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Opinions on low carb diets

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
luisa said:
Absolutely ridiculous! Cost saving is often the primary concern and I am lucky that I don't look after budgets 🙂 I do know that after the recent set of cuts I am very lucky to still be working!

There are many good medics as well though who do see the benefits for a Type 2 to test regularly but frequently its only for a short period or those Type 2s commencing insulin.

I personally find the food diary BG diary combination essential to improving glycaemic control in a motivated patient. Those who aren't motivated simply don't test or keep an inaccurate food diary. The ones who do tend to lose weight and have improved control (the DSN is my partner in crime!)

Personally, it is very rewarding when a patient does well - I was walking on air on wed when I saw a patient who had completely turned round his lifestyle because he realised he needed to if he wanted to avoid insulin. BG levels are improving, weight is dropping and his diet is perfect. I am very very proud of him as I can only give advice and he has to put in the hard work! (Yes he was using a blood glucose meter to achieve this!)

Luisa
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I have been fortunate to have been referred to excellent dietician advice. Their advice helped me to lose 4 stones of weight and get my HbA1c down to less than 5% (my last one was 4.4) by diet and exercise alone. I got a free meter from a rep and was prescribed strips until a GP decided I didn't need them anymore!

I am not low carb - horses for courses I guess - but I run 3 times a week.

Richard
 
cherrypie said:
This link is taken from a Dafne Forum and it seems that some Type2's on insulin are given access to Dafne. Quite a grey area though.
http://www.dafneonline.co.uk/forums/4/topics/24
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Interesting, but it still begs the question of why there is no appropriate course available for Type2s on MDI? I can see that a mix of T1 and T2 might not work very well, but surely T2s on MDI and with weight issues are in even greater need of education? I know of several members in this situation that have been unable to benefit from a structured education course relevant to their treatment. Perhaps they are just too rare for courses to be viable - I have no idea what the figures are (or even whether such figures have ever been compiled).
 
Northerner said:
Interesting, but it still begs the question of why there is no appropriate course available for Type2s on MDI? I can see that a mix of T1 and T2 might not work very well, but surely T2s on MDI and with weight issues are in even greater need of education? I know of several members in this situation that have been unable to benefit from a structured education course relevant to their treatment. Perhaps they are just too rare for courses to be viable - I have no idea what the figures are (or even whether such figures have ever been compiled).
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It seems that the National Service Framework for Diabetes is to blame as to why Type2's on insulin are treated in the primary care setting. "There is now expectation that nurses in primary care will become more involved in the initiation of insulin therapy in Type2 diabetics".

This is a guide from the RCN to their members to help to educate them with insulin therapy for Type2's. Don't know how good it is as I am not an insulin user. Perhaps others could comment on it?

http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/78606/002254.pdf
 
There is now a DESMOND programme (and possibly X-pert also) for those with Type 2 Diabetes commencing insulin.

Unfortunately I think it comes down to governmental budget. When I worked in East Yorkshire the provision for services for those with Diabetes was excellent. And the Diabetes Specialist Dietitian was fantastic. I really couldn't say enough good things about her as she was quite inspirational to me at that time. She was down to earth and I like that.
 
luisa said:
There is now a DESMOND programme (and possibly X-pert also) for those with Type 2 Diabetes commencing insulin.

Unfortunately I think it comes down to governmental budget. When I worked in East Yorkshire the provision for services for those with Diabetes was excellent. And the Diabetes Specialist Dietitian was fantastic. I really couldn't say enough good things about her as she was quite inspirational to me at that time. She was down to earth and I like that.
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Only one?
And the Diabetes Specialist Dietitian was fantastic. I really couldn't say enough good things about her as she was quite inspirational to me at that time.
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there lies the the problem 😱

How many people with diabetes was she expected to see?
 
It is a numbers game. As the number of diabetics grows at astronomical rates, so the personnel to support them diminishes at a similar rate.

There's no way they're going to employ more dieticians or other specialists with the cuts as they are. Hence things being left to GPs to try and cover the services. Sadly, the GPs have their own profit margin to consider along with the postcode lottery of informed and proactive practices.

Rob
 
Robster65 said:
It is a numbers game. As the number of diabetics grows at astronomical rates, so the personnel to support them diminishes at a similar rate.

There's no way they're going to employ more dieticians or other specialists with the cuts as they are. Hence things being left to GPs to try and cover the services. Sadly, the GPs have their own profit margin to consider along with the postcode lottery of informed and proactive practices.

Rob
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I remember reading a (US) article a while ago. The increase in diagnoses over there is already outstripping the capability of the Diabetes Educators to keep up, plus the number of people choosing it as a specialty is declining, so both things are heading in the wrong direction and will soon (if they are not already) be stretched to breaking point :(
 
I don't know why we don't have diabetes educators over here. I'm sure they could set up some sort of advocate system. Even a semi-formal email system for when DSNs are busy. No clinical advice but coping strategies and what's normal/abnormal, etc.

Even dietary advice would not be out of the question. The forum is good for that but there must be people who don't feel confident to post but could do with a helping hand. A bit of basic training in tuition and some pointers on what's acceptable and away you go.

Rob
 
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