Who Owns Nutrition?

"Why did you do that??"                      Courtesy @www.123rf.com

     There's been an atmosphere of contempt felt about whom should be the sole source of nutritional information. For those in my undergrad, whom were to be future nutritionists or dietitians a few years prior, there was a statement made about other professions.

"Doctors don't know that much about nutrition! They've only had to take one course of nutrition!"

Whoa...

     Where do we get our studies from? Doctors. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled method? Researchers and Doctors.

Yes, some will take shortcuts with allopathic (prescription medications) measures when preventative solutions can provide better results. Others will take the high road and do what is not only the best option, but can be the right approach for the person being cared for. As some have said before and the feelings can be applied to any profession; there are some bad apples, as well as some being amazing.

Yet still, some will say that no one should give nutritional advice unless they're a dietitian, otherwise it's illegal. Not true, health professions are able to provide nutritional information in many states as mentioned in Center for Nutrition Advocacy (http://nutritionadvocacy.org/) website, outlining the progressive States that allows for those to practice. Not allowing well-qualified individuals to tackle our health problems will severely limit the possibility of treating the causes and diseases. 

Dr. Frank Shallenberger of Carson City, NV said it best, "Treat the cause, not the disease".

There are so many factors to the cause than the disease. It will take a multi-disciplinary team from not only the inside of the hospital walls, but outside the institution where the real world occurs.

     This flipside, which some professions do encourage seeking, having the individual take control of one's health, being proactive with their lifestyle and having proper access to nutritional education to achieve well-being. However it can come with a lot of backlash as some would make medications as a primary method to treat the disease, or having other profession discredit another. It's much more effective to respect the scope of another's practice, as long as they've had the right training and education.

The safety of the individual and providing the most effective care you can give to someone whom entrusts you with their progress, takes not just one discipline or field. This effective care, should come with well-grounded scientific evidence, which many do adhere to, but we always hear about the negative situations or speculating banter. So instead of bashing others and competing against one another, how about collaborating? 

Obesity rates are rising and other chronic illnesses are, as we all know, not looking great. If we were to focus on our efforts on how to help those in need, or helping others trying to help others, most likely, it would probably create a better solution than to bicker and create an environment of animosity of who owns nutrition. Quite frankly, no owns nutrition exclusively since everyone eats and partakes in nutrition, more so than exercise.