Summary

The article discusses transformative insights from nutritional therapy that have significantly improved the author's health, particularly in managing Lyme disease arthritis and inflammation through dietary changes, understanding the role of healthy fats, the importance of a holistic approach to supplementation, and the impact of digestion on overall health.

Abstract

The author shares personal experiences about how nutritional therapy led to remarkable improvements in their health, particularly in overcoming Lyme disease arthritis and inflammation. The insights gained through a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) program revealed the critical role of healthy fats in regulating inflammation, the necessity of a balanced intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and the inadequacy of supplements alone to address deficiencies without considering the body's ability to absorb and utilize nutrients. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of the parasympathetic nervous system in digestion, highlighting how relaxation and enjoyment of meals can significantly enhance the body's digestive processes. The author encourages a shift from quick-fix dietary approaches to a deeper understanding of how the body processes food for improved health outcomes.

Opinions

The author believes that dietary changes, particularly focusing on nutrition, were far more effective than other approaches in healing their Lyme disease arthritis and inflammation.
They express that the misunderstanding and avoidance of fats in the 20th century have led to deficiencies in essential fatty acids, which are crucial for regulating inflammation.
The article suggests that supplements are often not enough to fix deficiencies due to the body's need for additional cofactors to absorb and use nutrients effectively.
It is opinioned that proper digestion is heavily influenced by the brain's parasympathetic state, which is activated by practices such as savoring meals, and this is essential for optimal nutrient assimilation and overall health.
The author criticizes Western cultural norms that prioritize fast food, low-fat diets, and quick-fix supplements, advocating instead for a more mindful and informed approach to eating and nutrition.

Three Game-Changing Insights From the Field of Nutritional Therapy

Ideas that changed my perspective on nutrition and health overall

Of all the approaches I’ve tried to heal Lyme disease arthritis and inflammation, the most effective by far has been focusing on nutrition and changing my diet. After working with a nutritionist who tested me for food sensitivities, examined my deficiencies, and created a diet plan, my worst arthritis symptoms disappeared and I was able to use my hands again within two weeks.

The experience changed my life and showed me how powerful food can be as a medicine — or poison, depending on how we use it. It also motivated me to sign up for a program through the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA) to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) and help others with chronic illnesses make similar lifestyle changes.

When the program started in September, I had already read as much as I could on biochemistry, digestion, inflammation, and theories behind different diets. I cooked my meals from scratch and my whole food diet was as “clean” as I could make it. On some level, I worried the program would be too general and I wouldn’t learn anything new.

Fortunately, I was very wrong.

The NTP program not only gave me a systemic way to understand the foundations of nutrition and good health — such as blood sugar regulation and fatty acid balance — but it shifted my focus from the foods I was eating to the context in which I ate them and how my body assimilated them.

Of everything I’ve learned so far, three insights, in particular, were game-changers for me. Here they are as well as how they shifted my perspective on health and nutrition:

#1 How healthy fats regulate inflammation

Few topics in nutrition are as controversial — and deeply misunderstood — as fats.

For much of the 20th century, dietary fats were linked to heart disease and obesity, prompting most Americans to adopt low-fat diets. Margarine replaced butter, whole milk became skim, and “low fat” everything hit the shelves.

By the early 21st century, researchers acknowledged that the original “lipid hypothesis” was unsupported, but the damage was already done. Most Americans stayed on their low-fat diets and ironically, in their quest for better health, become deficient in essential fatty acids.

Essential fatty acids — grouped into omega-3 and omega-6 — are building blocks of fats that must come from the diet. They play many roles in the body, including building healthy cell membranes and hormones, aiding the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, supporting the body’s protective lining, and critically, regulating inflammation.

Fats are the building blocks for prostaglandins, a group of hormone-like substances that are responsible for triggering and reducing inflammation. We need both processes to function: starting inflammation is critical to the healing process as is stopping it once healing is complete.

Unless we get the right balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, our bodies struggle to regulate inflammation properly. This often manifests as muscle aches and fatigue, flaky skin or dandruff, and headaches. For many in the modern world, the easiest way to ensure the right balance of fatty acids on a daily basis is by supplementing with high-quality fish oil or flax-based supplements.

In my experience, fish oil has been a huge help in controlling inflammation from Lyme disease and keeping my joints as healthy as possible. As I’ve begun working with practice clients and friends, I’ve found that fatty acid deficiencies and low-fat diets are often common culprits behind muscle, skin, and inflammatory issues.

#2 Why supplements alone can’t fix your deficiency

In the past few years, nutritional supplements have grown into a $40 billion industry and have become a quick way to fix deficiencies and boost health.

What most people don’t know is that supplements are often ineffective at resolving deficiencies — and can even cause additional problems.

Let’s use the example of calcium, which about 32% of American women take as a supplement.

Though most people get enough calcium through their diets, many discover they have low levels of tissue calcium because their bodies aren’t able to absorb and use the calcium they’re ingesting. The reason is that in order for the body to use calcium, it needs six additional cofactors:

Proper hormone function (e.g. thyroid, sex, and adrenal hormones)
Sufficient hydration
Vitamins (e.g. mainly vitamin D)
Working digestion
Fatty acids
Other minerals (e.g. potassium and trace minerals).

Each of these play distinct roles — for example, hydration is necessary for the transport of calcium through the blood, hormones for the proper levels of calcium in the blood, and fatty acids for the transport of calcium into cells.

If we take calcium without ensuring that these cofactors are working, we not only fail to resolve the deficiency, but we risk creating new problems. When our body is unable to use the calcium we give it, it may deposit the excess in places of weakness and form bone spurs.

The lesson is to look at your blood tests and nutritional status holistically: before taking a supplement, learn about the role the vitamin or mineral plays in the body and what other cofactors it needs for absorption and function. You may already be getting enough, but unable to absorb or use what’s in your body.

#3 How digestion starts in the brain — and why it matters

Most of us know from experience that we don’t eat well when we’re rushed or stressed out — but few of us know how big a role our nervous system plays in digestion.

Imagine the last meal that you really savored. You may have smelled the food as it cooked, take a moment to appreciate how delicious it looked, and even given thanks before eating. All of these things are not only sources of pleasure, but ways that your nervous system switches to a parasympathetic state before food even hits your tongue.

In contrast to fight-or-flight mode, the parasympathetic state is known as rest-and-digest. As your body enters this state before you eat, it primes you for digestion. Your blood sugar regulation, immune system, and digestive system all adapt in order to respond to your meal as soon as you take the first bite.

When we don’t take the time to get into a state of relaxation and enjoy our meal, a different chain of events occurs: the digestive system doesn’t have adequate blood flow, the stomach is not primed to produce the right amount of HCL, the blood sugar response is not optimal, and as we swallow our barely chewed food, we drop a half-digested mass into our stomach that challenges our immune system and every part of the gut it passes through.

So consider that the rituals we take for granted — such as taking a moment to smell and appreciate a meal — are not only for pleasure. They are steps your body needs to relax and prepare the optimal digestive response. A relaxed meal not only feels wonderful, but it allows for better nutrient assimilation, healthier immune response, and proper elimination.

Conclusion

Sadly, many of the behaviors that Western culture has normalized — fast food, low-fat diets, and quick-fix supplements — push us further away from the health we want.

When we shift our focus from eating just to meet our needs to really understanding how our body digests and uses food, we can improve our health and lives at the same time.

These three tips did that for me. What nutrition tips have changed your health and life for the better?