Suppose the ultimate goal is to be cured the reason for folk trying it all I can say is the lo cal lo carb diet has had a great impact on my weight and Bgs, as you say at the end it would be intresting to see how each person performs with normal eating no doubt the study will be taken further with more trials which may well realise the ultimate goal for us all the cure. Its early days yet but never the less worth pursuing
My 'Newcastle' Experiment.....
- Thread starter HDL_ME
- Start Date
Grazer
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,115
johnts said:
Absolutely see that the lo cal lo carb would work for you as you say, and that the results are great, I guess my point is that the "experiment" wasn't about that surely? Because we would have known up front about those initial results wouldn't we? So the proof of the pudding can only come at the end I assume? Not to say that it wasn't worth doing for the immediate benefits, just that we don't know if it works yet in terms of the original objective.
borofergie
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,169
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Racism, Sexism, Homophobia
I understand where you are coming from Russ, but if we all followed the NHS / NICE line on treating our diabetes then many of us would be in a much worse place than we are now.
Lots of choose to ignore explicit instructions for our GPs to "eat more carbs" (well, at least I do). Many people, including DUK, tell us that low-carbing is potentially dangerous, because no-one knows the long term effects. The same applies here. We don't know what the long term effects are, but equally we don't know that there are any long term effects.
This is of course true. I prefer to adopt an approach that reduces the known risk of DIABETIC complications, even if that happens to increase the risk of SPECULATIVE complications.
Of course there should be disclaimers, but (in my limited experience) if you want to be really successful in managing your diabetes, then you have to take a risk or two.
(I note also that other people are promoting low-fat / low carb diets @ 600 calories a day on the forum without any disclaimers).
Lots of choose to ignore explicit instructions for our GPs to "eat more carbs" (well, at least I do). Many people, including DUK, tell us that low-carbing is potentially dangerous, because no-one knows the long term effects. The same applies here. We don't know what the long term effects are, but equally we don't know that there are any long term effects.
This is of course true. I prefer to adopt an approach that reduces the known risk of DIABETIC complications, even if that happens to increase the risk of SPECULATIVE complications.
Of course there should be disclaimers, but (in my limited experience) if you want to be really successful in managing your diabetes, then you have to take a risk or two.
(I note also that other people are promoting low-fat / low carb diets @ 600 calories a day on the forum without any disclaimers).
I am doing the diet, with my GPs agreement, though I wouldnt say she was particularly interested in the process; the attitude was more 'It's worth a try- come for a blood test 2 weeks after you finish'. I envy those who have good HCPs who take an interest rather than preferring to throw pills at the situation. My Gp wanted me to go on metformin because a study showed that early intervention 'was a good idea' but she couldnt say why this was so, or tell me what effect the combination with my anti epilepsy medication would have. I have friends/family who have:-
1. Had a BP check, been told it was too high and to take a prescription for meds with the comment 'Youre on this for life' and an abrupt dismissal of an inquiry as to whether diet/excercise/lifestyle changes could do the trick with a comment that those never last- better to take the pills. The person in question invested in a BP monitor, had several weeks of normal readings and was told by a different doctor that it was either a fluke or 'white coat BP' and not to worry. Good job she didnt just take the prescription and do as she was told.
2. Lost a lot of weight, getting skeletal, and recieved a snap diagnosis of bulimia/anorexia from the GP, followed by a curt phone call from the same person several hours later telling them to go to the local hospital, it was T1 diabetes according to the blood tests, and the hospital would sort it out. This person has had very little help to sort it out from the GP, consultant, nurse or dietician, all of whom parrot the 'eat carbs' mantra- now overweight and having too many hypos. Supposedly on the waiting list for DAFNE, but has recently discovered that it isnt available in that health authority area, something which the consultant who supposedly added the name to the list should surely be aware of.
3.I'm sure there are good HCPs out there- I considered my old GP, now retired, to be one. Years ago when I moved to the area and signed up with him he took one look at my zombie like state and the dose of 1600 mg carbonmazepan per day that my ex consultant neurologist had me on and gradually reduced it to 200mg with a massive improvement in quality of life and no ill effects for 2 years. The ex consultant worked on the basis that as long as the tests showed that the liver was coping, just jack up the dose another 100mg per day, whatever the other effects on the patient. Eventually it stopped working and we had to go back to the drawing board, but at least I felt as though I had a voice in the process.
( We all live in different areas of the country so this isnt confined to one place)
I don't think it is remarkable or surprising that some of us are reluctant to take the HCPs word as gospel and I don't regard a healthy scepticism as foolhardy, especially when faced with individuals who either cannot or will not answer reasonable questions about the treatment proposed.
1. Had a BP check, been told it was too high and to take a prescription for meds with the comment 'Youre on this for life' and an abrupt dismissal of an inquiry as to whether diet/excercise/lifestyle changes could do the trick with a comment that those never last- better to take the pills. The person in question invested in a BP monitor, had several weeks of normal readings and was told by a different doctor that it was either a fluke or 'white coat BP' and not to worry. Good job she didnt just take the prescription and do as she was told.
2. Lost a lot of weight, getting skeletal, and recieved a snap diagnosis of bulimia/anorexia from the GP, followed by a curt phone call from the same person several hours later telling them to go to the local hospital, it was T1 diabetes according to the blood tests, and the hospital would sort it out. This person has had very little help to sort it out from the GP, consultant, nurse or dietician, all of whom parrot the 'eat carbs' mantra- now overweight and having too many hypos. Supposedly on the waiting list for DAFNE, but has recently discovered that it isnt available in that health authority area, something which the consultant who supposedly added the name to the list should surely be aware of.
3.I'm sure there are good HCPs out there- I considered my old GP, now retired, to be one. Years ago when I moved to the area and signed up with him he took one look at my zombie like state and the dose of 1600 mg carbonmazepan per day that my ex consultant neurologist had me on and gradually reduced it to 200mg with a massive improvement in quality of life and no ill effects for 2 years. The ex consultant worked on the basis that as long as the tests showed that the liver was coping, just jack up the dose another 100mg per day, whatever the other effects on the patient. Eventually it stopped working and we had to go back to the drawing board, but at least I felt as though I had a voice in the process.
( We all live in different areas of the country so this isnt confined to one place)
I don't think it is remarkable or surprising that some of us are reluctant to take the HCPs word as gospel and I don't regard a healthy scepticism as foolhardy, especially when faced with individuals who either cannot or will not answer reasonable questions about the treatment proposed.
