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A conversation between a doctor and me

Doriand

Well-Known Member
Messages
277
Location
Central Victoria, Australia
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Political Correctness
This was the dialogue during a recent appointment:


Dr. (after reviewing my BSL record): "It's good to see your blood sugars are normal. It must be the medications that you are on."

Me: "Well actually, I halved my medications. I have drastically reduced my carb intake"

Dr: "No, you must not do that! Your body needs carbs!"

Me: "Why does my body need carbs?"

Dr: "Your body need carbs for energy. Without it you won't have any energy."

Me: "But I have more energy now than when I was consuming lots of carbs."

Dr: "You MUST have some carbs"

Me: "But that will only increase my blood sugars."

Dr: "That is why you have your medications"



Currently I'm looking for a new doctor for future consultations!
 
For nearly three years, not doing what this doctor believes has made me healthier and increased my life by decades.
I must have carbs for energy is the biggest load of BS ever!
 
Lamont D said:
For nearly three years, not doing what this doctor believes has made me healthier and increased my life by decades.
I must have carbs for energy is the biggest load of BS ever!
Click to expand...
I had the pharmacist tell me the same thing. I said nothing.
And after reading up on one of the medications I was prescribed,I realized that it didn't make sense for me to be on a medication that increased my insulin production if I was insulin resistant.
My doctor was not impressed. But now 5 months later she is supportive of what I'm doing because she sees my results.
I guess they are not use to seeing people change their behaviour. She said that she had never seen anyone reduce their A1C from 11 to 5.9 in 6 months just on Metformin.
Many just want a pill and get on with their lives.
 
So, you have made impressive progress, but then the DR rejects your method?

So the solution is to risk making your health worse to justify taking medications.

The stupidity of this approach seems rather typical. Luckily they are not all like this.

Interesting that the dr had no response to your claim of having more energy then ever. Just demanding you eat more carbs.

I'd say you're on the right track.
 
Dont fats and protein give energy too? or is there something special about the energy from carbs? and by 'energy' do they mean calories? I dont understand why only carb energy works for brains. My DSN says I need at least 120g of carbs a day to feed my brain, but she didnt know why.
 
Research states as much. Goes back to epilepsy treatments, I believe. Also sugar too low affects the brain. Too high too, I think.
 
She probably got the information from a Biochemistry text book like this:- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/

The problem is that people remember the 120g carbohydrate per day but forget that glucose doesn't come solely from dietary carbohydrate - glucose can also be produced from non-carbohydrate substrates by gluconeogenesis in the liver. In addition, the brain requirement for glucose can be reduced (but not eliminated) if the brain becomes adapted to using ketone bodies as may happen during starvation.

The old units for energy were calories, the modern scientific unit is the Joule (often quoted as kilojoules or kJ in nutritional information on the side of packets).
 
Even if you eat no carbs, your liver will generate glucose from any protein you eat by a process called gluconeogenesis. So no need to worry. I eat well under 20g of carbs a day and my brain still works pretty good.
 
Dark Horse said:
The old units for energy were calories, the modern scientific unit is the Joule (often quoted as kilojoules or kJ in nutritional information on the side of packets).
Click to expand...
Joules have been around for a very long time, and have always been the default measurement for energy.
Strictly speaking one calorie defines the amount of energy (Joules) required to raise 1 gram of water though 1 degree celcius.
This is why 1 cal from olive oil is very different from 1 cal from Jam once inside the body (energy burner)
 
I think doctors much prefer patients who sit there and conform to what they are told . I'm sure I must have some sort off black mark on my records as I research everything before seeing him and seem to know more about my problems than he does ! Told me I don't need a lipid profile of my cholesterol as it's the total that matters I argued how do I know what the difference is between the HDL and LDL he looked shocked that a mere patient would know anything about this !
 
Luckily, the doc I insist on seeing for diabetes-related matters is on my side re my LCHF stance. It's the rest of the practice I have trouble with.
 
If you could imagine my last twenty years of struggle to get the information that has given me my life back and not resident in heaven, (if I'm going there!)
Even the endocrinologist, that literally saved my life, has often quoted that I needed a certain amount of 'complex' carbs!
Imagine the conversation, that after a total blood panel screen of all my endocrine, heart, and life signs all came back normal and I had been in ketosis for just over a year. Fitter and healthier than I had been for decades!
I literally can live without carbs!
And I do!
Low carb works because it doesn't rely on carbs to fuel your energy.
Glucogenesis is your liver doing its job and helping your brain health.

Staple foods that we have accepted as our 'daily bread' and our 'healthy' carb saturated foods, along with our low fat, high sugar diets, and combine it with high carb, sugar saturated breakfast cereals, is it any wonder we have a crisis with obesity and T2!
 
My last visit to the diabetic nurse also went downhill once I told her how I managed to keep my hba1c under 40 latest coming in at 37.
Told her I try and eat no more than 30 gms of carbs per day or less if possible.
Horror struck she said but you must eat carbs , I said why I get my energy from protein and fat. She then went on to suggest upping my intake of brown rice, whole meal bread etc and when I said these were still carbs and turn to sugar just a bit slower I think she knew I was a lost cause !
 
At the end of the day your liver can turn any food source into energy - doesn't matter whether its carbs, fat or protein. Just depends on whether you want diabetes to rule your life or you to rule it! And I have to agree the docs often don't like an informed patient (the old doctor is god complex unfortunately still exists for some!).

I do try to keep carbs to a minimum I have to say - I have a maximum of 6 wholemeal buns in a week and only a very few potatoes on a weekend. Its done me no harm doing without (and I have largely lost my sweet tooth because of it - which is a definite plus). And I still have some chocolates left out of the small box I got at Christmas - prior to having diabetes I would have had the lot in about 2 to 3 days.
 
Just to add to my previous post...
Despite only eating 20g of carbs a day, my blood glucose is steady at about 5 mmol/l. So glucose is getting into my blood (presumably via gluconeogenesis) and is constantly available to my brain if required.
 
I've had similar conversations with both doctor and DN. The best one was when Mr Chook was with me. The DN going on about needing enough carbs for the brain to work. Mr C asked what would happen if I didn't eat enough carbs and she said I would get brain problems and possibly die. He asked how long this might take - she said that it would be 'just a matter of weeks' - me and Mr C both burst out laughing. She then looked properly on my records and realised I had been low carbing for over a year. I've never seen such a red face! Thankfully she has left and there's a new one now who seems a bit more interested in what I'm doing.
 
I agree with your doctor. Before Banting and Best doctors starved people to get rid of carbohydrates. The result was death and not much longer than 6 months.

 
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