Trained to Treat, Not Prevent: Why Your Doctor Isn’t Talking About Wellness

There’s a reason your doctor isn’t talking to you about nutrition, exercise, or menopause, and it’s probably (hopefully) not because they don’t care. It’s because they were never really trained to address these basics.

This is not a hit piece on doctors. I have had some wonderful doctors, and I greatly respect the years of school and training they have gone through. But the truth is, our healthcare system is built to react to problems, not prevent them. After all those years of study and training, our doctors are often left in the dark when it comes to proactive wellness.

That’s a problem, because approximately 80% of chronic disease and premature death could be prevented with better lifestyle choices. And yet we have a system designed to wait until those chronic diseases are wreaking havoc on our bodies before doing anything about them.

Doctors spend years learning how to understand and diagnose illness and prescribe medications, and I’m thankful they do. But prevention? That part often gets left out.

Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Nutrition: There is no illness or condition that will not be helped by healthy eating habits. And yet the average medical student in the U.S. receives only 19.6 hours of nutrition education over four years of school. That’s less than 1% of their total lecture time. And they’re mostly learning biochemical pathways and nutrient deficiencies, not how to talk to a patient about how to eat well in the real world. The National Academy of Sciences recommends at least 25 hours of nutrition training, but only 27% of medical schools actually meet that recommendation.

Physical Activity: On average, medical schools require only 8 hours of training on exercise, and most of that is lecture-based, so no hands-on experience. In residency, it drops to about 3 hours a year. Studies show over and over that regular movement is one of the best ways to improve physical and mental health and prevent disease. But many doctors say they are uncomfortable giving exercise advice. They just weren’t trained for it.

Menopause: The most disturbing statistics involve menopause. Half the world is female and every one of those women will go through menopause if they live long enough. But there is NO standardized menopause education in most medical schools, and only 31% of OB-GYN residency programs offer a dedicated menopause curriculum. A recent survey showed that only 7% of OB-GYN residents felt adequately prepared to care for women going through menopause. This leaves millions of women going through a major life transition with little to no guidance from their physicians. And the information they are getting is often outdated and useless.

Stress Management: Our bodies are designed to have stress in small doses. But chronic stress can have serious negative effects on the body and mind. A study involving 50 of the top medical schools in the U.S. found that only 6.6% of courses addressed stress, and only 4% of these courses were required. The majority of doctors have minimal training on stress management strategies. I daresay the doctors could use some of those strategies themselves.

Sleep: Poor sleep can impair memory, metabolism, and mood. One survey said that U.S. medical students receive an average of less than 2.5 hours of formal instruction on sleep medicine throughout their entire education. Another report from Harvard Medical School indicated that even their curriculum includes less than two hours dedicated to sleep education over four years.

Where Do We Go From Here?

There are some great doctors out there doing their best, but it’s up to each of us to take a more proactive role in our health. That means asking questions, doing our own research, and seeking out credible information. And if you feel like you need more help, it’s ok to build your own wellness team. Support systems like health coaches, personal trainers, dietitians, and other wellness practitioners can be invaluable and help fill the gaps in our healthcare system.

Wellness is not just about treating symptoms, it’s about strengthening the whole person. It’s about building healthy foundations, not just fighting disease.

Stay well, my friends!

Alicia