Hello, everyone,
I was referred to Bernstein's book by an enthusiastic, and am just beginning to go through it now. The stories up front are pretty mind-blowing, especially when you consider the *reversal* of many symptoms. Wow.
I'm a 2.5-year-old LADA, and my life has skidded to a half during those 2.5 years. I didn't see many LADAs among those stories, but I'm assuming that the program would work just as well for me as it would for Type 2s and juvenile-onset Type 1s.
Has anyone heard about stories of failure with the program? That is, people who followed it for some time, and did not see results?
As long as you follow it correctly, I'm curious what the ratio of success turns out to be.
Thanks, and glad to be here! :-)
I am reading the book for my Type 1 son age 15 diagnosed 4 and a half months ago. Think of it quick essence. Bernstein lowers the carbs, therefore lowering the insulin and then works on tweaking the BG's. Easy, right? Too bad our Endo's do not address it. I also just received a book via Amazon that you may be interested in. He is in one of the Type 1 Groups: Refusing the Needle by Russell Stamets.
Wow. That book looks just awesome, Kaitype1! I am so grateful you mentioned it.
How does Stamets' program compare to Bernstein's?
I think the main cause of failure is not being able to stick to the diet. For non insulin users the benefit is eliminating the fast acting carbs which overwhelm the pancreas. For insulin users the benefit is the law of small numbers which is, smaller amounts of carbs mean less insulin so errors are a lot smaller which makes for stabler numbers.
Another good book is "The Art and Science of Low Carb Living" by Phinney and Volk A key thing I learned from this book is to be sure to eat extra salt as the change in your metabolism causes the kidneys to excrete more sodium. Low sodium causes the so called "Atkins Flu"
I have not read it yet. Just received it in the mail. I think it was about cleaning it up. The diet. Reducing the carbs. And whatever else he worked with.
What all of us should do, even those without Diabetes.
Take a look at the description on Amazon. He is LADA
Good idea! Add "Real Salt" to home made salad dressings!
Let me make a couple of points about LADA.
(1) LADA is basically Type 1 with a later and/or slower onset. Basically the issue is the same: the beta cells are giving up the ghost and you eventually end up with little or no endogenous insulin. If that's not Type 1, I don't know what it is.
(2) When it comes to control and management, Bernstein is not particularly interested in labels, types, or categories as such. The more fundamental issue, as he often points out, is not what type you are but what you do about it. Whether you are Type 1, Type 2, or Type 38, the goal is -- must be -- to normalize blood sugars. You do whatever it takes to achieve that. All good things flow from there.
"Refusing the Needle" is a very dangerous concept for a T1. I read the reviews on Amazon, none of the positive reviewers had actually tried and benefited from this system. The negative review noted he seldom checks his blood sugar, enough said.
I have followed Bernstein since 2005 [ I'm a genetic T2] and never heard of the plan's failing. I have heard of people giving up on it. It is quite demanding in the beginning and if you don't feel strongly about it, it can be hard. However, I also find that many people get so used to it after a couple of years, it becomes habit. I'm one of those. I don't weigh foods, just keep rough track in my head [I'm good at Maths] and in my carb "allowance2, I sometimes have a treat. I like high % cocoa solids dark chocolate!
If you want to keep it going, You'll only benefit.
Hana
PS my Hba1c has stayed in the 5s for years and I've lostabout 40 pounds in weight and still losing S L O W L Y
Sigh. Bernstein makes no distinction between diabetes types. He believes that if you tight blood sugar control you can preserve beta cell function and that many patients (even clear T1s) can keep some level of insulin production literally forever. But he doesn't believe in healing or a cure.
And one needs to take such a claim about curing LADA with a grain of salt. According to some studies, the average time between diagnosis with LADA and the start of insulin is 6 years. Just because you put off the transition to insulin means absolutely nothing. And a 15 year old will not have a slow onset form like LADA.
I am always leery of those claiming a cure. Perhaps this Refusing the Needle is similar to Dwayne McCulley who claims he cured his diabetes with prayer. Personally, I don't think Dwayne was ever diabetic, he just had severe pancreatitis as indicated by his medical record.
Wow, thanks for all the great feedback, guys. Keep it coming.
Believe it or not, I actually *spoke* to Russell Stamets yesterday. He is very very friendly.
Yes, he is LADA, and has never taken any insulin. Never! Blew me away.
His A1Cs are in the normal range for a non-diabetic, and--this double blew me away--he does a fingerstick about once a week. (What???) Stamets claims that he knows how his body responds by now and can keep it under control. (A1Cs, btw, are once a year.)
When he was first diagnosed, he shunned insulin, and his doc let him take Metformin instead. (So how come *I* was put on insulin the first day?) He still takes a small amount, so he's not completely unmedicated. But regardless - no insulin.
I have also read a bit about people's experiences with Bernstein. They're all totally glowing.
My plan at this point is to buy *both* books, and then decide which program sounds better suited for me. I'd even be open to taking parts from each, if that fits in better to my lifestyle and BGs.
But no matter what happens, I can't ever imagine giving up my beloved CGM for the rest of my life. :-)
Brian, you might have misunderstood something, but "Refusing the Needle" does not claim to cure. I had a very long phone call with him yesterday, and that word never even came up. Nor have I seen it in any literature about his book.
Both Bernstein and Stamets have their own programs that will bring numbers down into normal ranges and improve your health. You have to keep following the program, though. You're never "cured."
(I never heard of this Dwayne McCulley. I'm with you on what's probably behind it!)
I just recently added Himalayan salt to my daily routine. I heard it was the best.
Thanks, David, that's helpful. Even though I've been LADA for over two and a half years, I was still wondering the difference between 1 and 1.5.
And it's good to know that Bernstein's program works equally well for all.
Thanks, Hana, it's nice to know you never heard of a fail. (I'm sure they must exist, but it's nice that they're hard to find.)
And I never heard of a "genetic T2." I understood that T1 is genetic, and T2 is not.
What am I missing?
It's exactly the other way around. T1 is an autoimmune disease, like MS, or rheumatoid arthritis, or myasthenia gravis. T2 is primarily genetic, although there is a lively debate running about the degree to which it depends on environmental triggers in order to manifest.
Interesting, David. My endo taught me from the beginning that the propensity to develop T1 is passed on through the line. Not everyone develops it, of course, but I learned that I was carrying the "risk factor" since someone else in the family had it.
Actually, there are several people on both sides of my family with AI disorders, and I now have two.
Perhaps you would share what Stamets claims brings blood sugars down into normal range. Bernstein believes that carb restriction and aggressive medication and insulin works. Being afraid of insulin is irrelevant as far as Bernstein is concerned, it is all about normalized blood sugars and long-term health.
I know that Stamets includes some eastern modalities in his program, but truth is I'm not familiar enough yet to give you much detail. I'm going to read both books, and I'm guessing that I may take from both. (But I do know that Stamets doesn't claim to cure any more than Bernstein does.)
I'll keep you up-to-date as I learn more!
I contributed a blood sample to a major diabetes survey and in return was told I have a common T2 gene. My grandmother had T2 and my mother has it. my mother's younger sister [Mother is 95!] died of a stroke, which I suspect might have been down to undiagnosed T2 at the age of 68. I am not and never have been what most people would call "obese". I could stand to lose a bit, but I'm by no means huge.
My husband is T1 and the only blood relavie he has was his grandmother who probably had T2. She developed it in her late 60s.
The thing to do to confirm a genetic link is twin studies.
Hana
