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On Thursday, May 4, I hosted “What the Health” at the Carmike Theater here in Fort Collins. If you haven’t seen the film I strongly recommend you watch it either through the website (http://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/) or through Netflix or another video source.
Kip Anderson (who was involved with the making of “Cowspiracy”) looks at the unfortunate truth of the mainstream organizations that are involved with “health” in America. I am absolutely convinced that the best way to prevent disease and maintain health (as well as treat disease that you have) is to adopt a whole foods plant based diet (WFPBD). My conviction isn’t out of a belief system but based on scientific evidence and literature.
The film “What the Health” tries to talk with the mainstream organizations such as The American Diabetes Association, The American Heart Association, the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Susan B. Komen Society to ask the simple question, “Why they do not advocate a WFPBD on their websites?” What we find out is similar to what occurred in “Cowspiracy”; “he who pays controls the platform.”
It is disheartening to me why my profession is so far behind the times regarding prevention of disease. It is exciting to see a societal movement towards change and I do think grassroots effort will precede any established medical change. If you look at the historical record of cigarette smoking, the sad truth is that the AMA was opposed to the 1964 Report on Smoking and Health given to Congress by the Surgeon General. It is also important to understand that the American Medical Association received a check from the American Tobacco Association in the amount of $10 million around the same time and that, along with the “donation”, doctors were just as addicted to nicotine (cigarettes) as the patient’s they were treating.
Eventually, the medical profession did change their position on cigarettes. Unfortunately, we are seeing the same story unfold when it comes to the unhealthy foods that are injuring our patients.
In my practice as a physician, I try to understand the difficulties of change, but that doesn’t change the reality. I do think patients are autonomous and need to be aware of the information that could change their life. Death is inevitable but 10-20 years of miserable chronic disease can be prevented.