Melissa Walton-Shirley, MD, Cardiologist: In my office, I have a copy of the Mediterranean diet pyramid at checkout for every new patient. Many established patients who suffer from metabolic syndrome, coronary artery disease, or obesity receive a second or even a third copy. I spend hours teaching the simple mechanics of nutrition. I stress that it’s more impactful on longevity than any metal scaffold electively deployed into a coronary artery. I found a kindred spirit in Dr Simon Poole. His salient points came rapid fire, finding their mark and leaving quite an impression.
Dr Simon Poole: “If patients with coronary artery disease came out of the office of a practicing physician or cardiologist not on a statin, you could argue that’s a negligent practice, but I’d argue that most have no advice on diet. I lay down the gauntlet. We as physicians need to emphasize diet,” he began. He then lauded Dr Stender by saying, “Steen has done remarkably well with his government. Our secretary of state wanted to make an impact. We were shuffled into a room to discuss how to decrease mortality in 2.5 years. We emphasized “brave legislation” (hinting at labeling, reduction in trans-fat content, and education). The reply was a terse, “Well, we don’t do social engineering.” Someone in the group argued, “If you look at eye-level in a market at the packaging of chocolates for children . . . if that isn’t social engineering, I don’t know what is.”
