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Friday 28 February 2014

The Scary Way Drug Gangs Are Infiltrating Our Supermarkets

Gang activity in the supermarket? You may surprised to find that, especially in Europe, this phenomenon exists. Drug gangs are now peddling counterfeit food products to rake in profits. The relatively new market has boomed recently, as drug lords seek new, less regulated economies. As it stands now, penalties for pushing fake rice pale in comparison to those of the drug trade — for the gangs.

Fake food items could be causing sickness, long-term conditions or even death for food shoppers. Products seized in the UK were found to include cheaper peanut powder instead of almond flower, which could prove deadly for a person with peanut-specific allergies. Children's sweets were made with known carcinogen red dye Rhodamine B. Tea claiming to be "slimming" was found to contain prescription obesity medication (13 times the recommended dose).

Products labeled as fish or crab were using fake or untraceable meat ingredients, reminiscent of China's meat scandal where a gang made over $1 million passing off fox, mink and rat meat as mutton or beef.

Vodka and wine enthusiasts, beware. Over 17,000 liters of fake vodka were uncovered — many of which included cleaning fluids or antifreeze. The British government even issued a warning this past holiday season to warn consumers of the consequences (blindness, death and stomach problems) these fake drinks can cause. A recent bust uncovered a massive fake wine business in the U.S..

False labeling, diluting products and selling completely fake products — these illegal activities pay big bucks. The National Center for Food Protection and Defense estimates that Americans pay $10 billion to $15 billion annually for fake food. Chinese honey frauds alone have cost the U.S. honey industry billions in profits.

Mike Ellis, the head of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Interpol and Europol discusses how high-tech the fake food business is becoming.

"In Qatar we found a re-labeling machine, which was designed with the illegal purpose of changing expiry dates on drinks labels. Then, we found one exactly the same in Africa," Ellis said in an interview with the Sunday Times.

Will the world see more "food busts" in the coming years? Government officials, catching wind of the substandard food products, are encouraging increased funding to study the faux food trade and work with other security organizations to crack down on food criminals.

http://www.policymic.com/

Graham

DCUK Larf of the day !

"As usual a total lack of moderation allows a bully to continually attack a member who has a different slant on things, how long is this going to be allowed to continue on this forum"

Sid Bonkers defending his long lost love child douglas99, a chip off the old block I reckon.

And this bilge from Sid arguably the biggest bully in the forums history !

Don't ya just luv the crazy world of diabetes. Sid's antics never fail to have me falling about laughing, what a character eh.

Eddie

Helpful Practical Advice from Two Type 1 Diabetics Versus Phoenix (In support of Eddie’s Post)

On this blog we normally refrain from offering advice to Type 1 Diabetics (all the team members are Type 2 except Paul a type one and Jan not a diabetic). However, all the team are agreed that if such advice was required some of the best places to look would be in the posts of Fergus and Dillinger (both Type 1). A typical example of a Fergus post was given as a comment in Eddie’s post below and is repeated here.


Dillinger’s posts can be found by typing Dillinger in the Forum search box at DCUK. Unfortunately I cannot find a link to the post below. Fortunately I saved a copy to hard disk. It’s a long post but highly relevant in considering the quality and contribution of Phoenix’s posts.

“THE CASE FOR LOW CARBS.

1. The Logic of a Low Carbohydrate Diet and Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic endocrine disease resulting in an absolute failure of the body to metabolise glucose. It cannot make sense to treat the condition on the basis of metabolising high levels of glucose.

Non diabetic people have a very limited spectrum of blood sugar ranges with corresponding HbA1C’s of 3.5-5.5%.

The ideal position for a diabetic must be to match non diabetic blood glucose profiles provided that in doing so they are not put under risk of serious problems such as severe or regular hypos.

This can best be achieved by eating a much reduced amount of carbohydrate and reducing your insulin levels. This strategy greatly removes the chances of hypos and means non diabetic blood sugar levels can be achieved.

2. The Lack of Evidence of Adverse Medical Effects from a Low Carbohydrate Diet

The Cochrane review (which collated data from 11 randomised trials in 402 patients), confirms a shift in the evidence in recent years, with a number of recent studies suggesting a low-carb diet could offer long-term benefits to diabetics. These benefits include sustained weight loss with no significant effect on glycaemia or lipid levels.

The Cochrane review shows that patients on a diet of foods with a low glycaemic index had an HbA1c level (average blood glucose level) 0.5 per cent lower than controls. There were also significantly fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia in patients on a low-GI diet, with a reduction of 0.8 episodes per patient per month achieved in one trial.

3. The Difference Between Ketosis and Ketoacidosis

Ketosis is not the same as Ketoacidosis and is a normal metabolic response to low carbohydrate content in the diet and/or fasting where insulin is present. It occurs at a mild level with insulin present at low or non diabetic insulin levels.

Ketoacidosis is a type of metabolic acidosis which is caused by high concentrations of ketone bodies formed by the breakdown of fatty acids and the deamination of amino acids. The two common ketones produced are acetoacetic acid and β-hydroxybutyrate.

Ketoacidosis is an extreme and uncontrolled form of ketosis. In ketoacidosis, the liver breaks down fat and proteins in response to a perceived need for respiratory substrate (i.e. where no insulin is present to metabolise glucose even though high levels of glucose are present) causing such a severe accumulation of keto acids that the pH of the blood is substantially decreased.

Insulin inhibits ketosis and therefore a diabetic on a low carbohydrate diet (with an appropriate insulin regime) will not develop ketoacidosis but will merely display trace or low levels of ketones produced via normal metabolic ketosis.

On a low carbohydrate diet we aim to achieve low level ketosis and there are no studies to suggest that ketosis has any detrimental effect on liver function or other negative health implications.

4. The mechanics of Triglyceride Formation and Reduction

Triglycerides are so called because they are composed of three fatty acids attached to a single glycerol molecule.

Triglycerides are the key component of LDL (low density lipids) in the blood. The ratio of LDL to HDL (high density lipids) is a key indicator of cardiovascular risk 
(Source: Circulation (1997;96:2520-2525) Gotto AM Jr. Triglyceride: the forgotten risk factor. Circulation 1998;97(11):1027-8).

Some triglycerides in our bodies come from the fat in our diet, but the majority are manufactured in the liver from fatty acids and glycerol. The glycerol part is a by-product glycerol phosphate and the use of glucose in cellular metabolism so that the more glucose in the bloodstream, the greater the production of triglycerides.
(Source: Ref. - Krauss, R. M. 2005. “Dietary and Genetic Probes of Atherogenic Dyslipidemia.” Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. Nov.;25(11):2265-72)

As one might expect, triglyceride levels rise significantly following the consumption of large quantities of carbohydrates, not dietary fat and this link between glucose and triglyceride levels has been clearly demonstrated in clinical studies. 
(Source : Ostos MA, Recalde D, Baroukh N, Callejo A, Rouis M, Castro G, et al. Fructose intake increases hyperlipidemia and modifies apolipoprotein expression in apolipoprotein AI-CIII-AIV transgenic mice. J Nutr 2002;132(5):918-23).

The easiest way therefore to reduce triglycerides and improve the LDL/HDL ratio is to reduce the carbohydrate content of our diets rather than reduce the fat/protein content.


5. The Benefits of Having as Little Insulin As Possible

Insulin is an anabolic hormone which has many metabolic effects besides simply lowering blood sugar. It is the principal regulator of dietary metabolism such that its serum levels largely determine whether fuel is stored or burned. Elevated insulin levels effectively displace fatty acid metabolism in the Krebs cycle and preferentially burn glucose while storing excess as triglycerides. High levels of insulin will mean that fat is not only stored but is specifically not metabolised. Weight gain results.

Recent evidence supports the role of insulin and IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor) as important growth factors, acting through the tyrosine kinase growth factor cascade in enhancing tumor cell proliferation. 
[Source: Integr Cancer Ther. 2003 Dec;2(4):315-29.] This means that whilst elevated insulin levels are not shown to increase the risk of cancer they will enable cancers to proliferate.

A recent study has suggested that one of the effects of high insulin levels is the ‘chronic activation’ of the sympathetic nervous system and that this is what induces cardiovascular damage in insulin resistant Type 2 diabetics. 
[Source: Effects of insulin on vascular tone and sympathetic nervous system in NIDDM. C J Tack, P Smits, J J Willemsen, J W Lenders, T Thien and J A Lutterman]

Individuals with abnormal glucose and insulin metabolism have a higher incidence of hypertension, and recent interest has focused on the fact that patients with untreated essential hypertension have higher than normal insulin concentrations in their blood, are resistant to insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and often have accompanying lipid disorders.
[Source: American Journal of Nephrology Vol. 16, No. 3, 1996]


6. A Response To the Purported Implications of the Accord Study

The ACCORD study is a large U.S clinical study of adults with established Type 2 diabetes who are at especially high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Three treatment approaches were studied: (i) intensive lowering of blood sugar levels compared to a more standard blood sugar treatment;(ii) intensive lowering of blood pressure compared to standard blood pressure treatment; and (iii) treatment of blood lipids by a fibrate plus a statin compared to a statin alone.

Note, that the intensive lowering of blood sugars was not done by a low carbohydrate diet but was done by increased medication. Participants in the intensive group were more likely to be on combinations of drugs than participants in the standard group. For example, 52% of participants in the intensive strategy group were on three oral medications as well as insulin, compared to 16% of those in the standard group.

In its regular review of the available study data, the ACCORD DSMB noticed an unexpected increase in total deaths from any cause among participants who had been randomly assigned to the intensive blood sugar strategy group compared to those assigned to the standard blood sugar strategy group and stopped the intensive blood sugar strategy group element of the trial.

On the whole, the death rates in both blood sugar strategy groups were lower than those seen in similar populations. That is, although the death rate was higher in the intensive treatment group than the standard group, it was still lower than death rates reported in other studies of Type 2 diabetes.

The ACCORD participant treatment is scheduled to end in 2009, and researchers plan to report the final results in 2010.

[Source :U.S Department of Health & Human Services, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute web site -http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/he ... .htm#trial].

To sum up then; it is an ongoing Type 2 study, the increased mortality is related not to tighter control but to the manner in which the tighter control was attempted (i.e. high medication), the intensive blood sugar strategy group still had a better mortality rate than non-control Type 2 diabetics.

Therefore, this is not applicable to Type 1 diabetics on a low carbohydrate diet and certainly should not be used to equate tight diabetic control with increased cardiovascular risk. If anything this demonstrates that increased medication is the problem rather than tighter control. 

7. Why tight control is essential, and the NICE guidelines are too high

NICE currently suggest that diabetics should aim for HbA1c targets of less than 7.5% for the prevention of microvascular disease and less than or equal to 6.5% for those at increased risk of arterial disease of levels. 
[ Source: NICE AND DIABETES: A summary of relevant guidelines July 2006 ]

However, for every percentage point drop in HbA1c blood test results (from 8.0 percent to 7.0 percent, for example), the risk of diabetic eye, nerve, and kidney disease is reduced by 40 percent. Lowering blood sugar reduces these microvascular complications in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Intensive blood sugar control in people with Type 1 diabetes (average HbA1c of 7.4%) reduces the risk of any CVD event by 42 percent and the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from CVD by 57 percent. 
[Source: DCCT/EDIC, reported in December 22, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.]

Furthermore a recent study conducted at Cambridge University analysing results from 33,000 Type 2 diabetics found getting HbA1c levels closer to the level of non diabetics could cut the risk of heart attacks by 17%.

[ Source: BBC News website Friday 22nd May 2009]

Dillinger”

Some of the references will now be a little out of date. However, updates can be found in many of Graham's posts. Compare and contrast to the posts of Type 1 Phoenix!  Is it any wonder so many generous and knowledgeable posters no longer contribute to DCUK. To all our loss.


John

DCUK Phoenix is not having a good day !

"No, not a good day ,I am a real human being with all too real human feelings and not into any sort of publicity."

Phoenix on the Bohemian Polypharmacy thread.

I am a real human being to, I post with my real name. I have seen four generations of my family become type two diabetics. Type two diabetes killed my Grandmother, my Father, and very near killed me. I have a sister who is a diabetic and a forty year old diabetic son. I know what uncontrolled diabetes does.

Many people followed and still follow the standard NHS and DUK dietary advice for diabetics, it has proved to be a total disaster and the NHS stats we publish regularly prove this. It does not work and will never work. A diabetic must control blood glucose numbers or face the consequences. Loss of limbs, loss of eyesight, kidney failure and heart disease and stroke.

The largest group of diabetics in the UK are type two diabetics, approximately 90%. Many are overweight at diagnosis (approx 80%) and in serious trouble, many have unknowingly been diabetics for years. How are many treated ? with out of date dietary information, a prescription for metformin, many told not to test BG numbers, and no test strips offered. This is criminal in my opinion, and when you think so many have paid into the state funds for decades, some like me for almost 50 years, and claimed not a penny, and in their hour of need, are treated abysmally.

All is not lost. If the newly diagnosed diabetic should get lucky, yes I say again lucky, they may find a forum or blog that can truly help them. They will learn that a strict reduction in the carbohydrates recommended by the NHS and DUK is the only way to obtain non diabetic numbers, lose weight when required, and for many, start to live again rather than exist. Of course with the NHS in place, luck should not have to play a part in the safe control of diabetes.

The big problem for forums, especially DCUK the largest forum in the UK are the naysayers and low carb antis. These people have their diabetes under control. Over the years many of the most vocal have insulin at their disposal, many with insulin pumps, unlimited test strips and experts to advise them. Do these people sit back and appreciate how lucky they are, are they glad they have not been treated like a typical type two in the UK ? No they meddle in type two threads and low carb threads, they cause misunderstanding and spread fear and confusion at every opportunity. 

Of all the meddlers and spreaders of doom over the years, I believe Phoenix is the worst. Because she is highly knowledgeable and is not a fool, she knows what she is doing. Unlike other spreaders of fear and alarm, who are clearly as thick as a plank or complete liars. How many type two diabetics on the forum disrupt and meddle in type one threads, how many low carbers meddle in the pump threads ? never is the answer. While phoenix et al who have it all, wind up and cause fear and spread misinformation, to the many who can't even get hold of some test strips, and have no experts guiding them. I will keep up my campaign against them. All have been invited over here to debate the issues, all can make a statement or start a new thread here, they choose not to. I and every straight thinking honest person knows why ! The antis will lose in a straight debate, without post editing, thread locking, gang warfare mentality and banning, and by God they know it.

Eddie

Pesto Sauce (Home Made) with Salmon

We love eating fish and our local fishmongers, within the supermarket,  is getting quite used to seeing me. I find the assistants are so pleased to help out with any questions/queries I may have with cooking times, what type of fish to use etc. Never be afraid to ask they are so willing to share their knowledge.

A favourite of ours is salmon with a pesto sauce, cooked either in a sealed bag, or wrapped in foil it’s a great dish. Bake in the oven at 200 or Regulo 6 for approx 20 minutes. Served with some lovely green beans and broccoli it’s a very nice tasting meal. 





Of course it would be wonderful if we did all grow our own basil, or choice of herbs. I know many do, a friend grows some in a window box from her flat, we do not all need big gardens!

My friend Delia, who I often confer with, courtesy of the internet was recently writing…. “Every year I grow enough basil leaves to see me through the summer and, most importantly, to make at least one home-made pesto sauce. A lot of precious leaves are needed to make up 2 oz (50 g), but it really is worth it as the home-made version puts all the ready-made ones in the shade. If you can get Pecorino Romano it has a more gutsy flavour than Parmesan but, if you can't, Parmesan will do well….”

If you’d prefer to make your own pesto rather than buy it from a supermarket here is how it’s done ….this recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Summer Collection here


Ingredients
Serves 2 to 3
2oz (50g) fresh basil leaves
1 large clove garlic crushed
1 level tablespoon pine nuts
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 oz (25g) Pecorino Romano grated
Salt

Method
If you have a blender, put the basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil together with some salt in the goblet and blend until you have a smooth purée.
Then transfer the purée to a bowl and stir in the grated Pecorino cheese.
If you don't have a blender, use a large pestle and mortar to pound the basil, garlic and pine nuts to a paste.
Slowly add the salt and cheese, then very gradually add the oil until you have obtained a smooth purée.

And as the saying goes …..’well there you have it’





So whether you choose shop bought or home made hope you like the idea.

All the best Jan

Thursday 27 February 2014

Understanding Insulin Sticker-Shock: Diabetes a cash cow for big pharma?

Mary Clark, a realtor in Cincinnati, has grown accustomed recently to being the center of attention at the pharmacy. An independent contractor, Clark has had trouble finding affordable health insurance that covers the costs of the insulin she needs to control her Type 1 diabetes. Since 2012, she’s noticed the price she must pay out-of-pocket has increased steeply; it’s been a big enough leap that even the pharmacists pause in their work when filling her order. “Everyone was just stunned and they would just stand and stare at me,” Clark says.
She knows many other people with diabetes that are in the same situation, especially those who use long-acting insulin like Lantus. She says she can’t afford pump therapy and she has cut out all other expenses, including doctor’s visits and dental care, to keep up with the cost of insulin.
“We do without everything. There will be diabetics who will go without insulin and they can’t,” Clark says. “You won’t make it.”
She’s not alone in worrying about the costs of insulin, although not everyone would notice the same price spikes as Clark, says David Kliff, who owns the newsletter Diabetes Investor.com. It’s the underinsured and the uninsured who feel the brunt of it. People with good health insurance might not even notice, as health insurance companies often demand lower prices from insulin makers for their customers, Kliff says. That’s why two people with diabetes standing in line at the pharmacy might pay dramatically different prices for insulin; the difference might even be a couple hundred dollars per vial of insulin, he says.
“What the consumer pays and what insurers pay are two different worlds,” he says.
What’s driving insulin price increases is a complex question with many answers. One factor that can be ruled out is the basic price of producing insulin. Ever since pharma companies mastered the technique of using bacteria to create synthetic analog insulin in the eighties, the cost of insulin production has remained relatively affordable. But there’s a lot more that goes into determining the price, and much of it has little to do with supply and demand.
Insulin prices are on the rise partly because there are better options for insulin therapy. That means better BG control for many with T1, but it also has led to some market imbalances. Users of long-acting insulin have seen the steepest price increases. Sanofi increased the price of its Lantus insulin twice in 2013, raising the cost by as much as 15%, according to aBloomberg News report. Novo Nordisk also increased the price of its long-acting insulin, Levemir. Sanofi maintains the dominant market share on long-acting insulin and can dictate price, Kliff says.
“Let’s be honest, they have a near monopoly on the market,” he says.
Many diabetes industry watchers have long held the belief that insulin-producing drug companies are driving up insulin prices simply because they can. That may be an oversimplification, but there is some truth that drug companies are using price increases on everyday drugs like high blood pressure medication and insulin to counter a drop in overall drug sales. Pharma executives admitted this as far back as 2011 during a Reuters Health Summit. And according to the Bloomberg report, U.S. drug spending declined by as much as 2% in the first half of 2013, giving space for insurance companies to be more lenient with price hikes in insulin.
Insulin represents a golden goose for the pharmaceutical industry, especially as the number of people with Type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy increases. A 2011 insulin industry reportpredicted that the global insulin market will increase by 20% in 2014-2015.
Sanofi spokesperson Susan Brooks says her company considers many factors when it sets the price of its insulin products.
“We consider if it is a newly launched product or nearing its patent expiration. We look at the competition, the presence of other branded products on the market that might compete with our product, and how these products are priced,” Brooks says in an email interview. “We also take into account the presence of generic products, which might result in lower prices for all products within a given therapeutic class.”
Generics are the wild card when it comes to insulin prices. Drug companies are very aware that patents are running out for several popular insulin formulas, opening the door for cheaper mimics. Pharmaceutical companies need to maximize the profitability of their original insulin products while the patents still hold, says Kliff.
Already we are seeing the first shots fired in the battle over generics. In January 2014, Sanofi sued Eli Lilly and Co. for copyright infringement to block a generic version of its popular Lantus insulin. According to a Reuters report, Lilly had informed the FDA that it did not plan on selling its version of insulin glargine until after the patent for Lantus ran out in February 2015. Instead, Sanofi’s lawsuit triggered an FDA rule that automatically blocks the government from approving the Lilly drug for 30 months, a window which would potentially buy Sanofi more time to switch its customers to a new form of Lantus.
Even when generic insulin is available for purchase, people with diabetes shouldn’t expect a price crash, says Kliff. When the patent on metformin expired, prices dropped dramatically, but the same won’t happen with insulin, he says.
“Will it be cheaper? Yes. Will it be 80% cheaper? No,” he says.
The institutional delays for approval of new forms of insulin frustrate Gary Scheiner, a certified diabetes educator and clinical director of Integrated Diabetes Services. He says FDA regulations are driving up the cost of bringing new insulin therapies to market, which in turn can raise prices.
“It sometimes costs hundreds of millions or even billions to bring a drug to market. This is hurting our economy in so many ways,” he says. “The FDA needs to do a much better job of streamlining the process.”
The best chance for downward pressure on prices for insulin might come from health insurance policy-makers who are desperate to control health care costs, says diabetes industry blogger Scott Strumello. Health insurance companies are playing insulin-producing companies off one another to get lower prices. Recently, two health care benefits companies, Express Scripts and Kaiser Permanente, switched insulin brands from Novo Nordisk to Lilly because Lilly could offer a better price, says Strumello. However, he warns there is a limit to how much this tactic can move the needle on prices.
“That works with the industry as long as you have someone willing to cut prices,” Strummelo says.
Each insulin manufacturer offers certain discounts to customers. Sanofi US offers qualifying patients a “Pay No More than $25” savings program for Lantus, Brooks says. With the Lantus Savings Card, patients will pay no more than $25 on up to 3 Lantus SoloSTAR pen prescriptions, for example. There also are a few government programs that can help with insulin costs for qualifying individuals, including the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
Even those with good health insurance must navigate a web of sales incentives, health insurance rules, and regulations to get an affordable price on insulin. Colby Cook, a diabetes blogger at Diabeatitnow.com says he’s seen the price of insulin rise significantly in recent years, but he believes he hasn’t experienced as much sticker shock as some others because he has good insurance and is a savvy shopper. He recently paid $207.90 out-of-pocket for 3 vials of Apidra insulin for him and his 2 T1 children, a price he considers pretty reasonable these days.
“The pharmacist told me the list price is 188.11 (per vial) and I get 10% off that,” says Cook, a computer programmer who lives in Cedar Hills, Utah. “However if I didn’t use a coupon from the Apidra website and get the 10% and have insurance, I would pay…more like 250.00 per bottle.”
Because Cook has not yet met the $2,000 yearly deductible on his insurance plan, his out-of-pocket expense for insulin is higher now than it will be later in the year. Once he surpasses his deductible, the price will dip down to $40 a vial for Apidra. Cook says when he reaches that threshold, he then tries to stock up on insulin by refilling it as quickly as his insurance plan will allow.
“It’s almost like I’m hoarding,” he says. “I’m trying to buy it every 20 days.”
His pharmacist looked into the 340B program for him and could only find one doctor in Utah who was qualified to sign people with diabetes up for it. Cook says he can keep up with the costs for now, but he sometimes has to send insulin to a family member with diabetes who can’t always afford it. He also worries about others in the diabetes community in tighter financial straits.
“I wonder how some people without money would even be able to survive,” he says.
At least in the UK diabetics don't have to fork out for medications yet!
Graham

Beachbag wins the Wallycorker prize !

In an unprecedented move, the trustees of the Wallycorker foundation have awarded the highly prestigious Wallycorker medal to Beachbag. Rarely is the award given to a person who has not been banned. Beachbag has worked tirelessly, to expose the bullshit on the forum of flog. Always talking sense and always putting a smile on the sane members faces.

In a special all night sitting of the board of trustees the vote was unanimous. The trustees were also highly impressed with Geri's courage and refusal to hide like an anonymous slime ball in the shadows. 

Chairman of the board of trustees. Roger (keto warrior) Jenkins stated today “this Woman is a positive force for good"


Lord Beantipper said after the meeting "Geri is a breath of fresh air, she adds great humour to the flog and refuses to suck up to idiots" He went on to say "We need more Women like Geri on the flog, gone are the days when the carboholic, fat phobia, high meds mob, ruled the roost"

Unconfirmed sources say Geri is holidaying in the Maldives with George Clooney. What a Woman.

When asked to comment, on his ongoing High Court bestiality trial, and to confirm douglas99 was his long lost love child, resulting from his long term relationship with Trixy, a Shetland pony, Beantipper head butted a Daily Mail hack, and left by a rear entrance.



The Sun

The Highlander - My Part In My Own Downfall (with apologies to Spike)

There I was worming my way back. But those old familiar obnoxious traits began to rise. I just cannot help myself. Perhaps if I keep away from the low carbs, low fats ....... and all those DCUK posters who insist on having a voice. They obviously don't realise! They can be only one
The Slippery Slope by Ken (Stout)

You don't owe me, I don't owe you, Just Pass It On !

If you have learnt something from this blog to your advantage please pass it on, Eddie

Kosher salt

Very often when checking out recipes, I see Kosher salt is recommended. Having worked with and lived around Jews for much of my life, I know a bit about Kosher food and why it is important to Jewish people, but the recipes were not Kosher in the main. Checking it out I find Kosher salt is different to the usual stuff I buy, I am going to give it a try.


Check out this link here for more info.

Eddie

DCUK Quotes of the day from duggie (so far) !

"He's very keen to take the metformin on offer, so clearly not quite to keen to practice what he preaches to others."

"You chose to quote something off that hypercritical idiots postings, so it's as good here as anywhere."

douglas99 on the Bohemian Polypharmacy thread referring to me.

When I ever stated a diabetic should not take any medication ? When have I said I use no medication ? What I have said for almost six years, is minimise medication wherever possible, by way of a healthy whole food, low carb, high fat diet and regular exercise. 

I have warned people of the dangers of statins and the black box cancer warning drugs that douglas uses to control his diabetes. Each to their own eh. 

Douglas you have so much mouth on the forum, why not come over here and teach me the error of my ways, thrill me with your acumen. Let's start a new thread and have a real debate.

Eddie

Fresh Guacamole recipe "Fresh is best "

I've said it before, and I'll say it again .... I love avocado. I also like this guy and how his love of good fresh food shines through, his enthusiasm and knowledge is brilliant.



Have you ever struggled trying to open and remove the big seed from an avocado? I know I have, but hop over and have a look at this here.



This recipe is from our food and recipe blog here.

So low in carbs, not worth worrying about, serves two. And the taste blows away factory produced food. Avocados are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. 

Ingredients

2 medium sized avocados scrape out the flesh and chop.
I medium sized tomato finely chopped remove seeds
I heaped tablespoon of finely chopped green Jalapeno peppers 
I tablespoon of finely chopped white onion
One teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
The juice from a medium sized lime
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a pyrex jug or bowl and serve, how easy is that.

Enjoy your avocado.

All the best Jan

Phoenix says "and don't believe everything that blog has to say, including about me" !

"Have a look at the mortality rates over the years before condemning medicine and the NHS as the result of a catchy song.
(and don't believe everything that blog has to say, including about me )"


Phoenix Bohemian Polypharmacy thread at DCUK


Come on over Phoenix and chew the fat, tell me what lies I have said about you, let's have a debate on a level playing field. BTW you are wrong about pharma drugs and mortality rates. Check out Dr. Malcolm Kendrick blog here.


"For those who find scientific papers somewhat opaque, the key point from this paper is the following. The one year mortality in those who did not have their medications reduced was 45%. The one year mortality in those who did have their medications reduced was 21%.


This is a fifty three percent absolute reduction in overall mortality risk in a year. Which is a better figure than I have seen for any drug intervention, ever, anywhere. So it would seem that the best possible drug treatment discovered…. is to stop taking drugs. As an added bonus you save lots of money, and make the patient feel much better, all at the same time"

Come on girl get over here, bring the Cherub, Sid and Noblyhead et al, we can have a right knees up ! I'll even get some Hobnobs in for you.



Eddie

What Happens When Dietitians Learn About Nutrition From Big Food?

Snack and soda makers that often are blamed for fueling the nation's obesity rates also play a role in educating the dietitians who advise Americans on healthy eating.
Companies such as Frito-Lay, Kellogg and Coca-Cola are essentially teaching the teachers. They're offering seminars, online classes and workshops that are usually free to the nation's dietitians as part of their behind-the-scenes efforts to burnish the image of their snacks and drinks. The practice has raised ethical concerns among some who say it gives the food industry too much influence over dietitians, who can take the classes for education credits to maintain their licenses.
With two-thirds of Americans considered overweight or obese, the makers of processed foods have shouldered much of the blame for aggressively marketing sugary and salty products. Critics argue that companies use the classes, which are usually less expensive and more convenient than other courses dietitians can take, as a way to cast their products in a positive nutritional light. Not to mention that companies often collect the contact information of dietitians to mail them samples or coupons, in some cases to share with their patients.
"It's not education. It's PR," says Andy Bellatti, a Las Vegas-based dietitian who helped found Dietitians for Professional Integrity, a group of about a dozen dietitians who are calling for an end to the practice.
More on this story here well worth your time.

Dietitians for Professional Integrity can be found here.

Eddie

DCUK Quote of the week !

"Always best to be truthful IMHO"

Noblehead on the Telling the truth thread

Below is a copy of a thread I placed on this blog 12 September 2012. Within a very short time Noblehead edited out a large part of his post at diabetes.co.uk. It's obvious why he did this. Lowcarb had been his salvation as can be clearly seen from his original post. You will also see how he rubbishes his side kicks post, Sid Bonkers breakfast of corn flakes and toast. You will also see clearly what a two faced duplicitous toad Noblehead is. The $64000 question must be, why does he now not want others to receive the benefits a huge reduction in carbs brought him.

Eddie 16/10/2013 No more Mr. Nice Guy


For the last couple of years our Nige has been consistent. He never fails to get involved with the low carb debate. He waxes lyrical about the NHS and it’s staff. See a dietitian he tells lots of people, see your Doctor, see your diabetes nurse, in short he is a one man public relations outfit for the NHS. Our Nige is also very consistent regarding prominent lowcarb posters. He goads and ridicules them every opportunity he gets. Accusing lowcarb members of lying, then when the thread heats up, he screams I’m being bullied and bellows for the mods. Rubbishing books by Bernstein, Taubes and Kendrick that have helped lowcarbers, dismissing them as “only interested in making money and causing controversy” but then has the stupidity to admit he has never read them. 

So, our Nige is sorted, he doesn’t need books or lowcarbers telling him how to control his diabetes. He has his health professionals to do that. Who needs lowcarb stalwarts to tell Nige how to control his weight, control his HbA1c numbers, to reduce his retinopathy, to teach him how to store and properly use his insulin ? Yes you have guessed it, the lowcarbers sorted our Nige a few years ago. Three years ago Nige was thanking lowcarbers for helping him and improving his knowledge and health. HCP’s had let him down and he let all on the forum know in no uncertain terms, as you can see from his original post below.

This post from diabetes.co.uk was posted as a comment on this thread on Saturday. 'Books One mans life saver is another mans doorstop !' it clearly shows what the NHS had done for Nigel. It clearly illustrates what so many members at diabetes.co.uk have stated for years. The NHS lets diabetics down badly. It clearly shows the dietary recommendations are deeply flawed. It manifestly confirms our Nigel is at best a very confused man, maybe a man with very poor memory, is he a total hypocrite ? is he one wave short of a ship wreck ? is he the biggest liar the forum has ever seen ? Make up your own mind, I have. As you can see, Nigel swiftly edited his post placed on the forum three years ago yesterday afternoon. Could it be Nigel realised how ridiculous his antics have been attacking lowcarbers, could he be trying to cover his butt ? Our Nige has been rumbled and he knows it !


By Noblehead September 4th, 2009, 12:05 pm

"I have seen dieticians, read books, spoke to my diabetic care team, and none have offered any constructive advice on controlling weight. Reading this forum has been helpful, and reading other peoples experiences in controlling their diabetes and improving Hba1c's, has been inspirational !

I can't recollect at any time been given advice on reducing carbs to control weight. I have always been told to eat plenty of carbs at every meal, together with the usual meat and veg. Once I was told that a bowl of cereal for breakfast was insufficient, and should include 2 slices of toast also. Looking back I can now see how flawed this advice/information has been.

Cutting back on the carbs, reducing portion size and eating sensible foods, combined with plenty of exercise has changed my approach to diabetes. I am now eating approximately half the amount of carbs I ate only 3 months back, and at last my weight is starting to drop. Before I started to cut back I was 14st 12lb, and being only 5ft 9'' was well overweight, and my BMI was 31"

All the text above removed by noblehead  on September 11th, 2012, 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

All that is left of the original posting.

 By Noblehead September 4th, 2009, 12:05 pm

Today I have got on the scales and I am 14st 3lb, in total a lose of 9lb. Ideally, I would love to get down to the 12st, should this take till this time next year, I don't care much, but I will get there!

I know that 9lb is no big deal, and I still have a long way to go to get to my ideal weight. I just feel a bit miffed that I had to find out myself by reading this forum to gain this information. Somewhere, there has got to be a radical change in advice given to patients with diabetes!

Nigel

Last edited by noblehead on September 11th, 2012, 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

''The Pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The Optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.'' Winston Churchill

Maybe our Nige should change his forum signature.

Low carbers helped me, they can help you, don’t rely on the NHS and DUK dietary advice for diabetics !

Eddie


Click on screenshot for Nigel's much edited post. Swiftly followed up by the low carb king, Fergus.


Link to forum thread here.

"Damn right Nigel!
We are a fortunate few. There are millions of others being made ill by an institutionalised ignorance about nutrition, and most aren't aware it's happening.

It's our duty to spread the word I reckon."

No way would Fergus have made his comment on what was left of Noblehead's post. Fergus made his comment re the original post before Noblehead removed the praise for lowcarb, and where he had rubbished the standard dietary information pushed by the likes of the NHS and DUK 

From another member.

"Well done Nigel!!

That's not 'not much' it's a damned good achievement!! We're lucky to have found this forum, the lower carb method has lost me nearly 2 stone, no longer overweight :-) and on minimal insulin.

Keep it up mate!" 


Eddie