Nutritional medicine is the study of nutritional factors with human biology and the application of these interactions to achieve optimum health. Nutritional medicine is a discipline of medicine; it is not simply dietetics or nutrition.
It is a system of therapeutics that favors dietary changes and the use of nutrient substances in appropriate doses to encourage physiological homeostasis.
Factors to be considered in the evaluation of the nutritional status of the patient include:
- The quality of the food eaten
- The efficiency of digestion and assimilation
- The biochemical uniqueness of the individual
The application for nutritional medicine is far reaching and can be applied to most disease states alone or in combination with traditional medicine.
Many diseases are associated with nutritional disturbances. This makes them responsive to dietary interventions and nutritional supplementation.
These include:
| Acne | Infertility |
| Asthma | Insomnia |
| Arthritis | Irritable bowel syndrome |
| Coeliac disease | Learning disorders |
| Cervical dysplasia | Menopausal symptoms |
| Constipation | Migraine |
| Chrohn’s dieases | Obesity |
| Depression | Osteoporosis |
| Dysmenorrhoea | Psoriasis |
| Fatigue syndrome | Seborrheic dermatitis |
| Fibrocystic breast disease | Ulcers |
| Hypertension | Urticaria |
| Infections | Wound healing |