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scoop
Sun, Dec-08-02, 07:50
Greetings.
I am the reporter writing a 1,000-word piece on the Bernstein diet for my local weekly--(Isthmus, Madison, Wis.'s version of the Village Voice). I am also a Type 1 diabetic (last 10 years) who discovered Bernstein by accident and for whom it has been very successful. I have wanted to write about this for a while, but it wasn't considered to have broad enough appeal. I finally have the okay, however.
My reason to post today is to inquire a few things of listmembers.
My endocrinologist is supportive of my program, as it works for me,
obviously. But she has never actually read B's book, nor have any educators
I have met. These days, they find that some diabetic patients come to them
perhaps interested in Atkins, and that they try Atkins and lose weight, and
then they gain it all back again. (Or they choose to ignore high BSs and
the doc is happy to get them to cut five daily sodas from their diets.)

The point that I am making is that we clearly have not gotten even close to
the idea that this is a serious method that docs should be aware of (and I
mean Bernstein, not Atkins, including the benefits of the laws of small #s, the mathematical calculations for Regular insulin dosage, etc.) The docs/educators should offer these as alternatives that work to
their patients, not simply respond to patients who ask THEM. The patient
should be made aware of the successes that diabetics are having on the
Bernstein diet, and the pt. should choose for him/herself.
The alternative continues to be our status quo, where most diabetics are
advised to eat what is essentially poison, take meds, and hope for the
best. I am meanwhile told that I am unusual, a "compulsive" diabetic, and
that other patients they see will not be willing to change their lifestyles
this radically. But I end up educating diabetics informally all the time,
and they are usually happy to at least know about it.


Only this week ,after a work colleague failed to return from T-day, and is
now on a hospital cardiac floor with a leg infection and diabetes
diagnosis, did another one of my diabetic T2 colleagues buy the Bernstein
book. He'd known of it for two years (through me) and has finally decided
to seriously investigate it, because his sugars are not too good.

How many converts to Bernstein are there in this country? Bernstein
certainly lists a number in DSolution. What did it take for them to finally
change? Was it the complications they were suffering or which they feared?
Or was it simple education, seriously put, instead of the current "of
that's just Atkins for
diabetics" stuff that I hear all the time?

How many of the diabetics on this are pissed at their (former?) docs and CDEs, who either didn't know of this method, or resisted it?
Kathy

kjturner
Tue, Dec-10-02, 00:53
I'm game. What do you need to know? I'll give you a brief: I was diagnosed a year and a half ago. FBS was 309! High blood pressure and high cholesteral (syndrome X). I could tell right away the ADA diet would not do. After all, if diabetes is the ultimate expression of sugar/carb intolerance then it only makes sense to eliminate them (well, duh!). I went to Atkins first, but he doesn't really answer diabetes related questions very well, since his whole goal to to keep you from becoming diabetic. The very nice and kind folks on the Atkins forum pointed me to Dr.Bernsteins book. I've been following his recommendations (and Atkins) to structure my way of eating. My sugars are much better and I was able to stop taking one of two meds for diabetes I was prescribed. My cholesteral looks much better, but my BP still needs to come down some. I've also lost 30 lbs.

scoop
Tue, Dec-10-02, 06:31
Originally posted by kjturner

Hi KJ,
Thank you for responding. A few questions....Were you diagnosed Type 2? What did your docs recommend that you do? How did you know that ADA would not work? Did you try it?

How did you come to Atkins first? (popular news?) And which of Bernstein's ideas are useful to you? Did you buy his book?
Would you tellme some basic personal details, such as your age, etc. Occupation, city of residence.
Thanks much. I am trying to finish and I am already over my length limit, but I'll massage what I have.
Kathy



I'm game. What do you need to know? I'll give you a brief: I was diagnosed a year and a half ago. FBS was 309! High blood pressure and high cholesteral (syndrome X). I could tell right away the ADA diet would not do. After all, if diabetes is the ultimate expression of sugar/carb intolerance then it only makes sense to eliminate them (well, duh!). I went to Atkins first, but he doesn't really answer diabetes related questions very well, since his whole goal to to keep you from becoming diabetic. The very nice and kind folks on the Atkins forum pointed me to Dr.Bernsteins book. I've been following his recommendations (and Atkins) to structure my way of eating. My sugars are much better and I was able to stop taking one of two meds for diabetes I was prescribed. My cholesteral looks much better, but my BP still needs to come down some. I've also lost 30 lbs. [/QUOTE]

Lisa N
Tue, Dec-10-02, 18:29
Hi There, Kathy!

I'm also a type 2 and have been for over 10 years. When I was diagnosed, my fastings were in the 250 range. I followed the ADA diet for about 8 years and was doing okay with it, but started gaining weight after an initial loss even though my blood sugars were still being controlled by diet alone. In April of 2001, my blood sugars suddenly went out of control again and I wound up on Glucophage (1,000 mg. a day). My blood pressure at that time was also dangerously high and I was also put on a blood pressure medication. I found out about Dr. Bernstein's plan through a friend who recommended it. By July, I had to cut my Glucophage dose in half because I had a couple of hypo episodes. A few months later, I was able to discontinue it completely. In less than 5 months, I took my HgbA1C from 11.8 to 5.6. My doctor was astounded and wanted to know what I was doing to get it to come down that quickly. Since I started low carbing, I've lost 75 lbs. and have been able to get off all medications. My 2 hour post prandial blood sugar yesterday was 94.
Would I have followed Dr. Bernstein's plan if I had known about it 10 years ago? I don't know, but I would have preferred to have the information and be able to make an informed choice instead of being told that the ADA diet was the only way to go. I was doing okay following the ADA diet and it's hard to give up the carbs you love unless you can really see how much damage they are doing to you and coming close to having a stroke was some pretty strong motivaton for me. It took a serious scare to get me to change and now I believe that this is the best way to go if you have diabetes and recommend it to all the people that I know who have diabetes.

TomX
Tue, Dec-10-02, 20:35
I would be happy if the doctors could just get a diagnosis right. I had eruptive xanthomatosis (a diabetic skin condition normally in type 1s) and I went to Urgent Care to find out what the heck it was. I explained to the doctor that I had all the symptoms of diabetes. He looked at my skin and then went out to his books came back and said he wasn't sure it was. He figured it was foliculitus (I knew it wasn't). He was going to prescribe a steroid for my skin problem (apparently steroids can increase your BGLs). He asked if I wanted a finger stick test for $16 and I agreed (I'm so glad I asked for it). My BGL was 256 fasting (I made a point of not eating that day) and he came right out and said, "you're right, you're a diabetic." He couldn't do any blood work so he sent me to another Urgent Care that could. I go there and pay another $100, (the doctor there gave me a freebie urine test), but she also had no idea what my skin condition was. Again, she said it probably was foliculitus. My ketones were super high and my sugars were crazy and she sent me to the emergency room. I see the doctor there and they start to work on getting my sugars down with an IV and she's also stumped on my skin condition. She comes back after going through her book and tells me she thinks my skin problem is molluscum contagiosum which is viral. I had it so bad that she figured I probably had HIV (I knew I didn't.) That floored me, but I knew she had to be wrong. They tested me for HIV ($140) and I found out I didn't have it four days later. As soon as I got home that night, I went to the ADA website and looked up diabetic skin conditions and found eruptive xanthomatosis (took maybe a minute). I found a picture of it and knew that's what I had. 3 doctors in the era of a diabetes epidemic and no clue or even the ability to make a correct diagnosis of a diabetic skin condition. Even when I'm sitting there in ketoacidosis! So, I don't have much faith in the ability of doctors to 1. find the right information and 2. interpret it correctly. Doctors for me are super important consultants, but the patient has to take control of his/her disease.

kjturner
Wed, Dec-11-02, 01:07
Hi Kathy,
Yes, I was diagnosed type 2, started on glucophage, was given the ADA diet. Started that then went to pharmacy to get my prescription filled for my test meter. When the pharmacist was ringing up my purchase she leaned across the counter and whispered conspiritorily "you need to go on the Atkins diet" (which I now find very amusing). I was somewhat familiar with the Atkins diet as I'd used it a few times in the past to drop a few pounds (I sure wish I'd stayed on it, but I always came off it for fear of 'ruining' my health). I did a lot of research on the internet when I found I was diabetic and posted to a few diet forums. The 'Atkins' forum folks are the ones who pointed me to Dr. Bernstein. I bought the book. I find his advice of staying at 30 grams to be correct for me, as well as the 5 mg/dl per 1 gm carb eaten. I also am a true believer in test test test!! I had to get my doctor to write a special prescription for 200 test strips per month because I was testing so much. My insurance company agreed when I explained to them I was doing 'tight control'. I am 47 years old, single, I work for the local telephone company keeping internet circuits up and running and I live in North Georgia (call it Atlanta).