Everyday Health – by Madeline R. Vann, MPH
Some diabetes treatment claims are just too good to be true. Be alert to these common scams.
A type 2 diabetes diagnosis could send you running to the Web to research cures and treatments. While you will find reliable, research-based information online, you’ll also come across many diabetes scams. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which in the past has cracked down on people hawking fraudulent diabetes cures, says that dishonest people like using diabetes as a draw because it’s a serious disease and people want a cure.
Jennifer Clark, diabetes educator and nurse practitioner at the University of Chicago Medical Center, is sympathetic to people who look for alternative treatments. “I think people are concerned about being on a lot of medications, especially insulin,” she says.
It can be a challenge figuring out whether the treatment plan you are reading about is a legitimate diabetes cure or a diabetes scam.
Diabetes Scams
Put the following in the questionable “diabetes cures” column:
- Glymetrol. Glymetrol is a vitamin and mineral supplement that is promoted as a natural way to control blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity. “The government is not regulating this product, and I am not aware of any clinical trials supporting its claims,” says Clark.
- Hydrogen peroxide. This first-aid staple has been promoted as a way to help your body manage oxygen better and fight a variety of ills. Improved management of blood sugar levels is one of the claims associated with hydrogen peroxide. But Clark warns that drinking this substance could damage your digestive tract.
- Diabetes Reversal Report. This book sold online promises to help you gain control over your blood sugar and insulin sensitivity using “a safe and natural home remedy” that could help you stop taking diabetes medications. “I would be cautious of anything that requires you to pay before you get information,” says Clark.
- Erectile pumps. Medicare recipients who have diabetes have been targeted with useless devices and supplies by those looking to bilk the system. In the latest such case, a 50-year-old Illinois man was sentenced this month to more than three years in prison for shipping unwanted penis enlargers or erectile pumps to Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes. Although he claimed the devices helped improve bladder control and urinary flow, prosecutors said the pumps served no medical purpose.
- Magnet therapy. Magnetic shoe inserts are promoted as a way to heal diabetic neuropathy and increase blood flow in your legs. Magnetized drinking water is also promoted as being beneficial for diabetics. No evidence supports the use of magnets in this way.
- Alternative treatments. Rumors abound about alternative diabetes treatments, such as taking cinnamon capsules, acai berries, or drinking Tahitian noni juice. Clark says there may be some basis for the use of herbal remedies, but more studies are needed.
Spotting the Scams
Be on the lookout for the following clues that the advertised remedy may be a scam:
- Anything that seems too good to be true. Any diabetes treatment plan that promises an easy, quick cure to diabetes or quick relief of diabetes complications, such as neuropathy, is “too good to be true.”
- Payment required.Whether the proposed treatment requires you to buy a “natural” supplement or a book before you can get any more details about the alleged diabetes cure, be wary about Web sites or programs that pressure you to pay up front. Even if the program promises to repay your money after a trial period, view it with suspicion.
- Conflicting medications. If you’re on medication for type 2 diabetes or any other chronic health condition, you should find out whether the diabetes “cure” you are considering will interact with your other prescriptions and conditions. A questionable diabetes cure may not mention the possibility of conflict.
- Stopping medications. The promise that you will be able to stop taking medications is tempting — but don’t do it without your doctor’s approval.
- Lack of research support. While many alleged diabetes cures may claim that scientific research supports their approach or the ingredients in the product, you should find out more about these studies. “You want to look for studies that are published in major journals,” says Clark. Look for journal citations and find the original publication of the study results, if you can. Your doctor or a librarian can help you with this.
- Emphasis on mistrust. Diabetes cure scams may promise you a cure “that your doctor won’t tell you about” implying that your medical team is withholding vital information.
- Testimonials. Stories from patients or celebrities may be used to persuade you to try a product — but remember that you don’t have the whole story, says Clark. “You don’t know what other medications they have been taking or what other health conditions they have.”
- Special deals. Advertising for the alleged cure may suggest that you are getting a special deal if you order immediately. You may also be promised a free gift, two-for-one deal, or some other benefit for ordering right away.
- Implied threats. Watch out for diabetes treatment plans that imply you will do great harm to your body if you do not invest immediately in the proposed cure.
- Continued contact. If you supply personal information in order to get more details (without paying) and the group or program continues to pressure you after you have decided against a purchase, this is a scam.
Clark says that if you are interested in a type 2 diabetes cure or treatment that your doctor or nurse has not mentioned to you, talk with them before you commit. Your medical team wants to help you manage your diabetes and will help you get more information about the product you are interested in.
This hits home. My Doctor recently gave me the results from my yearly blood test and said my blood sugar was 119 or pre dibeates. She schedualed me for another blood test and appointment with her in 6 months. She said that if my numbers were not down she would start me on diabetes medication. I was 6′ 277 pounds at the time less than a month ago. That night I threw out all the junk food, bought good raw foods, began juicing, and walking 2 miles a day for the first day. I live in a cove where the streets are steep which gives me a good workout. I’m up to 4 miles a day and doing calisthenics. I’ve lost 15 pounds and feel great. I used a friends blood glucose meter and the reading was 92 so I’m heading in the right direction. I’m not on a diet as I consider this a life change. A way to better my mind, body, and soul. You can change you just have to do it.
I cured my borderline Type-2 in less than a week, when I stopped drinking 4-cans of Dr. Pepper every day. High Fructose Corn Syrup is a real killer. If you want to consume soft drinks, make sure that they only contain Cane Sugar, and no HFCS. Diet and exercise also help but aren’t necessary.
Beware of Doctors wanting to put you on Glucophage medication. Once you start this shit you will need to take it forever, along with 2 or 3 other medications. I can’t say that this will work for everyone, and I’m not a doctor… but this small change in eating habits has helped me many others.