Somewhat OT/Eating to your meter

[DreamStalker]

Not only do insurers sometimes limit you to one strip a day, many others say you don't need to test your blood sugar at all UNTIL you become diabetic. It's the "Brick" equivalent of the diabetic world.

Eating to the meter is great, but it is going to take a lot of strips. And strips are kind of like printer ink. The printer's cheap, the ink's outrageous, and so it goes with blood glucose test strips. BUT, there's ways around this. If you are not an insulin dependent diabetic depending on very precise readings to adjust insulin doses, you don't have to be too picky about your test strips. Walmart makes the Relion meter and strips which are very affordable.
.... snip

Screw the insurers .... they are a bunch of evil criminals and one day you all will figure that out. People need to take matters into their own hands when it comes to health. It's perfectly safe if you educate yourself and you could even save your own life if not extend it beyond what the so-called "healthcare system" will tell you. Sure, let the emergency professionals work on you when it's an emergency -- but for chronic illnesses, you need to take charge just like you do with your apnea conditions.

Yes getting a meter is great -- especially if you want to train and educate yourself as to what and how much of what you eat/drink affects you. I'm not diabetic either and if any of you are currently Type II diabetic, you can cure yourself with a low to no carb diet. It's real simple ... eat fresh organic veggies, animal proteins, and clean fats and stay away from industrial oils, grains, and other toxic stuff sold as food for corporate profits.

For those interested in the health benefits of eating for staying in mild to moderate ketosis or for those who have other metabolic related chronic diseases and want to eliminate symptoms and possibly cure your illness of Type II diabetes, obesity, inflammation, cancer, Alzheimer's, ALS, and various auto-immune diseases .... consider getting a meter that reads both blood glucose and blood ketones. Yes the strips are a bit more expensive but you don't have to use them forever -- you only need to use them to teach yourself what food/drink does to you and how to manage that. It's easy peasy. In the end the test strips will save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses for not educating and training yourself to eat for your body.

http://ketonutrition.org/

http://www.novacares.com/

[Lucyhere]

Again... we are all different. I was diagnosed with pre-D a few years ago. Doctor put me on a low dose of Metformin but I couldn't handle even the low dose. Between then and now, with semi-careful eating, I've lost 25 pounds. No particular diet; I had a pretty good idea what to eat and not eat. When I had my yearly blood test in January, both she and I were delighted to see that I was no longer in the pre-D range, and my overall numbers were good also. Losing the extra weight that I didn't need made all the difference.

[49er]

Regarding doctors taking pre diabetes seriously, even though I officially joined the pre diabetic club last year with a 5.7 A1C, three doctors, including an integrative health doc, didn't think it was a big deal. But fortunately, thanks to the "evil" internet, I knew better. I also still remember how much a relative when he was alive, suffered big time from diabetic complications. Obviously, I didn't want to repeat his experience.

Anyway, I am going to print this information out and show it to a friend with diabetes who has been treated the ADA way and is obviously not at optimal health. Stay tuned.

49er

[Madalot]

This is what I did early on after my Diabetes diagnosis. Everybody, including my own family members, mocked me and told me that I was nuts for doing this. But in so doing, I did exactly what the article said. I was able to see what foods work for me, which ones do not (any kind of Chinese food is out now) and which ones I can do in a limited fashion.

And I'm down 90 pounds in a year.

One thing to keep in mind, especially for those diagnosed with Diabetes and using their insurance to purchase supplies. For some reason that escapes any rational thinking, if your doctor writes the prescription to test 1x/day, which is frequently protocol for newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetics, the pharmacy will allow you ONE strip per DAY. Period. No discussion or negotiation. If your doctor writes it for 1x/day and even writes it for a vial of 50 strips to be filled every month, the pharmacy CHANGES it to a 50-day supply.

Even though you are REQUIRED to waste one strip as a control, they don't allow for that. Sometimes, you don't get enough blood or the strip simply doesn't work. I've even gotten distracted and tried to test before the meter was ready, thus ruining the strip. Whatever the scenario that wastes a strip - too bad, so sad.

If you have the cash, purchase your supplies yourself so you CAN have the freedom to test before and after meals, sometimes several times a day.

Because eat to your meter DOES work. My blood sugar is under control and I know what foods are going to shoot it through the roof (Chinese & any bread for me). And while my weight loss has slowed dramatically, I'm still down 90 pounds and hoping to get down another 25.

My sensible dinner last night that included mashed potatoes. My sugar was 82 after dinner. Cannot argue with that at all.

The doctor generally can't write a prescription for more than 1x per day unless you have complicating factors or on insulin.

That's not necessarily true. I think a lot depends on the doctor and the insurance coverage. I have a friend who was diagnosed a month after I was. She's younger than I am with no serious complicating factors. Her A1C was LOWER than mine when diagnosed.

Her doctor wrote her a prescription for supplies to test AT LEAST 3x/day with supplies to cover more than that. She had no problem getting them.

And there is no doubt in my mind that all these guidelines out there are designed to make patients fail. Because if patients took control of their situations, kept their sugar down (below the <180 after meal as some guidelines suggest) - they wouldn't be able to sell as many drugs. It's all fixed.

[Janknitz]

And there is no doubt in my mind that all these guidelines out there are designed to make patients fail. Because if patients took control of their situations, kept their sugar down (below the <180 after meal as some guidelines suggest) - they wouldn't be able to sell as many drugs. It's all fixed.

THIS!!!

Ever notice so-called diabetes magazines and patient education material is published by companies who make diabetes drugs. They want to keep their captive audiences.

If you had an allergy to peanuts we certainly wouldn't tell you to eat peanuts, or if you are lactose intolerant you aren't told to have more lactose. But dietitians and the ADA and doctors routinely tell carbohydrate sensitive people to eat MORE carbohydrates. Makes no sense. None.

[Madalot]

And there is no doubt in my mind that all these guidelines out there are designed to make patients fail. Because if patients took control of their situations, kept their sugar down (below the <180 after meal as some guidelines suggest) - they wouldn't be able to sell as many drugs. It's all fixed.

THIS!!!

Ever notice so-called diabetes magazines and patient education material is published by companies who make diabetes drugs. They want to keep their captive audiences.

If you had an allergy to peanuts we certainly wouldn't tell you to eat peanuts, or if you are lactose intolerant you aren't told to have more lactose. But dietitians and the ADA and doctors routinely tell carbohydrate sensitive people to eat MORE carbohydrates. Makes no sense. None.

Sadly, this is the way our world works. The pharmaceutical companies are in control and if patients take control of their diet and sugar, they sell less drugs. And the amount of conflicting information is astounding to me.

For me, I do what works and screw what everybody says. My doctor said as long as my after meal level is less than 160, he's happy. Well, I am not. If I hit 150, I KNOW I did something very wrong (and I always know what did it). I like my levels to be a lot lower than that and they are if I eat properly.

[BlackSpinner]

Sadly, this is the way our world works. The pharmaceutical companies are in control and if patients take control of their diet and sugar, they sell less drugs. And the amount of conflicting information is astounding to me.

Yes, this. When my mother was diagnosed they didn't have Metformin and many of the other drugs they have now and the only way to deal with it was with insulin or diet. Doctors should NOT be reaching for drugs when diet and testing can do the same thing with less negative side effects!

[palerider]

If you had an allergy to peanuts we certainly wouldn't tell you to eat peanuts,

well, actually, the latest research in peanut allergies suggests that the answer to peanut allergies *IS* more peanuts.

lots of peanuts and peanut butter while pregnant, and tiny tiny controlled amounts for people that have allergies, to desensitize them, just like with other allergies....

peanut allergies seem to be a manufactured thing.

[Janknitz]

I've read about that, too, Palerider, but that's in a very controlled situation. Nobody is going to tell someone who suffers from anaphylactic peanut allergy to hike over to the nearest Chinese restaurant and scarf down an entire meal cooked in peanut oil.

But my "health maintenance" (HA!) organization regularly sends out dietary recommendations like eating at least 6 servings of carbs/day to diabetics. When I think of the money and lives they could save if they could use critical thinking skills instead of medicine by protocol . . .

[lilly747]

For those interested in the health benefits of eating for staying in mild to moderate ketosis or for those who have other metabolic related chronic diseases and want to eliminate symptoms and possibly cure your illness of Type II diabetes, obesity, inflammation, cancer, Alzheimer's, ALS, and various auto-immune diseases .... consider getting a meter that reads both blood glucose and blood ketones. Yes the strips are a bit more expensive but you don't have to use them forever -

DS I've been thinking about getting one of those combo meters, but they are NOT just a little more expensive....they are a LOT more....

I like keto, I feel great on it...75 to 80% fat all organic....guess that makes me a health nut.....OR just a NUT..

[jnk...]

Meter ain't that bad, but the strips must be made of solid gold or something . . .
http://www.pharmapacks.com/brands.php?b ... ision-Xtra

[BlackSpinner]

Meter ain't that bad, but the strips must be made of solid gold or something . . .
http://www.pharmapacks.com/brands.php?b ... ision-Xtra

When I was buying supplies for my mother we often got the meter free with a certain number of boxes of strips. And yes strips are expensive.

[palerider]

I've read about that, too, Palerider, but that's in a very controlled situation. Nobody is going to tell someone who suffers from anaphylactic peanut allergy to hike over to the nearest Chinese restaurant and scarf down an entire meal cooked in peanut oil.

True enough.

[DreamStalker]

DS I've been thinking about getting one of those combo meters, but they are NOT just a little more expensive....they are a LOT more....

I like keto, I feel great on it...75 to 80% fat all organic....guess that makes me a health nut.....OR just a NUT..

Well try and look at the dilemma the way Albert would. It's all quite relative.

The $19.44 Precision Xtra that jnk linked to is indeed a highly regarded meter and the strips for that one do appear to give the perception of being made of precious metals (which have actually been quite under valued for a while now … but I digress).

The link I provided you above for the Nova meter on the other hand (the one I have) is currently offered on sale right now for free (provided that you buy two boxes of strips at just under $20 per box – 50 count glucose per box or 10 count ketone strips per box, a mix and match choice) -- so again, it's a relative issue if someone here were to compare the price of free to say … something like the NIRP loans currently being offered in some of the EU countries (but again, I digress).

So D'Agostino (see other link I provided above) suggests using the ketone strips to establish your own personal relative scale. To do that you simply choose a keto-nutrition strategy that will help you achieve your metabolic health goals and then pay attention to your body. When you feel great, take the meter readings and note what you ate or did during the previous 24 hours that could have been responsible for that great feeling of well being, or high level of energy, or exceptional mental focus, etc. (yes you need to take notes or keep a journal for this). Likewise, when you feel bad, you'll want to do the same. In a "relatively" short period of time you will establish for yourself a personal relative spectrum of how you are responding to your ketogenic diet and the metered numbers that you should target for your own customized goals will become apparent. In other words, it's just like titrating yourself to optimize your cpap therapy for your apnea.

Anyway, depending on what your goals are will determine the approach and level of ketosis you want to train yourself for. That may require taking supplements (like potassium citrate, magnesium and calcium orate, branch chain amino acids, etc.) if your goals are significant weight loss or high athletic performance or maybe periodically cycling clean carbs (white rice or potatoes) if you are a body builder or have thyroid, hypothalamus, or adrenal issues and so forth (research and educate yourself). So just like with CPAP therapy, there are many intricate ways to achieve your ketosis metabolic therapy.

I think the great folks here can help you figure things out … there's an unusually bright group of people in this forum. I have to leave for a while to finish learning some soil microscopy for a permaculture design that I'm working on. Y'all take care!

[jnk...]

Roberto,

I know you are a busy man, but I learn from you. So please don't stay away too long.

-jnk