Follow-up to the beginning of the last post (Train of thought):

Pediatricians are usually required to take ONE nutrition course, a couple developmental courses, and a briefing on breast feeding. The whole well-child visits idea came from the need to ensure all children in the US were receiving on-time vaccinations. The well-visits correspond with a schedule of vaccinations.

The health promotion/preventive medicine aspect of the visits is after-the-fact, and pediatricians are asked to provide parenting advice and preventive medicine care, when their education has largely been based on ILLNESS and disease. Western medicine is non-holistic and based on treatment rather than prevention. Yet MDs trained in treatment are being asked to provide all sorts of recommendations that end up being largely anecdotal and rarely evidence-based.

Well-child visits should be called what they are: vaccination visits and a brief assessment of developmental milestones. Sure, most times they're looking at a Well Child. But they're certainly not what many parents (myself included) think they're getting or would like in a well-child visit!!