The digestive system is our link with the body's internal and external environment. The ability to break down food, assimilate it properly, and eliminate food residues adequately is one of the key factors in well-being.

Dr. Terrence Bennett, who was a well-known San Francisco chiropractor, did a great deal of research on digestive function, arriving at the conclusion that the liver, gall bladder, pancreas, and stomach were the most metabolically active areas in the body. He found that, if a strong or continuous stressor (such as poor diet or a severe emotional upset) affected these organs, the repercussions would be felt throughout the body. Dr. Bennett believed that, if this organ system was in order, the body could maintain good health.

After water and air, food becomes the next most common stimulus to the human body. There is a old adage about food which has been revised as follows: "You are NOT what you eat, but what your body can assimilate." Good breakdown of food and the elimination of wastes are imperative.

While we may not BE what we eat, however, the quality of food taken and the combination of food choices has a tremendous effect on the body's ability to assimilate food. Therefore, it is important to be sure that our nourishment is as pure and as organic as possible in order to support good digestive function. Food should be as close to its natural condition as we can find it, unprocessed and untreated with chemicals. Equally important is one's level of stress and emotional status in general, and particularly at the time of eating.

Some individuals can eat practically anything and experience no repercussions, while others react adversely to the slightest change in diet. However, a person with a weak digestive tract who watches his or her diet closely may fare better in the long run than someone with a strong tract who abuses it repeatedly.   

An in-depth investigation into dietary needs focuses on Laboratory Blood Screening and Hair Analysis and on "consitutional typing" through Iris Analysis (Iridology) and the Ayurveda health care system.

Standard Laboratory Blood Screening tests can be helpful in determining such conditions as simple anemias or elevated blood fats and can be helpful in ruling out more serious conditions. It is generally recommended that a basic health screening be performed every two years.

Hair Analysis as a nutritional tool has been available for many years. The scalp hair generally reflects a three-month storage of vital minerals as well as potential toxic metals. The hair can reflect if the intake and storage of minerals is high or low, as well as if there has been an absorption of of toxic metals such as lead. This test is non-invasive and can been done once or twice yearly if necessary.

Iris Analysis (or Iridology) has been studied actively for more than 150 years. In Germany, especially, this work has been developed to a fine art. The iris, or the colored portion of the eye, while not revealing disease, indicates factors in a person's constitional make-up. By revealing the inherently strong and weak organs, iris analysis is one of the few modalities that can reveal our constitional predisposition towards health or imbalance. This information can be vital when planning a nutritional program.

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian health care system, incorporates the "Tridosha Theory" as part of its comprehensive health care analysis. According to Tridosha, there are three basic body-mind types: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, with sub-types to these three. Having knowlege of one's body-type, one can plan dietary and life-style factors most suitable for one's well-being.

The combination of both blood and hair samples gives patients a good idea of where they have been and where they are now with their eating habits. The addition of constitutional typing with Ayurveda and Iris Analysis allows the Doctor to finely tune nutritional suggestions to each person's unique psychological and body-type needs.

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