Dear Sir,
Greetings!
The most important thing which I want to share is he is nowhere mentioning about two large meals. He is using the term ‘two meals’. The ‘large’ word which you are mentioning here and also in an article on alnews ( https://www.altnews.in/fact-check-dr-dixits-two-meals-a-day-diet-for-weight-loss-diabetes/), is a self invented word and Dr. Dixit is not mentioning it in my humble opinion.
I am not an MBBS doctor but I am a BAMS doctor who has got formal education and training in clinical research and I have got little experience in clinical and other health related research as well. I have liked your idea of writing an open letter to Dr. Dixit but you will be surprised to see that these kinds of letter are there for Ms. Rujuta Divekar as well.
You are mentioning that you are respecting Dr. Dixit but it seems that you are hurt by his emotional comments in the research article. If that is the case, the right place to counter him will be in the medical journals only and not in the open letter. Because the open letters will allow non experts like me in the field to give his opinion.
I can see your and his ideology and I can see that both of you are right at their respective positions. Please note sir that when he is mentioning that the doctors are looting, you need not take the brunt on you. I am sure that you are a good doctor and that is the reason it is paining you the most. Pain is a subjective feeling and it pains the most to the person who is most sensitive. So I can absolutely understand your pain and be sure that we really respect your knowledge. But that is also true about knowledge of Dr. Dixit and Dr. Jichkar and Dr. Jeson Fung and many others. No one has monopoly over knowledge.
The trial design you have suggested is really interesting and I would suggest interested people to conduct such trials.
I agree with you sir that activism and science should be kept separate. But we do we do that sir in our life? Do we keep it really separate? The book of Prof. Richard Dawkins, ‘Selfish Gene’ was used by rights and lefts also to prove their point. Medical science is also used by both the wings to prove their points.
Your this publication would have received much more value sir if you would have published this in a medical journal. Because then you will have to share your conflict of interest. Please understand that conflict of interest is not a crime but a position but which needs to be declared.
He is mentioning that he is not selling any product, meaning he is declaring his conflict of interests. He is a professor of community medicine meaning he is well within his rights to advice about health to a larger community. You are a physician, hence you are well within your right to treat individual patients.
I would have liked if you would have written something like — ‘Additional advise from a physician who are following Dixit diet / two meals a day’. That would have been much more beneficial. Is it wrong from a student like me to expect this from you sir?
Dr. Abhijeet Safai
Research Officer
Symbiosis International University, Pune
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