This appeared in the USA Today section of the Letters To The Editor after this newspaper ran a week long series on diabetes & how to control it.


As an opthalmologist, I treat eye problems in diabetic patients. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the world today. ('Diabetes "revolution" is cutting both ways.' Cover Story, News, Nov. 12)

In numerous studies, elevated blood sugars hae been linked to diabetic vision loss despite potentially successful medical and surgical treatments.

Medication should be used to control blood sugar only aftr an optimum diet & exercise regimen has been established. Most patients, however, expect medication to control blood sugars no matter what they eat.

They adjust insulin or pill dosags to cover their dietary indiscretions. Unfortunaltely, dieticians routinely give patients complex diets that require a ruler, a sacle & a calculator. It is no wonder that few diabetics can adhere to these elaborate eating regimens.

I explain to my patients that eating carbohydrates is like putting diesel fuel in a vehicle that can only run on gasoline.

Just as a gas engine won't burn diesel, a diabetic's 'engine' cannont burn carbohydrates.

I then off them a simple five-finger diabetic diet, saying "There are five things you cannot eat: bread & baked goods, potatoes & root vegetables, rice, pasta & fruit except berries."

Patients who eliminate these items lose weight & can easiley control their sugar levels. Expecting patients to abide by a diet that is difficult to follow causes non-compliance & increases their risk of blindness.

Dan Eichenbaun, M.D.
Murphy N.C.

Easy memory technique........... I should do a better job of practicing it.

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 138-140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more Fooling myself!