From Conference To Clinic: The Longest Yard On Nutrition

The contrast between science and clinical practice can be so stark that it is shocking. I just returned from Washington, D.C. and the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the Georgetown University School of Medicine. The first patient I saw in my preventive cardiology clinic after returning from the conference described his 25 year struggle with heart disease including 2 separate bypass operations, numerous stents, and activity severely limited by angina chest pain. He could barely walk to the mailbox without taking a nitro tablet under his tongue despite maximal doses of medications. I asked him my usual questions: Do you know the names Ornish, Esselstyn, Fuhrman, Forks over Knives and other icons of the Food is Medicine movement. In response, I got a blank stare. I asked him if he had ever been advised that he could help heal his life threatening heart disease by changing his food choices. He answered that not a single physician at a number of leading hospitals and universities had ever suggested that. Of course, I reviewed the data and resources to help him make those changes immediately, but the vast gap between proven science and clinical application was shocking. Back to the conference. Some of the world's leading scientist studying the impact of food choices on health and disease were in D.C. and presented their data. I highlight the work of a few of the speakers that were so impactful. ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news