I heard the announcement on the radio this morning from Diabetes UK that 100 people per week with diabetes suffer an amputation.
That is a disgrace and shouldn't be happening.
Whilst inevitably, there are some patients who will not comply with their care team and whose condition deteriorates as a result, there are many who are badly served by the dietary advice given by these same medical professionals and Diabetes UK itself. Not to mention the policies of many PCTs in refusing to allow blood testing equipment to be prescribed to type 2 diabetics.
For some years now, it has been customary to tell people with this condition to base their eating plan on carbohydrates and low carbohydrate eating is actively discouraged. I have been told that this is because diabetics shouldn't be deprived of eating anything they like and that compliance with a low carbohydrate diet is difficult. Does this make sense? If you can't metabolise something, should it be the basis of your eating plan? and if you want something, should you be advised to have it even if it harms you? We try to cure alcoholics, smokers and drug addicts don't we?
This nonsense is contributing to poor health in many people who believe it. Just look at the " Ideal Plate" diagram on the Diabetes Uk website. One third of it is carbohydrate foods and a large portion of the fruits and vegetables section is sugary fruits.
There is a strong world wide movement among diabetics, to get back to low carbohydrate eating for blood sugar control and to set tighter control targets than those accepted by Diabetes UK and the medical establishment in this country. Also there are campaigns to get blood test strips for home testing at least once a day, so that diabetics can monitor their own condition. I suspect that most non-diabetics would assume that is in place, but it too is actively discouraged, "because it costs too much"
Since contracting diabetes is seen as a consequence of committing the "Mortal Sin" of being overweight, Are diabetics to be convicted and sentenced to abominable health care?
What about the 75% of overweight people who are not diabetic and what about the thin diabetics? How are we to punish them?
Lastly How much will all these amputees and their subsequent care cost? Not to mention the heartache. A restricted carbohydrate diet is effectively free to the NHS. A sensible year's supply of blood testing strips would cost under£200( retail price) per patient and how much would it save?
That is a disgrace and shouldn't be happening.
Whilst inevitably, there are some patients who will not comply with their care team and whose condition deteriorates as a result, there are many who are badly served by the dietary advice given by these same medical professionals and Diabetes UK itself. Not to mention the policies of many PCTs in refusing to allow blood testing equipment to be prescribed to type 2 diabetics.
For some years now, it has been customary to tell people with this condition to base their eating plan on carbohydrates and low carbohydrate eating is actively discouraged. I have been told that this is because diabetics shouldn't be deprived of eating anything they like and that compliance with a low carbohydrate diet is difficult. Does this make sense? If you can't metabolise something, should it be the basis of your eating plan? and if you want something, should you be advised to have it even if it harms you? We try to cure alcoholics, smokers and drug addicts don't we?
This nonsense is contributing to poor health in many people who believe it. Just look at the " Ideal Plate" diagram on the Diabetes Uk website. One third of it is carbohydrate foods and a large portion of the fruits and vegetables section is sugary fruits.
There is a strong world wide movement among diabetics, to get back to low carbohydrate eating for blood sugar control and to set tighter control targets than those accepted by Diabetes UK and the medical establishment in this country. Also there are campaigns to get blood test strips for home testing at least once a day, so that diabetics can monitor their own condition. I suspect that most non-diabetics would assume that is in place, but it too is actively discouraged, "because it costs too much"
Since contracting diabetes is seen as a consequence of committing the "Mortal Sin" of being overweight, Are diabetics to be convicted and sentenced to abominable health care?
What about the 75% of overweight people who are not diabetic and what about the thin diabetics? How are we to punish them?
Lastly How much will all these amputees and their subsequent care cost? Not to mention the heartache. A restricted carbohydrate diet is effectively free to the NHS. A sensible year's supply of blood testing strips would cost under£200( retail price) per patient and how much would it save?
