Therapeutic nutrition: the key to health

For the successful treatment of any disease, proper nutrition plays one of the leading roles. This principle has been known since the time of Hippocrates. It is noteworthy that therapeutic nutrition unites the supporters of traditional medicine and naturopathy, who usually disagree on the methods of treatment.

Naturopaths argue that natural nutritional therapy is fundamentally different from the traditional medical approach. Traditional medicine treats the body, while naturopathy views the human being as a holistic system where body, mind and soul are interconnected. In their view, all these aspects need to be considered for healing.

Medicine distinguishes between two types of illnesses: acute and chronic. Acute diseases are most often caused by external factors, such as bacteria and viruses, and medications are used to treat them. The causes of chronic diseases are not always clear, and treatment is usually aimed at alleviating symptoms and improving the patient's quality of life.

Naturopathy offers a holistic approach in which therapeutic nutrition plays a crucial role. In acute illness, a proper diet helps the body to restore balance. The body itself has healing mechanisms, and the task of diet is to help these mechanisms to start through cleansing the body.

When treating chronic disease, the role of nutrition is somewhat different. Chronic diseases are often associated with poor lifestyle, heredity, intoxication and stress. All this leads to the accumulation of toxins, which the immune system fights against, creating foci of chronic inflammation. Therapeutic nutrition helps the body to free itself from toxins and restore the work of the affected organs.

The process of treatment of chronic diseases is long and requires serious changes in lifestyle. It is important to provide the body with the opportunity to cleanse and detoxify, which requires proper nutrition. Additionally, nutritional supplements and medicinal herbs can be used. Medical help is required when the body's own resources are insufficient to fight the disease.

The concept of therapeutic nutrition, developed by M.I. Pevzner, played an important role in domestic medicine. In 1920, Pevzner began research on the effects of nutritional therapy on the body and became the founder of Russian dietetics. His methods included therapeutic nutrition for the treatment of various diseases such as GI diseases, hypertension, atherosclerosis and many others. Pevzner proposed fifteen dietary tables, which are still used in medical institutions and serve as a reference point for dieticians.

Thus, therapeutic nutrition is an integral part of complex treatment and an important element on the way to recovery.