In
1946, at the age of twelve, Richard Bernstein developed
type 1 diabetes, and for more than two decades, he
was what he calls, “an ordinary diabetic”—one
who dutifully followed doctor’s orders.
Despite his diligence with maintaining the disease,
the complications from his diabetes worsened over
the years, and like many diabetics in similar circumstances,
he faced death at a very early age. Though he was
indeed still alive, the quality of his life wasn’t
good, and by the time he reached his twenties and
thirties, many of his body’s systems began to
deteriorate.
In October 1969, Bernstein’s
life turned around when he came across an advertisement
in the trade journal Lab World.
It was for a new blood sugar meter that would give
a reading in 1 minute, using a single drop of blood.
The device was intended for nighttime emergency staff
at hospitals to use to distinguish between an unconscious
diabetic and an unconscious drunk. The instrument
weighed three pounds, cost $650, and was only available
to certified physicians and hospitals. Determined
to take control of his situation, Bernstein asked
his wife, a doctor, to order the instrument for him.
He then began to measure his blood
sugar about 5 times each day, and soon realized that
the levels were on a roller coaster. To
even out his blood sugars, he adjusted his insulin
regimen from one injection a day to two, and experimented
with his diet by cutting down on carbohydrates. However,
three years after he began measuring his own blood
sugar levels, his complications were still progressing,
so he researched scientific articles about the disease.
What he found was astonishing: complications from
diabetes had repeatedly been prevented, and even reversed,
in animals. Not through exercise, but through normalizing
blood sugars! This was an incredible revelation, since
all of diabetes treatment during that time was heavily
focused in other directions, such as low-fat diets,
preventing severe hypoglycemia, and preventing ketoacidosis,
a potentially fatal extreme high blood sugar condition.
Bernstein set out to achieve normal
blood sugars, and within a year had refined his insulin
and diet regimen to the point that they were normal
around the clock. After
years of chronic fatigue and debilitating complications,
he felt healthy and energized. His serum cholesterol
and triglyceride levels were now in the normal ranges,
and friends commented that his complexion was no longer
gray.
Now the trick was to get the word
about his discovery out to doctors and those suffering
from the disease, which proved an uphill battle.
Bernstein knew that there were millions of diabetics
whose quality of life could vastly improve, if only
he had the means to reach them. As a layperson he
had difficulty gaining the attention of those in the
medical field, so in 1977, he decided to give up his
job and become a physician—”I couldn’t
beat ‘em, so I had to join ‘em.”
At 45 years old, Richard Bernstein
entered the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
In 1983 he opened his own medical practice near his
home in Mamaroneck, New York. Today, Dr. Bernstein
treats hundreds of patients a year, helping them to
create effective personalized treatment plans that
allow them to lead normal lives.
