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Drug Side Effects

Reduce Metformin Dosage With Simple Lifestyle Changes

Jun 15, 2017

There are those who say that once you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you are broken, that there is no way to make you non-diabetic again. You have to take your diabetes pills for life.

And yet, there is growing evidence that suggests that diabetes is not a life sentence. It is an illness caused by diet and lifestyle, and can be fixed through changes to diet and lifestyle. If you change the way you eat, sleep, work and exercise. Basically, everything that makes you, you. That sounds difficult. It’s easier to just pop a pill and forget about your troubles. As a matter of fact, Metformin, considered the first line of treatment against Type 2 diabetes, is often prescribed to patients who have not managed to lower their blood glucose levels with diet and exercise. Despite the impressive outcomes it produces, no one wants to be hooked on it forever, particularly considering how its side-effects can be difficult to cope with.

So, if you are serious about reversing your diabetes, you need to go the distance: reduce the processed sugar and starches in your diet and eat more proteins and natural fats. Experts like the nephrologist Dr Jason Fung even advocate intermittent fasting to improve your body’s receptiveness to insulin; exercise to make your cells less insulin resistant; get proper rest by sleeping on time and for a minimum of eight hours; and reduce your stress with meditation and yoga.

There is also a strong link between obesity and micronutrient deficiencies that promote diabetes. A deficiency of Vitamin D, chromium, biotin, thiamine and vitamin C have been linked to impaired glucose metabolism. Adding these and other nutritional supplements to your diet may be just what you need to turn the tide in your favour.

Just remember: Work with a qualified practitioner to reduce your metformin dosage gradually, as your other lifestyle changes bring about clear reductions in your blood sugar levels. Never stop medication suddenly, “to tough it out”.

Mahesh Jayaraman
Mahesh is a hormone health counsellor & holistic health expert. He has a Mastery Certification in Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis from the US, is certified in Functional Nutrition from Washington State University and uses a wide array of healing modalities to guide his clients to vibrant health and well-being.

References:

Fasting Cures Type 2 Diabetes

Futility of blood sugar lowering medications in T2D

Diabetes Health and Nutrition

Exercise Training and Insulin Resistance
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4625541/

Metabolic effects of sleep disruption, links to obesity and diabetes.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24937041

The Malnutrition of Obesity: Micronutrient Deficiencies That Promote Diabetes
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2012/103472/