Well, Dr MD ...You're Cooking Up Some Mighty Interesting Soup ...How About We See Your Credentials?

Dear Friend,

If you could do just ONE thing to improve your health, what would it be? Exercise more? Eat better? Get more Chiropractic?

I’d LOVE everyone to get more Chiropractic (hint, hint), but with nearly 22 years in practice, my recommendation would have be to increase the quality of your food. Why? Because most people are sick and dying from the bad foods they're eating, and the rest are sick and dying from the drugs they take -- because of the bad foods they're eating.

So, what’s good to eat? “Ask your doctor” is the usual reply ...but which doctor? Me or your MD?

First, some facts to chew on:

1. “1/3rd of Americans are now obese, and nearly 80% are overweight - a huge increase in just the last 30 years” - JAMA, 2013
2. “Preventable medical errors in hospitals kill 210,000 to 448,000 a year.” - A New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care - Journal of Patient Safety, 2014

Those MD’s are doing great managing America’s health, aren’t they?

I had someone recently send me a list -- off of a Medical Doctor’s website -- that pointed out “21 reasons why you should not see a Chiropractor.”  I won't bore you with the details of this Pack O’ Spineless lies, but here’s his lucky #13 reason, explained:

“13. Most chiropractors don’t know much about nutrition.

Chiropractors learn little about clinical nutrition during their schooling. Many offer what they describe as “nutrition counseling.” But this typically consists of superficial advice about eating less fat and various schemes to sell you supplements that are high-priced and unnecessary.”

He’s throwing a mighty heavy blow there. Now if you didn't know anything about the MD’s and DC’s education, you'd assume from what he wrote that Chiropractors are a bunch of hacks who don't study nutrition at all, compared to the vast educational background your Medical Doctors receive. So let’s get to the facts:

Here is a list of the REQUIRED nutrition courses in Chiropractic Schools in the US:

Principles of Biochemistry I & II

Biochemistry of Nutrition & Metabolism

Basic Human Nutrition I & II

Public Health, Nutrition, and Wellness

Clinical Nutrition

A minimum of  210 hours of nutritional coursework in these classes are required to graduate school with a Doctor of Chiropractic.

Now taste these nibblets, taken from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) website regarding a survey of nutritional studies done in 2008 of all 126 US medical schools accredited by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges):

1. Only 93% of the schools required nutrition instruction, and 41% of those schools recommended (but not required) just 25 hours of nutrition-related coursework to complete their medical degrees.
2. In fact, it was found that those graduating averaged just 23.9 hours total course time in 4 years.
3. 18% of those graduates had taken 10 hours or less of nutrition instruction.
4. 5% of the schools offered optional nutritional instruction only.
5. 2% of US medical schools reported that they offered no nutrition instruction.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that, overall, an average of only 21 hours of nutrition instruction was required in medical schools, but just 27% of those schools had dedicated, required nutrition courses:

“In US medical schools, the bulk of nutrition education continues to be taught in the basic science courses or in an integrated format. But only an average of 17.7 hours of nutrition instruction was taught in a dedicated nutrition course. More than half the schools dedicated significantly less than that. This means that three-quarters of the nutrition instruction in medical schools is not specifically identified as nutrition in the curriculum, but are integrated into the basic science courses, such as physiology or biochemistry.”

Say …..WHAT? Integrated into basic science courses? Less than 20 hours?? THAT’S RIDICULOUS! Of course, nutrition might be mentioned in anatomy to illustrate a point, but calling that “nutritional education” is a complete joke. If I added all the basic science courses to my chiropractic list ...it will be a couple of thousand hours!!

At least the instructors know there’s a problem. From the NAS website: “An overwhelming majority (88%) of instructors indicated that students at their medical schools need more nutrition instruction, whereas only 8% said that they did not.”

“Patients routinely seek physicians' guidance about diet, and the relation of nutrition to the prevention and treatment of disease is well known. However, practicing physicians continually rate their nutrition knowledge and skills as inadequate.”

...could it be because  -- at less than 20 hours in 4 years -- it’s practically non-existent? And finally:

“Nutrition education programs in US medical schools are largely inadequate to meet the present and future demands of the medical profession.”

"Largely inadequate." Do you know that even the CDC admits there is “an epidemic of pain-killer and prescription-drug abuse” and that medicine is now the leading cause of accidental death and injury in the US? Instead of taking their share of responsibility for the massive health disaster in America, they make sure to criticize and blame Chiropractors.

I hope the picture is a wee bit clearer. I will now paraphrase the (not so) good doctor’s claim made above:

Most MEDICAL DOCTORS don't know much about nutrition.

MEDICAL DOCTORS learn very little (at least TEN times less) about clinical nutrition during their schooling than Chiropractors do. Many offer what they describe as “nutrition counseling.” But this typically consists of superficial advice about eating less fat and various schemes to sell you DRUGS that are high-priced, unnecessary, and will most likely contribute to your demise.

I know a TON about health and nutrition; I have to ..it wasn't an elective. Also ...I LIVE it.

It’s important to remember that excess weight and obesity is THE single greatest risk-factor for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and hypertension - the big five that kill most Americans. It’s also the greatest contributor to loss of spinal and joint function leading to surgery.

I’m available to help YOU gain control of your weight and health if you want to make a change. It’s NEVER too late. NEVER.

I Love You to Health,

Dr Lou