The health food industry is often attacked by people working in mainstream medicine. They claim that there is no science in what we do and that they outcome of clinical trials to try and prove that certain nutrients will cure certain ailments are inconclusive.
My argument is this – we do not claim that certain nutrients will always cure certain ailments, but rather that certain nutrients may be helpful for certain PEOPLE.
We are all INDIVIDUALS, with a different genetic make up, a different medical history, a different upbringing and a different diet. Therefore surely it stands to reason that different people could be helped by different nutrients, when ALL these factors are taken into account.
I see this a lot with people that come in to see me. When I have a consultation with someone, I will ask to see a food diary and speak to them about their medical history and any issues they may be having. This will help me decide what course of action I may suggest for them. For example if someone comes to ask for something to aid their constipation and we find that they also drink a lot of tea and suffer with cramp, we will often suggest they try magnesium. This is because magnesium is depleted by tea (also coffee and cola) and the signs of low magnesium can include cramps, restless legs or spams. We have also found that people who are low in magnesium can struggle with constipation. Therefore supplementing magnesium can be helpful for all their issues. However this approach would not work for someone who was showing no signs of low magnesium.
Equally anyone who joins our weight loss scheme will have their diet and metabolic issues dealt with on a one to one basis. This is because we understand that people have different metabolic problems and emotions around food and dieting and a simple approach ignoring these things will often fail.
This then is what these commentators from mainstream medicine cannot get their heads around. We deal with each INDIVIDUAL and their lifestyle, not with a symptom. Because we embrace everyone’s individuality rather than looking for a one size fits all ‘cure all’ we will always be criticised for being inconsistent. But I guess we will just have to learn to live with that.
By Jenny Logan