Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance

The World Health Organization, (WHO) attributes over 3 million deaths per year to "inadequate fruit and vegetable intake - a risk factor almost as deadly as tobacco use or unsafe sex." Why haven't you heard this from most family physicians? You'll be surprised to find out that less than 25% of medical schools offer a single course dedicated for nutrition and some graduating physicians have had no formal nutritional training at all. Out of thousands of clinical instruction hours, some may receive as little as three hours.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people off the street know more about basic nutrition than physicians do. These findings are very alarming, since many patients ask their physician questions concerning nutrition. Some doctor's nutritional advice may actually be attributing to the progression of our illness. This is why it is so very important for you to educate yourselves concerning plant-based nutrition, so that you can team up with your physicians and decide on the course of your medical care together.

I do apologize for the lack of knowledge of some of my colleagues. We need to understand that they were not taught the value of food as medicine in medical school. For many of them the concept is new. Fortunately the use of food as medicine whenever possible is growing. 

For more information:

(1) Doctors Know Little About Nutrition

(2) Medical School Nutrition Education

(3) Managing the Symptoms vs Treating the Illness