Nutrition is at the forefront of the natural health revolution. Consumers are buying organic foods, herbal formulas, and dietary supplements at an ever-increasing rate (an $11 billion dollar industry in 1997). Supermarkets, Trader Joe's, Costco, GNC and local pharmacies prominently display discounted nutritional supplies to satisfy customer demand for health products (lower cost, lower quality). Diet and nutrition books, like The Zone, Eat Right for Your Type and Ornish's Healthy Heart Program, top the best seller lists. Newsstand magazines and professional journals tout the benefits of phytonutrients and antioxidants, while debating the merits and risks of hormone replacement therapy or taking loading doses of creatine for body building. Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are out of shape, in poor health, and over-medicated.

Our access to health information is potentially empowering, but often confusing, and overwhelming. The need for in-depth, customized nutritional analysis has spawned careers for Diet Counselors and Nutrition Educators. They work in private practice, at health clubs, spa's, natural food stores, YMCA's, schools, institutions and through agencies where they offer individual guidance, group classes and seminars. Nutritional product companies hire certified Nutrition Educators and Nutrition Consultants to conduct research, write educational bulletins, and provide customer support.

The medical sector is carefully considering the consumer demand for nutrition and natural health services. Several physician groups, professional provider organizations (PPO's) and health maintenance organizations (HMO's) have added acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists as associates. Patients, with physician prescription, can be referred to certified nutritional consultants for nutrition evaluation and therapy. Each request is reviewed by the reimbursement group and is approved or denied. This arrangement does not satisfy patient need for integrative care. By the turn of the century, nutrition services will be more routinely incorporated into medical treatment plans.

To accomplish this paradigm and policy shift, a network of nutrition professionals is forming to contract with insurance providers. A four-step process has been agreed upon. First, establish a statewide professional nutrition association. Second, verify training, experience and expertise of applicants. Third, compose and administer an exam to establish a knowledge-based criterion for professional status. Finally, provide continuing education to establish and insure consistent standards of practice.

The Institute for Educational Therapy (IET) is paving the way in professional nutrition training with classroom and home study courses. Licensed by the CA Bureau of Private and Post Secondary Vocational Education, IET offers a tri-level certification program for the titles of Diet Counselor, Nutrition Educator & Nutrition Consultant. After completion of training, IET graduates can participate in intern or extern on the job training as well as receive job assistance support to launch their nutrition career. While practitioner supply exceeds demand in many health disciplines, nutrition professionals are in great demand to work in community, business and clinical settings.

Ed Bauman, Ph.D. is the director of Partners In Health clinic in Cotati, CA, the IET Nutrition Consultant Training Program, and Vitality Rejuvenation Retreats. For a newsletter, schedule of programs, services and activities, call (707) 795-1284, e-mail iet@sonic.net or visit the web site at www.iet.org.

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