A bill drafted by Dr. John McDougall was introduced in California to mandate that physicians get continuing medical education in nutrition.
Nutrition Education Mandate Introduced for Doctors
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Doctors think they know nutrition, but studies show that most of them really don’t. The majority overstate their actual knowledge. So, what’s the solution? Obviously, more nutrition training in medical school, but what about for all the docs running around now? “…[A]ttendance at lifestyle modification and chronic disease management workshops could form an essential component of continuing education for both medical and nursing professionals.” Doctors have to get continuing medical education credit anyway; why not mandate a few hours for nutrition?
Good idea, said one of my favorite medical mentors, Dr. John A. McDougall, who drafted a bill in California to “require physicians and surgeons to complete, by December 31, 2016, a mandatory continuing education course in the subject of nutrition and life style behavior for the treatment of chronic diseases.”
Dr. John McDougall: “I’ve been in the business of medicine since 1968, so, about 44 years. My son just graduated from medical school two years ago, and he can’t remember a course on nutrition. But you’re going to hear from other interested parties that we don’t need to have a law that mandates that doctors get an education on something basic like nutrition, because doctors already take care of this. That’s plain and simple not true. And not only is this a travesty for the patient; it’s insulting to the doctor, not to be able to deliver this kind of a powerful tool for their patients, to teach them about the cause of dietary diseases. And based on the scientific literature, if you correct what’s making people sick, they get well. So, as doctors, we’re missing a real opportunity, and it’s not going to be fixed unless somebody does something about it. And that is, to mandate basic education on human nutrition. Thank you.”
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Peter Mellor.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
More about Dr. McDougall’s groundbreaking work at http://www.drmcdougall.com/
Doctors think they know nutrition, but studies show that most of them really don’t. The majority overstate their actual knowledge. So, what’s the solution? Obviously, more nutrition training in medical school, but what about for all the docs running around now? “…[A]ttendance at lifestyle modification and chronic disease management workshops could form an essential component of continuing education for both medical and nursing professionals.” Doctors have to get continuing medical education credit anyway; why not mandate a few hours for nutrition?
Good idea, said one of my favorite medical mentors, Dr. John A. McDougall, who drafted a bill in California to “require physicians and surgeons to complete, by December 31, 2016, a mandatory continuing education course in the subject of nutrition and life style behavior for the treatment of chronic diseases.”
Dr. John McDougall: “I’ve been in the business of medicine since 1968, so, about 44 years. My son just graduated from medical school two years ago, and he can’t remember a course on nutrition. But you’re going to hear from other interested parties that we don’t need to have a law that mandates that doctors get an education on something basic like nutrition, because doctors already take care of this. That’s plain and simple not true. And not only is this a travesty for the patient; it’s insulting to the doctor, not to be able to deliver this kind of a powerful tool for their patients, to teach them about the cause of dietary diseases. And based on the scientific literature, if you correct what’s making people sick, they get well. So, as doctors, we’re missing a real opportunity, and it’s not going to be fixed unless somebody does something about it. And that is, to mandate basic education on human nutrition. Thank you.”
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Peter Mellor.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
More about Dr. McDougall’s groundbreaking work at http://www.drmcdougall.com/
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Nutrition Education Mandate Introduced for Doctors
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Content URLDoctor's Note
Be sure not to miss Medical School Nutrition Education; Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition; and all my other videos on the medical profession.
For more context, also check out my associated blog posts: Nutrition Education in Medicine: a Doctor a Day Keeps the Apples Away; Health Food Store Advice: Often Worthless or Worst; and Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction.
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