From: dm3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (David F. McWade)
Newsgroups: rec.food.veg
Subject: Re: Is there a doctor in the house
Date: 17 Apr 92 01:18:58 GMT
Organization: Senior, English, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


Rich Young reposts:

>traub@rtf.bt.co.uk (Michael Traub) writes:

[...]

>>>Other articles recently relating to nutrition and the vegan/vegetarian diet
>>>have begun to take the tone of: "Don't trust your doctor, he is a paid
>>>lackey of the meat/dairy industry;  we on the net know the true path to
>>>health and you should trust us."  This is very, very wrong. 
>>>
>>Anyone ever see anything *remotely* like this posted to rec.food.veg?
>>                         ^^^^^^^^^^
>>No, I haven't either. Lying to try and get a point across is bad form.


>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Newsgroups: rec.food.veg
>Subject: Re: BAD HEALTH FAIR
>References: <AdfDyq200WAw06eUFe@andrew.cmu.edu>
>Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1992 23:00:46 GMT

>[...]

>>There is the Physician's Committee For Responsible Medicine's "New Four
>>Food Groups", which is comprised of legumes, fruits, vegetables, and
>>grains.  Meat and milk are "options" to be used sparingly if at all. 
>>People who follow these guidelines are much healthier than people who
>>eat the standard four food groups, and also healthier than people who
>>eat according to the new pyramid scheme that was rejected by the USDA.
>>
>>>>Anyway, this is what we are up against when arguing veganism or
>>>>vegetarianism for health reasons.  After all, why are people going to
>>>>believe a bunch of "obviously biased" (sarcasm) vegetarians when their
>>>>doctor or nutritionist tells them to drink milk or eat meat?  Trying to
>>>>explain that doctors and many nutritionists recieve a biased education
>>>>and you shouldn't trust them very much isn't going to work with a lot of
>>>>people; saying that vegans and vegetarians live longer and are healthier
>>>>might do some good, maybe.
>>
>>>Proving your statements by simply existing will help that.  Calmly
>>>state  to as many people you can that you are vegetarian, and what risks you
>>>feel you've fained from it.
>>
>>People will still believe the doctor in a pinch, unless they really
>>understand the issue.  I think there should be an effort made to reform
>>the AMA instead.

Rich, this is exactly the type of thing you do that I find annoying
(unless I'm completely misinterpreting what you seem to be doing, in
which case you should explain yourself better).  Yes, the "BAD HEALTH
FAIR" was my post, and I stand by it. What was the point of reposting it
in that context?  When I see a NUTRITIONIST (who was taught by the OLD
SCHOOL of nutrition, a school that has been heavily influenced by the
meat and dairy industries) giving out standard "Four Food Groups"
propaganda put out BY THE DAIRY COUNCIL, I have every right to make the
above statement.

Let me clarify what I think the situation is (in a nutshell):

1.  Doctors and nutritionists are not paid "lackeys" of the meat/dairy
industry.  
2.  However, these industries, due to their financial power, do have an
influence on institutions like the AMA, due to the fact that doctors
within it generally don't get a nutritional education.  
3.  The doctors within the AMA are influenced in turn by the general
conservatism and inertia of the AMA.

The AMA is generally regarded by people who are up on nutritional
research as a backward, behind the times institution.  The ADA is
regarded as somewhat more up-to-date, but many people have problems with
them as well (like the author of Fit For Life II, for example).  That is
why institutions like the Physician's Committee For Responsible Medicine
exist, to update the medical industry on what good health really means.

Some people believe that the structure has been set up unwittingly to
insure maximum revenue profit for the medical industry, and presumably
that is why the medical industry is so collectively unwilling to teach
people good nutrition, finding more income in healing them (a la
expensive surgery, hospital stays and procedures, etc.)  It would be
interesting if we could have a debate on the practices of the medical
industry and the intentions behind them.

David McWade