I would like to talk about why people might come to a chiropractor or nutritionist for care. The most obvious reason is they are seeking knowledge on how to improve their particular condition. They want someone to tell them or teach them what they need to know to gain better health. Interestingly enough, the word doctor actually is derived from the meaning of the word teacher. And in some foreign countries, a teacher is called a doctor and most people who are in the health care field are referred to as ‘mister’.

As a doctor practicing Nutrition Response Testing, I see it as my responsibility to educate or provide my knowledge to the individual seeking care so he can eventually take control over his life and health status. This philosophy of care is nicely illustrated by the KRC triangle. KRC stands for knowledge, responsibility, and control. Let us expand on this.

Initially, a patient seeks help from somebody who has the health knowledge necessary to make him well, as the doctor teaches the patient what he knows, the patient grows in the ability to take responsibility for his health. And, eventually he is able to then exert the control necessary to elevate his health status on his own. This is exactly what I try to do for my patients with Nutrition Response Testing.

I am constantly in the process of improving our educational materials for this very reason. If the Nutrition Response Testing principle is handled properly and the patient is learning to make necessary foundational changes in diet then eventually he or she will take responsibility for what is learned and take control of his or her own health. It is my goal to give the patient the knowledge and ability to fly on his own, to gain permanent results that he himself can maintain. Further, it is my desire to get each patient on a reduced care schedule, reducing frequency of care to maybe once or twice, or at most, three times a year. When this happens, I then stand in the place of keeping the patient somewhat accountable for what has been learned and gained, but I do not have complete control any longer.

If diet is foundational to better health, where do supplements fit in? There is a difference between supplementation in the form of pills as opposed to taking medication which is also in the form of pills. With medication the patient becomes dependent on that medication for the rest of his life. While it is assumed that the medication is promoting the patient’s health that is not really true. All the medication is doing is forcing the body to do something unnatural, thus giving the patient ‘in range’ numbers on his or her medical testing. This is not a cure, but rather an unnatural control over the body’s natural healing processes. The patient will not ultimately get off that medication but will most likely over the course of time be prescribed other medications to control the further breaking down of the body from the side effects of the first medication. Thus, we end up with a vicious cycle where one medication leads to two or three, and two or three then lead to four or five. This is why most people between the ages of sixty and seventy are taking between eight and ten medications.

With Nutrition Response Testing initially, the patient may be taking four, five, or six supplements, but it does not stop there. As I help the patient make dietary and lifestyle changes, his or her level of health will improve, and the pill count will go down. Often times, when the patient reaches optimal health, he or she will remain on one or two supplements alone. This is because the more correct the diet the less supplementation will be needed.

One of the biggest misconceptions patient’s can have is the belief that taking the supplements will make dietary changes unnecessary. I am quick to try to relieve the patient of such faulty thinking. But if the patient continues to be unwilling to make the necessary changes after I have done all I can to change his or her mind I encourage the patient to look for care elsewhere. I want the patient to get better, and I know that will not happen if he or she does not eat properly. I am not willing to just sell a lot of supplements. It comes down once again to the patient taking responsibility and controlling his or her own life and health through the changes that are encouraged during the program of care.

Ultimately, supplements are to be taken to augment and facilitate a proper diet, not replace it. Only this kind of program will bring about the return of that patient to optimal wellness.

In the next article, we will look more deeply at the philosophy of health and diet. I encourage you to read it very carefully because it really says it all when we talk about health and wellness as opposed to management of the sick as it is done through conventional health methods today.