Book Prescriptions

Docere, or doctor as teacher, is one of our six principles of Naturopathic Medicine. It refers to the doctor/patient relationship as seen by the naturopath, where the doctor and patient are in equal partnership. Guided by their Naturopath, patients learn to work with their own innate natural healing ability so they can take responsibility for their own health. In line with that principle, I often point my patients to reliable resources, my favorite of which is books. In some cases the book itself is the medicine. In this column I will review books written by Naturopathic Doctors and comment on how and for whom I might
prescribe them.



The topic of this first article is The New ME, Metabolic Effect Diet: Eat More, Work Out Less, and Actually Lose Weight While You Rest by our very own NCANP members, Jade Teta, ND and Keoni Teta, ND. This book has three purposes. The first is to clarify the difference between weight loss and fat loss and why you should care. The second is to present the evidence clearly and convincingly for why reducing calories and adding aerobic exercise, (aka the “less in, more out” approach to weight loss), is ineffective, potentially detrimental to your health, and works against your metabolism. The third is to
present a sustainable, comprehensive lifestyle approach that works with your metabolism to burn fat. Metabolic Effect Diet is much more than a diet book.

How and for whom would I prescribe Metabolic Effect Diet? As to how, for the first step I would have all patients take off thesuperficial, fad-diet- book jacket and throw it away. Metabolic Effect Diet has a depth and intelligence that is clearly the product of well educated, experienced, holistic physicians and experts in the field of exercise physiology. I would also tell patients, that if you find the recipes unappetizing or if whey protein powder and protein bars just don’t have that earthy, granola, whole foods appeal that attracted you to naturopathic care in the first place, no worries. The Teta’s elucidate the
principles behind the suggested recipes so well that it will be no problem to create meals congruent with your personality.



Who should read this book?

Equally appropriate for men and women, and for all ages. Especially well suited for those people:

· convinced that it is just hopelessly “in their genes” to be fat.

· finding it harder and harder to lose or maintain their weight.

· repulsed by the idea of counting calories, wanting a more sustainable lifestyle.

· wanting better or more reliable stamina.

· fitting into the smaller pant sizes but are “skinny fat”

· overly dependent on external measures, that could benefit from practice listening to their own internal cues.

· diagnosed or at risk for metabolic syndrome.

· having trouble sleeping.

· and, of course, those who just want to look sexier.



Jennifer Ito, ND
1235 Onslow Rd
Raleigh, NC 27606
www.RaleighNaturopathic.com