In alt.support.diabetes Alan <
[email protected]> wrote:
: On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 11:03:56 +1000, Alan
: <
[email protected]> wrote:
: >G'day All
: >
: >X-posted to misc.health.diabetes, alt.support.diabetes
: >
: >I would appreciate comments on the draft letter below.
: >The letter is intended for my local Diabetes Australia
: >quarterly magazine.
: >
: >I feel a little like Spartacus heading off to the arena;
: >"we who are about to die salute you". I'm not an expert,
: >so I know I'm asking to be drawn and quartered here, but
: >I'd respect informed, civil criticism before I "go to
: >press"
: >
: >If I'm wrong or uninformed, I'm happy to debate the point
: >or modify the letter as long as things stay civil.
: Thanks to everyone who gave advice on my draft letter,
: both here and by email. I've included a copy of the final
: epistle below. I sent it today, so too late to tell me
: it's a load of garbage now
: It will be interesting to see if they publish, I may be
: too late for this quarter's edition. I cut the words down
: from 1200+ to about 520.
: Thanks again for the constructive advice.
: Letter:
: To The Editor I am eternally grateful for the work the
: pioneers at Diabetes Australia did in helping us get the
: NDSS and the support system that we now have. The
: organisation continues to do a great job. But I have a
: basic difficulty with the logic of the dietary advice
: recommended by your dieticians.
: I see their advice like this:
: 1. Dieticians advise high complex carbohydrate
: consumption, apparently for heart, kidney and vascular
: health;
: 2. High complex carbohydrate consumption causes high blood
: glucose levels;
: 3. High blood glucose levels cause diabetic complications
: such as retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and heart
: disease;
: 4. DA dieticians therefore recommend balancing the high
: complex carbohydrate consumption with medication or
: insulin to control blood glucose levels. This advice
: appears to be in line with the recommendations of
: overseas organisations such as the American Diabetes
: Association (ADA).
: Specific examples can be found on the DA web-site at
:
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/multilingualdiabe-
: tes/healthpros/foodnut/healthy.htm or the ADA web-site
: at
http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-
: recipes/nutrition/starches.jsp .
: My difficulty in understanding this is because no-one
: seems to be investigating the alternative approaches.
: I don't mean herbs and supplements, just a better diet
: for diabetics, together with exercise, to enable
: minimal medication.
: To me, the most obvious alternative is to search for a
: diet for the diabetic which provides adequate
: nutrition for good health but does not cause high
: blood glucose levels. If such a diet is possible it
: would minimise the need for medication, particularly
: for type 2, with side benefits for overall health and
: health costs. I can attest that it is possible; I've
: done it, as have many others. However, when diabetics
: write to give examples, such as K ...... in the Autumn
: issue, they are dismissed and told that their
: improvement must be because of exercise, or weight
: loss, or some other factor.
: The method I followed, as a type 2, was simple. I
: started with a standard, sensible diet to lose weight.
: Then, as I followed that diet, I tested everything I
: ate one hour and two hours after I ate it. If I
: consistently found that something led to high blood
: glucose, I changed
: it. Sometimes I changed the food, sometimes the quantity,
: sometimes the timing, but always the aim was to
: minimise "spikes". Gradually I found I was eating
: significantly less carbohydrates, a little more
: protein and a little more "good" oils. And I did a
: little "lazy man's" exercise along the way. I also
: gradually reduced the high level of initial testing
: as results became predictable.
: After attaining a degree of control over my blood
: glucose, I now progressively review my diet to ensure
: there are no missing nutritional requirements and to
: further improve lipids etc. At diagnosis in 2002 my
: HbA1c was 8.2, now it's 5.9 and I take no diabetes
: medications. It's a long time since I've seen a
: "spike" over 8, rarely over 7.5. The improvements
: continued long after I reached my target weight. And
: my heart, blood pressure, lipids, kidneys and so on
: are also in good shape. Why do your dieticians
: continue to promote high carbohydrate consumption?
: What is it I'm missing, apart from complications?
: Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia. Remove weight and carbs
: to email.
: --
: Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
Very nicely said, Alan. I hope your pleasant manner in this
letter doesn't cause them to take it lightly.
Wendy
