Wednesday 20 August 2014

Patient goes to doctor


Patient goes to doctor, doctors identifies some diet related illness i.e. adult onset diabetes / high blood pressure / high cholesterol (although is highly debatable if that is an illness at all). Doctor prescribes pills to patient. Often the newest pills as marketed to him by marketing representative of pharmaceutical company. Marketing material will included outcome of study as done by pharmaceutical company. Study often show advantage of medicene above another. 
Doctor often does not have time to go and read study, never mind analyse and apply critical thought to the validity of study. Few doctors even question conventional wisdom in the treating of the diet related diseases.


Doctor then also might send his lifelong patient to a registered dietitian. Dietitian then more often than not prescribes a low fat diet and exercise. After 2 months on low fat diet, there is no positive effect. Dietitian blames patient for not sticking to diet. Patient gives up on diet, continue to use prescribes pills for the rest of his life. Big Parma smiles.

However,  in a few cases, patient does own research, goes on a low carb diet, and see’s positive in short while. Doctor warns him of these new 'fad'  diets based on unsubstantiated claims/conventional wisdom.

Patient decided to stick on low carb diet, see more positive effect. Decides to can pills, saves money and does not suffer side effect of medicine. Patient wonders how doctors are so blinded by conventional wisdom.

Unfortunately, only a very few patient dare question the wisdom of their doctors, the blindly accept that these doctors know best. Most simply accepts a life of chronic medication.

Most doctors on the other hand also blindly accept all that they have been taught, even though the basis of these conventional wisdom has been shown to be questionable if not plainly wrong, in many a study. And they simply continue to prescribe chronic medication, while all the while the epidemic of heart disease and diabetes continues.

The question is, how do they live with themselves ?

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