Doctor-patient interaction I witnessed today...
Patient (two years out from breast cancer diagnosis):
What do you think about eating meat?
Doctor:
If I had to give up meat, I’d kill myself. I don’t think there’s any evidence that eating meat is detrimental.
I don't like this at all. I wonder, how did the patient react to this statement? I am sure the physician made this comment tongue-in-cheek, but I still think it is slightly crude to mention 'killing yourself' to a cancer survivor, especially over something like making a dietary change.
ReplyDeleteI don't think being a vegetarian is as radical a position as this physician implies. He/she easily could have said "eating meat is fine in moderation" instead.
The patient just laughed and they moved on to another topic (I kept quiet!)
ReplyDeleteIt was a moment that had so much potential but ended up being really disappointing.
Yikes, sounds like that guy doesn't live too healthily! I'm glad a new generation of doctors like you is just around the corner. We need more open minds like yours in medicine.
ReplyDeletewow. That is so bad.
ReplyDeleteDo we really have to give up yummyness for health?
ReplyDeletetho perhaps moderation is key...
Anthony Bourdain said to Jonathan Safran Foer(www.eatinganimals.com)on the Larry King Show:
“What about pleasure? I mean, for God’s sake man — pleasure! We were on Larry King together and I made what sounded like a facile jokey remark — you know, what about bacon? It’s good — but the fact is it is good. … Isn’t pleasure important? Isn’t taking pleasure, not just alone (sitting there alone stoned at 2 a.m. in the morning, eating bacon in front of the tube as an essential human experience), but sitting together at a table and enjoying meat — isn’t deliciousness important? Isn’t it really important?”
haha yes, that quote makes a good point Adam. I think the ideal would be if we could find great pleasure from engaging in healthy behavior/habits.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that there can be just as much pleasure (if not more) to be had in sitting together at the dinner table enjoying a delicious vegetarian meal.
As research after tax season I will be hosting a delicious vegetarian dinner party.
ReplyDelete