Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gerri on April 28, 2012 at 11:04am

Sure I'm not alone in wondering about Dr. B passing the torch. He certainly has been the lone voice in the wilderness for decades. Many of us in his debt for his courage & dedication. Wish I was an Obama niece:)

Thanks for posting.

Permalink Reply by marilyn krain on April 28, 2012 at 4:44pm

WISH I WAS SMART ENOUGH OR KNEW ENOUGH TO HELP...THERE ARE PEOPLE ON HERE THAT ARE I THINK THOUGH..HOPE THEY STEP UP.

Permalink Reply by Zoe on April 30, 2012 at 2:50pm

I actually think thousands of people are carrying the ball, like all the people on here that follow Bernstein's teachings and share their success with others.

Permalink Reply by Gerri on April 30, 2012 at 3:09pm

Dr. Bernstein feels that he needs assistance for more widespread acceptance. His life's work simply isn't supported by the medical community as an option for managing diabetes. You've seen the resistance here to low carb, as one small example. People become irate at the mere suggestion. Mostly, it's preaching to the choir.

Permalink Reply by onesaint on April 30, 2012 at 5:02pm

I bought his book and sent it to my endo. It's one small step I can take.

I also think diets are subjective and his is making progress albeit slowly. Each little seed that is planted to show how well low carb eating helps PWD is a step we take to carry his torch.

I'd be curios to know what we can do. Creation of a foundation to further the diabetes education of low carb eating? Secure funding for aforementioned foundation or for further educating others? Starting a business to enlist capitalism to help move the message of better dieting for PWD? What would the product be?! donations?

I think a few things would need to happen for the message to get out there more. Dr B's guidelines would need to be lessened in order to make the WOE more palatable for more folks and other physicians. More studies would need to be funded to dispel doubt from folks like the ADA and physicians. And I know a lot are being done now. I think a little (well, a lot of) fraternizing between those like minded medical professionals (or even a consortium) would greatly benefit the HF/LC cause. I mean seriously, Sweden is doing, can't we?

Permalink Reply by onesaint on April 30, 2012 at 5:16pm

I suppose an ad like this wouldn't hurt either.

Buy an Audi R8, get a pound of free butter, from Norway.

Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on May 1, 2012 at 8:40am

I think that Dr. B has a last wish that the basic nutrition fallacies will be overturned before he leaves us. He has seen major successes. He started home blood sugar testing and fought for years. Accepted by the ADA and insurance companies. Win! He invented the basal-bolus regime. It is now standard. Win! And best of all, he stood up for years and said that high blood sugars caused complications. And when the DCCT came out, he was vindicated. Major Win!

There won't be any individual that stands up to carry the torch alone. But there was just a American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) Obesity conference, and just look at the agenda and Mary Vernon's presentation. I think the tide has turned. There are major people throughout the scientific and medical establishment that are convinced about carb restriction.

I do what I can. I fight in the belly of the beast. But there are portions of the establishment that will only give up their flawed beliefs when they die. In the end, the truth shall win.

Permalink Reply by BadMoonT2 on May 1, 2012 at 10:27am

I agree the tide has turned, big organizations like the USDA and the ADA are fighting a delaying action at this point. Although I don't have the text of the presentations several appear to be critiques of the USDA and ADA, and low carb seemed to dominate the topics, this is a sea change. The reason is simple, the utility of low carb for the treatment of obesity and T2 is backed by solid research. As has been documented, there never was any research supporting low fat high carb.

Perusing the agenda, the speakers included Stephen Phinney, Jeff Volek, Mary Vernon, Richard Feinman all of whom are firmly in the low carb camp and all of whom base their opinions on solid research or conduct such research themselves.

In the link onesaint posted in the thread concerning finding a low carb Dr. Mary Vernon MD. has good advice for dealing with a non sympathetic Dr. She discourages trying to convince your Dr. about the truth of your approach up front, instead ask them for help in monitoring a lifestyle intervention you would like to try. Then let the results speak for themselves. At that point the Dr. may be curious enough to ask questions and eventually he/she may suggest low carb as an option to patients.

So in the end change will come one patient at a time.

Permalink Reply by Judith on May 8, 2012 at 7:51pm

I have been thinking about this discussion a lot, albeit still a little foggily. There were two incidents in relation to my recent surgery that underlined the uphill battle and make me admire The Good Doctor even more----and wonder how he has had the strength to carry on this long.

First, in the hospital: I hit 69. My nurse went into a tizzy about being too low. I said no, no, for a T2 not on meds yet, who eats as low carb as I do, this is not a number to cause a worry. If you must, a little string cheese, an egg no problem. Impossible and tizzy continues. I finally felt sorry for well-meaning nurses and gave in when they insisted I eat some of their sugary, carby peanut butter, even though I knew what it would do. Sure enough---1/4 teaspoon and I spiked to 200 and they could feel better giving me insulin which is all they know to do....

Second: A couple weeks ago at Urgent Care to have a still-oozing incision checked. A sweet young RN saw I'm T2 and launched into the whole Cure it with diet and exercise. I tried to stay calm and teach her about No cure, no, but yes we can get Good Control for a long time. She couldn't hear it. I began to lose it after asking her what she had for lunch and saying that if I had eaten that I would have dangerous spikes. At this point I was going to make her lose face---she was so young and sure in her ignorance. I didn't know what to do (and was in pain and a mess, myself---not a good frame of mind for calm teachings!).....Sigh.....Judith in Portland