How Important are Enzymes in Your Life? Part 1: Diet

H ow do nutrition and enzymes affect a chiro­practic practice? Proper nutrition plays a big part in the healing process and achieving great results with your patients. I honestly don't know how I would help at least half of my patients get well with­out discussing nutrition with them. If your doctor has a hard time getting the results he or she wants with patients and isn't discussing nutrition with them, then it may be hard to grow your practice. Dietary deficiencies will develop if patients are eating the wrong foods or not digesting foods they eat, and often there are various symptoms associated with these dietary deficiencies. By suggesting they simply take a digestive enzyme, it can help patients get the most from their food. If your doctor doesn't have a background in nutrition, but is interested in learn­ing a system, the Loomis Institute can help provide a scientifically sound, systematic approach for how to implement enzyme nutrition into any practice. In your work as a chiropractic assistant, you may notice that time is one of your patients' biggest commodities. With everything that needs to be done on any given day, most people often feel that they don't have enough time to do it all. One of the vital needs for us to stay alive and healthy is proper nutrition through a balanced diet. It takes time to think about what we want to eat, figure out if we have all the ingredients necessary, shop for the food, prepare the meal, take the time to sit and enjoy it, and then clean up. Eating healthy meals can be time consuming and even stressful. For those who value nutrition and consistently eat a properly balanced diet, making the time for meals can be easy. On the contrary, those who think they value nutrition but don't make eating a balanced diet a priority might find it difficult to make the time for meals. Let's face it: it's a lot easier to consume fast foods, processed foods, and food-like substances than to prepare and eat real fresh food while fol­lowing a balanced diet. Many people struggle with a balanced diet because it takes energy, organization, and time to create the healthy habit. Humans are creatures of habit. We are either in the habit of doing something or not doing something. The good news is that we can replace bad habits with good ones by shining awareness on what we want to change, mak­ing the decision to change, and supporting ourselves through the process. How can you, as a chiropractic assistant, open the door to discussing nutrition with your patients? For example, how many of your female patients have problems with their skin, hair, and nails? Do you know that your chiropractor could have a quick, easy screening exam to identify the nutritional cause of these symptoms? It's my goal to arm you with the knowledge, under­standing, and verbiage to help you engage patients in conversations about their health through diet. I have come to understand through interviewing CAs in different practices that patients tend to open up and say more to the CA than they do to the doctor. This is not always the case, but it does happen quite often. The CA also has a certain amount of positive influ­ence over the patients in addition to the doctor. CAs can develop a trusted rapport with patients that can bean invaluable asset to the growth of the practice. When you are chatting with the patient, be aware of certain symptoms the patient may talk about that would prompt you to ask more questions. Here is a list of symptoms that are associated with dietary and/ or enzyme deficiencies: Cold hands and feet TMJ problems Chronic low back pain Dry eyes or mouth Hard time relaxing Poor memory Slow morning starter or become stiff after sitting Dry skin or problems with hair loss and/or chronic shoulder problems I would recommend your office put these symp­toms on a patient questionnaire that asks, "Do you frequently experience...?" Instruct the patient to circle all symptoms that apply and use this as a 60-second survey. When the patient completes the survey, you can then ask, "Would you like the doctor to do a brief screening to see if you qualify for a more compre­hensive nutritional evaluation?" Some patients will follow the recommendations of the CA and get the screening that the doctor can easily do (see below). This team approach to serving your patients can yield in growth of the practice. There are different symptoms your patients can experience as they relate to different organ systems in the body. This article is the first of a six-part series. The different systems I discuss are diet, digestion and elimination, immune, autonomic, endocrine, and lymphatic. In the next article, I will address digestion and elimination. For more information on enzyme nutrition, chiro­practors may call the Loomis Institute at 800-662-2630 to set up an account. Seethe Loomis Institute's ad to order the "REAL" Test Kit, which teaches chiro­practors the screening exam mentioned in this article. Chiropractors have access to the Loomis Institute's Director of Clinical Sciences, who is available to an­swer questions as they incorporate enzyme nutrition into practice. Dr. Keith Giaquinto has over 11 years of clinical experience as a Chiropractor and Internal Health Specialist. He frequently lectures to companies and groups in his com- munity on topics of health andwellness. He has created a new patient lecture system for growing your practice through lecturing. You can contact him at www. YourDi-gestionDoctor. com