A less than lukewarm endorsement from my DR
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MaryIM
Posts: 159 Member
I had a regularly scheduled visit with my PCP yesterday. Purpose was to review my blood work that was done recently. I've been having bloodwork done every 6 months and this last testing was done after being Paleo for one week. There was an improvement in my overall cholesterol, LDL, and HDL levels.
I told my DR (a woman, who specializes in Internal Medicine) that I've been Paleo for 3 weeks and am very enthused by the Paleo lifestyle/approach to nutrition. Her response was basically a smirk / an indulgent smile. She's been my PCP for 10 years and I don't want to give up on her.
I asked to repeat my labs in 3 months so that we can see even more improvement.
On a side note, my DR has a med student (resident) shadowing here these days and the med student didn't know what the Paleo diet is (thought it was being vegetarian).
I told my DR (a woman, who specializes in Internal Medicine) that I've been Paleo for 3 weeks and am very enthused by the Paleo lifestyle/approach to nutrition. Her response was basically a smirk / an indulgent smile. She's been my PCP for 10 years and I don't want to give up on her.
I asked to repeat my labs in 3 months so that we can see even more improvement.
On a side note, my DR has a med student (resident) shadowing here these days and the med student didn't know what the Paleo diet is (thought it was being vegetarian).
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Maybe your next blood tests will make her rethink what she's been taught to believe by rote.
I have a friend who is in her last year of med school and she says that they all ridicule the paleo movement. I figure they are all less than ideal role models themselves when it comes to healthy lifestyles, and they prefer to think that they know best anyway. I think anything that runs against the grain (so to speak) of their dogma puts them on the defensive, both professionally and personally. If my doctor doesn't look like Mark Sisson, I'll take his nutritional advice with a dose of skepticism. If doctors know best, why aren't they healthier than the average bear?
Congratulations on the blood results.0 -
If you are able to heal thyself with food... What would DRs do? They aren't taught about food in school, and are called on daily by drug reps, not farmers. There isn't any financial incentive for clinical studies where food is the answer.0
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Yay!! Go you!!
As for doctors and med students ... meh.0 -
It all depends on the doctor-- my husband's gastroenterologist (and his med students) have been completely supportive-- anything to improve his gastroparesis, and was thrilled when the initial results looked good (note: can't fix the nausea, but at least can make some of the other symptoms a la IBS-C better).
My naturopath told me to cut out the grains after diagnosing me with Hashimoto's, and has been supportive, while my former gastroenterologist told me food had nothing to do with IBS... (note: not cured, but things have improved. mostly.)
You have to find the right doctor(s) for you, and I would recommend picking your battles.0 -
Doctors can be an obstacle to good health. The bottom line is that it's your health and your body and you know whether something you are doing is making you feel better or worse. They are taught to push pills. They don't care about finding the underlying reasons for our ailments. Granted, modern medicine has made some great advances and has helped a lot of people but I think doctors should invest their time not only learning about medications but about the role that food plays in our health. That will probably never happen. At the end of the day we are our own best advocate. We can do the research and try the diets and all they can do is marvel at our awesome cholesterol levels, lol.0
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Ditto of all the above poster, couldn't have expressed it any better! Thing is, YOU know it's right and that's all that matters! Thanks for posting, it is a perplexing thing to be paleo and you want to share it to the world, but so few want to listen!!
Congrats on your blood work and cheers to continued success!0 -
I used to be a drug rep, and I remember one of my Docs trying "the caveman diet" a few years ago. I had never heard of it. He was in the THICK of a carb flu (and also probably under-eating) and had a killer headache and felt terrible. We all gave him s**t about his stupid diet.
I keep thinking back on that day now. I wonder if he stuck with it.0 -
Doctors can be an obstacle to good health. The bottom line is that it's your health and your body and you know whether something you are doing is making you feel better or worse. They are taught to push pills. They don't care about finding the underlying reasons for our ailments. Granted, modern medicine has made some great advances and has helped a lot of people but I think doctors should invest their time not only learning about medications but about the role that food plays in our health. That will probably never happen. At the end of the day we are our own best advocate. We can do the research and try the diets and all they can do is marvel at our awesome cholesterol levels, lol.
That's why I have my naturopath, and one of the reasons I go see my OB/GYN. They look for kinder, gentler ways to do things and balancing out meds with supplements, food and lifestyle. I use my PCP's services when I have something that seems likely to be contagious and needs antibiotics (massive sinus infection that looks like it's going to turn into bronchitis-- again).
My husband's gastroenterologist was the first one who ever suggested that what he ate had to do with his gastroparesis, and gave him a list of what not to eat-- he's been supportive of the hubs going through elimination diets and being Paleo, and tracking symptoms. He attempted to go off one of his meds (with MD support, after Paleo eating improved some symptoms) and the nausea was literally life-interrupting once again. He'll never be off meds, no matter how much he adheres to any diet.
You need to find doctors who will support you, but like I said, pick your battles-- ditching my gastroenterologist and working with my naturopath was way easier than fighting over diet vs. meds with him (despite having to do much more work for her re: documenting stuff).0 -
Doctors are no different than the rest of us: some learn about the realities of nutrition, while most just parrot whatever the conventional wisdom is.
My cardio MD is a very good cardio man. When I first told him about going primal/paleo, we was very condesscending - partly because he already thought he knew about "low carb" approaches, and partly because he was pretty sure I wouldn't stick with it anyway. When I saw him 6 months later, my labs hadn't changed much - but he was impressed that I had stuck with it and lost 50 pounds. Fast forward 6 more months: I had gained 10 pounds back, but my labs tumbled into 'very healthy' results. He didn't want to believe I did it with diet, and asked "what is it you're doing, now?", but I got him to agree what if I lost some more weight - and kept the results in the same sweet spot - I could go off my heart and cholesterol meds.
You can bet, if I am able to go off my meds because of a hunter/gatherer eating regimen, I will be presenting him with copies of Mark Sisson's and Robb Wolf's latest books.
The bottom line for ANY way of eating is: SHOW ME THE LAB WORK! If your SAD diet is better than my hunter/gatherer - your labs should look better, too.0
