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Diabetes.co.uk

Brightside

Brightside

Well-Known Member
Messages
106
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Diet only
I wonder what this organisation does for "PATIENTS" other than advertising BG meters for large drug firms (they must earn a fortune from this) and hosting a forum?
 
To be honest I don't know what the organization does, but since the forum has provided me with a million times more information than my GP, DN and DESMOND course combined, plus all the support I've received, I have no complaints. :)
 
Somehow this forum has to be paid for!

It has given so much more back to 'patients' that I can't see what your problem with the site is.

As previously said the support and knowledge is priceless. It helped save my life! I can't put that in monetary value!
 
Given that Diabetes.co.uk is a private company that offers services to educate diabetics, I suggest that it needs to fund itself somehow...

As stated on the Diabetes.,co.uk "About us" page:

Diabetes Digital Media is a private company with an established 'community-profit' culture. Whatever we do, we always act with the diabetes community's interest at heart.

Diabetes.co.uk reinvests money earned from this website into developing our community, useful and informative content, education programs, apps and interactive tools to aid the community. Please see Our Mission for further information.
 
P.S. to the OP - I know I how much my little website costs per month, but I cannot IMAGINE how much this one costs!
 
nosher8355 said:
Somehow this forum has to be paid for!

It has given so much more back to 'patients' that I can't see what your problem with the site is.

As previously said the support and knowledge is priceless. It helped save my life! I can't put that in monetary value!
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I hear you Nosher and I dont have problem with the site per-se but I am just putting it out there that as the premier site for diabetics in the UK what do they do for patients? Do they campaign for us? Do they plan meetings seminars? Do they sponsor research ??? How about exercise programs for all the 3mil diabetics in the UK??? Or patient seminars? Or do they simply make money on the back of our illness?
 
Brightside said:
I hear you Nosher and I dont have problem with the site per-se but I am just putting it out there that as the premier site for diabetics in the UK what do they do for patients? Do they campaign for us? Do they plan meetings seminars? Do they sponsor research ??? How about exercise programs for all the 3mil diabetics in the UK??? Or patient seminars? Or do they simply make money on the back of our illness?
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Only someone who runs the website can answer that!
I do believe that even though we are only putting the message out there. We on this forum have made ourselves heard within the health and food industry.
Senior diabetics down to GPs are advising patients on low carbing and our recommendations.
Surely that counts?
We still have a long way to go. But for every success, a person has a better lifestyle.
That's got to be good.
 
Hi. I have been reading and contributing to these forums for several years now and learned from and helped probably thousands of members. Hopefully those who have found it helpful will communicate the information to others. Earleir today I visited the website for the British Diatetitic Association (the one for dieticians) to try to understand why posters here receive so much bad advice from NHS dieticians. I was horrified by the food advice being given. If you go round to many other sites such as diabetes.org.uk and various NHS dietary advice sites it is equally worrying. The advice being given on these forums from actual diabetics, and many of them, is based on experience and is often the opposite of what the health 'experts' profer. When I moved to insulin 2 years ago I was able to profit from the many contributions on the subject and have equally been able to offer some of my experience back. There is no other forum or source of diabetes advice as good as the forums on this site. Perhaps the owners could do more in some ways but the platform that they have provided for us should not be trivialised.
 
Brightside said:
I hear you Nosher and I dont have problem with the site per-se but I am just putting it out there that as the premier site for diabetics in the UK what do they do for patients? Do they campaign for us? Do they plan meetings seminars? Do they sponsor research ??? How about exercise programs for all the 3mil diabetics in the UK??? Or patient seminars? Or do they simply make money on the back of our illness?
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The site administrator @Giverny has posted a link to read a bit more about what is being done for patients a couple of replies above me-- very informative and helpful. I have been Type 1 for over 42 years and this site appears to be making a huge difference to thousands of people with Diabetes everyday lives. I only wish it had been around ( and the internet ) all those years ago :).
Keep up the good work to all the mods and admin !!!!!!!
 
Well, I have to confess here I thought this forum was an offshoot of Diabetes UK. The penny's only just dropped that one is .co and the other is .org. No wonder I've been getting confused trying to reconcile one with the other.
I really should change my avatar to Winnie the Pooh, except we've got at least one similar already.
 
DeejayR said:
Well, I have to confess here I thought this forum was an offshoot of Diabetes UK. The penny's only just dropped that one is .co and the other is .org. No wonder I've been getting confused trying to reconcile one with the other.
I really should change my avatar to Winnie the Pooh, except we've got at least one similar already.
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Hi. There is a DUK support website (www.diabetessupport.co.uk) but you will find it quite politically correct with a sticky pushing the DUK 'healthy' diet and praising the Tesco/DUK tie-up etc.
 
Daibell said:
Hi. I have been reading and contributing to these forums for several years now and learned from and helped probably thousands of members. Hopefully those who have found it helpful will communicate the information to others. Earleir today I visited the website for the British Diatetitic Association (the one for dieticians) to try to understand why posters here receive so much bad advice from NHS dieticians. I was horrified by the food advice being given. If you go round to many other sites such as diabetes.org.uk and various NHS dietary advice sites it is equally worrying. The advice being given on these forums from actual diabetics, and many of them, is based on experience and is often the opposite of what the health 'experts' profer. When I moved to insulin 2 years ago I was able to profit from the many contributions on the subject and have equally been able to offer some of my experience back. There is no other forum or source of diabetes advice as good as the forums on this site. Perhaps the owners could do more in some ways but the platform that they have provided for us should not be trivialised.
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Diabell I agree with you that there is lots of advice here, but unfortunately none of it expert advice....the truth be told it could all be hearsay....on the other hand the diaticians and experts are all still living the dream of 20 years ago and have not moved on yet....if you ask them about LCHF diets they nearly suffer a cardiac arrest....and are still shouting low fat low fat when for the last 5 years evidence has emerged that low fat is more the killer than LCHF....
What we need is an organisation that looks after the patient....not the drug companies....not the doctors and clinicians....the patients.

I dont have an issue with this site as it is providing a valuable service in helping us help ourselves....but it does bother me a bit that its a FOR profit organisation and as such is feeding off the back of my illness....on the other hand the diabetes.org is probably too but just in another format..... :)
 
Brightside said:
Diabell I agree with you that there is lots of advice here, but unfortunately none of it expert advice....the truth be told it could all be hearsay....on the other hand the diaticians and experts are all still living the dream of 20 years ago and have not moved on yet....if you ask them about LCHF diets they nearly suffer a cardiac arrest....and are still shouting low fat low fat when for the last 5 years evidence has emerged that low fat is more the killer than LCHF....
What we need is an organisation that looks after the patient....not the drug companies....not the doctors and clinicians....the patients.

I dont have an issue with this site as it is providing a valuable service in helping us help ourselves....but it does bother me a bit that its a FOR profit organisation and as such is feeding off the back of my illness....on the other hand the diabetes.org is probably too but just in another format..... :)
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If you believe strongly enough that's what we need then set it up.
Dead easy to set up a web site/forum.
Membership is free here so you're not exactly getting ripped off are you.
If you want professional rather than personal then go get it.
 
NoCrbs4Me said:
I don't have a problem with the owners making some money with this site. Do you hold a grudge against doctors, nurses, and dieticians for making money off sick people, too?
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No I dont hold a grudge if they make a living caring for the sick.....the issue here is a bit different....there is a charity called Diabetes UK.ORG which is a not for profit organisation. Then there is this site here called diabetes.co.uk which is talking the talk and walking the walk but someone is making money from it....if people are aware of it then thats fine, after all they do provide a service, but I think most of the members here are not aware that the one is a charity with the pure intention of helping diabetics and the other is a clone making money on the back of our illness....

again if the facts are known and you are ok with it then cool....but if not then its a bit deceitful imo.
 
On the "About" page they state "Diabetes.co.uk is not Diabetes.org.uk".
They don't claim to be a charity nor do they don't ask for donations, so I don't understand what your complaint is about exactly. And this web site is hardly a clone of diabetes.org.uk. It's much, much better. At least .co one doesn't push a low fat high carb diet has healthy like the .org one does! Now THAT's something to complain about!
 
Brightside said:
Diabell I agree with you that there is lots of advice here, but unfortunately none of it expert advice....the truth be told it could all be hearsay....on the other hand the diaticians and experts are all still living the dream of 20 years ago and have not moved on yet....if you ask them about LCHF diets they nearly suffer a cardiac arrest....and are still shouting low fat low fat when for the last 5 years evidence has emerged that low fat is more the killer than LCHF....
What we need is an organisation that looks after the patient....not the drug companies....not the doctors and clinicians....the patients.

I dont have an issue with this site as it is providing a valuable service in helping us help ourselves....but it does bother me a bit that its a FOR profit organisation and as such is feeding off the back of my illness....on the other hand the diabetes.org is probably too but just in another format..... :)
Click to expand...
You are SO wrong. Hearsay my ass.

My most recent HbA1c was 33, achieved by diet only. I may not be an expert of anything apart of how I manage my diabetes but trust me, I am an EXPERT on that.

This is a forum where we help each other and are very good indeed at it.
 
Brightside said:
Diabell I agree with you that there is lots of advice here, but unfortunately none of it expert advice....the truth be told it could all be hearsay....on the other hand the diaticians and experts are all still living the dream of 20 years ago and have not moved on yet....if you ask them about LCHF diets they nearly suffer a cardiac arrest....and are still shouting low fat low fat when for the last 5 years evidence has emerged that low fat is more the killer than LCHF....
What we need is an organisation that looks after the patient....not the drug companies....not the doctors and clinicians....the patients.

I dont have an issue with this site as it is providing a valuable service in helping us help ourselves....but it does bother me a bit that its a FOR profit organisation and as such is feeding off the back of my illness....on the other hand the diabetes.org is probably too but just in another format..... :)
Click to expand...
In many ways we are the experts. That may sound arrogant but if you look at the way the food industry and big pharma funds and 'supports' the organisations including the NHS you can see that the 'experts' advice can be very biased. There is also no way most GPs can keep up with any one subject as they are overworked and by definition are GENERAL Practioners. The NHS is supposed to be evidence based but most of us know much of the advice is based on hearsay. Over the years I have seen many posts from people quoting some outrageous and downright ignorant diabetes advice from GPs and DNs. There are exceptions and my recent DN who has sadly now left was superb and learnt her trade at the hospital db clinic and fortunately joined my local surgery.
 
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