Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution
Click on image to go to Dr. Bernstein's website
This is the third time I've read this book, but it won't be the last. It's amazing how much I missed the first time through, and how much more I find each time I read it. There is a lot of very good information here for anyone with a disturbed sugar metabolism, even though the book is aimed primarily at diabetics of both types. But Dr. Bernstein does a wonderful job of explaining the importance of keeping the blood glucose levels in the normal range for everybody, not just diabetics.
Normal blood glucose is a narrow window of about 20 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter), between 80 and 100 mg/dl (for a pre-meal test), and as your friendly neighborhood guinea pig, I have been experimenting on myself to see just what effect this might have on my hypoglycemia.
I have to tell you that the first thing that amazed me was the fact that hypoglycemics often have blood sugar readings that are too high. The reason for this is complicated, and has to do with obesity, a sluggish stomach, and insulin resistance (territory that Dr. Bernstein covers beautifully), but the fact is that when I brought my blood sugar down into the 90-100 mg/dl range, I stopped craving carbohydrates, stopped having unbearable cravings at night, and felt myself feeling better than I thought I could feel.
My fasting blood glucose readings have been between 110 and 130 erratically for a long time, although I only started checking them about this time last year. For some unknown (to me) reason, they were invariably over 100 mg/dl in the morning, and had fallen into a mid-normal range by bedtime. It was at this time that I was also researching reactive hypoglycemia without testing for blood glucose levels. To my amazement, when I began the testing, I found that my blood sugar readings were consistently elevated. To me, they appeared low, being between 100 and 130 mg/dl in the morning. After reading Dr. Bernstein's book and really paying attention, I learned that my reactive hypoglycemia was an early form of diabetes called IGT, or "impaired glucose tolerance," a condition Dr. Bernstein believes can be treated and frequently cured by early, aggressive intervention, but which most other doctors consider a "pre-diabetic" condition, and do nothing but "watch," until the patient is in full-blown NIDDM.
What I love most about his book, though, is Dr. Bernstein's unequivocal insistence on a very low-carbohydrate diet for the controlling of blood sugars for everybody, diabetic or not. As a Type I (childhood onset, insulin-dependent), he has had diabetes for over 55 years. By experimenting on himself, testing his blood frequently during the day, adjusting his diet, and reducing his insulin to the barest minimum dosages, he has been able to reverse his symptoms to the point that he has many days when he doesn't need to inject insulin at all.
The only 'sour note' I found was Dr. Bernstein's emphasis on soybean based foods and supplements in the corrective diet he recommends. The pro-soy propaganda is all-pervasive, and you don't need to feel embarrassed if you were taken in by the spiel, nor should Dr. B. The diet itself is VERY good and makes all the sense in the world. Just substitute the REAL originals for whatever soybean foods are called for. Soy milk is especially dangerous, for everyone, not just diabetics.
Dr. Bernstein's book is a must-read if you really want to get a handle on your blood glucose problems. The chapters on where to inject insulin and diabetic foot care are interesting, simply because I never knew how much a diabetic had to go through just to get through a day, and I read them to remind me of what lies ahead if I don't get my blood glucose problems under control immediately. Dr. Bernstein's story is very interesting. He has lived longer than most Type I diabetics, and is teaching his patients how to do the same.
From what I was able to discern from the book, it is possible for early-stage diabetics to reverse their symptoms completely by careful diet, minimal medication if necessary, and to return to normal blood glucose levels without drastic intervention.
I learned several VERY IMPORTANT things about diabetes in particular and carbohydrates in general (in Dr. Bernstein's own words, below):
1. It is the high blood sugar levels that are unique to diabetes, and to a much lesser degree the high levels of insulin required to cover them (causing hypertension) that cause the complications associated with diabetes.
2. All the blood sugar that is not burned as energy or stored as glycogen [anything over about 60 gm/day] is turned into fat.
3. Fat is always in flux in the body, being stored, appearing in the blood, and being converted to energy. The amount of triglycerides in your bloodstream at any given time will be determined especially by your recent consumption of carbohydrates.
4. This is sometimes exaggerated during weight loss because fat is appearing in the bloodstream as it comes out of storage to be converted to energy. Not only are high triglyceride levels a direct cause of insulin resistance, but they also contribute to fatty acid deposits on the walls of your blood vessels.
5. The most important thing to note here is that insulin resistance, as well as other risk factors for...diabetic complications...can be reversed by eating less carbohydrate, normalizing blood sugars, and slimming down.
6. If you become overweight, you'll produce more insulin, become insulin resistant (which will require you to produce yet more insulin), and become yet more overweight because you'll create more fat and store more fat.
7. Insulin is the fat building and fat storage hormone...the largest portion of your blood sugar won't get burned. Instead most of it will be turned into fat and stored.
8. Fat is absolutely necessary for survival. Much of the brain is constructed from [SATURATED] fatty acids. Without essential fatty acids--which, like essential amino acids, cannot be manufactured by the body and must be eaten--you would die.
9. High lipid profiles are a symptom not of excess dietary fat, but of high blood sugars. Indeed, even in most nondiabetics, the consumption of fat has little if anything to do with their lipid profiles.
Unfortunately, as I have learned personally, most GP's and family physicians have not the slightest idea of the real workings, causes, or treatments of Type II diabetes, and are very haphazard about their treatment of it. If you suspect blood glucose problems but your doctor doesn't take your suspicions seriously, get a blood glucose meter immediately and begin checking your own blood at least twice a day, before breakfast and before bed. Keep a very detailed log, noting sugary/starchy meals, late meals, and other pertinent information. Keep averages, too, as they can be diagnostic. This is a case of do-it-yourself, and save your life.
This book is very encouraging for all diabetics, of any classification. If you don't like injecting insulin, or if you are gaining weight no matter how carefully you eat, you really need to read this book. And, get a blood glucose meter if you don't already have one. This is the most important tool in your arsenal, next to information.
Take heart! There IS a solution to your blood sugar problems.