I am Board Certified in Medical Nutrition however, my training in nutrition, believe it or not, was geared towards making sure hospitalized patients with various illnesses receive nutritional formulations (orally or as a IV) to insure adequate calorie, protein, vitamin, and fat intake to prevent muscle breakdown and promote health and worsening of the disease. To my knowledge none of these outcomes have ever been scientifically proven but this is another matter.

Now that I am in clinical practice I see patients with several gastrointestinal, liver, and pancreatic problems. And, as all physicians, we start by taking a lengthy history and physical examination. I am amazed at how many people in America are overweight and how many have concomitant diseases secondary to their obesity, such as:

Diabetes
Elevated cholesterol and triglyceride
Coronary artery disease and
cerebral vascular disease (stroke)
Hypertension
Obstructive sleep apnea

All of the above diseases lead to cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes) which are among the most common diseases today. Let’s face it, if you didn’t get hit by a car we usually die of a heart attack, a stroke, or cancer which is clearly linked to obesity.

One other very common symptom I see in many of my patients is fatigue. All of their lab work is normal but they feel tired all of the time, even when they wake up. When I talk to them a little more, I discover they snore excessively at night, especially if you ask the spouse, and feel tired all of the time. Also, these patients wake up numerous times during the night and feel a choking sensation. This disease is called obstructive sleep apnea which is extremely common and will be increasing in America as obesity has increased in America.

I believe with preventative nutrition we can prevent most heart attacks, strokes, eliminate type II diabetes, lower blood pressure, and significantly improve cholesterol profiles. I have seen it in my practice. This is why I have put together this nutrition site; to better educate the public on how they can help themselves. The important thing is begin prevention early, the sooner the better. There are three components in a total health plan – diet, exercise, and prescribed medications with targeted nutritional supplements. The most important element in this health plan is diet.

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