“It’s my health!” is the battle cry of the people who are leading the paradigm shift in the healthcare industry that extends from disease treatment to disease prevention and health maintenance to enhancement. A key component of this shift has been the advent and availability of measurement tools that can give people feedback on how well particular health enhancing practices are working, whether those practices are related to dietary changes, the intake of a nutrient supplement, pharmaceutical, exercise, or meditation.
Reasons to celebrate
In the area of nutrients and nutrition, the revolution and successes we see in personal health control include the following:
- People choosing to be proactive in health maintenance and enhancement, and a shift in their relationship with their healthcare practitioner or insurance company, who become partners in their effort.
- Nutrient research scientists and trained nutrient practitioners capable of guiding the public and practitioners through ongoing research and open publication of data on nutrient efficacy and their impact on health and prevention of many diseases.
- Availability of nutrient self-testing and the ability to compare one’s results with thousands of others.
More work to do
While we see this revolution taking hold in the public, the paradigm shift the public seeks cannot fully take place until our healthcare practitioners and nutrient research scientists take up the mantle of personal health control and put the following standards into practice:
- Nutrient research standards, which consider the overlapping effect of different nutrients rather than the current standard of randomized trials for one nutrient at a time. For example: The dose-response chart of over 2500 people shows that those taking 1000 mg or more per day of supplemental vitamin C have a higher vitamin D level for any given vitamin D intake amount than those taking less supplemental vitamin C. This finding means that to achieve the 40 ng/ml of vitamin D, more vitamin D was needed for people who were not taking supplemental vitamin C. We would not have known this if we tested one nutrient at a time. Further, this opens the door to seeing what the combined health benefits are of having both nutrients vs just one. This is a key to answering any supplement taker’s question, “is it working for me?
- Use of an existing interactive system which allows individuals access to valid data on themselves as well as population data for comparison and informed decision making on health outcomes. The system has the ability to send reports and/or ask questions of trained medical personnel.
- Any system and methodology used by the public, healthcare practitioners, and researchers cannot be associated or dependent upon the sale or promotion of specific products.
- The ongoing validation of the effectiveness of particular nutrients in relation to specific health outcomes associated with those nutrients. This includes the publication of de-identified data in peer-reviewed journals.
- The ongoing education and testing of all people who are choosing personal health control.
Unique individuals deserve unique plans
We urge everyone to take charge of their health by first recognizing that no two people are alike. Personal health control is just that, personal, and self-testing is the first step in taking control.
Healthcare practitioners and scientists need to acknowledge this revolution and get the training they need to adequately partner with the public they serve, and nutrient (supplement) makers and suppliers must demonstrate the efficacy of their products to ensure the public trust and ensuing profit.
In a shift from the past, the public is leading the way, putting disease prevention first. Healthcare practitioners, nutrient scientists, and nutrient suppliers should join the revolution or risk being left behind.
