Food is Medicine.
I have for a long time been following the works of Dr Mark Hyman and the functional medicine movement that is happening in the USA. They are a small amount of Drs that are turning away from the sledgehammer approach to treating a body, with handing out the pills and opioids to mask what is actually the root cause of the problem. They are now waking up to the news that what we put into our body is equally important as all the other aspects of our lives to create a happy healthy life – sleep, environmental toxins, stress, exercise, heavy metal poison, negative thinking, toxic relationships. etc etc.
These Drs are called “Functional Medicine Providers” (FMP). Strictly speaking you don’t have to be a Dr to call yourself a “Functional Medicine Practitioner”, but you do need to have Nutrition and an alternative clinical treatment to use this title. Acupuncture is one of those! Yeah!
These FMP can also recommend and provide tests. There should be 6 basic tests that your Dr should be performing, but are probably not! Comprehensive Functional Blood Testing to test for blood sugar tests, mineral deficiency, thyroid, liver, kidney function. Advanced Hormone and Adrenal Gland Testing for cortisone levels. Stool Testing for optimal gastrointestinal health and Micronutrient Testing and Organic Acids Test in the urine. This is how they get to the root cause of your symptoms. Among these tests they recommend food sensitively tests which highlights what the body is happy with eating and what the body is not happy with. It is important to understand that this is not a food allergy test. These test are different.
The results of the tests are given as a traffic light system, red – removed for a short period of time, amber – eat little amounts and green – eat as much are you want. After the test results have come back, it is important to remove any red food types from the diet. It is recommended to remove for 1 month and slowly re introduce them back, one at a time. A food journal should be encouraged and symptoms should be monitored when introducing the food types back. Food sensitivities can change, especially when the body has time to rest from foods that your intolerant to. It is important to be aware of vital nutrients that could be missing from the diet if a lot of food types that are eliminated. Some Drs report the food sensitivity is pseudoscience- a waste of time, money and don’t give accurate results. The NHS don’t recommend these tests at all. They are are concerned about people cutting out important nutrients, vitamins and minerals, especially the children who need these vital nutrients to grow and to develop. Please consult a fully qualified nutritionist or a dietitian for more information.
I, however, do like these tests and providing they are done properly they let the you take control of your body. Knowledge is key and if you have the information that your body doesn’t like a certain type of food, how does it tell you. How does your body let you know that it isn’t happy with what you are putting into it. Think about it….. it gives you signs- it gives you symptoms. These symptoms can be anything from IBS, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, insomnia, fatigue, depression or anxiety
weight gain or inability to lose weight despite dieting
low blood sugar (shakiness between meals), high or low blood pressure. If you know that a certain type of food your body has a sensitivity to, by cutting it out for 1 month you can see if your body feels better and surely that knowledge is more powerful than prescription pills that the Drs hand out freely.
Of course we would all like to buy organic foods and have a romantic idea of making our own hummus and feeding our sourdough. But in reality, this day and age where food prices are extortionate and time is limited we have to make the best choices. Going as organic as possible is one- I was surprised to buy a huge organic broccoli from Sainsburys for £1. Eggs can be bought from the local farmer or at farmers markets and growing what we can. Getting out into the fresh air for walks with friends. These little changes help our body’s be the healthiest and fittest they can be.