Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution

Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars is a comprehensive guide rooted in the author’s decades of personal experience as a Type 1 diabetic and his subsequent medical career. The book’s central goal is to help patients achieve and maintain normal blood sugars (glucose levels) around the clock, arguing that diabetics are "entitled to the same blood sugars as nondiabetics". The author’s approach often stands in direct opposition to conventional guidelines (such as those previously advocated by the American Diabetes Association).

Who is the Book For?

The book is intended as a tool for patients, to be used under the guidance of their physicians or diabetes educators. It is specifically addressed to people looking for honest, evidence-based information about metabolic health, and is unique in addressing both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

The audience includes those newly diagnosed, as well as individuals who have long-standing diabetes but are dissatisfied with treatments that have left them struggling with complications like encroaching blindness, foot pain, or heart and kidney disease.

What to Expect if You Read the Book

The book is structured as a comprehensive how-to guide detailing the steps necessary for blood sugar normalization. It aims to empower the reader by providing tools to think critically and respect the reader's intelligence completely.

Key subjects covered include:

1. Foundational Knowledge (Part One): You will learn the basics of diabetes, including how a nondiabetic's body controls glucose versus a diabetic's. This section also emphasizes the importance of understanding baseline tests (like Glycated Hemoglobin, or HgbA1c) and outlines the essential supplies needed for tight control, such as a blood sugar meter and the necessary Glucograf III data sheets for meticulous recording.
2. The Low-Carbohydrate Diet (Part Two): The book dedicates significant space to arguing why much of what has been conventionally taught about diet for diabetics is likely wrong. You will find dietary guidelines essential to treatment, including which foods to eliminate (simple sugars and fast-acting carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and most fruits) and what foods constitute a safe, customized meal plan. The diet relies on the "Laws of Small Numbers", asserting that small inputs (low carbohydrate intake) make blood sugar levels predictable.
3. Treatment Plans: The book details various treatment levels tailored to individual severity, ranging from diet and exercise alone (Level 1 and 2 for Type 2) to intensive insulin regimens (Level 4 for all Type 1s). It discusses insulin-sensitizing agents (ISAs) and insulin-mimetic agents (IMAs). It explains why the author avoids oral agents that provoke the pancreas, stating they are "counterproductive" and can cause beta cell burnout.
4. Techniques and Management: You will learn practical techniques, such as painless insulin injection methods, strategies for weight loss, protocols for using exercise to enhance insulin sensitivity, and how to cope with complications like delayed stomach-emptying (gastroparesis).
5. Coping with Emergencies: Detailed instructions are provided for preventing and correcting dangerously low blood sugars (hypoglycemia) using precise doses of glucose, and for managing dehydrating illness or infection.
6. Recipes (Part Three): A cookbook section offers low-carbohydrate, gourmet recipes for sauces, breakfast, soups, salads, and entrees, designed to align with the treatment plan. The book includes patient testimonials demonstrating the program's success.

What You Can Expect to Gain from It

By following the program with a physician’s assistance, readers can expect significant and often dramatic improvements in their health:

• Blood Sugar Normalization: The ability to achieve and sustain blood sugar profiles in the target range (e.g., 80–95 mg/dl).
• Prevention and Reversal of Complications: The fundamental gain is the ability to prevent or even reverse many of the grave complications associated with chronically high blood sugars, such as retinopathy, nephropathy (kidney problems), cardiac issues, and neuropathy (nerve damage, including painful feet and erectile dysfunction).
• Improved Well-being: Patients often report feeling more alert and no longer chronically tired. Improvements are frequently seen in mental functions, including enhanced short-term memory.
• Weight Control: For those who are overweight (especially Type 2 diabetics), the low-carbohydrate diet and corresponding reduction in insulin levels facilitate weight loss and a reduction in insulin resistance.
• Personal Control and Empowerment: Readers gain confidence and a feeling of control over their metabolic state, reducing the fear of long-term consequences.
• Beta Cell Preservation: For those with remaining pancreatic function, the regimen helps preserve the residual insulin-producing capability, reducing the likelihood of eventual "burnout".

Note for European readers

For Europeans, the book can seem a bit "American". All units and measurements are in American units, so some conversion is needed. Also the food and medication types are somewhat "American". That said, the book is an absolute treasure trove of information for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.