What Doctors Don't Tell YouIt may be worth discussing lowering your insulin requirements with your practitioner as there is evidence that some diabetics are taking too much insulin.
For example, ‘white coat hyperglycaemia’ where blood glucose is higher in the clinic than when measured at home is a well documented phenomenon (MD Med J, 1990; 39: 555-9; BMJ, 1992; 305: 1194-6). Your doctor could also be overprescribing or giving you a just in case dose, even though there is little evidence that prophylactic insulin is either safe or effective.Instead, too much insulin can cause longer term problems, such as neurological complications, eye problems, nephropathy, neuropathy and cardiovascular disease. These side effects are the most common cause of death in IDDM.
In addition to not producing enough insulin, your body may be insulinresistant, in which case more insulin may not be the best way to approach the problem. Certain outside influences can increase your resistance to insulin. These include cigarette smoking, obesity and hypertension. You may never be able to come off insulin completely if you are diabetic but, with certain adjustments in lifestyle, you may be able to reduce the amount you need each day.
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
