Many conventional doctors, as well as alternative medicine followers, use diet to treat a variety of diseases and conditions.
For example, women, especially as they age, can use foods to help reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Do this by eating foods high in calcium, such as dairy products.
You can use diet therapy along with a medicine. An example of this would be taking a statin to improve cholesterol, while at the same time eating leaner meats, fewer eggs, more fish and dietary fiber and taking fish oil.
You should only try diet therapy working with a doctor. While you can research nutrition therapies on the Internet, you may have other conditions that affect your health, which your doctor would be able to spot. For example, cutting animal products out of your diet to reduce cholesterol might put you at increased risk for an iron deficiency or osteoporosis.
Conditions that might respond to a therapeutic diet include high blood pressure, urinary tract infections, heart attack, stroke, poor cholesterol, obesity, osteoporosis and anemia.
Meet with your physician and/or a registered dietitian to plan a program of healthy eating to address specific diseases and conditions. Use both diet and regular checkups to monitor any conditions you may have.
Additional Resources
Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health: Diet Therapy Definition
Mayo Clinic: Cholesterol: The Top 5 Foods to Lower Your Numbers
Health Castle: Benefits of Fiber
National Osteoporosis Foundation: How the Foods you Eat Affect your Bones
Science Daily: How Cranberry Juice Can Prevent Urinary Tract Infections