Micronutrients in Food and in the Test Tube

by Georgia Tetlow, MD

What we eat, how we eat and whether we can digest and absorb are key to maintaining and recovering health. After years of addressing chronic illnesses from rheumatoid arthritis to autoimmune thyroiditis, I see more clearly that finding balance within is crucial not only to basic wellbeing, but to gastrointestinal health. Well-being in the belly is the foundation for both healing long-standing illness and maintaining health.

How do I know if I’m getting the micronutrients I need? Do I need supplements or is my diet sufficient? I choose my food carefully, and eat well—how can I get more of the essential nutrients from what I eat?

 

One way to find out is to test for micronutrients. A micronutrient test addresses our unique nutritional status. It also helps individuals save money by eliminating unnecessary supplements.

Micronutrient testing looks at key vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, metabolites, fatty acids, amino acids, as well as carbohydrate metabolism (the latter can reflect an unhealthy diet or insulin insensitivity). Equally important, micronutrient testing examines white blood cells, which will show which micronutrients have made it all the way inside the cell—from the grocery shelf to their final destination where it matters most. Such testing allows a nutritional assessment that covers the last five or more months, that is much more powerful than a spot-check of nutrients and vitamins from a simple blood test. Many of my patients make changes and reductions in their supplements based on testing.

How do I balance my gastrointestinal tract from the inside out? I recommend mindful eating. If we are increasingly aware and present when we eat, we emphasize the “rest and digest” nervous system and can enjoy, digest and absorb to a much greater degree. Slowing down, sitting down, chewing, breathing and tasting our food are great ways to come back to our senses. The GI tract can then receive exponential increases in blood flow, and every aspect of balanced digestion, absorption and elimination is enhanced. Up to 70 percent of immune cells reside in the GI tract, so a healthy gut can translate to a healthier immune system.

Brief Bio

Georgia Tetlow, MD, is integrative physician at The Resiliency Center. She completed an integrative medicine fellowship at the University of Arizona, has a faculty affiliation at Thomas Jefferson and has expertise in mind-body medicine, herbal therapies and diets and energy medicine to address chronic illness, cancer recovery and pain. Visit www.philly-im.com [Link to: http://www.philly-im.com] , call (888) 702-7974 or email info@philly-im.com [Link to: mailto:info@philly-im.com].