{"id":18187,"date":"2022-02-21T12:57:31","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T12:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/functionalnutritionlab.com\/blog\/?p=12"},"modified":"2023-11-07T13:02:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T13:02:57","slug":"clinical-cause-effect-dont-miss-it-in-your-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fxnutrition.com\/blog\/clinical-cause-effect-dont-miss-it-in-your-practice","title":{"rendered":"Clinical Cause & Effect \u2013 Putting your Functional Nutrition Certification into Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

In your practice, you\u2019ll likely encounter clients who are taking prescription medications. We see it all the time in the <\/span>Functional Nutrition Alliance Clinic<\/span><\/a>. And while it\u2019s not within our scope of practice to advise people on pharmaceuticals as Functional Nutritionists or Functional Nutrition Counselors, it<\/span> is<\/span><\/i> within our scope to help clients understand cause and effect.<\/span><\/p>\n

A lesson from Full Body Systems, the leading Functional Nutrition certification and training course<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nothing that goes into the body goes without consequences \u2013 good, bad or both.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We talk extensively about the consequences of both functional and impaired digestion in <\/span>our<\/span> Functional Nutrition certification and training program, <\/span>Full Body Systems<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Full Body Systems, we train practitioners to ask, \u201cwhat\u2019s going on in there?\u201d We teach them to look for the physiological connections between different symptoms (even those seemingly unrelated to one another.) An example of how this <\/span>systems biology<\/span><\/a> comes into play is with the gut-brain or gut-immune connection. Understanding these connections reminds us to view conditions like depression, psoriasis, joint pain, fatigue, Hashimoto\u2019s and more as linked to possible imbalances in the gut.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Year after year, I see that one of the biggest revelations for students pursuing their Functional Nutrition Certification is the discovery of the importance of the role of the stomach in both digestion and overall health. The chemistry of the stomach\u2019s secretions, it\u2019s mucous lining, and the wicked strong muscles within the stomach all have important jobs in relation to processing the food we eat. There\u2019s powerful stuff happening in there!<\/span><\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the cause and effect of taking a drug that affects the stomach?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Prilosec is a PPI (proton pump inhibitor). Omeprazole is its generic name. It\u2019s used to decrease the production of stomach acid to help prevent heartburn or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Prilosec isn\u2019t the only one.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a good number of PPIs including Prevacid, Nexium and at least 40 other brand name pharmaceuticals that are among the top 10 highest-selling class of drugs in the U.S. In fact, by 2017, Nexium was the best selling pharmaceutical drug in all history. It\u2019s estimated that between 18 and 28% of North Americans use a PPI. You can see that it\u2019s highly likely that you\u2019ll encounter a client or patient on a PPI in your practice. But by taking a PPI we miss the opportunity to uncover \u201cwhat\u2019s going on in there.\u201d Plus, we obstruct some key physiological functions that will impact digestion and so much more.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the cause?<\/strong><\/p>\n