TAC VIP, Jaclyn Busch, disguised as a mild-mannered reporter, has been flying the friendly skies again—this time wending her way to San Francisco to sit in on The Loomis Institute of Enzvrne Nutrition Seminar, which debuted in January 2002, in Phoenix, Arizona. Through this series of seminars, the practitioner can expect to learn how to effectively guide patients with unresolved health problems through their recovery, returning them to optimal health. To provide you with information about the seminar , The American Chiropractor (TAC) interviews Dr. Howard F. Loomis (HFL), Jr., concerning The Loomis Institute of Enzyme Nutrition and how it promises to impact the chiropractic profession. TAC: Could you give us some background information on the Loomis Institute of Enzyme Nutrition? HFL: The Institute became a goal about a year-and-a-half ago. It is the culmination of work that I had begun in 1980. At that time, 1 began doing clinical studies on the correlation between chiro- practic examination findings and improved diet and digestion. By 1985, I began doing seminars based on those studies. Over the years, the work has expanded, as has awareness of the use of enzymes, in general. In the spring of 2001, my staff and I met with representatives of the State of Wisconsin to discuss the possibility of forming an accredited educational program. The Educational Approval Board regulates all higher education colleges in Wisconsin, such as business colleges, acupuncture colleges, massage therapy schools, and others that are not part of a public or private campus university. The Educational Approval Board greeted the project enthusiastically. Since then, they have been very helpful, as we have proceeded through the extensive and ongoing accreditation process. The Board's primary focus is on the integrity of the Institute, both academically and financially, and the protection of student rights and benefits. TAC: What is the purpose and ultimate goal of this program? HFL: Our goal is to present health care professionals with a comprehensive model or paradigm for incorporating health care and disease prevention methods to complement their existing expertise. The curriculum must be scientifically sound and legally defensible and comple- WHAT'S UP, DOC? Since this was my first exposure to enzyme therapy, I found it to be very rewarding and intellectually stimulating, to the extent that I have registered for the Part 2 seminar. I was somewhat surprised to learn that some attendees had experienced this seminar in the past, and that some were already using the work in their practices. The seminar is well organized, and sufficiently documented to preclude the necessity of taking voluminous notes, permitting uninterrupted concentration on the lecture, a feature I find very satisfying. The Loomis work is particularly appropriate for chiropractors, as it validates the science of chiropractic by specifically relating the spinal nerves to specific areas and it reviews the embryological evidence of the connection of the nervous system to all body tissues. The seminar is presented in an easy-going and easily understood manner, with enough repetition of salient points that they are easily committed to memory as the lecture progresses, resulting in immediately learned information. The fee and the time spent on this work are definitely a good value. John P. Carpenedo, D. C. San Jose, CA ment the basic science education they already possess. At the same time, the curriculum must present material that has clinical application that may not be emphasized in existing academic environments. My seventeen years of seminar presentations have made me aware that, while the public has a wide choice of general practitioners and specialists within the healing arts, no one specializes in maintaining digestive health. I feel that the Institute, and its educational program, fill that void. TAC: What kind of results have doctors witnessed by applying this information in their practices and with patients? HFL: As of this writing, the Institute has yet to graduate its first class. The final examination will be given later this year in three locations across the country. Nevertheless, acceptance and appreciation for the material has been very gratifying. Success stories are already abundant. The material we present has always produced significant improvement in clinical applications by attendees. TAC: Do attendees require a specific philosophical bent to appreciate the information presented? HFL: Yes, I believe that doctors need to recognize the inherent intelligence of the human body and its mechanisms for maintaining normal function. They must recognize what the body requires to meet the continual mechanical, chemical/nutritional, and emotional stress it encounters. Such a viewpoint is, after all, scientifically sound and provable. One need only be familiar with the work of Hans Selye, and how the body deals with stress, to appreciate this viewpoint. We present a non-pharmaceutical approach to removing stress and maintaining or restoring normal function, as opposed to treatment of specific disease conditions. I believe chiropractors are uniquely positioned, because of their education and training, to benefit from such an approach. The material is not technique-oriented; rather, it emphasizes correlating spinal findings with visccro-somatic reflexes whenever they are present. In other words, we recognize that spinal joint dysfunction or subluxation is always present whenever there is visceral organ dysfunction or stress. Once the cause is found, the therapy becomes obvious. TAC: What time commitments does a doctor need to budget to attend? Are Continuing Education Units (CEU's) available? HFL: The diploma given in Digestive Health is available by attending four weekend-long seminars, held about four-to-six weeks apart. Each section builds on its predecessor. An open-book final examination is given on the last day of Part 4. Currently, twelve CEU's (hours) are approved for Part 1. The rest of the seminars are under review for CEU ap- proval. These credits are available from National University of Health Sciences and Logan College of Chiropractic. Howard F. Loom is, Jr., DC, President of Enzyme Formulations®, Inc., has an extensive background in enzymes and enzyme supplementation. As president for fifteen years of 21st Century Nutrition® (now the Loomis Institute™ of Enzyme Nutrition), he has forged a remarkable career as an educator, having conducted over 400 seminars to date, in the United States and internationally, on the diagnosis and treatment of food enzyme deficiency syndromes. The Loomis System™, Dr. Loomis ' sys-tem of evaluation, is recognized as a legitimate and proven method of determining a patient's nutritional stresses. Call 1-800-662-2630 for more information and a free video. D on't forget to check out our exclusive "Inside Look" at The Enzyme Formulations Seminar on the next page. Jaclyn Busch shares her experience during the Seminar, in the Seminar Tour Commentary'. We bring this especially to you, so you can review what seminars are available for you to keep up with the Continued Education you're looking for! Also, let us know how you like TACs New Feature the "Seminar Tour," and any suggestions you might have to help us make it even more useful for you! Just e-mail [email protected] COMMENTARY Digestion: The Missing Link in Nutrition When I found out that Dr. Howard Loomis, Jr., was speaking in San Francisco on a weekend that would have been a holiday forme if I stayed in Panama, I knew I had to take the opportunity to finally hear him speak, in person. Those of you who read TAC frequently already know Dr. Loomis from his nutrition column with us. Our reader response to his column has always been incredible, so I'd been waiting for this opportunity to come along! The seminar I chose—actually, the only one Dr. Loomis would let me begin with!—was a Part 1 seminar of a new four-part series on enzyme nutrition, entitled, "Food Enzyme Deficiencies: The Hidden Causes of Chronic Complaints." In this series, Dr. Loomis addresses the question, "Why do some non-traumatic cases respond quickly to treatment, while others do not?" The series is designed to give doctors the knowledge they need to recognize possible hidden causes in those problem cases that don't seem to respond to other forms of treatment. I arrived in San Francisco on a Friday evening, checked into the Marriott Hotel near the airport, and rested up so I'd be sharp for classes on Saturday morning. The lecture hours were a comfortable 9:00 AM-5:30 PM on Saturday, and 8:00 AM-12:30 PM on Sunday, with the classes spaced out in one-hour-and-fifteen-minute intervals. I loved the way the classes were set up, plus the fact that there were no vendors or products being sold, so everyone could focus 100% on learning in a comfortable and relaxed environment. Dr. Loomis spoke the majority of the weekend, complimented by his protege, Dr. Dennis Frerking. On Saturday morning, Dr. Loomis started off by explaining the "Competition for the Health Care $$" and how the Loomis System takes a health care approach, as opposed to the "Sick Care Approach" that currently predominates in the health care field. The Loomis System view of "Health Care" looks to: Remove the source of stress, Improve the diet and digestion, and Detoxify and improve elimination. Based on this foundation, the seminar explores each of these areas from a very scientific perspective. The information provided in this seminar is very useful and educational. Dr. Loomis, a second generation chiropractor, discusses his life's work stemming from questions he had as a chiropractor, which set him to wondering why some patients responded better to care than others.. .which, of course, led him to the field of nutrition and, ultimately, to increased attention to digestion and enzymes. After years of research and practice, Dr. Loomis has reduced all nutritional deficiencies to three categories: Protein, carbohydrate, and/or lipid (fat) deficiencies, or combinations, thereof. It is his conclusion that, when a patient is deficient in any one of these three areas, it is usually because his or her body is no longer able to digest certain foods properly.. .so, although a person may be ingesting the proper amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats, if he/she is not able to assimilate them properly, his or her body will remain in a state of deficiency. This is where digestion and the importance of enzymes in the digestive process come into play. Dr. Loomis points out that one can, informally, detect a person's deficiencies by simply asking what foods they crave. Since the body usually "craves" what it needs, then the foods you crave are, more than likely, indicative that your body is not digesting those foods—thus, you, literally, can't get enough of them! (I had a lot of fun when I went to dinner after learning all this, and caught myself asking for extra oil and butter—lipid deficiency—.. .oh, and would you pass the salt! Eating will never be the same for me since taking this seminar!) One of the most important things I think all attendees can take away from this program is the great need for real alternatives, such as enzyme nutrition, to help the public deal with ailments and problems that, up to this point, are being treated by OTC's or prescription drugs. If your patients are still taking drugs like antacids, pain relievers, and laxatives (to name a few), and chiropractic adjustments, alone, aren't enough to correct the underlying problems, wouldn't it just make sense to offer them other alternatives? Learning more specific techniques for pinpointing your patients' deficiencies through this seminar series will help you, even, to identify the organs being affected, which may also be causing your patients' recurring subluxations. This is, definitely, a tool that will enable chiropractors to better treat the whole person, while keeping the treatment of subluxations a primary focus in their offices, and, at the same time, augmenting treatment with nutritional support to help correct and prevent the problem at its origin. Whether you're a seasoned nutritional specialist or just wondering how you can better serve your patients, enzyme nutrition is a very necessary component of your health care education. For your own health and for that of your patients, I encourage you to find out when you can get to a seminar—and, then, tell me what you think! © Find out where I will go next! E-mail me at: [email protected]
