Using fasting blood sugar levels to measure diabetes? You may not be getting the real picture

Diabetes is a pandemic that has been sweeping across the globe, but there are still a lot of things that people don’t understand about the condition. In particular, blood tests (as well as their interpretation) continue to be a source of confusion for most patients with diabetes.

In his video, DeWayne McCulley of Death to Diabetes shares that blood glucose tests reveal data about the amount of sugar present in the blood. However, how healthcare professionals interpret it is a different story altogether.

“So when you’re talking [sic] the data, and that the data says my blood glucose level is better,” he said. “Why do you, the expert, believe that I need more insulin?”

Watch the full episode from Brighteon.com here:

Looking at blood sugar levels using data

In the video, McCulley presented a chart showing his blood sugar activity for the week.

“I do this for my clients because it’s very easy for me to pick up patterns within minutes once I lay out their profile,” he explained.

The chart revealed a pattern that both he and his clients have experienced: Data from blood sugar tests reveal an unstable pattern full of sharp crests and deep troughs.

Of course, when this is presented to a doctor, his knee-jerk reaction is to add more insulin to “stabilize” the condition.

According to McCulley, that “swing,” which is actually the instability in diabetes, is something that most doctors don’t understand. He adds that measuring the swing in terms of its delta factor, defined as the difference between two numbers, would greatly help in translating data better.

He also shared that a more powerful measure of blood glucose level is post-meal, which indicates if the body is properly metabolizing the food it has consumed two hours after consumption.

“Unfortunately, they don’t tell you that,” he quipped.

After sorting blood glucose levels by the time it was taken, McCully demonstrated that these levels followed a pattern. He said that this could give people an insight on what they were doing right before glucose was measured. This differs a lot from what people with diabetes are usually told: That if his blood glucose is high in the morning, then that would mean an adjustment in his breakfast.

“It’s too late to change breakfast,” he added. “That reading is indicative of the night before – change dinner.”

Still, it may be hard to change conventional medical practices, because, as McCully explains, in their viewpoint, they are right. If they only look at the numbers, they are always bound to see an uncertain flux in blood sugar levels. This will cause them to prescribe drugs to “stabilize” the condition. (Related: Herbal treatments for diabetes management: A look at how they work.)

“The drugs only control the instability for a short period of time,” McCully explains.

What’s worse is, people who rely on one drug will eventually be given another drug.

“If your doctor’s honest with you, ask your doctor,” he says.

He added that if your doctor challenges your claim, then ask him: “How many of your patients that’s on Glucophage [metformin], did not end up on insulin?”

The feature is the first of a six-part series titled “Reverse Diabetes Workshop,” which can be viewed on this link.

Learn more about proper management of diabetes at DiabetesScienceNews.com.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Sciencing.com