Nutrition and its Importance in the Field of Oriental Medicine

The use of Chinese herbs and Western nutritional supplements, with their range of safe formulations developed from natural sources, fills an important need in modern healthcare. They assist and stimulate the healing capacities of the body and are used to effectively treat a range of common diseases. They consist of herbs, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that correct the functioning of the body's complex systems. Herbal formulas and nutritional supplements have been developed and validated over the years using sophisticated cellular biochemical and clinical research both in China and America.

Nutrition counseling is establishing itself as an effective treatment option that crosses professional boundaries. Many healthcare providers are applying the principles of nutrition to complement their work.

It can be used to supplement existing treatment approaches or effectively as an independent therapy.

Patients generally feel very comfortable with traditional herbs and nutritional supplements. They combine the reassurance of science with the appeal of a natural method for assisting the healing process. Social trends clearly indicate that the demand for this type of treatment is growing rapidly and many physicians and practitioners of Oriental Medicine are using the principles of nutrition to qualitatively improve their services to patients.

Education at the Midwest College includes a solid foundation in the biosciences. This foundation in science, combined with TCM theory and principles of nutrition, allows interns to correct physiological disturbances using modern nutrition and food therapy, and imbalances in "Qi" energy circulation using acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbs.

It is of fundamental importance that TCM practitioners receive adequate training in the correct and effective use of foods, herbs, and nutraceuticals; and most importantly, training based on sound scientific and clinical evidence. It is not surprising that prospective students of Oriental Medicine are looking for programs where they can gain the skills and knowledge needed to integrate TCM and relevant principles of nutrition in their future professional practice.

There are two aspects to a TCM nutritional consultation. The first concerns healthy eating habits and lifestyle; the second is recommendation of foods, herbs, and nutraceuticals as treatment for specific disorders. Now that nutrition is recognized for its effectiveness in preventative medicine, it is important that TCM practitioners use the latest developments in nutrition to meet their patient's health care needs.

The nutrition component of the Oriental Medicine program, as well as its clinical experiences, has been designed to ensure that students see a wide variety of health problems in nutritional consultation, and that they become familiar with using food and nutraceuticals in TCM clinical practice. Its emphasis is on the intern applying the principles learned in class to the treatment of patients in the student clinic.

Integrating Nutrition with Traditional Chinese Medicine:

• Allows for an integration of TCM theory and the use of Chinese herbs and nutritive supplements in modern nutritional counseling.
• Allows practitioners to combine American and Asian recommendations regarding foods as a preventative to disease in the maintenance of optimum health.
• Meets the needs of patients who expect a holistic practitioner to make recommendations regarding food, herbs, and nutritive supplements.
• Increases the breadth of data collected when making a health assessment.
• Increases a practitioner's understanding of the interaction between drugs, herbs and nutritional supplements.