Your Definitive Guide to Wellness Medicine

Last week I talked about the studies that illustrate the dangers of diabetes drugs. Yes, these medications do lower blood sugar, but that shouldn’t be the main goal of managing diabetes. What good is a therapy that can lower blood sugar if it increases your risk of heart attack and death from cardiovascular disease?

Unfortunately, the vast majority of physicians ignore this research—and jeopardize the health of trusting patients. The pharmaceutical industry shoulders much of the blame because they control the bulk of medical research, treatment guidelines, and physician “education.” As a result, not only is the effectiveness of drugs overstated and the risks minimized, but the emphasis on medication draws attention away from safe, natural therapies that truly improve health and longevity.

These therapies, which include weight loss and lifestyle changes, require work on the part of both physician and patient. Most doctors do recommend diet and exercise, but to be really effective, this requires ongoing counseling and monitoring of activity, diet, and weight. Many physicians just don’t have the time or desire to put forth that much effort. And patients accept this because it’s an easy out for them as well. What could be simpler than taking a “magic pill”?

If not drugs, then what? Here’s the treatment program we recommend at the Whitaker Wellness Institute for our patients with type 2 diabetes.

Weight Loss: Losing weight is the single best therapy for type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to weight loss. It requires diet changes, an exercise program, and determination.

Diet: The most therapeutic diet for diabetes is a low-glycemic, Mediterranean-style menu with lots of vegetables and lean protein, such as fish and poultry; modest amounts of fruit (one serving per day); and healthful fats like olive oil. Stay away from sugar and starches—bread, pasta, cereals, and other grain-based foods drive up blood sugar and increase appetite.

Exercise: I recommend a brisk 10-minute walk after meals and several sessions of resistance exercise weekly. Walking and other forms of aerobic exercise lower blood sugar and burn calories, while resistance exercise builds muscle and improves long-term insulin sensitivity.

Nutritional Supplements: To guard against complications of the blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys, take a potent, antioxidant-rich daily multivitamin to replace the nutrients that are inevitably lost as a result of the diabetic condition. To lower blood sugar, take vanadyl sulfate 100 mg, alpha lipoic acid 400-800 mg, chromium 200 mcg, cinnamon 500–1,000 mg, and Gymnema sylvestre 400 mg daily. These supplements may be taken individually or in combination formulas.

My book Reversing Diabetes outlines a step-by-step program for treating diabetes. You can order it at www.amazon.com or by calling (800) 810-6655.