United Health Enterprises
The only custom clinical nutrition program
In June 2000, the human genome project was completed. This event marked the greatest revolution in the history of medicine. Medicine had gone from its emphasis on pathology treatment of existing illness and disease to preventive medicine; determining a person's likelihood of contracting an illness or a disease, years before they occur.This is accomplished through the testing of DNA, RNA, urine, saliva, hair, etc.
Science has not yet progressed to a point where we can test for every disease or illness, however, urine analysis can now determine what nutritional deficiencies exist. For the first time in history, vitamins and nutraceuticals can now be customized for the individual.
Optimal health requires the intake of proper foods to insure the body receives its necessary nutritional needs. Our fast paced life finds us consuming fast foods which do not provide for our proper nutritional needs. Even if we eat what we consider all the appropriate foods, we cannot be certain if it is properly processed, absorbed and digested.
Each of us is unique. We all have our own specific biochemical makeup. Dr. Roger Williams has emphasized this concept in his book "Biochemical Individuality". He referred to our individual biochemistry as the genotrophic concept and indicates the necessity of testing to determine our individual biochemistry. Is it not incomprehensible that we diagnose our automobiles regularly, but not our bodies. The car we replace every few years, whereas our bodies are to last for a life time.
To fully understand our custom nutrition program, please visit our main site at:
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Obesity is defined as the excessive accumulation of body fat, or an increase
in body weight beyond the limitation of skeletal and physical abilities.
Overweight and obese people face a clear health risk. Obesity has been
linked with numerous health conditions including heart disease, high blood
pressure, diabetes, gall bladder disease, respiratory conditions, complications
of pregnancy, even certain cancers. Obesity shortens a person's life span.
Once a person becomes obese, all that is required to remain obese is that
the energy input (food) equal the energy output. In other words, once a
person becomes obese, all they have to eat is the same amount of food as
a person of average weight to remain obese.
A January, 1997
Harris Poll showed that 75% of Americans, twenty-five or
older, are overweight. The number of severely obese children
in the United States nearly doubled between 1965 and 1980.
If this trend continues, the rate of overweight and obese
adult Americans will continue to rise.
As many as 50% of
women and 25% of men in America are trying to lose weight
at any given time by dieting, exercise, behavior modification,
or drugs. Diets for weight loss have been shown to be ineffective
and even damaging to one's health. Scientific studies reveal
that most low-calorie diets that aren't accompanied by heavy
exercise, can result in a 50% loss of lean muscle mass. Most
people trying to lose weight are able to lose one tenth of
their body weight, however, up to two-thirds of that weight
is regained within a year, and all (or more) is regained
after five years.
There are a variety
of reasons why people are unable to lose weight. The following
is a list of physical and psychological reasons for not being
able to lose weight:
1. Is your thyroid gland sluggish? This will change your metabolism rate (rate
of burning fuel for energy in the body) and make it more difficult to lose
weight.
2. Is glandular malfunction causing you to have a pear-shaped figure?
3. Do you have bloating and swelling from excessive fluid retention?
4. Do you have poor digestion and assimilation (undernourished people, having
inadequate intake of essential nutrients or- do not easily burn fat), poor
circulation, poor liver function, or constipation?
5. Are you deficient in digestive enzymes, acidophilus, or have improper pH
levels (acid-base levels) in your digestive or body chemistry?
6. Are you a binge eater, stress eater, reward eater, have a big sweet-tooth?
Having a knowledge of how your body works, and if your individual chemistry
is working properly or is unbalanced, and looking at what type of eating habits
you have will make it easier for you to choose the correct program to make
the necessary long-term changes in diet, body chemistry, and lifestyle to gain
the results you desire. Permanent weight loss can be achieved safely, and without
side-effects in this way.
Weight Loss:
Our society is very confused as to why so many people are obese. It is commonly
assumed that obesity is due to a lack of character, discipline, or will power.
It is also commonly believed that one must severely restrict calories in order
to lose weight. Another popular myth is that obesity is due only to overeating.
The truth is that there is a complex interaction of many variables, unique
to each person, which determines their "set point" and "basic
metabolic rate" (BMR), including one's environment, culture, eating and
exercise habits, genetic makeup, and individual biochemistry. The "set
point" theory states that one's size and body fat are determined by genetics
and eating patterns at certain life stages which determine adult body weight.
To try to lose or gain weight away from this "set point" will cause
a shift in body physiology and biochemistry that will cause the person to return
to the set point. This is why most people return to their previous weight after
a diet. Basic metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate which the body utilizes energy.
The BMR can be affected by age, sex, hormones, body size, fat to muscle ratio,
and diet. BMR varies greatly between individuals. Thin people have higher metabolic
rates and burn calories at a much higher rate than obese people.
The best answers seem to combine common knowledge and basic logic. If you don't
want to gain fat, don't put more fat in you mouth than you plan to exercise
off or your body can metabolize before your next meal. To properly manage weight,
people have to be conscious about how much fat is in the food they eat in relationship
to their individual metabolic rate. A well-balanced diet which avoids fat-laden
foods, an individual nutritional supplement plan, regular exercise, plenty
of pure water, and stress reduction will all help maintain a healthy weight
compatible with one's body type. Lack of certain specific nutrients is often
the reason people cannot properly digest and utilize fats. Fat is not easily
or fully burned and utilized as a fuel by the body. If metabolic conditions
aren't correct or if certain nutrients are not available, the body will store
fat as a source of future potential energy rather than break it down.
Four things that I have found to be crucial for any successful weight loss
program are:
1. A diet containing as few processed foods as possible. Avoid 'dead' foods
like canned, salted, pickled, preserved, and overcooked foods. Avoid foods
containing animal fats.
2. Nutritional support for a 'sluggish' thyroid gland, if needed.
3. Regular, significant exercise and plenty of pure, filtered water (6-8 eight
oz. glasses/day).
4. Psychological or emotional counseling or work to help determine underlying
emotional causes of weight gain.
There are numerous nutrients that I recommend in my clinical practice to help
in curbing appetite, to balance and stabilize blood sugar, to increase the
basic metabolic rate (BMR), to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, to assist
the body in the digestion, breakdown and elimination of fat, and to support
healthy thyroid function.
A safe and natural way to 'fool' the body into thinking it is more full is by using fiber products. When fiber products are mixed with water or juice it forms a gelatinous mass which assists in cleaning out the intestinal tract as it passes through, and also assists in controlling blood sugar levels, and reduces the number of calories the body absorbs. This fiber-gelatin mass also makes a person feel full. Weight loss studies have shown that guar gum fiber, a water soluble fiber, has produced the most impressive results. It has also been shown that a person can lose up to 50 percent more weight by supplementing the diet with fiber than by simply reducing or restricting calories. It is important to take fiber products at least one hour before or after taking nutritional supplements or other medications as their absorption into the body may be decreased by the fiber. Of course, I only recommend fiber products as an adjunct to a total weight loss program.
Two ingredients
that I often recommend for food cravings associated with
hypoglycemia are chromium picolinate and free from amino
acids, both found in the "Amino Acid Support System".
When these two nutrients are taken between meals they help
balance blood sugar, curb the appetite, and stop sugar cravings.
Imbalances in the
function of the thyroid gland can often bring about weight
problems. A sluggish thyroid is associated with weight gain
in the body. Nutrients which support balanced thyroid function
include ionic trace minerals "Concentrated Liquid Ionic
Mineral Support System" and in some cases iodine. Whenever
addressing hormonal conditions it is imperative you are working
with a knowledgeable health care professional.
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are special types of saturated fats prepared
from coconut oil. MCT's are an easily absorbed energy source and are a popular
natural aid in weight loss. Unlike regular fats, MCT's do not appear to cause
weight gain and actually promote weight loss by increasing the rate at which
calories burned (are used up by the body).
Another useful tool for people attempting to control or lose weight is to refer to the glycemic index, which is a listing of most foods and drinks and their ability to raise (or lower) blood sugar and their effects on insulin levels in the body. Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreas which assists the body in balancing blood sugar by regulating carbohydrate (sugar), fat (lipid), and protein (amino acid) metabolism. The glycemic index also tells you the fat-storing properties of foods and drinks. People who want to lose weight can eat as much of the low glycemic index foods as they want. Diabetics and hypoglycemic patients should also eat primarily low glycemic index foods. High glycemic index foods stimulate the release of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which is responsible for fat storage in the cells of the body.