Disproving general practitioner

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(Chris) #1

Hey all,
I was at my doctor recently and she said that keto is ok short term and very effective for losing weight. She said ketosis “basically turns you into a vat of acid and changes your ph balance slightly”. She said long term it will not only eat at fat bit also muscle and bone density. Any thoughts or verifiable proff that this is correct or incorrect?

(Alec) #2

I would ask her for the verifiable proof. Sounds like bollox to me.
Cheers
Alec

(Allie) #3

GPs are not trained in nutrition so whatever misguided opinion they have, it’s their own rather than a formal medical opinion. Just forget it and do what works for you.

(Terence Dean) #4

Ask her if she learned that from Dr. Stephen Phinney, if she says “Who’s he?”. Politely leave and find another doctor.

(Alec) #5

Chance of a regular GP knowing who Phinney is? Close to zero? Is he known in Establishment medical circles?

(Terence Dean) #6

Good point but here’s a list of Aussie GPs who would know who Phinney is for example, he’s standing in the line-up on this page:
https://lowcarbdownunder.com.au/resources/lchf-practitioners/
Only three listed for South Australia but at least its a start, may it become a longer list!

(Alec) #7

Oh sure, if you hand pick a lchf knowledgable dr, then of course they should know him. But is the OP’s dr going to know him? Ah, no.

(Terence Dean) #8

Exactly!

(Candy Lind) #9

THIS. :+1: KCKO!

(Carol E. ) #10

Low carb and keto for doctorsBy Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD – Updated May 2018

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(karen) #11

This perception sounds like 20 kinds of nonsense blended together. 1. Ketosis and ketoacidosis are not the same thing. 2. Blood pH doesn’t change regardless of what you eat (except as Paul points out, in a diabetic crisis). 3. To the extent that digestion / excretion can become more acidic, if you subscribe to the theory that it matters, yes, meat and dairy will make you more acidic but as we all know, keto isn’t necessarily a diet high in meat, so saying ‘keto acidizes’ is an inaccurate generalization.

As far as losing muscle and bone on keto, there’s a lot of info on this site about it. I’d say the consensus among “our” keto experts seems to be that as long as a person is fat adapted, hasn’t dieted themselves into metabolic slowdown, and isn’t calorie restricted, their body will ‘eat’ fat before it resorts to eating muscle. - makes sense, we evolved to live off that fat when we needed to, not to start out by hogtying our ability to hunt and gather food by cannibalizing our muscles.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #12

The mechanisms that keep the blood buffered are powerful. Ketoacidosis is possible only in the absence of insulin, so if you are type I and taking your insulin, you are safe. If you are type II and the beta cells of your pancreas are functioning even minimally, you are safe. If you are pre-diabetic, you are safe. If you are insulin-sensitive, do you even need to eat keto?

(Chris) #13

Isn’t keto useful for many people, diabetic or not?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

Of course! I was just noting that there are some people (Dr. Phinney estimates about 20% of the population, in fact) who are able to handle carbohydrate so well that they don’t have to eat keto at all, though I do believe that even they might benefit from it.

(Allie) #15

@Gracec I’m not diabetic and have never had blood sugar or insulin issues at all, it’s great for me :slight_smile:

(Kaiden) #16

Now… if you’re just starting out, or if you have been keto for a while but are still having digestive issues, you can benefit from adding supplemental acid. Unlike the more plant-based great apes, we’re not a huge fermentation vat. We are vats of acid, the kind used to dispose of bodies. Fermentors, like gorillas, live on a high-fat diet. They ingest massive amounts of carbohydrates, but those are fuel for gut bacteria that produce fatty acids.

Humans evolved differently. We are better off eating the fat directly.

#17

Then you’ll be leaving 99% of doctors across the planet. Nobody outside of our circles knows who he is. I get what you’re saying but gotta be realistic. Not easy finding Functional Med docs that have their eyes open to this stuff.

(Adam Kirby) #18

Change your pH balance=you’re dead. Period. So no, she is unfortunately a scientific illiterate.

#19

This is an opportunity to educate your doctor that you should not waste. I’ve found that by sticking to peer-reviewed medical literature you have a chance to break through. I’d send an email to your doctor along the lines of…
"I appreciated our talk about ketogenic diets…Your comment about X concerned me a little, …its not uncommon for people to have misconceptions about what a ketogenic diet is…I’ve found reading about the science underpinning this approach helpful…I recommend you check out the Dietdoctor.com website, which has a section written especially for medical professionals.

I helped write such a letter for my wife’s GP

The other issue that’s not really been addressed in this thread is what is your comfort level doing something that your doctor doesn’t support - if you’re fine agreeing to disagree with your doctor on this issue and you like the rest of the care you’re getting then no problem. if you feel like you need the full support and blessing of your doctor then you might want to look for a doctor who is open to low carb/keto .

(Terence Dean) #20

A quick google search will drop that number dramatically.