As a physicist, when I looked at the blood sugar graph being drawn, I became intoxicated by the idea that I could devise a way to control that line via the use of the two levers presented to us \u2013 carb and insulin. My love for my son is boundless and there was no brake on my total commitment to figuring out how to control blood sugar. Dave had a different and prescient reaction to his training: “Then I won\u2019t eat carbs,” he said, which elicited a laugh from both me and the doctor.<\/p>\n
As Dave recovered, I turned my mind towards solving the glucose-insulin problem. I kept detailed records of insulin dosing and results. We tried several \u2018control foods\u2019 \u2013 oatmeal and a Starbucks chocolate chip cookie – and attempted to hone in on the magical dosing technique. The results were somewhat tantalizing at first, and I felt like success was near. The models I developed on my computer became more and more sophisticated and I showed my wife \u2018getting close!\u2019 results each night.<\/p>\n
After two or three weeks I got a little discouraged \u2013 some days the model would work, then Dave would have scary lows, then he\u2019d go super high. Meanwhile, my wife had ordered Dr. Bernstein\u2019s book, Diabetes Solution<\/a>. The book arrived and I started flipping through it \u2013 immediately, my physicist\u2019s eye was caught by \u2018the law of small numbers\u2019<\/a>. After reading a page, I became so overwhelmed I could barely focus. I knew we had found our way out of this mess. I recognized that my models and Dave\u2019s results were just the results Dr. Bernstein predicted for high carb foods, i.e. the results from a high carb meal and big doses of insulin were stochastic (random). Dave was right after all \u2013 get rid of the carbohydrates, and you won\u2019t have the blood sugar swings. And that\u2019s what we did. My family changed everything about the way we eat to support Dave. (This resulted in huge health benefits for the rest of us, but that is another story.)<\/p>\n All this happened about 30 days after Dave’s diagnosis. After a few months of studying Dr. Bernstein’s book<\/a> in detail, we had Dave\u2019s A1C below 6% and then below 5.5% and on to where it remains six years later \u2013 below 5.0%. Dave is 15 now. \u00a0Low carb has not been a cure for him \u2013 he still has to do all the work. Here’s a quick review of his day: three basal insulin shots (per Dr. Bernstein\u2019s protocol), Regular insulin (e.g. Humulin-R) to cover low carb high protein meals (pro tip: using R to cover low carb high protein meals is a true revelation), small doses of rapid acting insulin to correct blood sugar over 100 mg\/dL and a measured amount of glucose\/liquid glucose to correct lows below 75 mg\/dL. So, you see that Dave still does all the work\u2026 all the fingerpricks, all the injections and all the vigilance. It’s the same old type 1 diabetes, just without the big blood sugar swings.<\/p>\n When we started treating Dave with a low carb diet, it was difficult to find anyone, especially younger kids, following too. We were nearly alone. This is no longer the case and it is difficult to avoid the pictures of flat CGM lines on social media, and the incredible reports of perfect A1Cs, or recipes for low carb food<\/a> in the diabetes community. Young and old people with diabetes are thriving on a low carb diet<\/a>. The professional associations and charities like the American Diabetes Association<\/a> and JDRF<\/a> have not fully acknowledged the success of low carb, but the secret is out of the bag<\/a>, and they’ll need to embrace the change<\/a> in order to stay relevant. The success of a very low carb diet for children with type 1 diabetes has been so profound that the approach has been studied by groups from Harvard and Duke University and the news of \u2018unprecedented glycemic control\u2019 has been published in Pediatrics<\/a> and reported on in the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dr. Bernstein talked to Dave about a year after his diagnosis. He said, \u201cDave, if you keep doing what you are doing, you\u2019ll be healthier than any of your nondiabetic friends.\u201d Six years later, we are on track and Dr. Bernstein\u2019s statement \u2018you\u2019ll be healthier than any of your nondiabetic friends\u2019 rings true. Dave is over six feet tall, and is turning into a football and basketball star. He has healthy, normal non-diabetic blood sugars and he\u2019s not the only one<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More on Dave\u2019s journey and stories of others can be found here: <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Bernstein\u2019s \u2018parent\u2019s playlist\u2019 on YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Dr. RD Dikeman\u2019s talk on diabetic complications<\/a> and how to avoid them.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/run_high--1024x668.jpg\")
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