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Low carb

Can members remain civil and respectful please, if argumentative behaviour continues then thread bans will be issued. If any member is unsure of forum rules then please take time to read them carefully, thanks.
 
It's because of the number of adults in this country that act like children and can't be trusted to look after themselves
You where saying something about insulting language.

This I think will be my last contribution to this thread.

Except to say that the vast majority of people are well able to make good well informed decisions when the information they are given is trustworthy.
 

before I was diabetic my level was always 4.5 mmol when measured at random times, well don¨t know what my HbA1c would have been... nobody ever measured that
 

Sorry but this just isn't accurate -
"doctors" (who by the way do not all agree and are not a homogeneous group any more than diabetics are) do not "know...that drugs like metformin WILL work" as in quite number of cases they don't;
The drop in blood sugar levels through metformin alone are good for some but negligible for others;
As for "you and I might not want to take metformin" - as a transplant patient, I was told I would not be offered metformin at all;
The fact that some people cannot read or count to a certain level is hardly a sound reason to ignore everyone who can (certainly the majority where I come from);
You do not need a computer to read how many carbs there are per 100g on a label;
A number of doctors I have seen (including a diabetic consultant) have advised diet change as a first step to see if that negates the need for treatment with medication;
"they may see no reason to try something new" - well good for them; fortunately my doctors are up to speed!
two other points - 1] doctors are not gods - they can/and do make mistakes (not all of the staff we first see are doctors at all)
2] they know best so shut up and take the pills is not an approach those of us who want to be personally informed sand in control are likely to follow (thankfully).

Doctors who knowingly judge their patients in terms of intellectual potential (which they are certainly NOT qualified to do) and do not then advise and treat said patients as individual "clients" (NHS management speak) are not acting in the interests of said PEOPLE. That would be disgraceful, morally reprehensible and legally open to challenge through judicial review. Doctors are not paid to judge what we can comprehend. I am glad none of my doctors are that arrogant or sloppy!
 

I agree with most of your comment that the whole area needs to be addresses differently by medical professionals. I agree that diet should be the starting point prior to considering medication and that what the dietary advice is should be based on the individual as far as possible (and that reducing carbohydrates to some extent should probably feature in most of that advice). I do not accept that all testing of the blood sugar by meters is "arbitrary" (ie. "based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system".) I apply reason and certainly self testing in very systematic way...and that approach is completely supported by my diabetic consultant and by four doctors (all of whom are very up to date in their training). Not sure what constitutes your "experts committee" but in my view wisdom stagnates if we cling to the commonly held view for fear of considering other theories. further, to say that we don't need to test with meters IF we are avoiding certain carbs - that is pure nonsense! If that was true, those of us who do adhere rigidly to a low carb diet would never have levels to be concerned about - many of us still do...and...things change (eg. the function of organs)! I test way, way less than I did initially but I have no intention of putting my meter away to find a few months later that everything has shot up as can and does happen. My doctor prescribed my meter and wants me to keep testing (despite my levels being mainly in the normal range due to my low carb diet)... and many of us simply gain from feeling/seeing that we are in control. Please let's not let the budget controllers have more ammo to keep meters from diabetics while we are trying to push for NHS recognition/promotion of low carb dieting as a way forward which (at least for many) works.
 
"doctors" (who by the way do not all agree and are not a homogeneous group any more than diabetics are) do not "know...that drugs like metformin WILL work" as in quite number of cases they don't;

Even the scientists are aware of this, way back in 2003, Allen Roses, Senior VP for Genetic Research at GlaxoSmithKline, stated that more than 90% of drugs only work in 30-50% of people. Before human clinical trials of any drug, extensive testing is performed on mice because their genetic, biological and behavior characteristics closely resemble those of humans, and many symptoms of human conditions can be replicated in mice. Rats and other animals are also used. There are pros and cons to using rodents.

What some people may not realise is that those mice or rats are specially bred to be exactly the same, it's essential for the experiments being carried out. Having tested animals that are essentially identical they are then tested on humans who are all completely different and even here there is some debate over whether pharmaceutical companies "vet" their human guinea pigs so that they can all be as similar as possible. There's even a conspiracy theory that when statins were tested, people having bad side effects were excluded from the trial data.

As you say pleinster, not all drugs work with all people.
 
I personally would avoid using metformin because of its side effects, and much prefer the low carb method of treating diabetes. Many say their HCPs and doctors don't encourage that, or even discourage it. Why take any notice of them? They can control whether or not they prescribe drugs but only YOU control whether you do low carbs or not.
 
I can see I've been fortunate with my DN! The first time I saw her (week and a half ago) when she told me I was T2 she advised me to come on this website and follow the low carb programme. although she says I don't need to self test as she's put me on metformin. We're due to move soon and I only hope I find as good a nurse as she is. she made diabetes sound manageable.
 
True, but big pharma tells type 2's that we can carry on eating loads of carbs, take the pills, and surrender to this progressive disease we are helpless to control. Which we know, from the thousands of varying experiences on here, is not true.
My dr did not help me at all when I was dx and I wanted to try to fix myself with a] the Newcastle Method and b] the LCHF diet which I very soon discovered on researching the web in desperation and fear. He and She both discouraged me and ' did not recommend' blood meters in case I ' alarmed myself ' Later I found out , against all my previous beliefs, that they probably had a financial motive in NOT helping me fix myself. [ I did get my blood sugars down,and consider myself now a pre pre-diabetic. i.e. If I freak out on booze and carbs I start to get high readings but if I am good - no problems.No medications.
 
Apologies, I was confused. I was looking at a diabetes.co.uk web page which referred to Diabetes UK. I should have read the page a couple of times to understand more fully. Old age you know. LOL

Hello David You said ' There's even a conspiracy theory that when statins were tested, people having bad side effects were excluded from the trial data.'' I researched this on line and I THINK it is NOT a theory, but a fact that this happened and still does happen. Drug companies have huge profits and investments to protect and getting into the market is a priority which can overwhelm sanity.... I remember Thalidomide .
 
I agree. There are human reasons why the drs don't push patients to help themselves, but are just content to prescribe medications . My dr refused to help me, and when I phoned him later to tell him I had '' cured '' my type 2 diabetes using the Newcastle Method and then LCHF he went a bit quiet and then said '' But most people can't do that '' meaning they can't be bothered , so why should he....
 
At least TWO doctors, one a Professor one a surgeon, have run foul of the POLITICS and have been hounded for recommending LCHF. So the problem is still out there and growling away.
 
Big Pharma don't tie people to chairs n feed em biscuits
No the chains they use are more sophisticated - subtle temptations, selling rubbishy carb foods with '' health '' labels, using politics and so on to get meal appeal to the masses. Keep the pharma status quo happily making big money. Avoiding the boat being rocked by the possibility of thousands ,nay millions, of future patients and customers never falling ill ! Just research how the breakfast cereal manufacturers are attempting to dominate the world. [That's not a joke : read the statement on the wall of the Kellogs museum, their '' mission objective '' ]
 
I understand that it is advisable to cut down on heavy exercise when on an 800 calorie diet, perhaps because the loss of muscle tissue [along with the fat ] might mean a strain on the heart muscle. That being said, very fat persons on 800 calories will actually be living on more like 2,000 calories as their own body fat is metabolised away and provides the extra calories needed .
 
I researched this on line and I THINK it is NOT a theory, but a fact that this happened and still does happen.

I was being kind, it had been a while since I did all my "statin research".

If you look at the names of the people advising NICE what cholesterol levels should be and then check out their own admissions of areas of conflict (who pays the advisors?) there's another surprise, or is it.
 
Please tell us more about how you did on the ND. How long did you do it for? How much weight did you lose? What proportion of your weight was that? What were your numbers when you finished it compared to at diagnosis?
 
My practice nurse absolutely refuses a meter & says that I definitely don't need one

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