Diabetes UK - Any good?

We haven't joined as such ( not parted with any cash)but all children diagnosed in our area are automatically registered so they can receive regular magazines. They have been very useful. They helped me sort out issues regarding doing daughters injections in toilets by providing necessary information and offered to contact school, on my behalf. They also offered to support me in setting up local parents support group. They never once asked if we were members.

In return we did their sponsored walk in the park.

Back when it was the BDA and such I was a member. Got "Balance" etc. Just didn't bother renewing my (or parents whichever it was) membership in the end. It wasn't hardcore enough, often patronised and never really gave me any new info after the first year or so.

I am a member but have to say I have mixed feeling about them. On the plus side they were the people who funded the first pioneering beta cell transplant operations last year. However, they are also responsible for giving out some absolutely appalling dietary advice in their "Balance" magazine and website and, far from being a mouthpiece for us, they regularly just toe the government line on anything the least bit controversial.

i agree with dennis to a certain extent,although the balance mag can be a bit off,i do enjoy reading it sometimes and they are helpful,in the balance mags theres always a couple of free blood monitors to send off for too,ive also done the walk in the park and sold xmas cards for them

I've been a member for 10 years but I've just done a search for "low carbohydrate" & was led to their advice for packed lunches:

Top tips for packed lunches

# Make sure there’s plenty of starchy carbohydrate food that will give you lots of energy.
# There are lots of different breads and stuff you can try so you won’t get bored – try pittas, wraps, cheesy bread, there are loads of options. And try out different fillings as well.
# Have at least one piece of fruit – you’re supposed to have at least five pieces of fruit a day. It’s full of stuff that’s really good for you.
# Pack something for afters – lower-fat crisps, yogurt or cake.
# Don’t forget something to treat a hypo as well, just in case.

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I suppose the last item will be a few Mars bars :x

How do you treat a hyper from all that carb :?: :twisted: :roll: :?:

Re: Diabetes UK - Criminal lunacy?

Do we need to get a petition against such criminal advice :twisted: :?:

Diabetes U.k, is just a lot of people making a good living out of people like you and me and peddling run of the mill advice. what would happen to all of then if a cure for diabetes was found?

I think I might stop getting it - for years it was the only information I had about other people with diabetes but now that there are message boards, I don't feel it gives me anything I can't get elsewhere. I do enjoy Arthur Smith's article on the back page, but I hate all the leaflets that fall out of it every time, advertising mainly products to help people with mobility problems, such as walk-in baths and armchairs that help you stand up!

As others have said, their advice on carbs now seems so wrong! By following it I became over 5 stone overweight.

I normally just check the website occasionally for updates, although the one issue of Balance I've bought in the last 20 years told me about junior pens for half-unit doses, which was a big help.

The travel insurance company they recommended a few years ago was good, took into account my individual numbers instead of just panicking at the thought of a chronic condition.

No need to join, you can surf their website for free and get the occasional issue of Balance from larger newsagents if a particular article is relevant to you. Then at least no danger of paying good money for bad advice!

Sue

Well I've been a member since I was diagnosed 8+ years ago and gots lots more advice from the DUK magazine and events than I ever did from the hospital (education, what education?). OK so they don't advocate low carb (yet, we can hope) but they do fund a lot of research and also do a lot of campaigning to stop discrimination of people with diabetes also hold events and holidays for people with diabetes, and I think it is worth being a member.

i've had diabetes for about 10 years and have to say that diabetes UK is utterly ****.
(sorry if your not allowed to swear here!)
i'm 13 years old and they still think that it's necessary to send me a 5 year olds magazine entitled 'the tadpole times' which i have to say is full of complete *&%@£$!
haha.
even their little events are awfully organised- e.g. not putting an address on an invite to somthing, just saying 'the 02 centre' not realising that there are 2 in london and i happened to go to the wrong one!
sorry mate but i really wouldnt bother.

Like other posters I have mixed feelings. It is good to feel part of something and not alone and they do provide some good info (as well as some bad). They are great for kids and OAPs. However to me they seem very geared towards type 2s - 99% of their ads in Balance mag are for walk-in baths, hearing aids etc and their largest campaign by far is the 'Measure Up' one which advises people to lose weight or risk type 2. I am also quite offended by this campaign - the image is of a fat silhouette and it implies that type 2 is caused only by being fat - other risk factors such as racial background or genetics are only mentioned in the small print. To me it is part of the social ostracism and condemnation of fat people and adds to the misconception that all types of diabetes are caused by being fat. Neither do they provide a forum like this one although I have requested it several times. They seem to spend an awful lot on advertising - they automatically send out expensive sheets of address stickers and glossy advertising several times a year for their prize draws. The only people I know of who use these for any purpose are old ladies, who use them to stick on the back of their Christmas cards. They also recently sent out a huge heavy parcel of 'Measure Up' leaflets and promotional tape measures to everyone on their Campaigners Network by courier even though nobody requested it. But when I queried this they said it was OK since it was NHS money rather than Diabetes Uk money which paid for it. Apparently we were supposed to put the stuff in local libraries and GP surgeries. I would rather my money was not spent on this type of thing and went to research instead as the JDRF does. The other campaigns such as getting everyone retinopathy testing seem very low profile in comparison to Measure Up.

I would like to see less paper and more online services - why not for example put Balance online which would save money and be better for the environment? Or have an online shop rather than expecting people to send cheques through the post to buy merchandise? They do seem very behind the times. And as another poster mentions, they only have mags for 5 year olds and OAPs, not much for teens or adults in their 20s and 30s. I have told them all these things and although they send comprehensive and friendly replies nothing actually happens.

However I am right behind their Careline service which is very good and the people on it are very helpful and supportive so they aren't all bad. And the fee is only about £25 per year so not extortionate.

Lizzie

Apologies IanD, I hadn't spotted your quote from DUK's site re. picnic foods for T1 kids, or I wouldn't have duplicated it in the Food Forum. I'll try to pay attention in future!

I've never subscribed to DUK in my 27 years of T1 and, judging by their dietary advice, I won't be joining anytime soon. I tried to raise money by running for them at an event up here 2 years ago, but they couldn't get their act together to organise t-shirts or sponsor forms, so I ended up running for Guide Dogs instead.

All the best,

fergus

fergus said:

Apologies IanD, I hadn't spotted your quote from DUK's site re. picnic foods for T1 kids, or I wouldn't have duplicated it in the Food Forum. I'll try to pay attention in future!

I've never subscribed to DUK in my 27 years of T1 and, judging by their dietary advice, I won't be joining anytime soon. I tried to raise money by running for them at an event up here 2 years ago, but they couldn't get their act together to organise t-shirts or sponsor forms, so I ended up running for Guide Dogs instead.

All the best,

fergus

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I just get this picture of Fergus racing up to the finishing line with a line of yellow Labradors barking and cheering him on!! :lol: :lol:

We're members. they are quite helpful on things like insurance and they have helped campaign for test strips for type 2s, but their dietary advice is not a lot of good. they don't like low carb.

hya gov,
a lot of drs dont think type 2,s need to test blood,and some will only allow u so many testing strips a month,which is so **** stupid :?