YP Letters: Diet concerns for dealing with diabetes

I REFER to the letter (The Yorkshire Post, December 31) from Verner Wheelock and am pleased to find out that I am not the only one who has been thinking that the diet advice for people with type 2 diabetes is completely counter-productive.

For a long time I have thought, “they cannot be serious!” when telling us to eat carbohydrates, which most people know turn into sugar in the digestive system. I was very surprised, too, to find out that doctors seem to accept that some of us will never manage to lose enough weight to make a difference to our blood sugar, so a higher reading is allowed!

Thank goodness for Dr Michael Mosley and his collaborators who have researched and produced The Eight Week Blood Sugar Diet and accompanying recipe book. This works. Having done a month of it before Christmas and lost over half a stone, I am about to continue with it as long as it takes to get off the drugs. I have found too, that many of the recipes in the Lean in 15 books by Joe Wicks, follow similar principles and are very useful.

From: Dave Harcombe, Thorpe in Balne, Doncaster.

FOLLOWING on from Verner Wheelock’s letter, can I as a type two diabetic community pharmacist urge all fellow diabetics not to miss their retinal screening appointments?

Having eyes checked annually is a vital part of diabetic management. Early identification and treatment of diabetic eye problems can significantly reduce sight loss - currently one per cent of world blindness is caused by diabetes.

Sight is so important. Don’t turn a blind eye to it.

Twilight of the gas lamps

From: Philip C Tordoff, Hightown Road, Cleckheaton.

HAVING had an interest in gas lamps for well over 70 years, I was fascinated by your recent article concerning the elaborate former gas lamps to be seen in Harrogate.

I well remember these, but not in their days of gas illumination.

There were, however, still some working gas lamps in use in 1964.

This type of lantern, a 
product of either Sugg or Littleton, was very popular on railway stations and was more likely to be found for street lighting in Lancashire rather than in Yorkshire.

Most of the remaining gas lamps were to be replaced in many Yorkshire towns by the 1960s but some lingered on in Leeds, even as late as the early 21st century.

We pay for Palace refit

From: Edward Mitchell, Bridgwater, Somerset.

WHY do we, the taxpayers, have to fund the 10-year, £370m refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, through a 66 per cent ‘pay increase’ for the Queen?

Why can’t the Royal Household, already obscenely wealthy, pay for this?

I’ve had to pay directly for recent upgrades to my home without any assistance from Her Majesty.

Claim firms are parasites

From: Bob Watson, Baildon.

THOSE parasite claims companies really are getting beyond a joke. It seems that it won’t be long before as soon as we sneeze we will be inundated with encouragement to make a claim. The latest wheeze would appear to be claiming for pressure sores while in hospital.

It really is time that these compensation chasers were firmly monitored and controlled.

Recycle your cards

From: Greg Mulholland, Lib Dem MP, Leeds North West.

CHRISTMAS cards are always wonderful to receive, and even once Christmas has passed, we can still ensure they are put to good use. I applaud the appeal by the Woodland Trust and am pleased to give it my support.

I would encourage local residents to ensure that their Christmas cards, once no longer wanted, are put in recycling bins so they can be collected.

Welcome online break

From: Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby.

AFTER a four-day festive break from the internet, my private email account had just one message on my return. This shows that the world wide web isn’t perhaps as vital to our daily lives as many think it is.

Sweet old memories

From: Hugh Rogers, Messingham Road, Ashby.

WHY all the fuss about the new one pound coin? The 12-sided brass threepenny ‘bit’ was in all our pockets from early in the 20th century until the advent of decimal coinage. You could get twelve ‘blackjacks’ for threepence. But that was in the days when Mars bars were big enough to be worth buying and a Wagon Wheel a proper mouthful.

As my wife puts it, “what goes around, comes around”.

Cringe TV

From: Pete Griffin, Beeston.

I HAVE just read that Indoor League with Fred Trueman is set to be re-screened after 40 years in the can. How disappointing! This show, cringeworthy at best, showed an archetypal Yorkshireman, complete with pipe and a pint, showing unusual, archaic pub games.

What a laugh this will be for southerners who think all northerners are like that.