The Alpha Nutrition Program was developed as practical medical management of food-related illnesses. The program is modular and can be adapted to patients with different of dysfunctions and diseases There are many motives for doing diet revision.

The Program began with observations that certain food-selection patterns are associated with dysfunction and disease. The original design of the program focused on the management of  delayed patterns of food allergy; a complex set of problems that are poorly understood, seldom diagnosed, and seldom managed properly. Food allergy often co-exists with digestive and absorption disturbances, as well as metabolic and biochemical problems.

Nutrition can be thought of as an idealized, abstract look at the possible (but not real) outcomes after eating foods. The role of foods themselves, as regulators of internal body dynamics, are relatively ignored. The possibility of things going wrong with digestion, absorption, metabolism, and with immune surveillance of these processes, while considered in medical science, is seldom a concern in medical practice. The dietitian often assumes that nothing will go wrong with food-body interactions - nutrients that are in the food are available to the body without complications. The physician generally assumes that nothing will go wrong or will consider a small number of adverse effects ignoring a number of pathological possibilities which may be the key to enigmatic disease.

The literature on food allergy refers to five basic methods of diet revision.

1. Elemental Nutrient Formulas
2. Elimination Diets
3. Oligoantigenic or hypoallergenic diet
4. Food reintroduction schemes
5. Rotation of food

The elimination diet became the allergists main tool of diagnosis and treatment. Often elimination lists were based on skin or other tests. The IgE model of allergy postulated that single foods were responsible for symptom production and that their avoidance would leave the patient asymptomatic. Dietitians are usually equipped with avoidance lists that show a variety of products which contain the food or food group to be avoided.

The assumption is that the patients existing diet is perfectly adequate and eliminated offending foods will leave the patient intact with good nutrition. If skin tests were positive to several foods the patient would have several elimination lists and would often feel frustrated and confused about what to eat. Elimination diets are seldom constructed from a positive image i.e. a program which shows the patient what to eat, how to construct nutritionally adequate meals, how to answer other health needs by diet revision.

The "hypoallergenic or oligoantigenic" diet is a selection of foods that are thought to be well-tolerated. The idea is to retreat to these foods in an attempt to clear symptoms. Many different "few-foods" list have appeared in the literature - they vary with local taste and custom. The consensus has always been that the high risk foods - milk, wheat (rye, barley, oats), eggs, soya, corn, citrus, nuts, chocolate, coffee - and processed foods with additives and preservatives - are avoided. Egger and his colleagues, for example, chose lamb, chicken, potatoes, rice, banana, and apple as the first foods in their oligoantigenic diet. Supplements of vitamins and minerals are included to improve the nutritional value of the diet. Following a successful remission of symptoms, foods are reintroduce one at a time to assess their reactivity.

Elemental or chemically-defined nutrient formulas (Alpha ENF) have been used to obtain more complete control of antigen-entry and to assure nutrient intact during a symptom remission period or "washout". The concepts and applications of an elemental formula are detailed below.

The Alpha Nutrition Concept

A systematic method of diet revision with full participation of the patient in evaluating and selecting foods has never before been introduced into medical practice. There are important difficulties in attempting diet revision. Any attempt to fundamentally alter a patients lifestyle is bound to encounter resistance from many directions. More time and effort is required to educate, motivate, and support any patient who wants to change.

Since resolving the problems of  delayed patterns of  food allergy in common disorders such as eczema, migraine, asthma, irritable bowel  is a  priority, the Alpha Nutrition method of diet revision was influenced by allergy practice. The initial concept of an elimination diet was that patients began with a few foods until symptoms cleared.  We recommend re-introducing a set of normal, nourishing foods that have the least probability of causing problems. Common foods such as milk, wheat, and eggs are often involved in causing problems and long-term success depends on creating an alternate diet which features other staple foods.

Disease Specific Applications

The steps involved in the Alpha Nutrition Program are detailed in the main program manual. Books that describe specific medical problems refer to the Alpha Nutrition Program and expand the instructions for dealing with specific problems. Each additional book provides essential knowledge and explains the Alpha Nutrition approach to solving the problem.

Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Weight Management

Program for Diabetes 2

Program for Crohn's Disease

Program for Celiac Disease

Program for Arterial Disease

Program for Alcohol Recovery

Program for Children

Program for Skin Disorders

Program for Irritable Bowel

Starter Packs bundle the Alpha Nutrition Program, with other books and formulas to help you get started solving your health problems. The starter packs are sold at discounts of to to 30% to make it easier and affordable for you to learn more and try our nutrient formulas. Please see  Rescue Starter Packs 

If you are not ready for the starter pack, Order Books Separately. Click the book title in the center column of the table (left) for more information. Click the green buy now button to order printed books for mail delivery from Alpha Online. Click the yellow download button to order and download PDF files from Persona Digital.

Alpha Nutrition Program

Alpha Nutrition ® is a registered trademark and a division of  Environmed Research Inc., Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada. In business since 1984. Online since 1995. Alpha Nutrition Products and services are ordered at Alpha Online. Persona Digital participates in the production and distribution of  Alpha Education Books.  The entire series is available for download. Persona Digital also distributes Alpha Nutrition Formula information, tutorials, and user guides as PDF files for download.