Sometimes we all have to wonder what is happening. Many of us know that we have to eat by what our meter tells us. We know that the ADA guidelines are there for a reason; however, by using our meter we know that the guidelines are out of our reach, but maybe not for everyone.
Maybe this should more appropriately be titled Move over ADA, the Diabetes Forums will now set the standards. This does not include the smaller forums and those outside the US. They generally have different agendas.
While all forums do a lot of good for people with diabetes - all types - they all have their idiosyncrasies which take some time to adjust to. Some of these are good because they allow for people with different needs and personalities.
For the four largest US Diabetes Forums, the challenge apparently is being in disagreement with the ADA or finding ways to create conflicts. Whether this is intentional or just their aggressive posturing and marketing strategy remains to be understood as the forums are very closed about what they do behind the scenes. However, let the members say too much against the ADA, and the moderators will discourage or stop this by what ever means they feel appropriate.
The large diabetes forums are trying to usurp ADA in the designation of types of diabetes. They do not make any statements that this is an unofficial designation and that the designation is for simplicity. This is important because by their actions they are misleading their members. Unless their members are diabetes and ADA savvy, they will assume the forum they belong to is correct. This applies to type 1.5 (LADA) Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. The ADA designation is LADA and it is included in the discussion of Type 1.
Three of the four forums has the audacity to label a group of people that do not have diabetes as a Type 3 class. I believe all four do this, but have not found it in the last one. There are many other examples put forth by the forums, but this is a topic for another blog.
This is explained (lamely) as including family members and friends of people with diabetes and caregivers. Offended, VERY MUCH SO! My wife, daughter, and son are also offended, and like myself do not like that my family members are disrespected and stereotyped because people are lazy. It is my diabetes, not theirs. My family respects that I am able to take charge and not force them to be part of my diabetes. I know they would come to my aid if and when it may be needed.
Even some of the bloggers in the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) have classed people without diabetes as Type 3. (same as above). While I can agree the family and friends may be an integral part in the support of family members with diabetes, they should be given the respect they deserve and not stereotyped.
While the ADA is slow to recognize some forms of possible diabetes, I have to wonder where the four diabetes forums have received the authority that they seem to be so willing to flaunt in the face of the ADA.
On March 9, 2010, a question was asked about the policies of one forum. What followed was not the prettiest with members generally on one side and site personnel on the other. It can be found at the first post (link broken) and the topic is locked at seven plus pages. Before reading all of the information, it would be good good to get a different perspective on the topic of resistant starch. While the forum did not say how long resistant starch has been in existence, they presented it as the latest help and miracle tool for people with diabetes. My research is telling me that resistant starch existed before 2004.
Before I get too far into this, I will stop and let Tom Ross finish the topic by referring you to his blog (link is now broken) of March 11, 2010. He has done an excellent job of covering the topic and discussion on resistant starch.
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