Friday, April 8, 2011

Diabetes Update

I am sure my physician will be more than pleased on my next visit.  My blood sugars are down, I am not using injectable insulin anymore, my lipid profile is improving, and I am losing weight.

That said, pleasing my current physician is not my goal, as she is following standard medical guidelines that will still leave me with diabetic complications if I use her goals and ranges.

I am reading a really interesting book called Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars.  I will review it more properly when I have finished, but he is a big advocate of achieving normal blood sugar levels for everyone, including type I diabetics.  He advocates a low carb diet and a combination of weight loss, exercise, medication, and insulin to achieve normal blood sugars.  Some people can achieve normal levels by weight loss alone; some by weight loss and exercise; some by weight loss, exercise, and oral medications; and some by weight loss, exercise, oral medications, and/or insulin.  By his definition of "normal" (that is, blood sugar levels of non-diabetics), I have a bit of work to do, but I am willing to put forth the effort.

When I lost 115 pounds on Weight Watchers, I was able to get off medications completely.  I am hoping that is still the case, but we will see.  As it is now, I can see a dramatic effect on blood glucose levels by hardly eating any carbs and by exercising.

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