Sorry, guys, but I really don't get the bernstein approach.
I downloaded the free sample to my kindle and the introduction alone was enough for me, I'm not going to pay to buy the full book. He comes across as a zealot.
He makes out that he and he alone was the only guy responsible for pushing against the forces of corporate evil to make meters available to all. That's patently not true. There was a lot more going on at the time but he ignores it, making himself out to be the hero of it all. Narcisist.
Then he tells us all about how he suffered complications and came back from it. Big f**** deal. He suffered complications because methodology wasn't that great when he was growing up, then better tools became available, so he got better. He ignores the fact that those tools are now available from the start for the younger generation, so they are unlikely to develop complications in the first place.
Flat lines? Sure, they look pretty from an aesthetic point of view, but are they really necessary? Ever seen a cgm trace from a non-T1? They're all over the place. Endos who have worn cgms reckon we are holding ourselves to unneccesarily high standards.
Does bernstein address cgm anywhere at all? His law of small numbers smacks of cowardice. He is a relic from the methods of the 1960s. There will always be a broad correspondence between a high carb meal and high dose. A high dose simply will not take you into any sort of death zone of the type suggested by bernstein. Any inaccuracies can be seen easily with cgm and corrected with a few biscuits, not an ambulance. bernstein spreads unnecesary fear.
Here's a test for you all to see how devoted you are to bernstein and/or keto.
You and I are going out for Saturday brunch.
I'm going to be having a full breakfast and that will include potato scones, toast, black pudding (one slice has 10g, so bernstein rules it out), haggis (we do brunch properly in Scotland. A slice is maybe 15g - the doc says no), tomatoes and I'm not even going to bother counting those.
I'll do all that quite happily, because I know from past experience how many u I'll need and if inherent T1 unpredictability throws it out, it's nothing a few g or u won't sort.
You, on the other hand, following the dictates of an elderly man who you've never met who is heavily influenced by outdated 1960s experiences which you will never have to live through, will have bacon and eggs.
I'll have a nice meal with few risks. You'll have bacon and eggs - and nothing else forever.
Look within yourself and ask, once the initial enthusiasm for all things bernstein wears off, is that something you're ok with for the next 40 years?
Test the waters. They're not that deep, despite the fears and cowardice bernstein seems intent on spreading.
G'day Scott-C,
My apologies if my post came across as over-exuberant.
I'm just taken aback by the speed at which I began to obtain such positive results, the likes of which I've never experienced in over a quarter of a century of living with this **** disease.
I'm really not the type who jumps on the bandwagon or fixates on every new treatment fad.
From your comments, you seem to have achieved a really good level of control using cgm.
I'm not sure of how long you've been diabetic, but did you ever have to survive without a cgm?
I think this is the key point of difference between us.
I would argue that I and, at the moment, the majority of diabetics (of all types) don't use cgm (for various reasons which I won't go into now).
The Law of Small Numbers is all about managing risk and is a conclusion I arrived at myself several years ago (long before I'd ever heard of Dr Bernstein).
If I'm taking 18u to cover a hi-carb meal and I get the carb count 50% wrong (extreme I know, but bear with me) then not being on cgm I'd suffer one of two outcomes:
(a) if I'd consumed 50% more carbs I'd be looking at a period of hours or even days of very high BG which would leave me feeling unwell/tired and having to take extra insulin to try and correct, do extra blood tests on the hour, etc etc
(b) on the other hand, if I'd consumed 50%
less carbs....well that there is a guaranteed ride in an ambulance.
Now just to be clear, waking up in the back of an ambulance, for me, is one of the most embarrassing, demeaning and depressing experiences I have ever had the misfortune to endure. Fortunately it's been over a decade since my last one.
But the point is, they represent absolutely bloody 'rock bottom' to me.
Now, if I'm only taking 4u to cover a meal (a
small number) and I'm 50% wrong....at worst I'd suffer a mild hypo which I could easily treat myself without anyone noticing.
And that is the basic premise of the book.
There's lot's of other good stuff in it though.
Get it from a library - I challenge you to read it and
not find something you didn't know about diabetes.
Knowledge is power and all that!
As I said above, I'm not trying to pontificate. The Bernstein approach just seems to work for me, and may do for others.
But it's not the
only approach.
Even though Dr Bernstein has been T1 since childhood, he is now in his eighties and is in surprisingly good health - I hope we all manage that.
All the best,
RBG
