HEALTH SERVICES

Nutrition/Detoxification

1. What is Dr. Breunig’s approach to nutrition and diet?

Nutrition plays a vital role in the maintenance of good health and the prevention and treatment of disease. In my practice, I look at the role nutrition and diet play as they relate to my client and his or her health issues. Formerly, I believed that a healthy diet was all one needed to protect against disease. Now my opinion is that a healthy diet is not enough and nutritional supplementation is essential for the majority of people.

Why?

Below are some reasons and conditions why nutritional support is needed:

• Nutrient-stripped soil due to farming practices and environmental factors
• Inconsistent bioavailability of nutrients from food
• Nutrient losses from cooking and over-processing
• Prescription drug therapy that may interfere with nutrient absorption
• Health problems needing targeted nutrient solutions in sufficient doses to address the issue
• Pregnancy and lactation
• Use of oral contraceptives and estrogen replacement compounds
• Alcoholism
• Therapeutic treatment for cancer and other immunosuppressive diseases
• Major trauma: e.g., burns, surgery
• Age-specific poor diet profiles: teenagers, elders

2. What tools does Dr. Breunig use to assess nutritional status?

I start first with the less expensive approach - the Health Appraisal Questionnaire developed by Metagenics, Inc. It tracks symptoms and problems in the following areas:

• Gastrointestinal (stomach function, inflammation, small intestine, pancreas, colon)
• Liver/gall bladder
• Hormones: thyroid, adrenal glands
• Blood sugar regulation
• Cardiovascular (heart, circulation)
• Mood: depression, anxiety, anger
• Immune sensitivity: eyes, ears, nose, throat, lungs
• Urinary tract: kidneys, bladder
• Musculoskeletal (bone, connective tissue, muscle and nerve)
• Brain and spinal cord
• Men’s health: prostate gland
• Women’s health: PMS, menstruation, inflammation, hormone balance, ovarian function

A client’s answers to these questions highlight areas of high priority that need attention first.

Another tool is laboratory testing. There are many diagnostic tests available that use samples of blood, saliva, urine or stool. Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab of Asheville, North Carolina is the lab that I most frequently. These tests are more expensive and are used when I need to go deeper into the root of a health problem.

3. Detoxification: Why is it important?

Low-level, long-term exposure to toxins such as heavy metals (e.g., lead, mercury, cadmium), pesticides, poor-quality diet, industrial compounds and pollutants, is associated with many chronic degenerative diseases. Common symptoms of toxicity include acne, rashes, headaches, pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, ringing in the ears, fertility problems, memory and concentration problems, and chronic immune system depression. Research shows that we all maintain toxin contamination within our bodies on a regular basis due to a lifetime of exposure.

The good news is that we can detoxify! A majority of detoxification occurs in the liver; however, all tissues have some ability to detoxify, including the intestines, lungs, and skin.

4. What is Dr. Breunig’s approach to detoxification?

I use a two-pronged approach to detoxification:

1. Dietary changes (foods to include, foods to avoid)
2. Nutritional supplementation

The nutritional supplementation addresses the phases I and II of detoxification, converting toxic molecules to nontoxic ones that can be excreted in the urine and feces. I like this approach because:

1. Detoxification occurs slowly, so you do not get sick from toxins pouring into your bloodstream from the liver.
2. This program can be tailored in dosage, depending on your level of toxicity and vitality.

I have found this approach very successful with my clients. They are encouraged, find it easy to stick to the diet and nutritional supplements, and with time, they feel great!