The Starvation Treatment of Diabetes

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

26058

Title

The Starvation Treatment of Diabetes

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This book presents the "starvation treatment" of diabetes, a method developed by Dr. Frederick M. Allen that involves starving patients for several days to reduce their blood sugar levels. The authors, Lewis Webb Hill and Rena S. Eckman, provide detailed instructions on how to implement this treatment, including sample diets and menus.

Summary up to 500 words

The Starvation Treatment of Diabetes is a book written by Lewis Webb Hill and Rena S. Eckman that outlines the "starvation treatment" of diabetes developed by Dr. Frederick M. Allen. This treatment involves starving patients for several days to reduce their blood sugar levels, followed by a gradual increase in food intake while monitoring carbohydrate and protein consumption. The authors provide detailed instructions on how to implement this treatment, including sample diets and menus, as well as case reports and food values for various foods. They emphasize the importance of carefully controlling the patient's protein and carbohydrate intake to prevent recurrence of glycosuria. The book also includes a preface by Dr. Richard C. Cabot, who praises the Allen treatment and recommends the book to practitioners. The authors thank Dr. Roger I. Lee and Dr. William H. Smith for their helpful suggestions. The book is divided into three stages: starvation, gradual diet increase, and stationary stage. During the first two stages, a daily weight record should be kept, and the urine should be examined every day. The patient should be under the immediate supervision of the physician during these two stages. It is always well to discharge a patient on a diet somewhat under his tolerance, if possible. The stationary stage involves keeping the diet at a constant level, with the patient at home and going about their business. Most patients may be taught to test their own urine, and they should do this every other day. If there is sugar in the urine, the patient should go back to a lower diet, and if they cannot be made sugar-free this way, they should be starved again. A semi-starvation day of 150 grams of vegetables, once a week, whether or not the urine contains sugar, is of value for the purpose of keeping well within the margin of safety and reminding the patient that they are on a strict diet. It is very important for a diabetic to take a considerable amount of exercise: they can utilize their carbohydrate better if they do. If this treatment is to be successful, it is absolutely necessary for the patient to adhere very strictly to the diets, and to measure out everything very carefully; the meat especially should be weighed. The book also includes tables showing the successive steps in building up a diet for a patient who starved six days before becoming sugar-free, as well as food values for various foods.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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2026-07-06 09:23 UTC

Categories

• Diet
• Disease