Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

Is it possible to reverse type 2 diabetes? This is a question that many people ask, but few people know the answer to. The standard medical design for addressing diabetes is geared towards slowing down the development of the disease, but little effort is put into reversing type 2 diabetes.

If we look back through history we have to remember that we once thought that the earth was flat, and that it was impossible to fly. Individuals with diabetes are generally placed into the traditional model of treatment and many gradually get worse. As time goes on medications typically increase, and each of these medications brings unwanted side effects.

The financial burden of this standard treatment can also be overwhelming. Economists have predicted that diabetes could by itself bankrupt our health care system. Is there no additional way to handle type 2 diabetes? Or is it more profitable to keep doing what we are currently doing to treat this disease?

If it is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes what might that mean? It would mean a significant loss of money to the prescription drug companies, along with a tremendous financial loss to our current medical model. It is very profitable to medicate people who have diabetes indefinitely. It is also profitable to treat the long term effects of this disease when they arrive. Why would the people making money from this disease have any interest in concentrating on treatments other than medication? We have a very good medical care system in the United States that is driven by profit, and occasionally that can mean that the patient get what they need. Profit is king, and in the world of diabetes this can be a real problem.

For decades our medical system has been following an approach that obviously has not had the type of results that most people are looking for. After being diagnosed patients are instructed to lose weight, exercise, eat better and to take medications. This seems like great advice and three to six months later patients are scheduled to come back for another checkup.

The reality is that diabetes is a syndrome of multiple organ systems. In order to begin reversing type 2 diabetes it is critical to test each of these areas to asses function. The clinics doing this type of in-depth testing are achieving results that were thought to be impossible just a few years ago.
Programs like the Chicago Diabetes Program are revolutionizing the way we look at type 2 diabetes today. By finding the cause of the disease instead of the symptoms, doctors are able to begin supporting organ areas that need assistance. As proper function returns to the body, blood sugar levels also begin to normalize.