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Naturopathy and Nutrition By: Dr. Les Moore

Naturopathy has a synergistic relationship with all other natural therapies but none more so than with nutrition. Diet and nutrition are a cornerstone of health, wellness, and vitality. We are what we eat, digest, absorb, and eliminate. We assimilate nutritional information to make who we are, and eliminate information that is harmful to our body. From a naturopathic perspective, we examine nutrition from four different aspects: macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and fat balance), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), specific nutritional needs (for particular situations or disease processes), and food reactivity. There are three different types of food reactivity that we assess: food allergies, food sensitivities, and food intolerances. If one of the most important functions of naturopathy is to detoxify the body for biopurification, then one of the most important functions of healthful nutrition is to prevent intoxication. In our treatment protocols when we say, "remove the injurious foods," we mean to remove the foods which cause intoxication of the body. In general, this may be done by eating a diet rich in fresh, well-grown, well-prepared whole foods that are low in total calories, total fat, refined carbohydrates, food additives, and stimulants, and eliminating the foods to which one is intolerant, allergic, or sensitive to. Food allergies are immune system mediated, and may be immediate or delayed reactions up to seventy-two hours later. With food allergies we can observe immune system activity in the body. Food sensitivities are not immune system mediated. We don't know what pathway they follow in the body; our science hasn't quite caught up to understanding exactly what is happening. We may get a blister on our tongue every time that we eat a particular food, but we can't observe any immune activity in the body. Food intolerance is the oldest approach to identifying food reactivity that we have. It is the enzymatic inability to properly digest or absorb a particular food or combination of foods. Since many food allergies and sensitivities can be managed by elimination and then reintroduction at moderate levels, we believe that food intolerances are the most important since they are constitutional, we are born with them. There are numerous methods for determining food allergies and sensitivities- the elimination diet, challenge diet, Coca Pulse test, cytoxic test, RAST test, ELISA test, skin test, sublingual test, VEGA test, EAV, and others. None of these is entirely satisfactory. The main method that we use for biopurification is the food intolerance method developed by Dr. Abrahms, a medical doctor and physiologist, of Stanford in the early 1900's and used by Dr. Otis G. Carroll and his followers. It is the method that has been used the longest with good clinical results and is the method which has been used most extensively in conjunction with hydrotherapy and biopurification. Dr. Carroll practiced in Spokane, Washington from 1908 until 1963. During the early years of his practice he had a number of difficult cases which he could not cure. His auscultory (stethoscope) exam showed him that the problem in such cases was usually in the stomach (this was a time when physicians used their stethoscopes as an art and science, listening to the heart with such subtleties as an Oriental practitioner listening to the pulse). The concept of food allergy was almost unheard of, but Dr. Carroll experimented with different foods to find which were causing the problems. From these findings he was able to devise a method for identifying a patient's intolerance to a food, food group, or combination of foods which should be avoided because they cannot be digested and/or assimilated properly by that patient. Such an intolerance appears to be constitutional and unchanging, similar to one's blood type. In the words of Dr. Carroll, "Health must at all times come from and be maintained by digested foods." When a person eats foods to which he is intolerant, these foods are not properly digested and assimilated. If these foods are high in carbohydrates, fermentation occurs; if they are high in proteins, putrefaction occurs; if they are high in fats, rancidification occurs. All lead to a slow poisoning of the intestinal tract and eventually of all the body systems. Each unique, individual person will respond differently to eating his food intolerance, depending on his constitutional strength. A person with a weak constitution is more susceptible to developing early symptoms of toxemia such as intestinal discomfort, asthma, skin eruptions, fatigue or mental confusion with ingestion of even minute amounts of the irritating food. Another person, with a strong constitution may eat his or her food intolerance several times a day without the slightest noticeable discomfort. However, it was Dr. Carroll's hypothesis, based on over sixty years of clinical observation, that even though a person's constitution was strong, if they ate their food intolerance, a strain was placed on the whole organism, and sooner or later systemic damage would occur. One is reminded that a tumor of the colon takes about twenty years to develop before the person experiences any symptoms. Similarly, a tumor of the breast takes about twelve years of development before it becomes palpable. During these years, the person may have felt great. Prevention is always the better cure. As a naturopath and practitioner of Classical Chinese medicine, I have many tools that I can use to help someone on the road to health. By far, I feel that the most important thing that I can do for someone is to help them identify their food intolerance. This lowers the toxic burden on the body and allows the body to heal. Knowledge of ones food intolerance is a lifetime of information that can help one acquire an ideal bodyweight and achieve optimal health.

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