“I’m Afraid Your Mother Has Diabetes”

Ain't that the bitter truth!!!

Don't tell Phoenix and Bonkers et al, don't rock the boat, let's all bend over and take it up the a...

Wow that was a bit near the bone.

Towards the end my mother was constantly on and off steroids. I tested her postprandial BG several times at between 11 and 15. I thought the doctor would want to know as she claimed to be a "diabetes expert".

She assured me she "just had a touch of prediabetes, like me" because her A1c was "only" 6.4 - something she never bothered to tell either of us.

Eventually she agreed to give her a GTT. WHAT??? This was someone who was running diabetic BG after a normal meal, who already had kidney failure and who was showing distinct symptoms of diabetic neuropathy in her feet, and she wanted to pump her full of Lucozade (which we had to buy ourselves) in an attempt to prove I was LYING???

Oh, but she had to wait until she was off the steroids, which fortunately she never was. In the meantime she must eat "lots of brown bread and fruit, that's really good!"

I persuaded her to go relatively low carb, which would have been easy considering by then I'd been doing it for well over five years.

In the end she died anyway, largely due to being over 95 and completely worn out, but she died a nondiabetic and thus didn't upset their statistics.

I wonder just how many other people die of diabetes without being diagnosed, if the true number was known the NHS and DUK would have even more egg on their faces. Except they probably don't eat eggs because of "all that cholesterol" but you know what I mean . . .

The cartoon above was used at The Diet Doctor Site and was the work of type one Diabetic and GP. Ian Booth. Here he comments at The Diet Doctor site.

"Thanks for sharing my cartoon, Andreas - I'm honoured.

It has been generally well-received, I think. However I have been criticised for using the word 'cure' in relation to diabetes, and have also been asked which guidelines specifically stipulate recommending 'loads of carbs' to diabetics! Ummm, this wasn't a research paper I was presenting, just a cartoon the aims of which were to:

1) highlight the pressure many health professionals feel to follow certain guidelines, even if a better way exists, for fear of potentially career-destroying repercussions. The expulsion of dietitian Jennifer Elliott from the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA), for recommending a moderately-low-carbohydrate diet for diabetics, which the DAA deemed to be "inconsistent with Evidence-Based Practice" springs to mind. As does the looming HPCSA vs Prof Tim Noakes case. Surely Medicine is still to some extent an art - otherwise couldn't we just employ a robot with a flowchart and white coat to look after our health?

2) stimulate discussion and awareness of the (in my opinion) far-from-ideal current treatment model for diabetes; this includes advice to consume a large proportion of daily calorie intake as carbohydrates, and use insulin to 'cover' them. Why not simply reduce carbohydrate intake in the first place? Certainly in light of recent knowledge we should be aiming to control diabetes with as little insulin as possible. (See the work of Dr Joseph Kraft, Dr Jason Fung and others).

To misquote Oscar Wilde "There is only one thing in life worse than (issues) being talked about, and that is (their) not being talked about". I believe these issues do need to be acknowledged, publicised and discussed. That seems to be starting, and I'm quietly encouraged by this.

Keep up the great work, Andreas!"

The sad fact is even when Doctors know the low carb way is best for patients and Ian is a low carber himself, the vice like grip of NICE etc. keeps many pushing the carbs and meds.

Some doctors have actually stated that if they are found in possession of well controlled diabetics, this could trigger an investigation, not to find out how they did it in order to benefit other diabetics, but with a view to disciplinary action for failing to follow NICE guidelines/PCT protocols.

Not sure if/how often this has actually accurred in practice, but I know it has happened to doctors who have used T3 or Armour on poorly controlled hypothyroid patients, at least two have been struck off for putting the health of their patients above Guidelines.

What you said sounds incredible, but look at the Harold Shipman fiasco, he was killing off more than the Taliban and no one batted an eye lid. It was the Daughter of a murdered Woman that kicked the hornets nest.