Medical Nutrition Therapy


		There are no side effects or risks to eating healthfully.
		It is true to a large extent that we are what we eat.
		Diet is the NATURAL way to treat disease.

		Even though medications may be needed, a diet properly planned by dietitians for your disease can lower side effects, lower the need for frequent medical visits and sometimes, decrease the cost of medications.

		In many ways the function of a dietitian in Medical Nutrition Therapy is to act as a translator between the doctor and the patient. We try to make the changes a patient needs to make in his or her eating as unthreatening as possible. Our main goal is to maintain your quality of life. If the patient hates the new dietary lifestyle changes, he or she will either go back to the old way of eating or just give up. Our compassionate attitude combined with over a total of 52 years of experience with making food taste good within restricted diets gives us a unique ability to help our patients.

	Diabetes	Control over blood sugar levels is necessary to decrease risk of complications of diabetes such as kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, loss of eyesight, problems with wound healing and the need for additional costly medications.
	Kidney Failure	Early control of your diet helps slow the disease. Over time, restriction of sodium, protein, potassium and phosphorous, as well as fluids, may be necessary.
	Hypertension	High blood pressure often can be controlled by weight reduction or lowering the intake of sodium. Medications, which many times have side effects, can often be lowered or eliminated with proper diet.
	Cholesterol and High Triglycerides	Sometimes even small changes in the diet and/or weight can result in lowered cholesterol and triglycerides. If they are allowed to stay elevated, the risk for cardiovascular disease increases. Expensive medications can be avoided by trying diet first.
	GI Diseases	Many of the discomforts of gastrointestinal diseases can be decreased with dietary changes. Dietary control can sometimes eliminate the need for surgery. Dietary treatment depends on the specific disease involved.
	Obesity Sleep Apnea	Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, some cancers, and many other medical conditions. Risks are decreased with as little as a 10% weight loss.