Today, I spent much of my day reading Protein Power by the Drs. Eades. I’d never read it before, and it really highlighted not only how much we rely on prescription drugs to treat diseases that are caused by lifestyle, but just how much prescription drugs actually make lifestyle diseases worse. Example: you eat a lot of carb, your insulin levels go up, causing you to retain water. Your blood pressure goes up. Your doctor prescribes a beta blocker and a diuretic, which get your blood pressure somewhat under control, but also raise your insulin levels further, causing you to gain weight. Your blood lipids go up, so the doctor prescribes a statin, which causes your insulin to go up, and the next thing you know, you’re a Type II diabetic, and you’re lucky if your doctor even knows how to treat Type II correctly. (Should you get insulin? Metformin? What diet should you follow? The answers to these questions depend in part on whether your body can actually still produce insulin, but judging from the experience of friends, it can be very hard to get a 5-hour GTT, and when you do get it, half the time the techs don’t measure your insulin levels.)
So I was quite delighted to find a link to this video in my inbox. I’ve often remarked that the only two reliable news sources in America are The Onion and Jon Stewart. Why is it, anyway, that only comedians can tell the truth in our world? Is it because that bit of laughter is the sugar-coating (whoops! I mean “pat of butter”) that makes the bitter truth go down better?
Oh, and add to my previous list of things we can all agree on: fried Coke is bad.
Migraine aura picture from 
Jut found your blog and have bookmarked it. I’ve been a lowcarber for a number of years and I find most bloggers to be following WW or some other lowfat diet so it’s hard for me to relate. I try to keep fats in control but for the most part I’m more concerned about white flour and sugar than I am about fat grams. I just try to give support where I can.
Nice to see a blog talking bout ketogenic and controlled carbohydrate diets.
Comment by CurvyJones — October 27, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
All too true, unfortunately!
Comment by Irving — October 28, 2007 @ 9:57 am
Yay, another Jon Stewart fan. I’m hoping Gary Taubes will be a guest on the show, promoting his book. Great post. I don’t see Bill Mahar much but he’s nearly always on the mark. Thanks for the great clip.
Just a note about the book you are reading. I hope it is the later version, Protein Power Lifeplan rather than the original PP edition. PPLP has some important updates and IMO, is organized much better. I don’t mean to put PP down, as it has been a great book, but the Eades made some modifications and position changes in light of new info (unlike the low fat, anti-sat fat camp, who can never admit they don’t get something right).
Comment by Anna — October 28, 2007 @ 1:18 pm
Hi, Curvy - sorry it took a while for your comment to appear - it got caught in the spam filters.
Irving - welcome! I hope you’ll come by again.
Anna - I was actually thinking of writing to Jon Stewart and asking him to have Gary Taubes on. I finished PP yesterday; maybe I’ll check the updated book out of the library when I return PP.
Comment by psipsina — October 29, 2007 @ 9:32 am
I see this all the time, even in children. I work with children who are obese. It’s best to get things right with the diet and exercise then see what you have to work with. Unless there is an immediate threat of course.
Comment by Child Obesity — July 21, 2008 @ 5:55 pm