When I was in medical school, there was a great deal less information available as compared to today on the relationship of diet to such major diseases as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Yet even with today’s knowledge, nutritional education is still belittled as secondary paramedical information in most medical centers. Understanding the link between diet and disease, and being able to use nutritional counseling and therapies within a medical practice, is so vital to the health care component of medicine that it should be required knowledge for every medical school graduate and practitioner.

At my 30th medical school reunion in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I was quite pleased with the reception I received from my classmates and colleagues. As one of the only members of the class of 1972 to explore health and healing incorporating nutrition and natural medicine, I had stepped outside the box. Being my first reunion, and having achieved some success in my field with my well-known clinic and books, the discussions I had with doctors were quite inspiring. Many were interested in hearing about my health care approach, as most of them (indeed, almost all Western physicians) spend much of their time dealing with disease and people in crisis.

At dinner I happened to sit next to the dean, Allen Lichter, also a classmate of mine. We spoke about nutritional education for medical students. I was surprised to hear things had not changed that much since the 1970s, yet Allen was very interested in adding deeper study in health and nutrition into the curriculum. He had just finished his interviews with the graduating class and had asked what they felt was a weakness in their program; the graduates had overwhelmingly answered they had not learned enough about diet and nutrition. The subject is obviously important to all of us, including doctors themselves. Because so many patients today eat special diets and take nutritional supplements, it makes sense that the practitioners are better equipped to care for such patients when they are informed about the many aspects of health care, especially the nutritional part.

Doctors in training are typically still simply informed there are nutritionists (RDs) who are trained to help them devise diets for sick people who need to change and/or limit their food intake to control their diseases. These dietitians are trained primarily within the disease model in medicine to help people manage such chronic problems as diabetes, heart disease, and malnutrition. The idea of a more natural nutrition, however—based on the benefits of organically grown whole foods and free of the risks associated with highly processed junk foods—?is primarily absent from dietitian training. So is the importance of detoxification and nutritional supplementation. In that conventional model, there is a limited emphasis on a balanced diet and on chemicals in our foods.

The basic components of the RD’s practice have been to provide diabetes-controlling diets (by reducing simple sugars and refined carbohydrates while increasing protein and fiber); to encourage weight loss (by restricting calories); to lower high blood pressure (by reducing salt intake); and to manage heart disease (by lowering cholesterol levels through decreased intake of total dietary fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol). This all makes sense and is important, of course. However, there is much more involved beyond just assisting doctors in the control of diseases after they have already occurred. For the most part, doctors and dietitians have neither taken the time to study and incorporate various special diets (such as vegetarianism and fasting therapy), nor have they been willing to accept these diets or the power that specific nutrients have in the prevention and treatment of medical problems. The common belief is, if it hasn’t had double-blind studies or been accepted in the medical community for at least a decade, then it must be a fad.

I am happy to say, however, that this attitude has been changing in recent decades with more RDs studying and incorporating nutrition and supplements into their practices. Just look at the knowledge and support of my collaborator, Dr. Buck Levin, who is a Ph.D.-level nutritionist and RD. He exemplifies the new model and embraces the importance of this advancing field of nutritional medicine.

There is a new breed of nutritionists who deal only with healthy parts of nutritional therapies. This can be likened to the difference between Western-oriented doctors (who practice only Western medicine, with the naming and treating of diseases) and alternative or integrated practitioners (who really work to understand what in people’s lives contribute to their ills). These practitioners provide support and guidance in correcting the causes, when that is possible. It is clear to me, from my experience, that when a doctor and patient work together on health care, there is much less need for disease care?—?that is, preventive medicine and practice really works.

For more information visit Dr. Haas on the Web at http://www.elsonhaas.com.