Interview with Dr Steve Nugent

Dr Steve D. Nugent began his career in complementary health care as a nutrition consultant in 1977. He has since earned six degrees, graduating with honors at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He obtained his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree (NMD) at Clayton University in St Louis, USA, and, while building a clinical proactive that attracted patients form around the world, continued his education with a PhD in Psychology from Clayton University. In 1989 he enrolled in a Professional Development Degree (PDD) program at the University of Michigan’s Dearborn campus and graduated with honors. His PDD in Behavioral Science included studies in Neurophysiology, Biological Anthropology and Nutrition Science. Consumers and health professionals around the globe have learned about natural health and fitness from his radio broadcasts, tapes, publications and extensive efforts on the lecture circuit. He is the current President of the International Association of Complementary Medicine as well as the President Emeritus of the American Naturopathic Medical Association.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I had a preventive medicine clinic and my clients were people who were seriously ill. Over time – as I was trying to find the causes of illnesses of people with strange problems that other clinics could not diagnose – I began to look at chemical as a potential cause. The clinic was in an industrialized state so I suspected that some of the patients were suffering from chemical problems, and I found chemicals were the cause of problems more often than not. That led me to my research into antioxidants, which has become extremely important.

Mannatech announced its flagship product, Ambrotose, 1996 based on the discovery that the body’s immune system needs eight plant-based sugars – also known as glyconutrients – to function properly. Medical research has shown that cells use these glyconutrients to communicate with each other so the immune system, when confronted, can mount a coordinated response to foreign invasion. These sugars are plucose, fucose, mannose, galactose, xylose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine and N-acetylneuraminic acid. According to Mannatech, six of these eight glyconutrients are deficient in the modern diet, largely because foods today are heavily processed and balanced meals have succumbed to fast food. Mannatech scoured the world to find new, rich sources of the missing nutrients.