Another example of harmful diabetes advice … from the Medical Industry. Improper diabetes advice is harming millions every damn day.
- My blood sugar targets are 60-90 mg/dl.
- Medical Industry claims 120 fasting and 180 post meals are targets.
My goals haven’t really changed much in 7 years. I want to obtain and maintain truly normal blood sugar. Not ‘diabetic normal’ blood sugars.
My Overnight Fasting Range: 60-90 mg/dl. All other times I prefer to be sub 100 mg/dl with occasional ‘visits’ in the 120 mg/dl ranges. Why? Studies show that’s typical for non-diabetics.
Harmful Diabetes Advice
I was reading through my news feed when I found an info graphic from Houston Methodist Hospital … and by the way, the picture below earned them a spot on my ‘wall of shame‘.
Here was MORE improper diabetes advice, information being ‘parroted’ by a Medical Industry profiteer.
180 mg/dl is NEVER a good idea. For a diabetic to be that high two hours after a meal would typically suggest they were WAY above that during the two hour period. It makes my blood boil.
Note: it clearly states … “Target Blood Glucose” .
Dig a Little Deeper
Keep in mind ….
Targets are like goals: 120 mg/dl is a pathetically high fasting blood sugar level and having this as a fasting target, harms everyone who reads this and believes it.
WORSE, so many diabetics will miss EVEN this high number. And I know from experience, too many diabetics will think ‘well I came close’. And what will the Medical Industry professional likely do? Cuddle, coddle and enable them to continue to ‘come close’.
Why do they provide harmful diabetes advice? Why do they set blood sugar targets at harmful levels?
Setting the Medical Industry Straight
I have to do the job of the Medical Industry by re-educating and re-programming diabetics as to what their goals TRULY should be.
If you wake up at 120 mg/dl, studies show that fasting blood sugars above 100 mg/dl raise the risk of dementia and neuropathy. Why? Because it’s harmful. That is evidence that 100+ blood sugar levels are toxic to the body.
To avoid diabetic complications and allow your body to begin to try to heal itself from complications… you need to maintain non-diabetic normal blood sugars.
So… with all that as the background…
The Twitter Exchange
The so called ‘targets’ as shared in the picture above are higher than EVEN most of the other Medical Industry professionals. Many ‘conventional wisdom’ sites today show 70-100 mg/dl fasting and 120 mg/dl or less after two hours post meal.
As you recall the picture promoted 70-120 fasting and 180 mg/dl two hours post… which is irresponsible, immoral and harmful.
Here is both my reply to their info graphic tweet and their response.
Notice their response? They were backing away from claiming the numbers were targets… simply stating that these were ‘ranges for diabetics’. They even stated that these were not optimal numbers to shoot for. However, the picture clearly stated targets.
WHY IN THE HELL would anyone post blood sugar targets that were NOT optimal? WHY in the HELL would anyone do that?
If you make a mistake… just admit it. I make mistakes every day….
Before moving on let me say… EVEN if this was a error I feel confident they would not agree with my targets … so mistake or not, I am sure they promote harmful levels of blood sugars.
Here are my next comments or tweets… I was fuming at this point and fired off the next several tweets without a response. It’s one thing to post harmful advice, it’s another to lie to justify it.
“upper ranges for cell and organ damage. that is HARMFUL advice..and you should not share it. “leading medicine’ my ass.“
The ‘leading medicine’ comment comes from the full infograpic, that’s the hospital’s slogan. I use this repeatedly as a club to bash them. :) By the way, here is the full infographic.
“you stated targets, why would you have less than optimal targets??? Why should targets be harmful??? #Diabetes“
:”why are your targets, sub-optimum? … your self proclaimed status as ‘leading medicine’ is a joke…. a sad joke.“
The hospital finally replied… they were attempting to sidestep the issue and defuse the situation…
To which I replied…
“keep your appreciation, just answer the question. WHY DO YOU PROMOTE SUB-OPTIMUM TARGETS for #diabetes #Diabetics
why lie? you posted TARGET numbers. now they are suddenly ‘ranges for diabetics’ … you disgust me.
read your info graphic, clearly says TARGET numbers. So you admit to posting misleading info?#LeadingMedicine #diabetes
The hospital never addressed the my questions…
On my blog, I periodically state what my targets are but I did not have a blog post specifically on my goals … so I wrote one. It’s the post referenced in the first sentence of this post, here it is again.
re: blog post, you can read the one I write about your harmful advice, then lying to cover it up.#LeadingMedicine #Diabetes
Harming #diabetics … take responsibility for your tweets… I do. #LeadingMedicine in harmful advice for#Diabetes
BS… the infographic has your NAME on it. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for providing harmful advice!!
At this point the hospital was STILL sidestepping my questions on twitter. They wanted to take this offline, out of the public eye.
My next two replies were …
a conduit for spreading harmful advice… you don’t mind doing that in a tweet. #LeadingMedicine & #Diabetes-Dispair
won’t answer… fine. She/you can answer the blog post… or here on twitter where you SPREAD the harmful #Diabetes advice.
Harmful Diabetes Advice Is Everywhere
Harmful and pathetic advice is nearly everywhere on the internet. Sadly much of it comes from the Medical Industry… like this hospital’s advice.
Every diabetes should want truly normal blood sugars, not ‘diabetic normal’.
Millions suffer while a relative few profit from harmful diabetes advice.
Really good job with the hospital. I work in healthcare and see this all the time. People will rise to the level you set for them and that’s a mighty low bar.
I manage to be under 100 after all meals, but my fasting can be tricky. This morning I was at 90 which isn’t too bad. However, around the middle of October it will begin to creep up, just over 100 at first and then as the days grow colder and darker I may see 109, 112, and even 115. It’s been like this for the last four years, ever since diagnosis. I even use the potato starch hack and it works wonderfully for that second meal effect and allows me to even consume some potato and rice. But the fasting is very stubborn.
Do I exercise? Oh yeah, I have a gym membership and use it! I do strength training and also do sprints as outlined on Mark’s Daily Apple. I am not overweight – 135 at 5′ 5″. I also use a small dose of metformin and that helps a little or the fasting would be a little higher. Jenny Ruhl at Bloodsugar 101 has said she is more concerned with the postprandial excursions over 140 than a mildly high fasting, so I’ve consoled myself with that.
“People will rise to the level you set for them and that’s a mighty low bar.”
Love that ^. :)
re: Fasting vs Postprandial – I think much depends on the length of time in upper levels, the only way to know that is with a CGM. I would suggest staying @ 20g per day of total carbs and see how that affects OFBG and / or a Coconut Oil Fast for a day or two.
All the best and thanks for the comment. :)