Holistic physicians recognize that nearly all chronic illnesses, both physiological and psychological, can be improved once patients upgrade to a healthier diet and receive nutrient supplies adequate to their needs. They also employ diet and nutrition preventively, both to ensure against disease, and to help their patients acheive optimal health. Thousands of scientific studies support the use of nutrients for achieving and maintaining health. "The rationale for using nutritional medicine extends beyond the rather obvious fact that refined, processed foods grown on depleted soil are low in vitamins and minerals," nutritional authority Alan Gaby, M.D. says. "Even people who consume the most nutritious diets, particularly people suffering from illness, can often benefit from nutritional medicine."

Among the reasons that nutritional medicine can be of benefit to so many people, according to Dr. Gaby, are its ability to:

• Compensate for a weak digestive system,
• Overcome defects in the transportation of nutrients in body tissues,
• Compensate for genetic deficiencies, including gentically abnormal enzymes,
• Overcome the effects of environmental pollution.
• Correct nutritional deficiencies caused by prescription drugs,
• Make use of direct chemical or pharmacological effects of specific nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin B12, and magnesium.

Nutritional medicine offers many preventive and therapeutic benefits for most disease conditions, as well. What follows is a sampling specific nutrients and the disease conditions for which research has shown them to be beneficial.

Vitamin A: acne, alcoholism, anorexia, birth defects (preventive), cancer Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, ear infections, eczema, immune dysfunction (infectious disease), infant mortality, infertility, kidney stones, measles, peptic ulcer, stroke, vision problems (conjunctvitis, eye inflammation, night blindness, etc.), wound healing, ulcerative colitis.

B1 (thiamine): alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, ataxia, cardiovascular disease, coronary disease, cirrhosis (and other forms of liver disease), age-related dementia and depression, epilepsy, fatigue, memory impairment due to alcohol abuse or aging, stress.

B2 (riboflavin): alcoholism, anemia, depression, migraine, sickle cell disease.

B3 (niacin): alcoholism, anxiety, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, pellagra, schizophrenia.

B5 (pantothenic acid): alcoholism, birth defects (preventive).

B6 (pyridoxine): anemia, asthma, behavioral and mood disorders, cardiovascular disease, carpal tunel syndrome, coronary heart disease, diabetes, immune dysfunction, premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

B9 (folic acid): anemia, arthritis, birth defects, cancer (preventively), cardiovascular disease, cervical dysplasia, coronary heart disease, gingivitis, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis.

B12 (cobalamin): anemia, dementia, hepatitis, mouth ulcers (aphthae), multiple sclerois, sleep disorders.

Vitamin C: alcoholism, angina, arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, cervical dysplasia, common cold, coronary heart disease, Crohn's disease, diabetes, ear infections, eczema, fatigue, gallstones, glaucoma, gout, hepatitis, herpes simplex, high cholesterol, immune dysfunction, infertility, irritable bowel syndrome, lupus, macular degeneration, migraine, obesity, Paget's disease (skeletal disease), pancreatitis, Parkinson's disease, periodontal disease, premature aging, psoriasis, respiratory conditions, schizophrenia, shingles, sickle cell anemia, stroke, tetanus, ulcerative colitis, wound healing.

Calcium: anemia, calcium pancreatitis, colorectal cancer (preventive), dental conditions, hip fracture, hypertension, osteoporosis, urinary tract infections.

Carotenoids: atherosclerois (preventive), cancer, high cholesterol, immune dysfunction, cataracts, macular degeneration related to aging.

Choline: headache, head injury, hemiplegia (paralysis due to stroke), memory loss, neurological dysfunction, seizure, stroke, tardive dyskinesia (involuntary muscle movement).

Chromium: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity.

Copper: arthritis, atherosclerosis (preventive), brain and nerve dysfunctions, Crohn's disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, impaired immunity, infertility, lupus..

Vitamin D: cancer, kidney stones, osteoporosis, psoriasis.

Vitamin E: alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, anemia, arthritis, ataxia, brain injury, cancer, canker sores, cataracts, cervical dysplasia, Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, hearing loss, hepatitis, herpes simplex, hypertension, immune dysfunction, kidney disease, leg cramps, lupus, multiple sclerosis, neurological conditions, osteoarthritis, Parkinson's disease, peripheral neuropathy, premature aging, PMS, pulmonary conditions, respiratory conditions, recurrent infection, stress, tardive dyskinesia, thyroid conditions, tuberculosis, ulcerative colitis, wound healing.

Iron: anemia, canker sores, fatigue, infertility, low-birth weight and premature births, recurrent infections, ulcerative colitis.

Magnesium: angina, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), asthma, atherosclerosis, birth defects (preventive), cardiovascular disease, chronique fatigue syndrome, diabetes, epilepsy, gastrointestinal conditions, hypertension, kidney stones, migraine, nausea, mood problems, muscle tremor, osteoporis, PMS, respiratory conditions, ulcerative colitis.

Manganese: diabetes, epilepsy, osteoporosis.

Omega-3 fatty acids: arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, diabetes.

Potassium: atherosclerosis, hypertension, water retention.

Selenium: acne, atherosclerosis (preventive), cancer, cardiovascular disease, cervical dysplasia, herpes simples, high cholesterol, impaired immune function, infertility, lupus, macular degeneration, osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, recurrent infections, shingles.

Zinc: acne, ADHD, atherosclerosis (preventive), birth defects (preventive), benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), canker sores, Crohn's disease, diabetes, ear infections, eczema, herpes simplex, impaired immune function, infertility, lupus, macular degeneration, osteoporosis, peptic ulcer, recurrent infection, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis.

Caution: The above sampling of nutrients in not intended as a self-care guide for treating disease. If you suffer from a serious disease condition, seek professional medical attention.