Problems with Diabetic Medications

I received an email today (6.12.09) from industry alerts which is a company that sends a biweekly newsletter about the pharmaceutical industry. This email was “developed under the direction and sponsorship of GlaxoSmithKline, the Big Pharma company that makes Avandia, the diabetes drug.

The headline from this email reads, “Data from the 2009 ADA Scientific Sessions: Large, long-term study shows AVANDIA has no increased overall cardiovascular risk compared to other commonly used diabetes medicines.”

Reading the small print on the rest of the email shows the RECORD trial was a study of 4447 patients with Type 2 diabetes who were taking a regimen of Avandia plus metformin and/or sulfonylurea (2,220 subjects) compared to those taking a regimen of metformin and sulfonlylurea (2227 subjects) over a period of 5-7 years.

The email goes on to state, “The cardiovascular hospitalization or death was not statistically different between the two groups after an average of 5.5 years of therapy.”

So, I guess the purpose of this email was to counter all the negative press about Avandia’s problems. Avandia has been shown in other studies to cause an increase risk of death from cardiovascular disease. This email ‘blast’ was supposed to reassure the reader that Avandia was no worse than the other diabetic drugs.

As I read further in the email, the results of the RECORD trial showed that there were 321 events—cardiovascular hospitalization or death—among the patients randomized to the Avandia group versus 323 events in the other group. Those numbers translate to 14.5% adverse events in the Avandia group versus 14.5% adverse events in the other group. Reading further down, there was an all-cause death rate of 6.1% in the Avandia group versus 7.0% death rate in the other group.

I say this study should have concluded that the commonly used diabetic drugs are dangerous and result in an unacceptable number of deaths. All of these drugs should be avoided, or at least used as a last resort.

Diabetes is not a drug-deficiency syndrome. It is an illness caused by poor lifestyle choices. Proper diet, supplements and exercise can help nearly all diabetics control their illness. Furthermore, a holistic treatment plan can help a diabetic patient come off their medications. What is a holistic treatment plan?

This plan includes changing your diet by avoiding the “whites”—refined sugar, salt and flour. Also, limiting or avoiding bread, pasta, and cereal helps. Eating a whole food diet which includes fruit, vegetables, and good sources of organic protein is a must.

If you have elevated blood sugar, pre-diabetes, or diabetes, taking the right supplements can help. I have found Glucontrol from purezenhealth.com (a company I founded with my partners) a big help for diabetic patients. Glucontrol supplies the correct nutrients to help the insulin receptors work better and to help the body naturally control blood sugar.

A holistic treatment plan also includes detoxification. IF you already have diabetes, don’t give up. Making the changes I have outlined here and in my books can reverse diabetes and restore balance to the endocrine system. Remember, the best results are achieved by working with a knowledgeable health care provider.