Tammy Glaser wrote:
>
> >>Kathleen Portra wrote:
> >> Our daughter's nutritionist recommended TUMS.  She figured that with the
> >> calcium she gets from her substitute milk and other foods and her age,
> >> that she needed one Tums a day.
> >Hazel wrote:
> >I heard that over the years if you are taking tums only for the calcium
> >you may develope stomache problems re: acids. I was giving her tums
> >because of this reason...does anyone know if there is any truth in this.
>
> Please correct me if I'm wrong in my information, but I have a problem
> understanding why doctors make this recommendation.  First, antacids
> normally contain aluminum which is an antagonist of calcium, meaning they
> tend to block each other.  Second, calcium needs stomach acid in order to be
> digested and absorbed so how is that going to happen if the acid is being
> controlled?  In fact, the sign of a good calcium supplement is one that has
> a little bit of HCl in it!  More importantly, if one has digestive distress,
> rather than masking the symptoms, why don't people looking further into the
> reasons for it--lactose intolerance, food allergies, lack of digestive
> enzymes, floral imbalance, etc.  I hate to sound snotty here, but are
> doctors really that lacking in nutritional and biochemical knowledge??
>
> Tammy G.
>
> "A parent's love perceives no limitations."


Tommy,

Yes, doctors can be and are "really that lacking in nutritional and
biochemical knowledge."  My doctor, who is an internist, makes really
stupid statements about nutrition constantly.  It's obvious she has no
training in nutrition and that she doesn't understand the role it plays
in health and fitness.  Doctors are not trained in nutrition and the
results are often tragic.

A doctor discovered celiac disease and isolated the cause in the Fourth
Century and we are no further along with an effective treatment than we
were then.  In fact, doctors are insisting on biopsies, which are
invasive and potentially life-threatening and, I ask you, for what?
Money!

Joe