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Doctors—the Good, the Bad, and the Uninformed

When I first discovered I had serious blood-sugar issues I went into a research mode, reading all I could about diabetes and doing Internet searches using the phrase “reverse diabetes.” For a while things just seemed to get worse and worse. Finally I did what I should have done much sooner—I went to the doctor. But not having health insurance I went to a general practitioner rather than one specializing in diabetes, trying to save money. This doctor was nice and I’m sure she was well intentioned, but she didn’t seem to have a clue about what was really going on. She took out a list of questions and started asking me one after another, marking my answers. My fasting blood sugar was still in the normal range at that time, so this was the only other thing she knew to do.

I told her of my ups and downs and how I would have the hypoglycemic episodes, one of which caused me to pass out after church on Sunday morning. She told me to eat more protein, which was helpful, but seemed nearly as clueless as I was about the cause of my problems. I have often thought of how much more help I could be to someone in a similar situation who came to me now and told me their symptoms, knowing what I know today. (I know, I’m not a doctor, but one can fantasize!) First, I would immediately insist they purchase a blood-sugar monitor and start monitoring their blood sugar like crazy. I would have them keep a journal of their numbers, both fasting blood sugar and post-meal blood sugar, writing down what was eaten at each meal. Then I would have them come back in a few weeks to look at the results together. But this doctor did none of this.

Many years later I was at a general practitioner’s office again, though for a different reason. By then I had long since figured out the things I am sharing in this book, and my blood sugar was under control. As we talked she mentioned how good bananas were in providing potassium. I told her that I rarely ate bananas because of my blood-sugar problems, and I mentioned that a large banana had as much sugar as a candy bar. She looked at me quizzically and said, “Really?” It had never dawned on me that a doctor wouldn’t know this, but here was living proof.

The point here is that doctors are not always the all-knowing, all-wise repositories of knowledge and truth that we sometimes think they are. This is not to suggest we can do without them—far from it. But we must remember that just like there are better and worse plumbers, and good and bad teachers, architects, and police officers, so there are some doctors who are far more knowledgeable and helpful than others. And in the area of diabetes it is critical that you get excellent medical advice and help. You cannot afford to settle for a mediocre doctor or worse. If you were going to have heart surgery you would want someone who is world-class. You should be no less discriminating about the physician who provides you diabetes counsel and monitors your progress. Get the best you can.

If you encounter a dinosaur, run for your life and don’t look back! By “dinosaur,” I mean a doctor of the old-school type who still clings to the disastrous 1950s idea that diabetics need a high-carb, low-fat diet. There aren’t too many of them still around, but there are probably a few.

You want a doctor who takes a positive, proactive approach to combating diabetes. Some doctors have decided that diabetes is going to get you eventually and there is not that much you can do but keep your blood-sugar levels from the uppermost limits. As long as you keep it under 190 or so, they are happy. Find a doctor who will work with you to help you bring your blood-sugar levels as close as is reasonably possible to a normal person’s.

Remember that it is your life and your health that you are dealing with. It is not your doctor who will suffer from eye problems, kidney failure, and leg amputations if you don’t bring that blood sugar under control—it is you! You have every right to look for the best, and if the first doctor you go to doesn’t meet your standards, go to another. Don’t quit searching until you find someone who knows what they are doing, and makes it clear that they are eager to work with you. If at all possible find one who specializes in diabetes. And by all means get a doctor who has a positive attitude and encourages you to believe that you can win.

Don’t stop until you have found a doctor you can trust. The saying goes, “The man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client.” Likewise the diabetic or prediabetic who tries to doctor himself…well, you get the idea!