Metabolic Typing
Metabolic Typing was started by two different clinicians independently of each other in the 1960s and 1970s. One of the developers was Dr, William Donald Kelley, who developed a branch of Metabolic Typing based on the autonomic nervous system and imbalances therein. The other man was Dr. George Watson, who developed another version of metabolic typing based on cellular oxidation (the rate of conversion of carbohydrates into energy.) While I say that Metabolic Typing was started by these two individuals, it is in fact based on decades of research done by many other doctors and clinicians, such as Dr. Weston Price, Dr. Roger Williams, Dr. Francis Pottenger, and others.
Both Dr. Kelley and Dr. Watson were having great success with many of their patients. Yet the protocols they utilized proved equally unsuccessful on others. This was solved in the early 1980s by William Wolcott. William Wolcott was working as the director of Dr. Kelley's clinic when he became aware of the work done by Dr. Watson. He then realized that both of them were right about their methods. The problem was that some people had an autonomic nervous system imbalance that caused them problems while others were experiencing problems due to the rate of their cellular oxidation and their food intake. He then developed a system of establishing whether a person has autonomic dominance or oxidative dominance, and started recommending nutritional plans based on that. Thus Metabolic Typing was born.
Metabolic Typing is a very individualized approach to nutrition. It is in fact the epitome of a holistic approach. Clients are assessed using a questionnaire based method to determine what imbalances and nutritional needs their bodies have, and are then recommended a nutritional plan based on that.
It is important to note that Metabolic Typing is not a diet in the sense of the ones listed in the "Bad Nutrition -- An Epidemic" section. It is a nutritional plan that addresses the needs of a person on a very individualized level. As time goes on the person is retested on the same questionnaires to see if their Metabolic Type has changed at all. For some people the Metabolic Type may change several times until they establish balance within their bodies and reach their ancestral diet.
When the individual has overcome whatever imbalances they had in their bodies they will have a nutritional plan that they can follow for the rest of their life and maintain their good health and proper weight. This, therefore, is not a quick solution diet but rather a commitment to yourself and your own good health. And the longer a person eats according to their Metabolic Type, the less damage they will do to their bodies when they indulge in foods that are not optimal for them.
This section was written using information from William Wolcott's book, The Metabolic Typing Diet, and the C.H.E.K. Institute.