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An old friend of mine died recently. Marathon runner, 100 mile biker, health food and alternative medicine adherent.

He died of prostate cancer because he didn't "believe" in Western medicine and all those stupid screening tests.

Like for PSA.
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hereiam Jun 2023
It's possible he was taking steroids...testosterone..for those sports? Many who do, end up with cancer...
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I had a neighbor who ate healthy, ran everyday . Frequently was outside his house smoking cigarettes including immediately after his run . Had a massive stroke at 50.
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But they do. If you read any info about cancer, heart disease and stroke and a myriad of other common diseases you will see recommendations to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more and quit smoking. My mom's neurologist recommended she eat "nothing with a face" and also limit high cholesterol foods like eggs, but being a realist he also prescribed a statin.
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Way2tired Jun 2023
Cwillie, sounded like a smart doctor to me. My doctor always encourages a healthy diet and exercise. I thought they all would .
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Some things like high cholesterol,HBP, cancer, are hereditary. You can exercise, be in shape, eat healthy, never smoke/drink and still get diseases. My late hungarian father ate whatever he wanted, wasn't overweight rarely took medication for anything. He was very healthy and lived to be 97. Heriam, estrogen caused my moms stage III ovarian cancer @78 yrs of age. She's been cancer free 12 yrs. Her BRCA test was negative
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I wonder if the point here is that, while the medical community knows the value of healthy eating, on the whole they don't "prescribe" it and follow up as they do with drugs.
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All doctors recommend a healthy diet.

That does not mean people have to be vegetarians.

Plant-based diets won't help at all. The healthiest countries (places like Japan, South Korea, France, and Scandinavia) all have plenty of animal protein in their diets.
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I had a family practice doc once tell me, without identifying anyone, of a family he dealt with. They were all obese with multiple health conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. None were interested in making any changes to their lifestyle and they laughed at and made fun of the one family member who was considered “the skinny one” as she was only about 250lbs. The doctor was completely defeated and could only dole out meds. This made me really see the doctor side of things, how they’re trained to advise and not just throw pills at people, but we live in a culture that often doesn’t want to hear it, much less act on it. The US is one of only a couple of countries in the world where advertising medications on tv is allowed. We’ve taught the population that there’s a pill for everything and our medical community has little choice but to follow the demands of their clients. I’m not criticizing people with weight issues, been there before myself, but personal responsibility can’t be placed on doctors or anyone but the individual
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golden23 Jun 2023
So true and it must be very frustrating for physicians. Personal responsibility is a prime factor. I think some physicians are more conscious of other routes that pills taking than others. Agreed - In the long run it is down to the choices of the patient.

What I envisage is more use by the medical community of dietitians, coaches, trainers, and building in accountability of the patient to use these to make lifestyle changes. Drugs as a last choice rather than a first choice sort of thing. But this is not how medicine is practiced.

Change of any kind is difficult as I am sure we all know. The psychology of change can be applied to individuals as well as organizations. To me it needs to be part of the training of medical personnel.
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Doctors don't push plant- based diets because we are not herbivores and not carnivores, but we are omnivores. The best diet for us incorporates grains, fruits, veggies. and meats. And we eat way too much of most of them!
That isn't to say we can't be perfectly healthy on other diets. But it would be wrong to ask doctors to tell us to be vegetarians, when that is not what we are.

As to doctors and diets, they do not seem to address obesity at all, and THAT is what makes me cringe, as a nurse. Say what we will about fat-shaming, etc., it is not healthy to become so overweight that we have to face down diabetes (type 2, and many other illnesses), one of the best killers out there, and one that gets little recognition, because it causes so much organ failure that the cause of death listed is merely the organ that gave out first.

Like you, I wish doctors would discuss diet. I wish they would incorporate nutritionists so that whatever diet you wish to follow that person can expertly guide you toward health.

Given our doctors are allowed 10 minutes each with us now, I guess they are limited in what they CAN discuss, because seems to me they don't discuss our exercise and our (bad) habits, either.

We can argue diets, what's best for us and what's best for the planet, until the cows come home. But why would we? We've so much ELSE to argue!
We all have a right to our own choices which to follow, and our choices whether to eat too much of it or not.
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Exercise hard, eat fiber, die anyway!

I was a vegetarian for years and my health was terrible, when I reintroduced animal protein I lost 30# and felt great. We can not live on rabbit food, it doesn't provide our human bodies all of the nutrients we were created to use.

The problem lays with ALL the garbage they are injecting in the animals and their food.

Moderation and taking responsibility for yourself is really the key to healthy living and eating.
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In my experience with MDs, MDs aren't programmed in medical school, professional practice or peer groups to place food and diet as the primary remedy. There is such huge influence, education and pressure from pharmaceutical companies where good nutrition and diet is almost assumed and doesn't need to be prescribed.
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My daughter is Vegan so a lot of plant based in her diet. It brought her cholesterol down.

Doctors can only do so much. The patient has to be willing to do the work. Me, I refuse to use Statins. They contribute to Dementia. I had a GYN tell me to take nothing for Cholesterol especially Statins. It also effects the brain and the brain needs cholesterol. So, I will pay the consequences. My cholesterol is high but has been stable for a while. And I agree those hormone replacement therapies for Menopause can cause cancer later on. I was so lucky I had no problems during menopause that I did not need it. It also has been proven to contribute to Dementia. My Mom did both and she had Dementia.

Doctors push pills because they get kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies.
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southernwave Jun 2023
It’s illegal for doctors to get kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies. In fact, there is a database where you can check on your doctor. The most the can get these days is a lunch.
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One of the saddest doctor visits I ever had was at a cardiologist's for an EKG before a medical procedure that I was going to have. I had no cardiac problems. I sat near two women, one was 26 and the other was about that age. They were related. They were obese. Huge, in fact. Maybe 300 pounds each, about 5'5" tall. They were there for their heart issues, which they freely discussed, and talking about the problems they were having with their hips and knees. One was complaining that she didn't want to have a knee replacement, which another doctor was planning to do.

I was sad for them. In their twenties and already in bad health, clearly because of their weight! Our joints aren't meant to schlepp around 300 pounds of fat.

As a family caregiver, I wish people would take better care of themselves so that others won't have to.
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southernwave Jun 2023
My sister is an obese vegan so figure that one out lol
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Good question! My personal take on it, after caregiving both parents with numerous health issues and, sorry to say, lazy to the bone, they are looking for the "Magic Pill" without doing anything to correct their lifestyle choices. My mom's doctors consistently tell her she would feel so much better if she would lose weight, eat better, stimulate her brain (as opposed to sitting in front of the television all day), and stay physically active. She CHOOSES not to do any of the above. Life is full of choices!
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Fawnby Jun 2023
That's too bad, and these people usually don't have a clue about how difficult they'e made it for those who must care for them.

Maybe this is a comfort: Years ago, I was active in trying to get my state to provide a better kindergarten program for all children, most of whom didn't go. It was a mostly poor and rural area. I invited the expert from the state department of education to speak at a PTO meeting. She pointed out that TV is educational (not just Sesame Street) and that five-year-olds who watched TV were actually getting an education about the world, the parts around them and also parts of it that they don't see, like England or Thailand, etc. She said that they are hearing words that they might not hear in their own homes and learning reasoning processes by watching various shows. I began to believe it was true and that it applies also to stay-at-homes who can't get out due to age or illness.

I do think that TV is better than playing silly games like bat the balloon when you're 95 - but maybe I'm wrong.
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Hello All, I don't think I've posted for over a year now, due in part to dealing with yet more family bereavements, but saw this post and it resonated. Last August, in the space of 2 weeks, I caught Covid for the first time and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The nurse suggested I might like to try losing weight to put the diabetes into remission. I started a low blood sugar, Mediterranean diet and by December had lost over 30lb and got my blood sugar levels back to pre diabetes levels. I'm still following a Mediterranean style of eating, and have now lost over 50lb in total! Friends tell me I look 15 years younger, and I certainly feel really good. I eat so much variety, and using herbs, spices and other seasonings makes it all taste wonderful. It has been really life changing for me and I don't feel the need to return to the high carb high sugar days of before.
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Daughterof1930 Jun 2023
I’m sorry for the losses you’ve endured, and also congratulate you on making such wonderful life changes. Great job taking charge of your health!
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Paying attention to plant-based diets is important for all of us, but what they eat becomes less important in very old age. For the very old we focus on what they enjoy eating rather than what is most healthy. My mom gets a good portion of her daily calories from ice cream. I prepare healthy, well-balanced meals, but how much she eats of them is up to her. I top off each meal with a dish of pudding and offer ice cream snacks in the afternoon and evening. She has lost weight over the past year, but not a lot, which pleases me.
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I think most Doctors advocate for healthy eating and exercise. However, I believe our medical system doesn't do enough to support proactive medial care. It focuses more on curing or medicating for chronic dieses. For example, most insurance won't cover weight loss/management but pay for diabetes treatment, which is some cases estimated to cost $14K a month!

Doctors should continue to advocate to stay healthy but as a society we need to push to have more focus on preventative medicine because if not, medical care will bankrupt the country.
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Because the patient likely won’t do it.
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Because they don't work. My cousin ate a 100% plant based diet and still died at 48 yrs old from brain cancer.
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Isthisrealyreal Jun 2023
My sister was a fanatical vegan and died at 52 from breast cancer.

Goes to show that it is not the diet alone that keeps us healthy.
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Patient compliance with diet and exercise (and kicking bad habits) is the main problem that defeats healthier bodies. In the end, we're not really in control of our health and death. My super healthy, sporty, fit and active cousin at died at 62 (after retiring at 60) while sitting up on his couch with the tv on, from a probable Afib event. His autopsy showed no cause of death, nothing in the toxicology report. Afib is the only real possibility.
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I ask the same question. I am 62, whole foods plant based diet, vegan lifestyle. People tell me I look like I'm in my 30s and I am healthier than ever. It doesn't mean I won't die and certainly is no guarantee that I won't get cancer or another major disease. My diet and lifestyle mean that I'll be less likely to get a major disease (ref "How Not to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger). And that's good enough for me to make changes and feel great every day about how I feel and move and about not harming animals - and also not contributing to climate change. For me, it's a win all around.
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