Even as far back as 6 years ago one of his previous doctors urged him to switch to insulin because his blood sugar was far too high. He had been taking Farxiga for years and in December he was no longer qualified for it under his insurance and now he has to pay hundreds a month to get that medicine. It had been working well for him all this time but now he can't afford it, and his current doctor is urging him to switch to insulin because of his near-fatal BS levels. He's tried to keep his blood sugar down by dieting but it hasn't worked. Is switching to insulin a good idea? Or is it something he'll later regret?
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Has he tried eating carnivore, keto, or at least low carb? Many diseases can be cured with this kind of eating.
Yes, it helped but not enough. Still dangerously high numbers.
But did he do it completely without cheat meals? it won't work unless he goes 100% for months
Check his vitamin D, zinc and vitamin A levels because MANY diabetics are deficient in one or more of these. If these levels are within normal ranges he might want to move to insulin.
Regardless of whether he tries insulin or not, 1) don't let him change his current diet/eating patterns (especially if he does go on insulin because he may [falsely] believe he "no longer has to worry about his BS levels") and 2) have him keep a detailed food and beverage journal of EVERYTHING he eats, drinks and swallows for at least a couple weeks to a month.
"A little this", "a little that", "it's a special occasion", "it's my favorite", "just this once", "this little bit can't/won't hurt", "I can't be rude (and not have any [of something someone made or offered])", and "but I just HAVE to have some", can REALLY, REALLY add up fast. He/You might be surprised how many carbs he (unknowingly and/or unintentionally) ACTUALLY ingests.
Also have him keep track of his activity as well as his BS numbers throughout each day/night.
Review everything after a couple weeks to a month. The results/correlations may be "interesting".
Note: I am not a doctor and the the above suggestions are not to be taken as "medical advice".
Carnivore diet should cure him pronto. No cheating
Are you sure he's being honest with what he's ingesting?
If he has done carnivore and it didn't work, how was his levels so high if he isn't consuming any? Where is the sugar coming from? It has to come from somewhere, and there is no sugar in carnivore.
Berberine
He needs to go on something. High blood sugar levels will kill the kidneys. My sister was diabetic for years. Was on insulin but she didn’t really take control of her diet nor did she exercise. Her blood sugars stayed so high she went into renal failure. She ended up on dialysis the end of August. She was dead by the end of September after her heart gave out at the age of 76.
That is heartbreaking, I'm sorry.
Yes.
Edit: an insulun pump is the best. Changes and gives people back control of their lives
Agreed, but they should still live/eat as if carbs (which hide in many foods and beverages) are poison because, for them (and, TBH, for most people), it IS poison and less insulin is much better for the body than is more insulin.
You speaka to a 95% carnivore x 1 yr
Feel great!
The advice here is why I love this community... first moment covid vax came out, pedes were ON top of the truth, as a nurse, it's changed everything & I'm forever grateful! ♥️
I wholeheartedly agree.
You know your dad better than we do. He should go full carnivore with lots of water with electrolytes ... the blood sugars will not normalize overnight, but after a few weeks they will normalize. But that takes a lot of discipline, as well as a bit of faith that it will work out (it will). Not everybody is up for it. And it's not quick.
Insulin is a pain. The long-acting kinds will encourage the same lifestyle that leads to diabetes, and insulin resistance gradually builds, especially if he's overweight. The short-acting ones can lead to volatile blood sugar levels, which scare people.
Background: I'm type 1 diabetic and been on insulin for decades. I would do a lot to not have to deal with it. (Been carnivore for a year now and my usage is less than half what it was before ... planning on getting to zero eventually). Type 2s have it easier regarding insulin, although it's still a tough road.
Hopefully he can have a good attitude and be content, whatever path he takes. A good attitude is always a good outcome, despite the obstacles.
Also: Check the cost of insulin, it can also be hundreds per month, depending on the type and amounts.
I have a few friends and family with diabetes.. from my experience insulin is the least of my worries for it … metformin not good!
Do what now?
I don't know anything about diabetes or insulin, and your reply doesn't make sense to this normie on this topic
I'm not a doctor. I did a few minutes of research and found that dapagliflozin (Farxiga) causes sugar to be excreted into urine. Insulin pushes sugar into cells which would cause weight gain. Perhaps it is the Farxiga that upset his body's natural blood sugar regulation mechanisms. Such as appetite.
And of course the board's favorite drug ivermectin is known to lower blood sugar.
Tell your Dad to watch the documentary, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. Then go on the mean Green juice fast for 60 days and he will not be diabetic anymore and have no need for insulin.
One of my ex's did it for cancer and her blood came back clear and five brain tumors became barely visible shadows on her MRI. Her Doc said I do not want to know what you've been doing but keep it up. It's working. It is especially good for diabetes.
60 days, no cheating with carbs and sugars and as an added benefit you lose a minimum of a pound a day while feeling more energetic than when you were a kid.
"juicing" is unhealthy. Sure you get lots of vitamins, but zero fiber, and you're only drinking highly sugary liquid when it's far better to just eat the entire vegetable or fruit whole.
I watched the movie a decade ago so I don't remember it much, but I know that drinking glasses of orange juice is fucking insane amounts of sugar, and other juice drink fads are similar You're drinking sugar and not getting any of the benefits of eating whole or raw fruits and veg
Orange juice is not allowed on the mean green fast, look up what it is before telling people it is unhealthy. Your opinion is not based in the facts at all. Thousands of people have completely reversed diabetes and cancer with strict adherence to the mean green fast.
You are completely wrong and have no clue what you are talking about.
If you're talking type 2 diabetes, I know someone who was able to get off her diabetes meds by following Dr. Jason Fung's approach (he's on youtube.) She was shocked that it worked. In a nutshell, it's keto. Aside from that, have you heard about Berberine for helping with blood sugar when eating carbs? Even if he does a keto diet, he might occasionally want to eat bread or potatoes, etc. and that's where Berberine comes in. I only know about it second hand, so can't tell you much but I hope you'll look into it. I hope you find some help for him.
Are you familiar with Dr. Jason Fung? If not take a look. His methods might help. Not that much different from your general keto and carnivore diets, but he reminds people that when we eat more protein that is needed our body turns the excess to glucose, while certain types of fats are mostly harmless, and he recommends fasting.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/reverse-type-2-diabetes
Plus, is his thyroid working okay? Problems with thyroid can cause type 2 diabetes, and then just dealing with the diabetes is not going to solve the basic problem. And those problems can be subclinical, so even when the lab results for thyroid hormones fall within normal limits there might still be something going on there.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6507635/
You don't say which type of diabetes your father has. If he is a type 1 diabetic he should probably take then insulin.
If he is type II, it can be reversed with a keto diet, but you must stick to it with no exceptions. Most type II diabetics in this country make enough insulin, but their cells become insulin resistant. Fasting can make a big difference for those with insulin resistance.
Yes. Apparently, according to Dr. Fung the cells are insulin resistant bc they're already full of glucose and can't take anymore hence the glucose just stays in the blood. That's why keto, carnivore, low carb diet works. It allows the cells to use up the glucose in the cells then what looked like insulin resistance disappears. The cells are able to take in more glucose. Our modern processed food industry and faulty nutritional guides have made diabetes practically an epidemic in the US.
Change the diet. Lots of options but he needs to STOP eating sugar, and eat minimal carbs. It will take a couple of weeks and his blood sugar levels will go down and stay down. Read the labels on food packages you’ll see sugar is added to everything, so don’t eat processed crap from store.
search /ask a naturopathic dr. about noni fruit extract (powder /capsules) to restore pancreas (powder, not the juice that has added sugars), anon below suggested berberine. Goduchi (Giloy) = ayurvedic herb to keep blood sugar levels evened out instead of spiking
sugarmd on utube = a great doctor to listen to, here’s one of his best short presentations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdtWo-GupFE
The problem is most people dont eat the way you are supposed too. There are certain things you should not eat.
You cannot stop people from eating the way they want so the answer to your question is yes. Unless you want him to go blind or lose a leg or something.
Avoid carb, sugar, sodium and unhealthy fat, or processed food (sugary soda allow only during emergency)
Hydration Exercise daily minimum half an hour (best 90mins include warm up and cool down, need to double pulse cardio.
Most importantly, find daily joy and happiness in life, activities etc
And seek therapy if sadness appears
Sorry scare of insulin and no real knowledge on it, can't answer your question...
See if he qualifies for Jardiance. Actions are quite similar; I was prescribed Farxiga and my insurance wouldn’t cover it either. Tried Jardiance. Works very well;.intermittent fasting, and keto are important xonsiderations. Moving, walking etc can all help balance him out.
I'm going to say this as someone who is experiencing the grief of losing someone with diabetes just a week ago. Please, seek treatment. Get his numbers under control. Explore other avenues once he is stable. This isn't something to mess with.
Fasting 16 to 20 hours per day.
Must lift weights and exercise (cardio).
Needs to switch to low glycemic index foods.
Sulforaphane compounds switch on fat burning parts of your DNA. High sulphur foods, greens, onions, garlic, etc.
I haven't seen anyone mention exercise. It will help a lot if he does some low intensity exercise everyday. Walking, yoga etc