Knowledge is Sweet: A Seminar Presented by the Diabetes Action Network
by Debbie Wunder
From the Editor: Debbie is the president of the Diabetes Action Network, a longtime member from Missouri, and my wife. Together we serve on the Division’s board of directors, and I get the opportunity to work behind the scenes so that she can deservedly get center stage. Here is what she has to say about our upcoming seminar in April:
We know that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the United States, and we know that without the proper intervention, many people will see this as something they cannot manage on their own. Although there are real problems with the medical technology that is not accessible to us, blind diabetics can and do live independently, and communicating this message and the work that remains to be done is the reason we are holding the Knowledge is Sweet Seminar.
Our seminar, sponsored by our Diabetes Action Network, will be held on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, 2024. We'll be meeting at the Hilton St. Louis Airport located at 10330 Natural Bridge Rd, St. Louis, MO 63134. The cost of a room is $111 a night, and when you book, the room block is under the name National Federation of the Blind. To reach the hotel call 314-426-5500. We tried it, it works, and registering only begins the fun.
The board is working on the agenda, and we are trying to get doctors, dietitians, drug manufacturers, and the people who make devices we use in administering those drugs and in checking our blood sugar. We already have one of our keynote speakers, Gary Taubes. For those of you who may not know him, he is a journalist who looked into the science of obesity and the diseases it makes us susceptible to getting. Conclusions he draws from often overlooked scientists are:
- Obesity is not an issue of those who have willpower and those who don't
- The assertion that weight maintenance, weight loss, and weight gain is not nearly as simple as calories in vs calories out
- The idea that eating fat will make you fat seems to have a ring of truth about it, but the supposition is not supported by studies and the way we digest and use food for energy
- A calorie is a calorie is much too simplistic when it comes to food
- The prescription to eat low-fat high-carbohydrate foods provably does not work for most people
- We eat much too much sugar, and this excess is responsible for many of the problems we have—problems which were once called the King's Disease because only people of wealth could afford sugar in significant amounts
- Science tries to be driven by facts, but even it falls prey to inertia. Popular opinions get published; unpopular ones must look to places other than scientific journals for real airing and discussion
The purpose of our seminar is to promote thought and discussion; it is not to endorse or debunk any point of view, because we do not consider ourselves experts on nutrition, exercise, or even diabetes. Our goal is to share, to learn, and to give people tools that they are free to use or not. Our mission is to send one message clearly and concisely: In your blindness and diabetes, you are not alone. We will share our stories with the hope that they will add to the independence and freedom all of us want.
Please register with the hotel as soon as you can. For a copy of the Knowledge is Sweet Registration form, write to Debbie Wunder, [email protected]. Alternatively, text or call me at 573-268-6989. The cost will be $99, and this fee will entitle you to four plated meals and all presentations.
I am excited, and I hope you are as well. I don't enjoy the disease we share, but I love the work we can do to help blind people learn to live and thrive with it.