Today I feel lost, scared, overwhelmed, and pissed.
In the U.S. today we hold doctors to a very high standard... which I would say they deserve for the many years of education they went through to become subject matter experts in their field. That's the catch though... they are subject matter experts. What is their subject? Medicine, medical intervention, and more often than not, treatment of symptoms rather than treatment of the cause of the symptoms. Our society tends to listen to what they say about subjects that they may or may not have extensive education on (nutrition, physical fitness, etc.) If you are a paleo practitioner you laugh at the advice of medical professionals that say "Low fat, high complex carbs" is a heart healthy diet. HA!
The more I learn about the Paleo lifestyle the more I doubt the blind faith I have had in my doctor to know whats best for me on endless amounts of health related subjects. Yes, they know about medications, surgery, and now what my cervix looks like... but many have had minimal continuing education on the role nutrition plays in disease and health unless they have a particular interest in it and seek it out on their own. They are experts in what to do when you get sick from the continued crap you eat daily, and how to use medicine so you can continue to eat the crap for many years to come.
I feel bad for our health professionals. We expect them to know how to, and be able to fix all of our ailments from our diabetes to our depression. We expect them to essentially know everything, and trust that whatever they say is golden! Through my paleo journey I have realized this expectation of them is unfair and dangerous. I no longer want to blindly follow any and all advice given to me. I want to educate myself on my health, because it's just that... MY health!
The more I learn about the Paleo lifestyle the more I doubt the blind faith I have had in my doctor to know whats best for me on endless amounts of health related subjects. Yes, they know about medications, surgery, and now what my cervix looks like... but many have had minimal continuing education on the role nutrition plays in disease and health unless they have a particular interest in it and seek it out on their own. They are experts in what to do when you get sick from the continued crap you eat daily, and how to use medicine so you can continue to eat the crap for many years to come.
I feel bad for our health professionals. We expect them to know how to, and be able to fix all of our ailments from our diabetes to our depression. We expect them to essentially know everything, and trust that whatever they say is golden! Through my paleo journey I have realized this expectation of them is unfair and dangerous. I no longer want to blindly follow any and all advice given to me. I want to educate myself on my health, because it's just that... MY health!
For Example:
So my doctor tells me to take a supplement with "folic acid" in it. I do some research on my own and find out that "folic acid" is not easily absorbed by the body (aka it's the pharmaceutical companies cheap knock off of folate). You have to take the natural form of "folate" to have the best benefit (per Chris Kressers Healthy Baby Code advice I take 5-methylhydrotetrafolate, which is the natural form of folate and is most readily absorbed by the body). Why doesn't my doctor know that? Why doesn't she know that calcium is poorly absorbed when taken in a supplement or from dairy products? Why doesn't she know the benefit of taking a high quality/pure fish oil supplement to my babies brain development? It's because my doctor is not my dietician, and all of the above are supposed to be my dietitians job (if I had one). Too bad most dietitians preach the food pyramid. Ugh...
So here I am. Feeling a bit lost, scared, overwhelmed, and pissed that I am being slapped in the face with the realization that I have a lot more learning to do on my own to ensure I am the healthiest momma possible for my baby. The easy way out would be to continue blindly following main stream medical advice on... everything! The tough thing is to take a vested interest in my own wellbeing and start reading.
If you have come to the same realization I highly recommend Chris Kressers "Healthy Baby Code". It's about $200 but is totally worth it. If you are having trouble getting/staying pregnant its a must buy! If you are not sure if Paleo is okay during pregnancy, it's a must buy! If you just want to create the healthiest darn environment for your little embryo to grow, it's a must buy! Dr. Kresser also has a lot of info on his website chriskresser.com if you want to check it out!
If you have come to the same realization I highly recommend Chris Kressers "Healthy Baby Code". It's about $200 but is totally worth it. If you are having trouble getting/staying pregnant its a must buy! If you are not sure if Paleo is okay during pregnancy, it's a must buy! If you just want to create the healthiest darn environment for your little embryo to grow, it's a must buy! Dr. Kresser also has a lot of info on his website chriskresser.com if you want to check it out!
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