Hi All, I just saw this posted on Dr. B's website and want to spread the word. this is Dr. B's quote:
Today’s special topic is about something I realized today. I learned today that two revolutions were started by two different Facebook pages. It occurred to me that here I am, almost 80 years old, age 77, and I’ve been fighting on behalf of diabetics for 40 years. Even though I’ve had a little help from people like Steve Freed, Dave Joffe, and their colleagues, and most of them not even diabetic themselves, but it’s been sort of a losing battle. Diabetics still are not being told the truth. They are still being given the wrong diet. They are given medication regimens that don’t work. Those of you who have been listening and have read my books are fully aware of this. You are listening because you’ve been mis-informed by your medical diabetes team. Who is doing anything about it? It’s like I’m a single voice in the wilderness, and I’m pretty darn old. Who is going to take over when I’m gone? We should start thinking about that. In fact, I could use others to carry the ball right now. I’m writing books and I’m doing monthly teleconferences, but that’s not going to make a major change in the treatment of diabetes in this country or other countries. So, I’m asking that those of you listeners who have any kind of brilliant ideas, or who want to offer any services,. For example, if you are Michelle Obama’s nephew, maybe you can get her to talk about the benefits of a low carb diet in the management of diabetes. Anything that might have an impact that you can think of, when you sign up for the next teleconference, there is a box where you can ask a question, just write in any suggestion that you have. If you want to offer your services, you could give us your name and email address or phone number, because I think it’s about time I stop carrying the ball by myself. It’s getting a little late in my life for me to do this single-handedly.
Sure I'm not alone in wondering about Dr. B passing the torch. He certainly has been the lone voice in the wilderness for decades. Many of us in his debt for his courage & dedication. Wish I was an Obama niece:)
I actually think thousands of people are carrying the ball, like all the people on here that follow Bernstein's teachings and share their success with others.
Dr. Bernstein feels that he needs assistance for more widespread acceptance. His life's work simply isn't supported by the medical community as an option for managing diabetes. You've seen the resistance here to low carb, as one small example. People become irate at the mere suggestion. Mostly, it's preaching to the choir.
I bought his book and sent it to my endo. It's one small step I can take.
I also think diets are subjective and his is making progress albeit slowly. Each little seed that is planted to show how well low carb eating helps PWD is a step we take to carry his torch.
I'd be curios to know what we can do. Creation of a foundation to further the diabetes education of low carb eating? Secure funding for aforementioned foundation or for further educating others? Starting a business to enlist capitalism to help move the message of better dieting for PWD? What would the product be?! donations?
I think a few things would need to happen for the message to get out there more. Dr B's guidelines would need to be lessened in order to make the WOE more palatable for more folks and other physicians. More studies would need to be funded to dispel doubt from folks like the ADA and physicians. And I know a lot are being done now. I think a little (well, a lot of) fraternizing between those like minded medical professionals (or even a consortium) would greatly benefit the HF/LC cause. I mean seriously, Sweden is doing, can't we?
I think that Dr. B has a last wish that the basic nutrition fallacies will be overturned before he leaves us. He has seen major successes. He started home blood sugar testing and fought for years. Accepted by the ADA and insurance companies. Win! He invented the basal-bolus regime. It is now standard. Win! And best of all, he stood up for years and said that high blood sugars caused complications. And when the DCCT came out, he was vindicated. Major Win!
There won't be any individual that stands up to carry the torch alone. But there was just a American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) Obesity conference, and just look at the agenda and Mary Vernon's presentation. I think the tide has turned. There are major people throughout the scientific and medical establishment that are convinced about carb restriction.
I do what I can. I fight in the belly of the beast. But there are portions of the establishment that will only give up their flawed beliefs when they die. In the end, the truth shall win.
I agree the tide has turned, big organizations like the USDA and the ADA are fighting a delaying action at this point. Although I don't have the text of the presentations several appear to be critiques of the USDA and ADA, and low carb seemed to dominate the topics, this is a sea change. The reason is simple, the utility of low carb for the treatment of obesity and T2 is backed by solid research. As has been documented, there never was any research supporting low fat high carb.
Perusing the agenda, the speakers included Stephen Phinney, Jeff Volek, Mary Vernon, Richard Feinman all of whom are firmly in the low carb camp and all of whom base their opinions on solid research or conduct such research themselves.
In the link onesaint posted in the thread concerning finding a low carb Dr. Mary Vernon MD. has good advice for dealing with a non sympathetic Dr. She discourages trying to convince your Dr. about the truth of your approach up front, instead ask them for help in monitoring a lifestyle intervention you would like to try. Then let the results speak for themselves. At that point the Dr. may be curious enough to ask questions and eventually he/she may suggest low carb as an option to patients.
So in the end change will come one patient at a time.
