Just a quick post tonight, because I have been online way too much over the last 2 days and I need to sleep.
I also need to get this off my chest, or I might not sleep very well.
I was kind of disturbed, tonight, to get a text from a client who’d just found out she was very low in vitamin D.
She had told me, a week ago, that she was generally tired, experiencing muscle weakness, experiencing some muscle cramps, and having problems getting over a sinus/flu bout.
She thought that maybe some of this was related to an existing thyroid condition, and she was already scheduled for blood work to confirm.
I suggested she make sure to get her vitamin D checked.
She texted me tonight to tell me that I was right and she was definitely low in vitamin D, but she also texted to ask me what kind of D supplement to buy and how much to take.
Why was she asking me this?
Because her doctor only told her to buy some vitamin D pills and take “one or two a day.”
Note that there are different kinds of D supplements available to purchase.
Note that you can buy those supplements in several different doses of IUs.
Note that her current vitamin D level was low enough to warrant an even more aggressive treatment that “one or two a day” — possibly even 10000 IUs a day for up to 6 months.
Note that he told her none of this.
And note that, as far as I’m concerned, nutrition & dietetics training in medical schools is horribly deficient.
A physician needs to be able to provide the details behind his dietary recommendations.
My client shouldn’t have to ask me to do her doctor’s job.
Thoughts?
Are our physicians adequately prepared to provide diet or supplement advice to patients?
And unrelated: I am in the process of redesigning some of my blog graphics. Check them out if you’re reading in a feed reader! Please be patient if you see things changing often.
I work for a medical school and our students get little to no education in nutrition. That horrifies me.
ME TOO!
I used to work for a chiropractor and he said they get way more nutritional education than MDs. MDs are not where I’d tell anyone to go for nutritional education.
I guess I’m not surprised. I wouldn’t tell anyone to ask their MD either
Oh lord, I dealt with a similar issue a few weeks ago. My client was told by her doctor to stop all forms of exercise as she’s trying to get pregnant for a second time. My client is underweight and just doesn’t eat enough food, but he didn’t address this at all. I only do weights with her, and nothing crazy intense. I told her that exercise wasn’t the problem – it’s her diet. Her response was that it’s easier for her to cut out exercise, as she just doesn’t have time to eat. Regardless of what I said, she would still trust the advice of a doctor over me which makes me ragey!
She doesn’t have time to eat? Goodness. DRINK YOUR CALORIES THEN. Especially if you’re underweight enough to have it interfere with fertility. Plus the weights should help her GAIN pounds.
I pleaded my case for half an hour but she wouldn’t listen. I could have strangled her doctor! And her for not making eating a priority.
MDs are woefully undereducated in this area… but then again, they need to be highly educated in LOTs of areas. It’s a fine balance – one that I believe needs to be tilted more towards preventative medicine. Crazy.
PS. Love the header!
YES — more preventative, less reactive.
I think medicine has become such a huge field… as in we never prevent we always treat that our medical staff cant possibly keep up. Its medicate that with this – do this for that etc etc… never treating the cause of the problem only treating the actual problem…
BTW – Your blog design looks great!!!
Thx Eric!
I have to agree with you. IMHO, most doctors are just pill pushers that don’t really resolve any of the underlying problems that one may have. I have never received adequate nutrition information from any doctor. What a shame. Love your new graphics
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I wish MDs would at least bring a nutrition expert on staff — even as a consultant — to guide their patients. Too many people get their nutrition advice from David Zinczenko and Dr. Oz.
That’s a very unfortunate situation. On the flip side though, patients need to learn to ask these questions. If the doctor doesn’t volunteer the information…ASK! At least it will force the doctors to have to do more research if they don’t know right off the top of their head.
I think sometimes, though, people don’t know what to ask. If the physician says “buy this and take two,” many wouldn’t know that this was incomplete information. You are right, though, that people do need to take control of their own health and be their own best advocate.
I think that it was my endocrinologist who told me that Vitamin D deficiency and hypothyroidism are linked. She–the specialist–is the one monitoring my D levels–not my primary. She knows more about it.
I feel like D should be part of a routine screen, especially for those of us who live here where the sun doesn’t shine much in the winter. Or it should at least be routine for those of use with hypothyroidism. But that’s just my opinion.
D is usually part of a routine screen for MY doctor — but I am not sure if that’s the case all around
This frustrates me to no end!!! I was diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency and significant bone loss – osteopenia. I have a good enough dr that when I expressed concerns tests were done, however bone building drugs were the ONLY option he gave. I refused and opted to make changes to add weight bearing exercises, improve the quality of my diet/supplements increasing bone density substantially. I increased my bone density on my own! Every visit to the doctor he still pushes samples of bone building drugs despite my progress. I feel like anything a drug/insurance company can’t make money on is disregarded! Kristen, I applaud you for moving into the field of nutrition and envision you making changes to this!
Thanks, Amy. Sorry to hear you had this experience!
Conclusion: You ought to be given an M.D.
Vitamins and nutrition are not something medical doctors are really up to speed with… but I think it’s because there’s less demand. People want a pill (and it seems this doctor didn’t think vitamins were worth discussing dosage).
The world seems crazy to me.
MD’s know little to nothing about supplements. I went to a naturopathic doctor about 4 years ago. My primary didn’t like that at all. I’ve changed my primary since then.
I just had my left thyroid removed a month ago. When I went for my pre-admission testing, I was told to stop all supplements. Hospitals need to get a nutritionist on staff also. I did my own research and only stopped the supplements that could cause blood thinning. It was an eye opener for me. So many of the supplements I was taking can cause blood to thin.
Mary, you’re right; when I had shoulder surgery a few years ago, they told me to stop all supplements as well, but they do so rather indiscriminately, without specifying that it’s really blood thinners that are the problem.