If you are not familiar with the term “Medical Food,” you are not alone! I had not heard of it until recently. And, I was so intrigued by the information that I just had to share it with you!
I stumbled upon the topic of Medical Food when I attended a lecture last month sponsored by the Institute for Brain Potential (IBP). The lecture was titled “The Pharmacy in Your Kitchen” and the speaker was Dr. Michael Lara. Judging from the title, I thought the lecture would be about healthy eating. However, as Dr. Lara began to outline the material, he kept referring to “Medical Food.” I am pretty sure I was not the only person in the room who had a quizzical look on their face…at least I hope I wasn’t! Fortunately, he quickly provided the following definition of medical food as stated by the Food and Drug Administration:
“A food which is formulated to be consumed or administered enterally through the supervision of a physician and which is intended for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements, based on recognized scientific principles, are established by medical evaluation.”
I know this may sound complicated, but in a nutshell, medical foods are a nutritional formulation that is taken orally under the supervision of a physician. More than likely you would recognize some or all of the ingredients in medical foods because they are often found in the supplement aisle. The formulation and the fact that they are prescribed by a physician is what differentiates them from a supplement that you or I would buy at the store. Some of the conditions that physicians may use medical foods for are metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, chronic pain, gastrointestinal issues and neuropsychological conditions.
We covered a lot of material during this 8 hour lecture and I would love to share all of that information with you, but that would make for a very long email! So, I will highlight a couple of examples that I hope will be of interest to you.
As a massage therapist, I am always seeking ways to help my clients with chronic pain. So my ears perked up when Dr. Lara discussed Theramine, a medical food that is used for chronic pain. It stimulates the production of GABA, serotonin and norepinephrine which are neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of pain signals. He referenced a study whereby one group of participants was given Naproxen alone, one group was given Theramine alone and another group was given a combination of Naproxen and Theramine. After 28 days, the Theramine group and the combined therapy group showed significant functional improvement over those that were given Naproxen alone. The group that received Naproxen alone showed elevations in certain inflammatory markers indicating their inflammation was actually increased! The other two groups had no side effects. The study concluded that “Theramine appeared to be effective in relieving back pain without causing any significant side effects.” How many prescription drugs do you know of that have no side effects??
Another condition that was discussed was depression. Apparently, some people lack an enzyme that converts folic acid (synthetic folate) into methylfolate which is the active form of folic acid. When dealing with a depressive disorder, methylfolate is a necessary component to facilitate the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). If you are unable to convert folic acid into methylfolate, you may only have a partial response or no response at all to antidepressants. This was fascinating to me! And, there is a simple saliva test called a polymorphism test which can determine if you lack the enzyme. To correct the imbalance, the patient needs to supplement with L-methylfolate. Currently, the medical food being used for people with treatment resistant depression is called Deplin and the primary ingredient is L-methylfolate. Often people are able to reduce or eliminate the need for antidepressants once they correct this imbalance.
This was of particular interest to me because my brother has been battling depression for some time and he appears to have little to no response to the antidepressants. Not once has any doctor recommended that he be tested to see if he lacks the enzyme. All of his suffering may have been avoided if he had been tested. It is for this reason that I wanted to share this information with you. I would venture to guess that most conventional doctors are not familiar with medical foods. Often they are just treating the symptoms without any regard for finding the root cause. I know there is so much information out there which is why it is so important to be your own advocate when you are dealing with a medical issue. Ask questions and seek opinions from numerous sources (preferably not the internet). If you are not getting the results you want from your treatment, keep seeking guidance until you do. It is okay to be the “squeaky wheel.” You know your body better than anyone!
As I mentioned earlier, most of the ingredients in medical foods are common herbs and supplements. I know we all have a tendency to read about something and then head to the health food store and buy the supplements. Medical foods can be more effective because you are evaluated for specific deficiencies and then treated accordingly. They can be an alternative or an adjunct to your current treatment. If you are interested in pursuing the possibility of using medical foods, check with your primary care doctor to see if he or she is familiar with them. If they are not, then seeking the advice of a functional medicine doctor would be your best resource.
Although this was a brief overview of medical foods, I hope you have a better understanding of how they may be incorporated into a health care plan. If you have any questions about the lecture or would like to discuss this topic further, give me a call. I would love to chat with you!
