Alkaline and Feelin’ Fine

I read Barbarella’s interesting article on Diabetes 1 and 2.

I use a cookbook called 60 Seconds to Slim by Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, RNCP, ROHP. She maintains the main problem we have with our foods is that they’re all acidic, and that we should be eating alkaline foods. She explains this, and she has recipes.

The book is less than $20 on Amazon. Perhaps you wish to give this information to parents. It helped me. I don’t technically have diabetes and never have, but felt like I was heading in that direction. I purchased that book and feel so much better.

The last time I went to the doctor, I had a high cholesterol reading, but the doctor said it was because it was a good cholesterol reading!

• Christina Bartley
• via voicemail

Beyond Type 1 and 2

Through statistical inaccuracies in the cover story on type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), your reporter in effect inflates the prevalence of T1DM by twofold.

The figures “three million Americans suffer from type 1 diabetes ... 10 percent of all diabetics” are entirely incorrect. The correct figures are 1.5 million and 5 percent. 5 percent — 1 in 20 — is the ratio of T1DM to all diabetics in America, which is cited year in and year out by the federal Dept. of Health and Human Services, and by diabetes professionals.

It's true that the public health impact of T1DM (not to mention T2DM) is severe, and that the number of diagnosed cases of diabetes, of both type 1 and type 2, has been steadily rising for years.

The article does not cite sources for its figures. Incidentally, although “T1D” and “T2D” may be in use as an abbreviation for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, the medical profession more often uses T1DM and T2DM.

As for the raw number of cases of T1DM, the figure of 1.5 million is derived from information in the “National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011." The Fact Sheet reports 25.6 million cases of all types of diabetes in people 20 and older. Five percent of that is 1.32 million. The Fact Sheet also reports that 215,000 people under age 20 had some type of diabetes. (If one Googles the combination of terms: diabetes prevalence “type 1, type 2”, this yields many authoritative results from branches of the federal Dept. of Health and Human Services, especially the Centers for Disease Control.)

There are at least four more categories of diabetes besides type 1 and type 2, among them MODY (“maturity onset diabetes of the young”, which has multiple forms and can go undetected until late middle age) and LADA (“latent autoimmune diabetes in adults,” which actually can strike children too). The miscellaneous categories add up to about five percent of all cases of diabetes in this country, according to conventional wisdom, although a leading diabetes doctor, Jeff Unger, claims a far higher prevalence for LADA, “10 to 30%” of supposedly T2DM patients, in his textbook, Diabetes Management in Primary Care. Apparently the majority of physicians are unaware that treatments for type 1 or type 2 tend to be ineffective for MODY and LADA.

• Name Withheld
• Pacific Beach

Undercurrent of Contempt

I'll start off by saying that it's obvious the author put time and effort into writing this article (“Type 1 Terror”). That's part of what makes it so very frustrating to see the contrast (both implicit and explicit) in the authorial treatment of people with type 1 diabetes versus people with type 2 diabetes, and the clear undercurrent of contempt and moral judgement against those with type 2 diabetes that is manifest in the article.

Gavin, who has type 1 diabetes, is described in this article as being “lean,” active, and eating organic foods. He is described as “skinny” and as eating healthy — even as being “beautiful.” On the other hand, the picture the article paints of type 2 diabetics is of people whose problems “can be fixed with behavior” like diet and exercise; people who gave themselves this life-threatening disease by eating “Twinkies and Coke” (and are thus to blame for their own predicament — unlike the good type 1 sufferers to whom their disease just happens).

The implicit contrast set up between these good diabetics and people with type 2 or bad diabetics could not be more clear — nor could the moral judgement made against type 2 diabetics. I agree that making the distinction between types of diabetes is important. However, the difference between the types could've been made without making what is basically a deeply judgmental contrast between groups of people.

My father, who, until his recent retirement, spent 25 years as a wildland firefighter and smokejumper, has type 2 diabetes. His hobbies are, and have always been, activities like fishing and hiking. He's never been a drinker, he finds sodas “too sweet,” and the major vice throughout his life has been his custom of drinking a cup of black coffee before his daily morning jog. He's never in his life been overweight. The portrait of this upstanding, active, otherwise healthy man could not be at greater odds with your portrayal of type 2 diabetics. Setting aside the moral judgements made in the article, the author’s unilateral portrayal of type 2 diabetics as bad diabetics, or the authors of their own misfortune, is deeply inaccurate in that it leaves no room for people like my father.

Aren’t journalists supposed to be concerned with accurate reporting? Without this inaccurate and deeply judgmental undercurrent, the article would have been much improved.

The contrast in patient education received by Gavin and Victoria was legitimately interesting, as was the parental DIY movement to create better glucose-monitoring systems. I wish more time and space had been spent on facets of the article like these, and less on misleading, stereotypical judgements that in the final analysis can do nobody any good. I’d prefer my journalism without the contempt, thanks.

• Hannah
• South Park

Deliberate Neglect

Re: City Lights: “Will Chargers Eat Up Our Sidewalks?”

I believe renovating Qualcomm is preferable to building a new stadium downtown. The huge parking lot at Qualcomm is an asset. Parking downtown will be a nightmare. Half the fun of attending Chargers games are the tailgate parties before and after, especially when the team has disappointing seasons. Even if they build parking structures downtown I suspect there will be no BBQ fires allowed in those structures, thus putting a damper on tailgate parties.

Cost of parking will probably increase too. Fans should consider seat license fees of $2000 or more per fan for the right to buy tickets will probably be implemented.

The city has deliberately neglected periodic maintenance of Qualcomm stadium along with roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, etc. so as to have money to spend on other pet projects. We have billions of dollars of neglected infrastructure, plus billions of dollars of unfunded retiree pensions and medical benefits.

San Diego cannot afford to pay the major share of a new $1.1 billion (plus interest) stadium even if it brings a Super Bowl to the city every 15 years or so. The average taxpayer cannot afford Super Bowl tickets, so who does having a Super Bowl here benefit? It benefits the downtown hotel, bar, and restaurant owners.

I suggest the mayor, city council, and especially taxpayers look at the history of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a city with a population of about 105,000. Lambeau Field, seating 37,000, was built in 1957, 10 years before Qualcomm stadium was built. Lambeau has undergone major expansions and renovations and is one of the most up-to-date stadiums now, the second largest in the NFL, seating 80,000. They added club seating, luxury suites, and restaurants. The team, the city, and the county all made major contributions to build and upgrade Lambeau Field. You won’t find this information in the local media, so check out Wikipedia.

• Bob Carlson
• Serra Mesa

Not That Stupid

I’m looking at your blog thing (Blog Diego) in the January 8 Reader (“KKK Adopts a Highway”), and I suspect the author, William Mondt, is full of shit. He writes about driving through the Ozarks, and seeing a road sign claiming that the next two miles are taken care of by the Klu Klux Klan. The picture of the sign is all weathered and illegible. So, I don’t believe it.

I also don’t believe he saw lots of squashed armadillos. If you look in a mammal book — I’ve got one here, The Golden Nature Guide — Guide to Familiar American Species — if you look up armadillos, their range does'nt extend up into the Missouri Ozarks, or even the Arkansas Ozarks. Possibly a little bit of Arkansas and Oklahoma, but not the Ozarks themselves.

I lived for several years in Louisiana and I never saw a dead armadillo on the road. They’re not that stupid. I’ve been back and forth through Texas, and never saw a squashed armadillo on the road.

So, I think this guy is full of shit. He’s sort of making fun of people from that part of the country, and in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. Typical California snob, I would say.

I’ve lived half my life at that latitude, southern Illinois, and never saw an armadillo in my life. They don’t come that far north. Mr. Blogster, you’re full of crap.

• Name Withheld
• via voicemail

The Nonsense You See

I saw Vince Meehan’s letter in the January 8 Reader (“Stupid Fun”). I agree with him about stupid tattoos and the stupid reasons people have for having them.

Years ago St. Louis, Illinois had the world’s largest outdoor swimming pool in Jones Park. In the summer of 1947 I was a 15-year-old boy and my grandpa got me a job at the pool as an attendant in the locker room. I saw practically nobody with tattoos. There were a couple people who'd been in the military who might've had a small tattoo on their arm, but none of the nonsense you see now.

There was one white trash guy who had some dirty stuff on his knuckles, and when he put them together it spelled out l-e-t-s f-u-c-k. But that guy was white trash. Even the white trash didn’t have tattoos back then. The girls never had tattoos. If a girl even had an ankle bracelet, they would whisper about her that she was a whore. If a girl had a tattoo, well that was unthinkable! No respectable person had a tattoo.

The world has changed for the worst. I think those things are stupid.

• Name Withheld
• via voicemail

Will Match Competitor’s Price

Regarding the Neighborhood News about the La Costa Alberstons and Vons/Safeway, now owned by one company. What are they going to do, fake competition with coordinated sales?

• Saul Harmon Gritz
• Hillcrest

Squirrels = Erosion

The news about the restoration of the bluffs above the seawall, and further north, is a project long overdue. I'd volunteer to help.

Ms. Montoya forgot to mention what is to be the solution concerning the ground squirrels. These creatures are well-loved by the tourists, but do the most damage to undermine the bluffs, leading to erosion.

Their eradication has been a topic of controversy in the past. At one point it was proposed to gas them, but the idea was ditched due to public outcry. I'm curious to know if the problem has been addressed?

• James Simmonds
• Vista

Sticky

Thanks for doing a great job setting Gerry Braun right on the letter he wrote in from the City Attorney’s Office. Way to stick it to ’em!

Let’s not forget that Gerry Braun was part of the whole Balboa Park centennial committee debacle, the millions of missing dollars, and that he was the former mayor’s right-hand man. He doesn’t really have any cash in this town with his silly, stupid letters anyway. So, thanks for sticking it to him.

• Joe Macaskill
• via voicemail

Under the Bridge

Re: Neighborhood News, “Why Walk When You Can Drive to the Beach?” Building a pedestrian tunnel suspended under the Coronado bridge would be a great investment for San Diego. There is a lot of talk of the great crowds this would draw from all over the world as an iconic cycling and running path. Seeing that there was supposed to be a pedestrian walking lane in the original plans for the bridge, this idea has already been brought up and needs to be re-opened as a topic to discuss.

The addition of a pedestrian tunnel would be very beneficial for the flow of people going in and out of Coronado. The only means of travel to Coronado today is to drive across the bridge, drive all the way around to the Strand (which is an extra 25 to 30 minutes added to drive time), or take the Coronado ferry, which costs $8.50 roundtrip and has limited hours of service.

Building a pedestrian tunnel would make a safe and accessible way for citizens to walk, bike, or run across the bridge. There have been incidents during Critical Mass where cyclists have attempted to stop traffic and ride across the bridge, which lead to the arrest of those cyclists. All of that could have been avoided if there was an easy and accessible way for pedestrians to get from Logan Heights to Coronado Island.

In the plans for the pedestrian tunnel, there would be a viewpoint somewhere near the middle of the bridge. This would be a great way for people to get pictures of the beautiful San Diego skyline 200 feet above the San Diego Bay.

It would cost the city $75,000 to conduct studies and start planning for the pedestrian tunnel, and another $50,000,000 to build the tunnel under the bridge. The project is projected to take about two years to complete, but would be a milestone for San Diego residents to have a safe way to ride or run under the iconic bridge.

Fifty million dollars to complete this project is not a large cost when you look at the benefits. It is a tourist attraction to bring in running and cycling advocates from all across the world to be able to cross the bridge in a tunnel suspended below it. It also provides a safe and fun way for people to go in and out of Coronado. Most importantly, it would be a big new addition to the San Diego Bayshore bikeway; a project that is already underway and could use the improvement of this tunnel.

• Jake Carrasco
• Clairemont Mesa