Ya, ya, but doctors tell diabetics to eat carbs.  Then the blood sugar goes
up and up.

I gather doctors assume that higher fat will be dangerous, since diabetics
have a higher rate of heart disease.  However, they lack studies done in the
context of low carb.

I never trust doctors, unless I have to.

Cubit
Type 2
308/286/165

Steven C (Doktersteve) wrote:

I'm afraid I have to disagree.  Anyone who blindly follows a doctor's advice
is a fool.  Many doctors do not keep up with the latest developments in
various fields --such as nutrition -- and still cling to the old outdated
misconceptions that eating low carb is bad, raising cholesterol levels and
causing kidney failure.  Even the American Diabetes Association's ideas are
woefully outdated.  They tell my sister in her monthly ADA meetings that
it's perfectly ok to eat sugar and starches; that she needs instead to cut
back on fat! She'll probably be eating a bowl of low-fat ice cream as they
take her toes off one by one.

I always make sure I educate myself and have input into my own healthcare.
Doctors are not gods, they are human beings who are swayed by personal
prejudices the same as any of us.  I don't trust someone to make decisions
regarding my health or life just because they have an "MD" after their name
unless I'm convinced that they are suggesting the right thing.  Doctors work
for the patient, not vice-versa; they can and should be fired for bad
advice.

Case in point:  When I had a stroke 5 years ago, a neurosurgeon saw a "spot"
on the MRI of my brainstem the MRI, declared it a tumor (said it was
probably malignant), and wanted to operate immediately.  He tried to get me
to sign a waiver that said there was a 40% chance of survival of the
surgery, and that he would not be liable if I did not live through it.  He
said I would probably die without the surgery.  I did not believe it was a
tumor;  I refused to sign; I told my family that if I became unconsious to
absolutely not allow the surgery.  The surgeon was *furious!!!*  It turned
out that the "spot" actually was a blood clot that was dissolved with
Heparin and Cumadin without any sugery.  I probably would be dead right now,
literally, if I had blindly followed the neurologist's advice.

While this is an extreme example, it is nonetheless an apt analogy.  If I
know that there is a healthier way to eat, I'm not going to let a doctor who
is probably biased against low-carb tell me not do it.

I would suggest that the OP read all the books she can  -- buy or borrow
from local library -- pertaining to diabetes and low carb (Bernstein et al),
and make an educated decision based on her knowledge of herself and her own
body.  I can state this firsthand, because I myself was diagnosed one month
ago as diabetic.  I'm practicing what I'm preaching.

Plese don't misunderstand.  I'm not saying to completely disregard al
doctors' advice; that would be foolish.  But neither should anyone blindly
follow a doctor's advice without a full understanding of the issues and
sulutions.   Any doctor who is worth his salt will not only allow, but
welcome the patient's input into his or her treatment.

Peter
website:  http://users.thelink.net/marengo

Well, I'm not saying a person should not see their doctor, however, they
should go into the doctor's office educated about low carb and diabetes as
far too many doctor are woefully ignorant of the recent studies in the field
of nutrition.  The OP's doctor might well discourge her/him from discovering
a WOE that could be extremely beneficial.

In news:%C4Mb.4870$wf1.2893@edtnps89,
Steven C (Doktersteve) <real_doktersteve@hotmail.com> stated

That is so true about americans eating gobs of fat along with heaps of
carbs.  However, I do believe that most LCers eat what has to be considered
a high fat diet, simply because that where most of the calories come from.
Remember, the carbs are typically 5% or so, leaving only protein and fat for
the other 95%.

I'm following Atkins, and in his book he actually says the more fat, the
better.  Even though he puts a limit on the carbs for induction, he writes
that it's actually the ratio of fats to carbs that's most important.  He
says don't be afraid to eat fats.  So I can see why people would think
following Atkins means a high-fat diet.  I'm fairly certain I'm eating more
fat than I was pre-Atkins.  However, the presumption is that fats are okay
when the carbs are limited to a low value.

I don't think so.  Atkns is a high-fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate
eating plan.  I eat more fat than I used to, along with the loer
carbohyrates.  The point being, of course, that fat is more filling and it
metabolized more slowly than carbs, preventing the insulin spikes and
crashes after eating that begins the vicious hunger and overeating cycle ...

This way of eating also means getting rid of the old false notions that "fat
is bad, carbs are good."  It is the opposite.