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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2009 9:55:27 GMT -5
As a type 2 diabetic for 10 years, I have found that the standard diet advice given by the NHS, Diabetes UK & dietitians is dangerous.
I was diagnosed 10 years ago at 60, & followed the NHS/Diabetes UK advice on diet. The Dr who gave me the diag detailed ALL the complications that result from diabetes, finishing by computing my PROBABILITY of a heart attack at 25%. I left the surgery in a state of shock, & was afraid not to follow all the advice I was given. I went to a diabetes education day at the hospital & learned the diet based on complex carbohydrates, & that diabetes was progressive, even if I followed their advice.
As well as following their diet, I lead an active life, playing club standard tennis & going to the gym with my wife who is a heart rehab patient.
But 18 months ago complications (muscle pains) were threatening to end my active life. Getting out of bed was a painful experience. My Dr prescribed quinine for cramps, but as they "know" diabetes is progressive made no recommendations - he considered my diabetes control adequate. I then discovered a patient led diabetes forum & the experience of many who have benefited from rejecting the NHS diet advice by greatly reducing carbs.
Nothing to lose & everything to gain I cut down the carbs, increasing vegetables & protein foods including nuts & cheese. Within 3 months I was well again. 18 months on the benefits stay with me.
My sugar levels, weight, blood pressure & cholesterol were all reduced by the change in diet.
If I believed in faith healing, I would claim a miracle, but God has led me to the means of restoring my health.
Praise the Lord!
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Post by Andrea on Sept 12, 2009 12:34:35 GMT -5
Wonderful testimony, Brother. Are you currently on any medications for your diabetes, blood pressure, etc...? I take blood pressure meds, diabetes medication, cholesterol meds, and a water pill. I'm hoping to get off of these as I don't want to have to take any meds at all.
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Post by pvndorland on Sept 12, 2009 13:43:46 GMT -5
God has priviledged me to help many people. I have cared for a family where the father had very high blood sugars usually in the 300 range and he now is at an average of 120. Greatly reduced due to dietary changes. If I can be of any assistance please write me. I am willing to send you out information that could help you.
In his service~Vanessa
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2009 15:59:54 GMT -5
Wonderful testimony, Brother. Are you currently on any medications for your diabetes, blood pressure, etc...? I take blood pressure meds, diabetes medication, cholesterol meds, and a water pill. I'm hoping to get off of these as I don't want to have to take any meds at all. When diag: HbA1c = about 200 BP = 135/80 Cholesterol = 7.6 (I think US is x40, so about 300) 190 pounds Body mass index 29 (healthy is below 25) I immediately cut sugars/fats/salt out & refined carbs & added oat bran & cholesterol lowering margarine That lowered my finger prick BS to average about 140 & chol to 5-5.5 (200+) I've been on metformin (500 mg x3 for several years Dr tried statins but I developed serious muscle pains ( a common side effect) which stopped when I stopped taking them Since reducing carbs: finger prick BS averages 108 chol is around 4.5 (180) BP = 130/75 Wt 163 lbs BMI 25 My diet has plenty of veg, nuts (mainly brazil nuts for snacks & ground almonds for cooking - "porridge" & bread substitute) meat, cheese, fruit & butter. I add seeds & mixed herbs & take a multivitamin supplement, & many mugs of tea. I use soya milk & yoghurt as that has much lower carb (except in tea) I have considered blood sugar reducing natural products, but even the best documented one, cinnamon, had no significant effect. I don't get hungry & have plenty of energy for tennis. Sunday worship, preaching & playing the organ is much more draining! My BS occasionally drops to about 80 - well above hypo level.
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Post by Andrea on Sept 14, 2009 11:31:27 GMT -5
God has priviledged me to help many people. I have cared for a family where the father had very high blood sugars usually in the 300 range and he now is at an average of 120. Greatly reduced due to dietary changes. If I can be of any assistance please write me. I am willing to send you out information that could help you. In his service~Vanessa Thank you so much for the offer. I will be writing shortly. .. I'm scooting off to work now.
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Post by Andrea on Sept 14, 2009 11:44:05 GMT -5
Wonderful testimony, Brother. Are you currently on any medications for your diabetes, blood pressure, etc...? I take blood pressure meds, diabetes medication, cholesterol meds, and a water pill. I'm hoping to get off of these as I don't want to have to take any meds at all. When diag: HbA1c = about 200 BP = 135/80 Cholesterol = 7.6 (I think US is x40, so about 300) 190 pounds Body mass index 29 (healthy is below 25) I immediately cut sugars/fats/salt out & refined carbs & added oat bran & cholesterol lowering margarine That lowered my finger prick BS to average about 140 & chol to 5-5.5 (200+) I've been on metformin (500 mg x3 for several years Dr tried statins but I developed serious muscle pains ( a common side effect) which stopped when I stopped taking them Since reducing carbs: finger prick BS averages 108 chol is around 4.5 (180) BP = 130/75 Wt 163 lbs BMI 25 My diet has plenty of veg, nuts (mainly brazil nuts for snacks & ground almonds for cooking - "porridge" & bread substitute) meat, cheese, fruit & butter. I add seeds & mixed herbs & take a multivitamin supplement, & many mugs of tea. I use soya milk & yoghurt as that has much lower carb (except in tea) I have considered blood sugar reducing natural products, but even the best documented one, cinnamon, had no significant effect. I don't get hungry & have plenty of energy for tennis. Sunday worship, preaching & playing the organ is much more draining! My BS occasionally drops to about 80 - well above hypo level. Thanks for the info. When I was first diagnosed, my A1c level was 6.7 .. the doc said it should be under 6.5 .. so she put me on metformin. I've been taking it since 2006. Now my A1c level is 6.0 and the doctor informed me that they have changed the levels for the A1c.. now, it has to be over 7.0 in order to be considered type II diabetic. .. I've never had a reading of 7.0. And my blood stick readings have always been good. When fasting, the readings are around 100. 2 hours after eating, the readings are between 110 and 120. They should be under 140. My blood pressure was running between 150/95 and 165/105. So She put me on Diovan. I've been taking that for about 3 years also. My Cholesterol wasn't bad then. But within the last year it has been running around 148. She said it should be under 100. So she has put me on several meds but they have all hurt me in some way so I have stopped taking them. She has now put me on Zetia. I haven't started that yet. I'm also on a water pill. I will check into cutting the carbs. I'll read up on that. Of course I've not heard that from the doctors.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2009 17:07:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. When I was first diagnosed, my A1c level was 6.7 .. the doc said it should be under 6.5 .. so she put me on metformin. I've been taking it since 2006. Now my A1c level is 6.0 and the doctor informed me that they have changed the levels for the A1c.. now, it has to be over 7.0 in order to be considered type II diabetic. .. I've never had a reading of 7.0. And my blood stick readings have always been good. When fasting, the readings are around 100. 2 hours after eating, the readings are between 110 and 120. They should be under 140. My first A1c was 11, & Dr sent for a retest - meanwhile I cut out sugar & the result was 8. I wasn't offered medication but advised on diet. Although I have realised that the dietary advice was not good, it was better than I had been eating, & my A1c dropped. The latest was 6.2. I consider it extraordinary that your Dr should suggest that you are not diabetic with your A1c below 7, as you have obviously achieved that level of control by medication & diet. If you abandoned the medication & diet, your A1c would rise. In the UK, they have been lowering the recommended levels. Obviously it is ideal to achieve a level of control comparable to non-diabetic - A1c =4.5 to 5.5. That BP is much higher than the healthy 130/80. What is it now with the medication? As far as I know, US cholesterol units are a factor of 40 higher than UK. They are aiming to keep everyone below 5 (200) & diabetics below 4 (160) so your your levels look very good without medication. There is a school of thought that considers it better to eat natural cholesterol containing foods than cutting them out, as cholesterol is needed by the body, & much of it is made in the liver. Less needs to be made if you eat it. Side effects of Zetia: "In rare cases, cholesterol-lowering medication can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. This condition can lead to kidney failure. Call your doctor at once if you have unexplained muscle pain or tenderness, muscle weakness, fever or flu symptoms, and dark colored urine. " Rare cases? Muscle pains are more common with statins & other chol lowering drugs than they admit. A recent Readers Digest article quoted a Dr as saying that rather than the official 1/10,000 the problems rate was 10%. I think you would be advised to get a second opinion before trying to lower your chol further. Have you a number of health risks? Overweight High BP Diabetes Family history of heart trouble Smoker Stress Sedentary Best to deal with the risks rather than take medication. Read my advice with caution - I don't know you & I am not a Dr - only a healthy & active 70 y-o diabetic.
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Post by Andrea on Sept 19, 2009 21:28:22 GMT -5
I'm still taking my metformin. I am concerned about what this med might do to my kidneys though. Have you had any trouble?
My B/P is great on the meds. it runs around 120/70.
All cholesterol meds have hurt me. Muscle pain and stomach trouble being the biggest problems.
I have these health risks you asked about..
Overweight High BP Diabetes Family history of heart trouble Stress
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2009 1:27:16 GMT -5
I'm still taking my metformin. I am concerned about what this med might do to my kidneys though. Have you had any trouble? I have had no problems relating to metformin. I have regular blood tests. I take 3x500 mg daily, with meals. Excellent. I understand that high BP aggravates most health conditions. Yes. A lot of people I know (including myself) have developed muscle pains, but have not associated them with chol drugs. We are taught that diabetes is progressive & we have to live with the complications. I would rather have the vague risk of possible problems due to slightly raised chol than the actual pains of the drugs. That indicates that you are right to be concerned. I hope the guidelines I follow will be helpful. A reduced carb diet will help with all these (except stress.) I was surprised by the benefits. I hope this link works to show MY results of a University study on people in my area - a heart diabetes study in high immigrant areas. You will see that I am free of heart health problems, so my diet has not had any undesirable consequences. www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10114#p95090
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Post by Andrea on Sept 21, 2009 17:04:59 GMT -5
Thank you so much, Brother, for your information. It has been very helpful! My husband and I are looking over the diabetic forum and your results. Also, I only take 500mg of metformin once a day with breakfast. I don't take nearly as much as you do. I am now out of all my meds but don't have the money at this point to get them. So I will on Friday. Thanks again for your input.
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