Burying one's head in the sand might not be [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="221"] Burying one's head in the sand might not be the best survival behavior.[/caption]
It comes as a shock to patients to learn that many doctors don't keep up with the latest literature in their field. New studies come out in high quality, peer reviewed scientific journals. But physicians, as a lot, tend to be dubious of the results. And it often takes YEARS and several corroborative studies before the doctors feel comfortable enough to change their behavior. And it may still not happen unless they discuss the issue with their peers and everyone else has made the change. As a rule, doctors tend to have a herd mentality.
After 20 years in practice, I have finally recognized this. But it was my involvement with VisiVite.Com, beginning in 2001, that alerted me to this disturbing trend.
In November 2002, one full year after the National Eye Institute's Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) was published, our company presented our VisiVite vitamin formulas at the largest annual meeting of ophthalmologists in the world, the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Annual Meeting. Nearly 30,000 ophthalmologists attended.
Only one hundred or so eye doctors (1/3 of one percent) wanted to discuss eye vitamin research with us. And among them, the comments were along the lines, "Nothing helps macular degeneration, certainly not eye vitamins."
And mind you, this was one year after the most prestigious ocular research institution published a beautifully designed, randomized, double-blind, prospective study of thousands of patients measured over five years proving the benefits of the AREDS formulation. It took nearly 5 more years before eye doctors began routinely recommending eye vitamins to their patients with AMD.
So it continues to frustrate me, and it should frustrate you as well, to read the letter below, sent to me on January 29, 2010, about a patient's lament that the doctor wants to stay with "what he knows."
Where does that leave you, the patient?
My friends, you need to be your own, and best, health care advocate.
Paul L. Krawitz, M.D., President
Vitamin Science, Inc.
----------------------
Dear Dr. Krawitz, I purchased the Premier Ocular Formula 2 for my husband ...he has wet AMD in one eye & dry AMD in the other....yesterday, I showed his Retina Specialist the info on said vitamins but he said he would rather my husband stayed with the _________? (husband is a smoker) since it is the only one with any scientific basis.?? I have to say I was rather disappointed because I liked what I read about the Premier Ocular 2 Formula. Dear Mary, Doctors are sometimes slow to come on board with the most recent research. The Premier Ocular Formula No. 2 contains everything that ________ has, AND MORE! Compare below:- Vitamin C: 452 mg in ________, 500 mg in VisiVite
- Vitamin E: 400 IU in both
- Zinc: 69.9 in ________, 80 mg in VisiVite
- Copper: 1.6 in ________, 2.0 in VisiVite
- Lutein: 10 mg in both
