Not Being Referred To A Diabetes Educator

This is not surprising, and even with this study being done in the country of Canada, the truth of the study is applicable in the USA. I think this is a good thing and every person with diabetes would be better off if they could eliminate this profession. Replace this with people specializing in diabetes that can educate, give sound nutritional advice and not spout dogma from the professional associations. Most people have to find this out on their own and suffer because of the carbohydrate advice spouted by certified diabetes educators (CDEs).

I have started this blog several times and always end up erasing it. So I might as well vent my feelings. Yes, there are some excellent CDEs, but they are few and far between and in positions where they do not need to worry about losing their license for not spouting the dogma that is outdated. If you have one of these that is concerned about your health and your desires for lifestyle changes to lower carbohydrates, do everything possible to stay with this person.

If you are fortunate enough to have a dietitian specializing in diabetes that is more concerned about the nutrition of the food you are eating and not the number of carbohydrates, work with this person and you will benefit in your diabetes management. I have needed to go outside of my doctor's office to find these people and I am happy I did.

I will let you read the article and the abstract on diabetes educators and the problems in Canada, but I think you will agree that these same problems exist in the USA and maybe on a larger scale. The good diabetes educators are in high demand and can be found with some diligent searching. The largest problem is finding them in largely rural areas.

Many of those not utilized by doctors are the ones that contradict the doctor and do other things that are not in the best interest of the patient. Doctors soon realize this and refuse to refer patients. And patients that are proactive in their care will tell their doctors about poor CDEs.

CDEs can be very useful in educating patients about diabetes and using the equipment, taking medications, and providing support – if they would leave nutrition for the nutritionists or dietitians specializing in diabetes.

Low Carb Diabetes Community Not Happy With Hope Warshaw

Hope Warshaw says in her June 12, 2011 blog “As a DHCP I’ve long realized I can’t walk a mile in a PWD shoes. I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease.” DHCP stands for diabetes educator/healthcare provider. She wisely left out educator in the acronym because she has raised the ire of many bloggers and Type 2 people with diabetes in her latest pronouncement on Diabetes Health on June 28, 2011.

So it is obvious that Mz Warshaw is not a person with diabetes. But her article did stir up feelings about low carb when she advocated high carb. What it may have done is get something out in the open to be debated by people in the know about the benefits of low carb and let the general populace know what is needed to put a stop to the obesity epidemic in our country.

In the first part of her two part article, Hope Warshaw also missed the mark by not emphasizing that prediabetes can be managed with diet and exercise if detected early enough and people are educated about this and taught to work on weight reduction and not eating high carb as she directs in part two. She seems to advocate a one size fits all approach which for Type 2 diabetes just does not work.

I will not carry this farther, but will let you read some of the articles this has spawned and the anger in some of the comments. The best and most objective blog is by Laura Dolson of about dot com. The two Hope Warshaw articles are here and here. Another excellent blog about what may be happening is here.