Is Metformin Effective? What Are The Side Effects?
04/14/2009
Metformin is one of the most popular anti-diabetic drugs and one of the most prescribed drugs overall in the United States. The drug has been around for over half a century and is effective in suppressing glucose production with relatively few immediate side effects. But long term use is likely to result in early death and many people think that they are "healthy" now that they are on this drug.
Given the serious complications of Type 2 diabetes, a drug like this is highly likely to be prescribed by a doctor to treat the symptoms. The causes of Type 2 diabetes are largely dietary and one will want to make changes in their diet over time which can lead to tremendous improvement in how you feel and how much energy you have.
Am I Going To Have Type 2 Diabetes The Rest Of My Life?
There appear to be a lot of people heavily invested in the idea that Type 2 Diabetes is something you have to have the rest of your life. If you go to a site like WebMD and look up "healthy diet for a type 2 diabetic" you may come across this article in which someone named Hope Warshaw is interviewed.
She states that:
"You're going to have diabetes for the rest of your life."
From what we have started to observe at PEERtrainer, this appears to be an incorrect assumption. It is extremely hard to make dietary changes given social pressure and the inadequate advice of organizations like the American Diabetes Association. There is strong evidence emerging that with the right diet, one can reverse Type 2 diabetes.
"Can" is the most important word here, because it is very difficult to do so. But it can be done, if one follows a diet that includes very high levels of plant based foods. There is this idea out there that one just needs to take their diabetes meds, eat a "reasonable" diet and all is well. Here is the reality of the situation:
More than 70 percent of adults with Type II diabetes die of heart attacks and strokes, and these deaths occur at a younger age compared to people without diabetes. Premature death and the devastating complications of this disease simply do not have to happen.
Those with diabetes are told to watch their diet, exercise and use drugs to better control the glucose levels in their bloodstream. My message is that the nutritional advice received from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), dieticians and physicians is inadequate and permits countless of unnecessary premature deaths and much needless suffering. I declare, “Don’t live with your diabetes, don’t simply control your diabetes — get rid of it.”
- Dr. Joel Fuhrman