I had not lost any weight in about a year despite diet, exercise, and metformin. I was always hungry - caused, I think, by too much insulin. Now I know why. If this was in Dr B's first book I missed it:

"When blood sugars are much higher than the targets that I set, both metformin and the thiazolidinediones can cause the pancreas to increase insulin production in response to glucose. Because of the lower blood sugars that we see, this effect becomes insignificant."

I believe that this was not insignificant for me because my BG would go up about thirty points after my breakfast of boiled egg and bacon. Breakfast was also when I took my morning dose of metformin I started taking lower dose ALA and EPO a couple of weeks ago. I backed off the EPO because of rosacea but have since increased it as well as taking about 1500 mg ALA a day. My blood sugar has dropped, I'm no longer hungry, and, since, increasing the dose - I"VE LOST ABOUT 3 or 4 POUNDS!!!!! It may be 3 or 4 pounds of water but at this point I''ll take whatever I can get.
I read somewhere that ALA starts working about 30 minutes after you take it. I think it is kicking in, acting like insulin, dropping my BG before my body makes its own insulin - without the bad effects of insulin.
I hope this is really what is working for me. Many of you know how frustrating it is to be hungry all the time, eat very little food, and still not be able to drop a pound. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I am delighted to hear that it is working so well for you. Well done and I hope you have continued success. Obviously ALA doesn't suit everyone (I have horrendous side effects and have had to stop) but loads of people find it has no adverse effects on them whatsoever. Really great news. Let us know how you get on.

Glad the ALA is working so well for so many of you. I've stopped it, as has Christine, I think. The differing results might be due to the type we are, I suspect Christine and I are "type 1 1/2" the usual path to type 2 is obesity, insulin resistance, and so forth. I was a skinny reasonably fit college student, sudden random bg test and subsequent GTT showed diabetes, I think this is what Dr B talks about, the autoimmune reaction didnt kill all my beta cells. I suspect I have no insulin resistance to speak of, just few cells still working. Anyhow, we grapple with these mysteries of our bodies, all day today I have been so grateful for Dr B.,all the other doctors, "eat starch, take medicine, its progressive, you'll be on insulin one day, never mind the hypos, keep candy in your desk," you've probably been there, done that. Bill

It is amazing how we all have the same disease and yet are so very different in our reactions to different drugs, treatments, etc. No wonder so many doctors are unable to treat diabetes. Many of them want to treat everyone the same and it just doesn't work and then they want to blame the patient. Thank goodness Dr. B is out there!

I agree with that. Thank God for Dr Bernstein. For someone to devote all their time and energy to understanding and researching all forms of diabetes in order to help others is an outstanding thing to do. And of course, when we all come along to see our own doctors who don't seem to have half the information about diabetes that we ourselves have it is comforting to know that we can rely on Dr B and his advice in order to treat ourselves.

My doctor seems to offer no help or advice apart fromt he usual 60% carb diet that is still being pushed by the ADA and the BDA. The only reason I go to him is for arranging my HbA1c tests and for my prescriptions. Actually I try not to think about my doctors lack of knowledge about diabetes as I find to do so extremely frightening.

I was diagnosed at my doctors surgery (well I diagnosed myself but he confirmed it) and so I get seen regularly there but sometimes I wish I had opted to go to the hospital clinic instead as I am sure that th doctors there are more specialised in treating diabetes. Also they supply their patients with free up to date BG meters and all sorts of goodies that I can't get at my local surgery.

I am seriously thinking of asking to be referred to the hospital instead but the staff at the surgery are so nice - I feel a heel.

hi Val,i,m under the care of both the GP and the hospital.I,ve never been given a free meter or anything else The only thing i get free by being under the care of both is 2 blood tests a year instead of one!

Oh that's a shame. My diabetes nurse at the surgery told me that loads of patients had been given new bg meters last year at the hospital clinic near us and she apologised because she was unable to do the same. She said she was going to contact Roche and other companies to enquire if she could get freebies to hand out to her patients. Maybe it was just a one off thing then. I still think I should ask for a referral to the hospital. Do you get treated by a specialist team at the hospital? Can you give me some idea how the treatment differs between them both?

hi Val,the treatment hardly differs at all.blood tests,eye test,BP,weight,dietician and feet are checked at both.the only difference is that the waiting time at the hospital is longer.I do see an endo at the hospital and my "notes" are referred to occasionally but the GP and his team really knows me better.When i want something i go to the GP.I can get my own way easier

It really sounds as if I should stay where I am and be thankful then. I suppose the personal touch is better in the long run and I too dread the long waits in the hospital for various treatments etc.

I should be grateful really because my sister lives out in the country and only gets to see a doctor every six months or so and her diabetes has got almost out of control. Well she has been put on massive doses of insulin and tells me that she is now gaining weight at around 14 lbs a month. She was big to start with so I dread to think what will happen. I wish she would start low carb - she is even talking about having a stomach band put in. Sounds horrendous. This way of eating is so much easier isn't it?

Have you showed her Dr B's book tactfully? or is she not interested?

Sent her my book and she got one for herself and her husband who is also diabetic. She told me that she couldn't take low carb because it made her ill - which considering she only did it for a weekend is pathetic. However, she is adamant that she doesn't want anything to do with low carb and her family are very annoyed that she won't give it a fair try.

She was taking over 14 metformin a day plus sul(whatever the name is) and had never, ever seen her blood glucose readings in single figures. So they gave her insulin and she told me that she had to take more and more and more until she got any effect but that she has been delighted to see a reading of 10 (180) her best bg reading yet.

I do despair because she is only five foot 1 inches tall and weighed nearly 20 stones (280 lbs) BEFORE the insulin and since then she has put on about four stones (80lbs) since then.

Diabetes runs in my family. My father and another 8 members of his family died of diabetes related problems. In those days I remember my father being diagnosed. He came home and said that the doctor had told him to be careful because he had diabetes. That was it, no medication, no blood tests, nothing. Three years later he died. I often think how different things would have been if I had known then what I know now. He would have lived a lot longer that's for sure. That was 35 years ago. Not that long ago really.

I shudder when I remember my father going on the banana and milk diet at the time. Tons and tons of bananas and loads and loads of skimmed milk. No wonder he got worse and didn't lose any weight.

All I can say is thank God I found Dr Bernstein right at the start when I was diagnosed. Phew!