Is There a Best Way, Part 2

Part 2 of 2 parts


I hope that the last blog did not scare you. Many of the items are a must and not doing them may create future problems. Baselines of information related to diabetes is important. I purposely left out one item and that is seeing a cardiologist (heart doctor) as most primary care physicians (PCPs) or family physicians (FPs) will check the heart and refer you if they feel it is necessary. Yes, a few will ignore warning signs and you will probably end up in the emergency department.


Others will prescribe statins, often over prescribe is more like it. Then they will look at your blood pressure and prescribe drugs to bring it down. I don't know which is worse, having the PCP do this or the cardiologist do this. If a doctor insists on prescribing statins, ask that they not prescribe the maximum dosage. Even FDA has cautions about doing this.


This is unfair any way you cut it, but there is a test to determine if you have a need for statins. The test is not cheap and as of yet Medicare and medical insurance will not pay for the test because it is not a diagnostic test, but strictly informational. The test is explained here and helps determine if you have the KIF6 carriers. If you do not, then you don't need statins. If you have the carriers then the statin may prevent the heart attack or heart disease. I checked with my insurance carrier and they will not cover the test.


Blood pressure medications are not that large of a problem, but some people don't need them and can use alternative therapies to lower their blood pressure. Be careful as some people are not successful with alternative therapies. This article in Science Daily can be a reference.


The more of the items you accomplish from the last blog, the easier it will be to know if something is headed in the wrong direction and to what degree. This is why having a baseline is so important. Many will ignore the suggestions and later when diabetes complications set in, there is no reference point to know how long this has been going on and whether the progression is serious or not. I met an individual recently that is nearly blind because of diabetes. He has had diabetes for over 15 years and has not managed his diabetes nor his eyesight. When I asked when he had found out about his eyesight, he said about a month prior and he had not been to an eye doctor ever that he could remember until then. I asked why he had not gone and he said, what will happen will happen, and in addition to retinopathy he had advanced cataracts as well. I had wanted to ask more questions, but his guide was wanting to continue on.