Don't Drop the Meds Just Yet

Telling people who have diabetes that their goal is to get off medications is the dumbest thing you can do. Putting patients on a low-calorie diet is among the least successful approaches for the long term. It's not a new idea. You can take almost anyone with Type 2 diabetes and fast them, and in one day they will have a normal blood sugar. The goal shouldn't be to get people with Type 2 diabetes off medications, but to get their [glucose] and other numbers, specifically blood pressure and blood lipids, in a healthy range. Our goal is to help people live a long healthy life, not a life with the fewest medications.