Medical Nutrition Therapy for T2 diabetes

[Harikishan]

Has anybody taken Medical Nutrition Therapy for T2 diabetes to get rid of medicines and cured of diabetes? If yes, can I have the contact details of your Therapist

[TheAwfulToad]

Have a look at dietdoctor.com (it's a free site, I don't get anything out of promoting this).

There is absolutely nothing complicated about reversing diabetes. You don't need a "therapist". The basic procedure is to reduce your carbohydrate load to a bare minimum for a few weeks, and then broaden your diet slightly so that you're eating healthy, balanced meals without any starchy or sugary foods such as pasta, bread, potatoes etc., since your body can no longer cope with them.

As long as you follow the instructions precisely, it will work. The clinical success rate is well over 80% for people who are prediabetic, and 60%+ for those who have been diabetic for a while.

[Wired123 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Agree with you that Diet Doctor is a brilliant and free site with amazing contributors.

However if it were that simple then there wouldn’t be such high prevalence of diabetes and obesity.

Whilst some people are OK to read a book or website, others need more support and therefore there is nothing wrong with using a therapist/coach.

It’s like saying you can go to the gym and get fit, the machines are there go use them. However some people get great/better results by having a personal trainer.

[TheAwfulToad in reply to Wired123]

True enough, but I suggest giving a shot by yourself first! If it doesn't work out then by all means find someone to help.

We did a little experiment recently in the LCHF group. About three-quarters of participants just "got it", while a few dropped out for various reasons. They weren't diabetics, of course, but I think it illustrates that the process is easy to understand and easy to follow.

Dr David Unwin came to similar conclusions with his low-carb programme. He's "tuned" this down to a very minimal consultation and monthly followups. People seem to just roll along on their own enthusiasm.

[Wired123 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Yes but I see a lot of people struggling with binge eating and carb cravings, it’s those people that need the tailored support.

Big fan of Dr Unwin, he’s brilliant.

Which LCHF group are you referring to above?

[TheAwfulToad in reply to Wired123]

Usually when people "binge" or get carb cravings it's because they're doing it wrong - not enough food, or not enough dietary fat. Almost always. But perhaps that is where they need someone to tell them "you're doing it wrong" ...

LCHF group is here:

healthunlocked.com/lchf-diet

[Wired123 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Binge eating disorder is a real medical condition, it will exist regardless of the diet someone is on and certain diets can exacerbate the condition.

Food addictions are also very prevalent but not discussed by the wider medical profession, although some psychiatrists do treat it as a condition.

Again straight LCHF is not going to help these people as they have underlying problems that need addressing whether through nutrition support, psychological therapy and perhaps even psychiatric drugs.

Devil is in the detail, LCHF is not a magic bullet for all but is definitely a great way to eat as it removes a lot of crap from the diet.

[TheAwfulToad in reply to Wired123]

It exists, but IMO it's massively over-diagnosed. My slightly-unprofessional guess is that about 5% of cases are genuine psychological problems. The reason is that the "certain diet" that exacerbates the problem is the EatWell plate - very-low-fat, very-high-carb diets, particularly if they're laced with cakes and sweets, will make the problem worse; and people who are overweight and bingeing are invariably being told (either by professionals or by Google) that that's how they should be eat.

We've had a lot of people in the weightloss groups who were convinced (sometimes because someone in a white coat had told them so) that they have BED or something similar. As soon as they dropped the calorie-counting nonsense, and started eating properly, the problem evaporated. A couple of them were so deliriously happy about this that they became quite evangelical!

Likewise, I'm pretty sure most cases of "food addiction" are actually the well-understood symptoms of failing blood sugar control ... typically caused by a prolonged onslaught of carbs and sugar. Get the patient to go cold turkey and you can usually restore normal blood sugar control within a matter of days, and a big reduction in "addictive" behaviour.

Bear in mind that eating behaviour is almost entirely autonomic - it's controlled by incredibly low-level bits of your brain, and by hormones. We all know how hard it is to control what we're eating for more than a few days at a time; ultimately, our conscious decisions are overriden by physiology. So the idea that one's psychological state might have anything more than a minor effect on one's feeding behaviour is implausible on the face of it. That's not to say that it can't happen - just that it should be recognised as an unlikely vera causa in any given case. In other words, "common things are more common". At least, a faulty diet should be corrected before anything more drastic is attempted.

[Wired123 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

I would say BED and food addiction are most likely UNDER diagnosed as most doctors dismiss these conditions.

Look how many people are addicted to smoking, drinking or illegal drugs. They know they are damaging their bodies and often want to give up but cannot.

A better diet free of processed food which is designed to be addictive/moreish/appetite stimulating is part of the solution and LCHF with unprocessed meat and veg is a very good staring point. This will help with the hormonal side of things and help with sugar/insulin control.

However I implore you to not dismiss the psychological and physiological side of BED, food addiction, etc. They are very real and hence some need extra support for these conditions.

[TheAwfulToad in reply to Wired123]

I think you misunderstand my position. I'm not dismissing these things at all. All I'm suggesting here is that people who believe they suffer from such conditions should try the obvious (and simple) things first, and see how they get on.

The problem with medicalising every single problem is that it takes away people's power to act; it deprives them of agency over their own bodies. If (say) you feel lethargic, depressed and out-of-shape, the obvious prescription is to do some exercise and eat better. If the problem persists, then you can bother the doctor.

If people believe that their problem is more serious than it really is, and that only a "professional" can fix it, they will not attempt to help themselves. Even if they find a professional, that professional may take them down an ill-advised route (it's common for them to be given the standard advice about calorie-counted, low-fat diets on the basis of dogma rather than evidence). That means a whole load of people are going suffer unnecessarily.

[Wired123 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Agree there are professionals who advise on calorie control and the eat well plate which is the worst advice and under the influence of Big Food lobbying £££s.

However there is no harm and actually a lot of benefit for those who need the help of a proper professional who follows the David Unwin et al school of thought. There are plenty of health coaches or therapists out there who can help people make these changes. Other people may be fine reading a book or website, but it’s like a personal trainer in the gym. Not everyone needs one but some people get great successes with one.

For these people are support professional is a luxury perhaps but if it helps them achieve their goals faster or easier then good for them, it’s a good investment.

Then there’s the group of people who definitely need professional help and fast, these people are denied help or led down paths where they are told LCHF/Keto is the magic bullet and then when they cannot succeed they are called lazy/greedy and so on. We need to protect these people in the same way we offer support to smokers/alcoholics/drug addicts. Yes some people get off smoking and drink without support but research shows a multi prong approach is much more successful and leads to less relapse.

Even the NHS is now paying for people to use apps like Second Nature and Noom as they provide structure, a coach and also a community of peers. We should embrace these things and give people all the support they need.

After all we are fighting against a well funded machine of food companies which have outlets on every street, advertising wherever we look (TV/Internet/Street) and highly processed addictive food. It’s no wonder that we have an obesity crisis.

Let’s fight back with ALL the resources we have at our disposal.

[SukhinoBhavantu]

years back I had diabetes

and like everyone else, I too consulted doctors

and as usual medicines, you know...

It made my condition worse

Those were the times i was working on client projects late at night

and i was not aware of the bodily functions of the circadian rhythms and the crucial role it played in our mental body functions at all.

I ignored everything

At that time one of my friend's father suggest me to walk barefooted on the beach wet area and it's worked.

I started to eat pure organic SPIRULINA as part of my daily diet to fill the nutrient GAP.

I started research on the negative ion and its effects on our body, I took regular beach walks in the evenings. within one month i stopped taking medicines

and all the symptoms reversed.

As I study more on negative ions on beaches and the nutrient-rich seawater effectors on our body, it's enlightened me.

From that day I started my wellness journey. Even though I had some bad health due to years of careless living the work-life balance issues.

Now i am fixing all these steps by step so I planned to educate people who are in their 20's and 30's the importance of wellness and its adverse effects if you live your life in this careless manner.

We learn from our mistakes right? so I learned a lesson, so thought why don't I teach people

that's how I research one by one every aspect of well being.

Well-nourished food, at least 30 minutes of exercise, at least 7 hours of sound sleep, and a stress-free mental state are key to a stable personal life.

I researched a lot in negative ion effects on our body and mind

the same effect if we eat spirulina to overcome the free radical damage, almost same we get the very moment when we sit or walk on the beach.

Did you experience the feeling of calmness of mind during the time spent on beaches?

It's really interesting to know this aspect of -ve ions from seawater and on the beach.

So far, I knew that Stress is the Number 1 reason for all health-related issues. Serotonin in the bloodstream helps alleviate depression, relieves stress, and boosts our daytime energy, hence having a positive impact on health and reversing diseases.

It's not actually the sound of waves.

It's the negative ions that make the difference.

And the mineral-rich seawater has beneficial effects too.

I love cycling at least 3 days a week and I take my SPIRULINA without fail, which keeps my nutrients in check.

Will share more in my profile. You can ask any questions?

[Harikishan]

Which brand spirulina you take and what is the daily dose?