New Video Uses Humor to Dispel Myths About Nutrition and Medication

THERE MAY be no gambling tables, shoot-outs or the usual gangster fanfare that audiences appreciated in “The Godfather” and “Casino,” but in a new video starring Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci look-alikes, there are facts that may be vital to your patients' health.

In “The ‘Wise Guys’ Wise Up…To Food and Medicine,” the DeNiro and Pesci look-alikes — in their Italian suits and dark glasses — guide viewers through a 15-minute introduction to how foods co-mingle with medicine in the body. The video, produced by registered dietician and the American Dietetic Association member Caryn Nistico, president of Long Island Personalized Instructional Diets and Reel Fun Films, communicates a simple message: What you eat can affect the medicines you're taking.

“Nutritional teaching is one of the few things that is lacking in health care,” says Vicky Martin, director of patient services for Lynbrook, N.Y.-based All Metro Health Care. Martin utilizes the video as a part of the training program for her employees and carries it with her as an informational reference for her patients.

She values the simple, direct message of the video. “It's short, it's sweet, it's to the point and hits the facts,” says Martin. “I literally had my 14-year old and my 18-year old watch it, and they came away from it having absorbed the point. It sends a strong, clear message — that you need to ask your doctor what you can and cannot eat.”

Unlike most nutritional videos on the market, Martin says, “Wise Guys” doesn't antagonize viewers about how sick they might get from a diet incompatible with their prescription medication. Instead, it sends a humorous message about the importance of being informed. “There is nothing else on the market for consumers that is done in a non-threatening medical way,” says Martin. “They use humor to show all of these things.”

The “Wise Guys” video is available from Reel Fun Films. Call 516/221-0170 for more information.