Is Your Guide to Health and Wellness Tips Unreliable

Most health and wellness tips come from medical doctors. That's right, not people schooled in nutrition. This is the equivalent of asking a plumber for electrical advice. Most people would never dream of doing this yet they consult doctors in areas that they have very little knowledge.

How do I know that they have little to no training in nutrition? In graduate school, my thesis in nutrition looked at nutrition education of physicians. My research concluded that the nutrition training that the average physician received was very limited.

There are many reasons for this. The curriculum in medical schools is overloaded. So, nutrition is low on the list of priorities and receives very little attention. The message this gives is that nutrition is not important otherwise, wouldn't it be included?

Hmmm, so why is it that doctors are so quick to dispense information about health and wellness? And why is it that most people trust their doctor as a reliable guide to health and wellness tips?

Let's review the facts.

1. The main focus of traditional medicine is the management and treatment of symptoms. Medical schools train students in the areas of drugs and surgery.
2. The 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. is legally prescribed drugs and treatments.
3. Of all the industrialized countries in the world, the U.S. has one of the highest infant mortality rates.
4. We consume a huge percentage of all the drugs produced in the world and spend more money on health care. Yet as a nation, our health status is one of the lowest of all the industrialized nations.

5. For the first time ever, babies born this year will not outlive their parents. In other words, our life expectancy is declining.

This is pretty convincing. What is being done in this country in terms of prevention is not working as well as it could. Would you say you need to start relying on a different guide to health and wellness tips?

Who then should you trust as a reliable source of nutrition and wellness advice?

1. Someone who is trained in nutrition. This can be a dietitian, nutritionist, naturopath, etc. Be sure to ask a practitioner what their training and area of practice is.

   You would never seek plumbing advice from an electrician! Yet they both have great value but only in the areas of their expertise.

2. Someone who walks the talk. Credibility is always an important factor. That person will be better able to advise and give you strategies to make lifestyle changes.

3. Someone who is actively involved in continuing education in the area that you are seeking onfo. That way you will be getting the most updated information.

In the end, who pays the price for the quality of advice that you are receiving?

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