Dr Robert Cywes: Understanding Diabetes
 

Dr Robert Cywes, the "Carb Addiction Doc", has started a five part mini-series on Diabetes. The first two parts have been posted, and if you already like his carb addiction model of disease, you will love this series. He has recently been on a number of podcasts if you want to hear more (DietDoctor, LowCarbMD, etc)

Part 1: https://youtu.be/7RMq-6w0efc

His YouTube channel is #carbaddictiondoc. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk...rjSYBa1VKv9-chA

His website is Obesity Understood (he is a bariatric surgeon, if a patient needs help beyond diet). https://obesityunderstood.com/

Great links, thank you Janet.

Edited to add:

Reading Dr. Cywes several years ago regarding his claims that carbohydrate addiction is the underlying cause of Metabolic Syndrome and its varied symptoms made something click in me. While I was firmly into a low carb lifestyle at the time, his information made me realize why I had been previously progressively eating/ craving more carbs as I got older before I came to my senses. I now claim I am a recovered carb addict. Parts 1 and 2 of his "Understanding Carb Addiction" are excellent for helping those new to low carb or who have weight, T2D, and other related problems. Explained in a basic way, it's a light bulb for those who want to understand why they're having problems, what is causing them, and why it makes sense to limit/ eliminate the one macro, carbohydrates, that is not essential for humans.

I heard his LowcarbMD podcast. The addiction model really resonated with me. In the podcast, he recounted patients crying because they're being told they can't have their favorite foods anymore. Or worse, crying because they refuse to give them up despite realizing those foods are slowly killing them!

I was one of those crying over no more desserts when I was diagnosed T2. Thankfully though, I did give up carby foods, albeit with a bit of a relapse. Being on the other side of the carb addiction, I see how disordered that was to be so attached to food.

Thanks for sharing ...he really makes you think about "addiction", though many claim that doesn't pertain to food. The times I take "one bite" of a dessert and then fall face first into a second helping..says otherwise.

Two more parts to his Diabetes series were posted yesterday ..including Putting T2 into Remission.

Whatever it is called, my binging on carbs is real and it doesn't happen with any other food. It doesn't matter whether it is a pint of Ben and Jerry's, a big bag of popcorn, a saucepan full of rice or a pizza, once I start eating any of these things I can't stop. This is why I continue to eat low carb, it cures whatever it is that ails me, whether someone wants to call it addiction or not.

All five parts are now posted, including how to manage T1 and Gestational Diabetes (scary) His advice for treatment of T2 is start slowly, but then the goal (within a rather short amount of time) is Zero Carb. :)
Don’t get wound up in counting or allocating carbs...just eat as close to Carnivore as possible. :idea: :idea:
Although he does advise reducing meds by watching BG closely (CGM if possible) with your doctor's guidance, at the same time, he also openly shares suggestions for logical steps to reduce meds.

This whole thing also ties in with the concept of seasonality as an eating trigger. Polar regions have cold seasons and more equatorial ones have dry one: times of food scarcity. The harvest time is when we stuff ourselves and build up a layer of fat. From the abundant carbs.

This evolutionary survival impulse, taken out of its native context, becomes disordered in an environment of relentless high carb abundance.

Another angle of addiction is how such substances "push" the dopamine system for stress relief: which was behind my own Eating Disorder. Recovery is difficult because the body gets used to being pushed.

So the sufferer cannot summon up the proper chemicals, and must have the push. Much like Methadone can make a heroin addict feel "normal."

People only understand they feel miserable without their drugs. And since high carb goodies have known effects on the brain: why can't they be seen as any other drug?

I KNOW I was carb-addicted. What got me out was taking a longer view than the sugar rush of the moment. I made myself consider how I'd feel after. How I suffered when I couldn't find clothes that fit, how tired and cranky I was so often.

Now, nearly Carnivore myself, I feel -- for the first time -- utterly free of such disastrous impulses.

Low Carb MD podcast just had Joan Ifland on this week. She wrote a textbook (to be released next week) on processed food addiction and utilizing a model similar to that for other addictive substances.

Very interesting, and much of what she says rings true to me.

I would totally buy that. Will look it up, thanks!

And right in time for this post, Ketogenic diet may help eating disorders

https://www.dietdoctor.com/ketogeni...ating-disorders

Study: https://link.springer.com/content/p...-020-0278-7.pdf

Dr Westman and Dr Tro provide case studies...other LC researchers and clinicians also authors.

I've only watched the first of the 5 Dr. Cywes podcasts but I was very impressed with the way he didn't beat around the bush.