should be taking a well-balanced multivitamin containing iron and folic acid (typically, 400-800 mcg/d). Because of the well known beneficial effects of folic acid in prevention of neural tube defects (such as spina bifida) and the increased needs for folic acid in multiple pregnancy (twins or more) patients, we also recommend 1mg/d folic acid in addition to the multivitamin/prenatal vitamin. We are happy to provide a prescription for this for our patients.