Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Grav
I still have no expectations as far as this project is concerned. I completely accept the very real likelihood of hitting a snag somewhere and things just coming to a halt and eventually falling away. For a while it looked like I'd hit that snag in just trying to make contact with someone. But I'm past that now, so it's on to the next one. Assuming I do hit a wall at some point, that's fine. At least I tried, and at least I'll know how far I was able to get by doing so.
Until I know this, it's still a worthwhile endeavour as you say, no matter what happens. I just want to try.
|
It's been a long time coming, but today I have finally received a formal response from the Ministry of Health regarding the proposal I presented to the Minister back in March.
I'm not going to reproduce the letter here, but in broad terms, let's just say I have finally hit my snag. The Ministry re-iterates its overall justification for the current Eating and Activity Guidelines based on the total weight of current evidence, and offers statistics that suggest that the reason for our collective ill health is not because those guidelines are wrong, but because we as a population are not following them closely enough. In other words, it's our fault.
While they acknowledge the existence of some evidence for LCHF as a possible treatment option for diabetes, they don't consider the evidence to be substantial enough for inclusion in guidelines aimed at the general population. And even if it was, it would be considered out of scope anyway, as the guidelines are not designed for the treatment of chronic metabolic issues, but simply for the prevention of said issues. Ironic, I know.
The letter ends on a conciliatory note with a handwritten message from Dr Clark who suggests that the guidelines may evolve with time as more and better evidence comes to light around nutrition and eating behaviours.
It's hard to describe how I'm feeling right now, beyond just... deflated. As much as I always said I expected to hit a stumbling block at some point, that doesn't really make it any less disappointing to have finally done so. I suppose in a way I could be grateful that the response took this long, so that it allowed me to have a sense of hope about all this for as long as I did. It was fun while it lasted, I can say that much.
Now that I have finally reached this point, I can take stock and consider other options. The letter did also mention New Zealand's upcoming health system review and how I might be able to get involved. Perhaps that will give me an opportunity for a fresh approach at some point, not to the Minister himself, but to his experts instead. I'll keep thinking...