Giving advice.....does it help?

When I was diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes I  immediately started doing searchs on the Internet for information on how to better my condition. I've learned a lot over the last 7-8 years. Not only what to do, but what not to do.
People who make their own blogs/web sites very often borrow their "facts" from other web sites and thus bad advice is repeated and repeated until it becomes accepted. I managed, by white lies, to join medical doctor-only groups in order to get the latest reasearch news. I also read research papers and read numerous books on diet and diabetes.
 I've done pretty good. I was on the verge of being prescribed insulin injections and am now nearly off all of my medications and have a normal blood glucose level. I like to continue taking metformin, because it has so many positive benefits, whether a person has diabetes or not.
  A while ago I joined an American diabetes forum. There were many pitiful stories and requests for information. I found, though, that giving advice to those who asked for it was pretty much a waste of time. If I posted a good tip on how to better one's condition almost without fail I was attacked by some third person, who , having done a quick Internet search, wrote a reply including all the negatives he could find. even if the negatives were opinions and speculation.
 One woman wrote that she was obese and what should she do. I wrote a reply and was in return attacked by the same woman who was furious for my suggesting that she was fat!
 Last time I tried to offer advice was when I pointed out some  fallacies  about the diet diabetics are told to follow.
The reply I got was a sour demand for links to the research papers to back up my advice. I did an Internet search and found the links, sent them, and resigned from the group. In conclusion, should we share knowledge, and offer support to those who ask or just do our own thing quietly and observe while others suffer and die too soon?

Great post Douglas

"In conclusion, should we share knowledge, and offer support to those who ask or just do our own thing quietly and observe while others suffer and die too soon?"

I believe it is our duty to help other diabetics and people in trouble. If other well informed and in control diabetics had not have helped us where would many of us be today. As you say posting on many forums can be an up hill task when dealing with antis and big pharma drug and junk food shills etc. But countless people have been helped by forum posters.

The fight goes on, the march against starch is turning the tide.

I think many of us will have had this problem. I know I have, though to a lesser degree than you because I have only been a member of two diabetic forums. It put me off from sharing my own story for a while; not any longer though. As you said, there are many pitiful stories and requests for information. I cannot and I will not turn my back on those people any more. I might need to turn my PC off for a while to recover from the criticism, but now I take the stance that the more flak I and my low carb friends get for spreading what I consider to be the truth about diet and diabetes, the more I will continue to speak out.

I cannot sit back and let others suffer needlessly.

I do reply to "Help me!" posts on one forum from time to time, but have found it a repetitive task and haven't always got the energy or patience to go through it all again.  I go through phases with it.  However, I do find that I am increasingly spreading the word amongst friends, acquaintances and even strangers.  
A situation which has occurred a number of times is, that the other half (the T2 diabetic of the family) and I are eating out or on a holiday and someone nearby or a fellow traveller is curious about our requests and queries concerning say, potato content of a soup, or if a sauce contains sugar.  I always say to a waiter, "it is important, my husband is diabetic", in other words, not just making a silly fuss.   We then we end up spending the rest of the meal or holiday, discussing low carb diets with (diabetic) strangers.  I just hope it sows a little seed.
Sally

Douglas V, I meant to say that if I could I would still take Metformin like you. My GP won't prescribe it for me any more though because my HbA1c is below 48.

That sounds very familiar Douglas, I'm sure we could all put some names to the characters you describe on whatever forum we are familiar with.

In the same way I was helped when first diagnosed, I want to help those newly diagnosed if I can. It can be repetitive, but I have a text 'template' which I use sometimes, suitably edited to suit the individual. There are a few tragically who just won't budge from their position of denial or blind acceptance of what the GP/DN tells them regarding NICE guidelines, we can only hope that they stick around and at least read what's posted sometimes and/or work it out for themselves before it's too late.

very interesting question, i was saved by people helping me on a forum, strangely much of the advice i got was wrong! but some was good and all advice i could get in my time of darkness was good as far as i was concerned, i was "helped" somewhat by what i now know to be "low carb antis" although i now know what they are as my knowledge has improved, what they told me was not all terrible, i think once we have a firm opinion, we only see the bad bits and not the general message the "baddies" say, some of which is very helpful if its all you've got, much better than anything the doc ever gave me anyway, sometimes i think just having someone there to talk to and ask questions is enough, it may not be perfect advice but its something, my advice to others over the years hasn't been perfect and very opinionated, for me finding my path (lchf) was like finding god, and i have become evangelical about it, its not really a choice, any more than the jahovas witnesses have a choice weather they go knocking on peoples doors or not, its my duty, i do however totally understand the frustration this brings, but as eddie has said many times, if i can help just one person, thats enough reward for the hours and years spent trying, i have in recent times started to wonder just how helpful i have ever been, its hard to gauge, but we can only do what we think is the right thing to do, for better or worse till death us do part....oops sorry i turned into a vicar there

P.s. you are all married now btw

Like others who have posted above-I feel it's my duty to repay for all the help I received from forum members and blogs and although it does feel like you are banging your head against a brick wall at times with some of the trolls,anti's,shills etc that you run into or the occasional "Newbie" who you try and help as they claim to know nothing at all and when you reply to them-they are suddenly 'Scientific experts' who reply back to try and discredit you with a barrage of links to studies and quotes which is a sick wind up and waste of time but they are the exception and not the rule so I have the mindset that all folks are genuine and worthy of our advice and support unless proved otherwise and the folks that helped me faced abuse on a daily basis but didn't quit and neither will I.

Andy saved me. He hates when I say it, but it's true lol. He made lchf look so simple to follow. And it is!

We are a new fledgling forum, but we have some of the best people MONEY can't buy. How can we fail?

Avocado Sevenfold wrote:Andy saved me.  He hates when I say it, but it's true lol. He made lchf look so simple to follow.  And it is!

i would love to ignore you Ms Avocado but thatd be rude so im having to bump this lol

you are amazing, i watch you helping so many in such a way, i aspire to be like you but never will be, you flatter me, completely unjustified, but thankyou so much for thinking that, its a very nice thought x

I hardly help anyone these days. My membership is hanging on a shaky hook I am informed. I like it here though. It is like a sane, safe haven where I don't feel I have to justify my way of life to anyone

same here

just need that like button lol

i decided to boycott them for a week *cough*

a little angel told me to do it

I agree offering advice is a delicate issue. The internet is an amazing tool but it is also full of contradiction. You then have the added woes of certain forum members just loving to argue. No matter what advice you give, they will look for the tiny flaw, the minuscule quote etc.
So, what do we do ? We just keep trying. My opinion is that for every snide reply or negative comment I get, 10 others may have read it. Two of those may even act on it. There is also a certain skill in offering advice. Humour works well and is a skill Andy excels in ( whilst still getting the message across ), the other is to keep the advice simple. When I was first diagnosed, and even now to an extent, I wasn't interested in "copy & paste" advice or a link to a 50 page scientific paper. Give me the simple facts, tell me what I SHOULD DO, not what I shouldn't do. Keep the advice positive.
To summarise, I agree with the previous posters, I was helped and educated by people like yourselves, for that reason, it's only right I give a little back.

I agree with mo on this I got so much help from people some have disappeared some are still around on various forums I feel that if I can post something to help others to control their DB then if they take notice and apply what they learn that is up to them .If I ever knock on Andy's door as a JW I am sure we could have a good chat (about low carb) Andy are you the Andy who got in touch with fellrunnerguide?
  CAROL

carty wrote:I agree with mo on this I got so much help from people some have disappeared some are still around on various forums I feel that if I can post something to help others to control their DB then if they take notice and apply what they learn that is up to them .If I ever knock on Andy's door as a JW I am sure we could have a good chat (about low carb) Andy are you the Andy who got in touch with fellrunnerguide?
  CAROL

yes Carol

your son remains legendary

oh i so love JW, its always so much fun, they can't wait to get away from me, i could debate religion forever

I think he is great but I am his Mum
 CAROL

mo1905 wrote:We just keep trying

I agree; we have to just keep pushing. I've had people say to me that advice I and others had given them had changed their lives and that's a very powerful thing to be told. Each of us will have had that in the past and it seems right that we pass that on to others.

Best

Dillinger

"I've had people say to me that advice I and others had given them had changed their lives and that's a very powerful thing to be told. Each of us will have had that in the past and it seems right that we pass that on to others."

I am sure we have all changed peoples lives massively. We have added many good active years to people lives, how often does an ordinary man or woman get that chance ?

When some of us started spreading the low carb high fat word it was mostly fellow diabetics, now more and more medical professionals are agreeing with us and the list gets longer every week.