You may or may not have noticed, but healthcare is changing — and not for the better. Patients are not getting treated; they are getting processed. Half of all medical doctors work for some corporate entity, where medical decisions are being made by actuaries.
If you have a chronic disease in America, chances are you are not getting much help. That is compounded by the fact the pharmaceutical industry’s view of health and illness is the dominant view. If it is not a patentable solution, it probably isn’t “real medicine.” They don’t really believe in subclinical vitamin deficiency, the role of the environment, diet (to the degree that you can use it to treat illness) or chiropractic.
Correction: There is a role for doctors of chiropractic — they can treat musculoskeletal problems (if the problem is not too serious). Of course, physical therapists can now work without a doctor’s order, and they are treating musculoskeletal problems.
There are a lot of “straight” DCs and a lot of DCs who focus only on musculoskeletal issues. Most of these practitioners are disinclined to incorporate nutrition into their practices. But nutrition can make DCs the go-to practitioners for the chronically ill people who have been let down by the healthcare system.
First, let’s talk about why you should start using nutrition. The main reason is many of the chronically ill people being mishandled by the healthcare system can be helped, and you can be the one to help them. It is not as complicated to get started as many practitioners believe. Read on to learn why.
Reasons given for not using nutrition
Insurance does not cover it: That is exactly why you should use nutrition. It is like adding a separate cash business to your office. The 2023 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements found that 74% of all Americans take supplements and 55% take them on a regular basis. They are not using insurance to buy these supplements and they are not getting them from you. Adding nutrition to your practice is like getting a 40% pay raise.
There is too much to learn: There is a lot to know, but the good news is that very simple and basic knowledge will help most of your patients. Start with something as simple as an anti-inflammatory diet. All diseases have an inflammatory component, and you can help reduce inflammation with diet.
During seminars, it is common for the speaker to talk about difficult cases and complex solutions. It can be intimidating, but the vast majority of patients will at least get some improvement with dietary change and basic supplementation. Over time, you will learn more and help more people.
Also, this is not like medicine. You are treating the patient and not the disease. You are using a low-risk, high-gain therapy to improve the patient’s biochemical infrastructure. If you give the wrong drug, you can cause problems. If you give the wrong vitamin, the worst that happens is you do not get the desired result.
I just want to do musculoskeletal work: Many of your patients are in pain. Consider using pancreatic enzymes to help them. They have none of the side effects of NSAIDs and work to reduce pain and inflammation when taken on an empty stomach.
Studies have shown enzymes to be comparable NSAIDs in relieving joint stiffness, easing pain and improving function.1-10 Other studies have shown enzymes to be effective for managing arthritis. In some studies, they outperform drugs.4-6 Enzymes have also been used to reduce pain and improve healing after surgery.2,3
I do straight chiropractic: Many DCs see the use of supplements as a way to target symptoms the same way a medical doctor does with drugs. It is the antithesis of how they practice. However, nutrition can be used to support the adjustment.
Adjusting is a wonderful tool. You are removing pressure from the nerves to allow better function and let the body heal itself. This is called the somato-visceral effect. Relief of pressure from the spine (somato) will affect the nerve, which will in turn affect the organ innervated by that nerve (visceral).
What about the viscero-somatic effect? Noxious output from a poorly functioning or diseased organ can affect the spine — causing subluxations. Wouldn’t nutritionally supporting that organ make the adjustment more effective? If you give the body what it needs, you will get better results. You are both freeing up the nervous system and giving the body what it needs to heal. This is still the same philosophy: The power that made the body can heal the body.
Start small and build
Incorporating nutrition into your practice is easier than you think. Start with diet and learn a little at a time. If you did nothing but treat insulin insensitivity, you would have a thriving functional medicine practice. There are 100 million Americans with insulin insensitivity, and you can help them with the following complaints:
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Headaches
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Fibroids and cysts
- Insomnia
- Depression and anxiety
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Fatigue
- Pain
- Inflammation
- Biliary stasis and gallstones
- Fatty liver
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
- Candidiasis
- Eczema, acne and other skin problems
Final thoughts
I have two PDFs available to help you get started. I am happy to send them. It is easier than you think. Anyone who utilizes nutrition in their office will tell you that 10% of what they know helps 90% of their patients.
PAUL VARNAS, DC, DACBN, is a graduate of the National College of Chiropractic and has had a functional medicine practice for 34 years. He is the author of several books and has taught nutrition at the National University of Health Sciences. For a free PDF of “Instantly Have a Functional Medicine Practice” or a patient handout on the anti-inflammatory diet, email him at paulgvarnas@gmail.com.
References
- Khrianin AA, et al. Impact of exogenous proteolytic enzymes on immunogenesis in patients with urogenital infections. Randomized Controlled Trial. Antibiot Khimioter. 2012;57(9‐10):25‐7,29‐31. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23477217/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Roberts AD, Hart DM. Polyglycolic acid and catgut sutures, with and without oral proteolytic enzymes, in the healing of episiotomies. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1983 Jul;90(7):650‐653. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6307340/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Duskova M, Wald M. Orally administered proteases in aesthetic surgery. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 1999;23(1):41‐44. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10022937/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Hoernecke R, Doenicke A. Perioperative enzyme therapy. A significant supplement to postoperative pain therapy? Anaesthesist. 1993;42(12):856‐861. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8304581/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Tilscher H, et al. Results of a double‐blind, randomized comparative study of Wobenzym‐placebo in patients with cervical syndrome. Clinical Trial. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1996;146(5):91‐95. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8686328/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Singer F, Oberleitner H. Drug therapy of activated arthrosis. On the effectiveness of an enzyme mixture versus diclofenac. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1996;146(3):55‐58. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8867274/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Klein G, Kullich W. Reducing pain by oral enzyme therapy in rheumatic diseases. Review. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1999;149(21‐22):577‐580. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10666820/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Shah D, Mital K. The Role of Trypsin: Chymotrypsin in Tissue Repair. Adv Ther 2018;35(1):31‐42. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29209994/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Beck TW, et al. Effects of a protease supplement on eccentric exercise-induced markers of delayed-onset muscle soreness and muscle damage. 2007;21(3):661‐667. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/2007/08000/effects_of_a_protease_supplement_on_eccentric.3.aspx. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
- Klein G, et al. Efficacy and tolerance of an oral enzyme combination in painful osteoarthritis of the hip. A double‐blind, randomised study comparing oral enzymes with non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. Clinical Experimental Rheumatology. 2006;24(1):25‐30. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16539815/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2024.
