Guest guest Posted January 1, 2001 Report Share Posted January 1, 2001 Hey , Hope you had a great New Year. I am majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the U of A. So, when I read the parts pointed out from his site, I see that he is looking at the situation from a broader perspective. Many of my lectures about diabetes reflect what Weil says, that in the past when we were hunters and gatherers and our eating patterns and meals were so much different, " a certain type of person " would in fact be the " fittest " and would have survived. People who were more apt to pack on weight did better than those with better metabolisms (Remember Rich from Survivor? He looked great the whole time while the other castaways looked really pathetic). I used the phrase " a certain type of person " because in that type of life, diabetes was probably never a problem. Now think of how fast the situation has changed. Evolution usually takes thousands and thousands of years. Suddenly we are living in times where we can eat anything regardless of the season, there are Mcs on almost every corner, and most restuarants serve up carb-filled dishes that fill our plates and are cheap to make. Most breads are processed. This happened in a really short time, and our poor bodies did not have enough time to evolve and adjust. - As a result - diabetes DEVELOPED - both type I and II. I don't think he's saying we have to torure ourselves and starve in order to control it. Again, he is talking about the bigger picture. Humankind must rethink the way eating patterns are developing. Give our bodies a chance to catch up. Not that near-starvation is the best way - there is a middle road- but that we should progress slowly. The change has been too fast. He feels the disease could be eliminated then. Changes we make now to our lifestyle will help us here and now, but to combat it as a disease - to cure it once and for all- means to look at the lifestyle and environment of man. Of course, this will probably never be possible, but isn't it awesome to look at diabetes in this way? To look at the nuts and bolts of the cause? BJ > ________________________________________________________________________ > > Message: 16 > Date: Mon, 01 Jan 2001 16:19:09 -0000 > > Subject: Dr. Weil (WAS: Digest Number 1262) > > > >> About Dr. Weil: >> Ya, I know Dr. Weil doesn't have much in the way >> of diabetic info, but I appreciate the fact that >> he readily admits that he doesn't know. On his site, >> pertaining to diabetes he says, " It is beyond the >> scope of this database to go into detail about way >> to manage diabetes without relying exclusively on >> pharmaceutical drugs. ... He also says, " perhaps >> lifestyle and environment can be manipulated in >> ways that encourage the disease to recede. ... >> I have no alternative program to suggest, except >> to encourage diabetic patients to experiment >> actively with diet, and the frequency and size of >> meals, and with all aspects of lifestyle to see if >> they can lower the amount of insulin they require > > > To be fair to Dr. Weil, B.J., I would like to quote the text that > precedes that statement because it puts the matter in a slightly > different light: > ------------------------------- > " There is a surprising amount of diabetes in the world, surprising > for a genetically controlled disorder that can make people so ill and > shorten life considerably. One way to account for the persistence of > the responsible genes is to consider how they might have been > advantageous in the past. In fact, in populations living near > starvation or living through cycles of feast and famine, which would > probably include many of our ancestors, diabetics might be better off > than nondiabetics. They have a different sort of metabolism, one that > becomes a disadvantage only when food is present in abundance all of > the time. > > If this view is correct, as I believe it to be, then diabetes is not > a disease or curse in itself but rather an alternative genetic > constitution that becomes a disease only in relationship to lifestyle > and environment. One suggestion that follows from this line of > thinking is that perhaps lifestyle and environment can be manipulated > in ways that encourage the disease to recede. .... " > ------------------------------- > > To me it is quite clear here that he is talking only about Type 2. > I find it impossible to think of any circumstances in which > Type 1 " diabetics might be better off than nondiabetics " . > > And when he talks about " manipulating lifestyle and environment " he > must surely be referring to the theme that runs all through his > stuff - namely that the mind and soul play an important part, too. > And that it is up to the patient to experiment with breathing, > relaxation, stress reduction, massage, meditation, biofeedback and > hypnotherapy, etc. > > When he says that he has " no alternative program to suggest " I > believe he means that there is never going to be a " wonder pill " - we > just have to accept that the way we have been living up to now has > not been the healthiest and that we ought to question, and consider > changing, every single aspect of our behaviour pattern if we are > looking for long-term lasting improvement. > > I am sure he doesn't mean that we diabetics Type 2 would be better > off as part of " populations living near starvation or living through > cycles of feast and famine " . Those kind of populations usually don't > get to live long enough to have diabetes Type 2 as one of their big > problems. > > I believe he means that we have to live with the metabolism that, for > whatever reason, we already have and the only real chance left to us > is to try to live as close as possible to the kind of lifestyle that > matches that metabolism. And that must surely include making energy > expenditure (physical work, exercise) the centerpoint of our lives > instead of energy intake (food, drink and candy). > > Dr. Weil has enough suggestions on his site to keep Type 2 diabetics > busy for a while - it is a pity that he doesn't have much for Type > 1's. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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