Control Your Type 2 Diabetes or Die in TEOTWAWKI, by Scott M.

I am a family physician and I have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is where you initially have enough insulin produced by your body but are resistant to the insulin, i.e.:  you don’t have enough receptors for the insulin to plug into to act on the sugar/carbohydrates you ingest. As time goes on if you don’t manage your diabetes your body will stop producing insulin and you will need to be on insulin shots for the rest of your life. Type 1 diabetes is where you don’t produce any or very limited insulin and have to be on insulin for your lifetime. Type 1  is found almost exclusively in children.

Type 2 is primarily in adults, but it can be found in all ages. Some symptoms of concern that should raise the suspicion of diabetes include constant hunger, extreme thirst, unexplained weight loss, sores or scratches on the skin that either fail to heal or take a prolonged healing time, excessive urination, dry mouth, itchy skin, blurred vision and repeated or difficult to treat yeast infections (either in men or women), difficulty with coordination or train of thought. Having any or a number of these symptoms does not absolutely mean you have diabetes, but it is concerning enough that you should seek testing with your physician to determine whether you have it or not.

Remember: The earlier diabetes is found the easier it can be to treat and the risk for damage to your body is decreased. You can expect your physician to perform some common tests, such as a random blood sugar, fasting blood sugar, a HgbA1c, a urine analysis and possibly a glucose tolerance test. If the testing reveals that you have diabetes your physician will likely start you on oral medications and possibly insulin and refer you to a diabetic educator. Your physician will also arrange for close follow up and repeated lab work to ensure that the treatment course is working and that no additional measures are necessary to control your diabetes.

I found out exactly one month after 9/11 that I had developed diabetes despite history of it in my family. I did have some risk factors that included a sedentary lifestyle (I had episodic exercise but nothing regular), overweight by 20-25 pounds, stressful work schedule and irregular sleep patterns also due to work. My blood sugar was high enough that in addition to being placed on Actos, an oral agent that maximizes the receptors where the insulin your body produces can act on the sugar you eat, I was also placed on regular short acting insulin before meals along with Lantus (a long acting insulin) once per day in the evening. I was determined to gain control of my blood sugar and get off of insulin.

Getting Control

“Getting control” is medical language for keeping your blood sugar between 80-110 mg/dl (normal range for non-diabetics and optimal range we diabetics aspire to). This is accomplished by controlling your intake of carbohydrates/sugar, exercise to open receptors in your muscles to help metabolize the carbohydrates/sugars you ingest, maintaining or losing weight, cutting back on stress, checking your blood sugar both before and after meals and managing your medications with the help of your physician.

One of the motivating factors is that in a post-SHTF world the availability of insulin in any form will be minimal to non-existent (not to mention that insulin has a rather short shelf life and must be refrigerated). If you have type 2 diabetes that requires insulin (certainly type1) and it is not available you will have a life span that will be significantly shortened.

First, we will address how you control the intake of carbohydrates/sugar. This is not just cutting back on candy/cakes and sweets. Carbohydrates and sugar are found in so much of the food we eat. Simple sugars can be restricted more easily than complex carbohydrates. The totality of this topic exceeds the scope of this article. You will need the guidance of your physician and dietician/diabetic educator for exact recommendations as to your mealtime and snack restrictions. In my case, I keep my total grams of carbohydrates at 45-60 for each meal and 15-20 for any snacks I consume. Of course, there are the occasions where I exceed these restrictions but that is very rare. Just remember that complex carbohydrates are necessary but cannot be consumed cart blanche.

Really Exercise!

Next is regular exercise. This has to be an aerobic exercise where your target heart rate while exercising (220 minus your age) is multiplied by 60-70%. This heart rate is maintained at a minimum of 30 minutes 4-5 times per week. Make sure you have your doctor’s approval to start an exercise program and remember you have to gradually build tolerance to the program as going from being sedentary to tolerating that level of exercise takes time. A fast walk will work just as well as jogging but with a great deal less stress on the joints, muscles and tissues. And remember the more you stress on your body the greater the chance of down time due to injury and the resultant loss of conditioning.

Other good aerobic exercises include swimming, rowing, cross country skiing, hiking on uneven terrain, jumping rope, bicycling and calisthenics. Remember to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity as well as the length of time you exercise. Make sure you know your resting pulse before you exercise and what your target heart rate is supposed to be while you exercise and monitor your pulse while you are exercising. Optimal conditioning occurs when your post exercise heart rate returns to your resting heart rate within 5-10 minutes after you finish exercising. If your heart rate while exercising is below your target increase your workout intensity. Conversely, if the heart rate exceeds your target cut back on the intensity. Keep in mind this is your new lifestyle and not a race.

Serious About Weight Loss

Next is weight loss or maintaining weight. Losing weight is merely using more calories (such as though exercise or activity level) than you ingest.  Remember it takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose one pound (and an excess of 3,500 calories to gain a pound). The dietician is a great resource to help you define your ideal body weight and to help you reach your weight goals.

A good rule of thumb for ideal weight in women is 100 pounds for the first five feet of height and five pounds for every inch beyond that. For men it’s 106 pounds for the first five feet and six pounds for every inch beyond that. So, for a six foot tall man, 106+(12×6) =178 pounds. That is based on a medium frame size. This is usually determined by reaching around your wrist with the opposite hands middle finger and thumb. If the thumb and middle finger just touch that is a medium frame. If they overlap by an inch or so that is a small frame and a 10% reduction is taken from the height based weight calculation. If the thumb and middle finger fail to touch by approximately an inch a 10% addition is added to the height based weight calculation. As you exercise, following the dieticians recommendations for diet and weight loss (and certainly weight maintenance) will be achievable.

Another goal is to cut back on stress. If you have a stressful job or lifestyle you need to ask yourself if your health is worth that promotion or if that new phone/car/house/keeping up with the Jones’s is really worth losing your vision or toes or possibly having a heart attack or stroke. All are potential consequences of poorly controlled diabetes. Taking a step back and deciding what really is important to you and your family will not only lengthen your life but can also make your life more fulfilling.

Goodbye to Insulin

It was exactly four months after I found out I had diabetes until I was able to get off of insulin. I was able to manage my blood sugar quite effectively with a single pill daily as well as activity/exercise and closely following a diabetic diet. Unfortunately, I have also developed Crohns Disease (an  inflammatory disease of the bowel that can cause severe episodes of bloody, explosive diarrhea) that when flaring needs to be treated with prednisone. This treatment can cause an unintended consequence in that it can spike your blood sugar. In my case my blood sugar spiked to well over 450 causing me too slip into delirium and ended in a coma, ambulance ride and time in the ICU.

Through the use of insulin, as well as other treatments and countless prayers by my family and friends, and the skilled hands of numerous doctors and nurses, I was able to go home. In the interim three and a half months, I have almost gotten off the prednisone and my Crohn’s is in remission and I have weaned off a little more than half of the regular and Lantus insulin with the intent of eventually getting off the insulin completely. I recall reading a novel titled One Second After. In it, a teenager with type 1 diabetes died a slow death due to the gradual loss of availability and efficacy of insulin in a post EMP world. I sincerely wish to avoid this fate. I fight the battle daily to control my diabetes. I plan for the impending SHTF, prepare with the recommendations and insights afforded by this blog site, and also stockpile my oral medications so that I can use my medical expertise to care for my family and friends when TEOTWAWKI occurs.

Stockpiling Oral Meds

Stockpiling oral medications can be achieved in a number of ways. First, let your physician know you are concerned with having access to your meds should the supply chain be disrupted. Some of your medications can be ordered in twice the strength than you are taking and broken in half. This simple method will effectively double your supply. Another method, if your physician is willing, is to have your meds ordered through your usual pharmacy supplier (such as express scripts) and also have your physician write for the same medication in generic that you can take to Wal-Mart and buy with cash (not using your medication coverage as they will not let you double up the same medication for the same time frame). Another is through mail order from reputable pharmacies in Canada or Mexico–again if your physician is willing to write extra scripts.

And finally, you can go into Mexico and buy your scripts without having to ask physician to write double scripts. Keep in mind you can only do this with non-narcotic medications. Once you have the extra medications leave them in their bottles and add a desiccant and oxygen absorption packets and then place them in a vacuum pack bag and put in your freezer. This method should allow the medication to last for years as you will be protecting it from the two greatest enemies to medicine; heat and oxidation. Make sure you rotate the older medication with the newly acquired. The methods listed in this section can be used for any medication you are on with the exception of narcotics and controlled medications.

Online Resources

Finally, I would like to recommend some great reference sites: AAFP.org (American Academy of Family Practice), WebMD.com, mayoclinic.org, clevelandclinic.org, hopkinsmedicine.org, and NIH.gov (National Institutes of Health).

 




49 Comments

    1. In a world with no synthetic insulin making your own from the pancreas tissue of livestock is an alternative that is the last resort in my opinion. The quality of insulin will be poor as the dosage will vary greatly from batch to batch. This variance will cause the blood sugar to fluctuate significantly. Combine this with an ever diminishing supply of test strips and the patient will be playing diabetic roulette. It is an option, but a rather poor one. I stand by the recommendations in the article. Thanks.

  1. My dad was a really severe type 2 diabetic. He was always unhealthy and could never control his blood sugar. He died a painful death from cancer. I always assumed that I would also be a diabetic. Not so. My blood sugar has always been very stable. I was once diagnosed with pre-diabetes and was put on an oral pill that made me loopy, so I immediately quit it. I radically changed my lifestyle and diet. I have steadily been working toward producing every bit of my food. I eat a high saturated fat diet, along with lots of veggies and fruit, honey from my own hives, eggs from my own chickens, beef and pork we raise, milk from my own cow, etc.

    I lost 50 pounds. I do have to buy minerals to take, since our soil is deficient in magnesium. Magnesium seems to be critical to every function of the body, and Americans are really deficient in it, due to modern farming practices. We are working on the soil on our farm, amending it with ashes and manure to balance it. We are truly being self sufficient and my health has drastically improved. When I went back to my doctor after being gone a few years, he couldn’t believe the change in me. When I told him what I had done, he agreed that it was the right path, but most Americans don’t want to put in the hard work of getting truly well, and so doctors don’t even bother to learn it or suggest it anymore.

    1. Congratulations on changing your lifestyle and halting diabetes in its tracks. Your Dr was absolutely correct concerning most patients inability/unwillingness to put forth the effort necessary to follow your example. That is exactly why I wrote this article.

  2. STOCKPILING: I was forced to retire (FAA Age 65 rule for airline pilots) and I’m Type 2. Metformin is the 1/day med 500mg. This was filled with Express Scrips but now it’s all Medicare supplemental coverage. They were filling at 90-day intervals. How long can the medication be stored? How should it be stored?

    I read One Second After, and all of JWR’s books. Scary stuff. Even though I’m 65, my family is 29, 7, 4 yrs old. I’m worried about their medical needs in the SHTF situations it seems we’re heading for.

    1. Gregory, a US military study showed that meds in pill form, can last 15 years, if stored in a cool, dry place. Some of get extras by ordering our refills about 4 days early each month. I have never received 90 days supply of meds via mail, but I’d try asking for a refill about 10-12 days early. If they say no, ask them for a refill 7 days early.

    2. Gregory. A vacation trip to Mexico could be beneficial. Many medications that require a prescription here are available over the counter there and usually at greatly reduced prices. Perhaps others who live on the border can comment on this. I doubt customs will give you any grief over non abuse-able medications being brought back for personal use.

  3. Thank you Dr Scott. Would you say that Diabetes Type 2 is, in the vast majority of cases, or perhaps almost ALL cases a “lifestyle disease?” If so, wouldn’t that mean that Diabetes 2 is essentially completely preventable in the first place?

    When I was a boy in the 1960s “fat people” were a very rare sight. And Diabetes 2 was also rare, and was called “Adult Onset Diabetes.” Today obesity is everywhere, and Diabetes 2 is rampant, especially in Hispanic communities among youth as young as 12. So much for “Adult Onset.”

    I commend and congratulate you for taking back control of your health and life through good self-discipline over your exercise and diet! Dr Scott, I’m 6′ tall, “medium framed” by the wrist circumference definition you gave, and have only been up to 178 lbs once in my life for a few months, and I’m telling you it gave me “love handles” a fat butt, and a chubby face and neck. It made me soft, feeling “yucky” and I could only get to that weight by being seriously out of shape. So I took measures to work it back off and have stayed back at my normal weight of 160 pounds, or less, ever since. I find the Body Mass Index (BMI) to be a pretty good guide for me, and I try to stay under a BMI of 21. Unless one is an awesomely muscled “fire hydrant” of a body-builder, my impression is that 6′ tall, 178 pounds is unhealthy. It’s too much fat.

    I’m a skeptic about the “Normal Body Weight” indices of the Insurance Industry, and the AMA. Personally I believe that it is better to be “slender,” and that even just an extra 10 pounds of unneeded (“But I might need a little padding, to get me through a sickness or hard times”) let’s call it what it is … fat, is truly and noticeably harmful, and not in anyone’s best interest. Slender is best.

    We eat a grain free diet, very little alcohol, lots of vegetables, only raw dairy (from our own goats), grass fed meat, and 1-2 servings/day of fruit, almost zero added sugars, and we cook every meal from scratch. As a consequence, no one in our large family (over 10 of us, mostly adults now) have any inflammatory disease, any lifestyle disease, no females have difficult menses, and no one needs or takes any drugs of any kind. Lifestyle, what you eat, how you exercise, how you handle stress, and a commitment to being slender, have given us the kind of life where we don’t need to worry about stockpiling maintenance medicines with desiccants. I’m not criticizing, just pointing out that it is better to prevent the need in the first place, which I’m sure you also believe and now teach.

    May God bless you and your family with good health, long life, and peace. Thank you for your ministry of healing.

    — Goat Rancher

    1. The “rate” of diabetes has not changed. It was the same in the 60’s but identified less and discussed less. It isn’t “caused” by lifestyle it is hereditary. But it (type II)isn’t an all or nothing disease, you can have it and not have symptoms. It typically gets worse as you age and change habits which is why it seems to be a lifestyle illness. Most type II diabetics discover it in the 20’s -30’s and assume they got it from eating too much, eating improperly or from other poor habits. This is not the case, they had it at birth but were asymptomatic (or ignored symptoms) as the grew up. The higher activity levels of children aid this and the more sedentary jobs/lifestyle once we are adults aggravates it.

      1. Absolutely not. I was diagnosed as a type II and was determined to not take meds for it. I told the doc that I was going to beat it, and proceeded to change my lifestyle with diet and exercise. My A1C dropped like a stone and I am considered “well controlled” at this point. My doc said if the trend continues I would be able to become completely diabetes free. It would require a lifetime commitment to maintain that status, but it can be done.

        Would that be the case if it was hereditary and I was born with it?

        1. Doc: Yes.

          Scott M: There is no explosion of type two diabetics in this country. What there is, is in the late 90’s the health care community decided that since about half of diabetics are unaware of their health problem that they would do an outreach and begin testing unsymptomatic people for diabetes and the result was an increase in known diabetics. Additionally as we all know in the last 30 years or so our population’s ethnicity has changed drastically. The rate of diabetes of most of the new Americans is much higher than the rate for the traditional Americans of Northern European descent. When this is all averaged together the rate for all Americans increased even though the rate for each of the various ethnicities stayed the same.

          So why then do reputable medical sites tell a different story and blame or poor diet and stress, etc.??? Well, because they are “do gooders” and think that the benefit of telling us all that our diet is killing us even thought they know it is a lie outweigh their dishonesty. They have convinced themselves it is the right thing to do. We should all understand that because we all do exactly the same thing with our children and justify it by saying don’t do as I do do as I say.
          There is another complicating factor in all of this too that fools many honest people into believing what you cited. If you have the genetic defect that causes diabetes THEN it is indeed harmful for you to eat a Western diet. To many people they conflate this fact to mean that a Western diet “causes” diabetes. It does not. If you do not have the genetic defect for diabetes nothing you eat can give it to you. You can eat candy, sodas, white rice and potatoes all day every day and you won’t “catch” diabetes.

          I do understand the confusion, even many doctors and scientists are confused on this. There has been so much misinformation that even well meaning people continue to repeat it.

          I suppose we could always take the attitude that where is the harm in eating a better diet? But that assumes that a diabetic diet is “better”. It is better for a diabetic but meaningless for someone who is not diabetic.

      2. Sir you have taken some half truths and tried to make them sounds reasonable and have failed miserably. There is definitely a portion of diabetes that seem so be hereditary, however the sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits and stress have made for the explosion of type two diabetics in this country. There are more types twos in this country than ever before and it is growing by the day. Any reputable medical site that deals with diabetics will confirm these statements. I respectfully suggest you do some reading.

    2. Type two diabetes is generally preventable with lifestyle changes and as mentioned in the article is found in all ages but predominantly in adults. The metropolitan scales are an outdated but simple method of introducing weight consciousness to patients in a quick manner. Your experience with frame based weight estimations is a great example of variance in muscle mass. In your case using the BMI is likely to be more accurate.

  4. Excellent information.
    As a 60 something guy who is a little overweight I have been working on this concern for a while.
    I have not been diagnosed. My doctor told me that I was on a path to type 2 diabetes.
    He showed me the graphs with the trend lines. I was under the impression that in most cases you don’t just wake up with diabetes, it develops over time.

    If you are like me take action now. With my doctors help, I chose to eat better and exercise like I had been diagnosed. Preemptive strike!

    Thanks for the recommendations in your article.

  5. Dr. Jason Fung has done a lot of work with fasting therapy in Canada which he says can naturally cure some people of type 2 diabetes. His book Obesity Code was excellent. He has written a book on type 2 diabetes which I have not read as it does not apply to me. For those who are interested here’s the link to that book:

    https://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Code-Prevent-Reverse-Naturally/dp/1771642653/ref=sr_1_5?crid=179F7DK38C6CP&keywords=jason+fung&qid=1554215348&s=books&sprefix=jason+fun%2Caps%2C200&sr=1-5

    1. A friend of mine who has about 8 years experience in a chemical lab, talked about making insulin as a small business in a grid down situation. But he didn’t have a recipe or a way to keep it cold. I still think that if one can make in it in a post-SHTF situation, one could make money or barter with insulin. However that person had better have a great security system, because some will become desperate for it.

  6. I believe the lifestyle factor accounts for a great deal of Type 2 Diabetes but not all.
    Look at those countries where Western food (fast food) is being introduced and you will see a slow gradual increase in weight and increase in diabetes.

    But what does the poor overworked doctor do with those 20-30% of diabetic patients who slim and trim? Within the broad brushstrokes of the disease there
    are real non-average individuals.

    My A1c (a 3 month test of blood sugar and more reliable) reached 6.1 two years ago and although elevated I didn’t become overly concerned. Six months ago it was 8.1. When they put “diabetic” on my medical records I was not happy. What
    did I do?

    I was under stress and was eating awful. I stopped all the cheap tasty snacks and cookies and sodas (diet or non) and in 3 months my A1c was back to 6.1. I am now
    incorporating some light exercise and feel I can bring the number into normal by my next test. It’s a journey. But I also believe that when some limit is reached individually there may be no lowering the number further without medication.

    Generally, I don’t believe there’s one best way to eat in terms of food items. Keep the calories in line with your activity level. As an aside it might be interesting to know that Type 1 Diabetes is increasing. Folks died off before and couldn’t pass on the disease. Now that there is medication, the genes are being passed on.

    The sooner you start on minor changes, the more successful you will be.

  7. In general a majority of Americans are eating ‘dead food’! If we eat ‘dead food’ long enough we WILL DIE! I am a recovering ‘sugarhaulic’, early childhood in the late 40’s early 50s, ice cream, donuts, and fast food! I was, and am, indeed blessed. I came from a large, lower middle class family, we couldn’t afford all the ‘goodies’. Things that we considered negative at the time become blessings in the future, with more perspective. I do believe many with type 2 has been self inflicted, of course understanding that genetics are also a major factor. I am not well enough educated on the subject to give advise but it would be nice for those on this forum that have specific knowledge might share with the rest of us their perspective on natural holistic ways to address the problem.

  8. This article is a serious subject, for all people that need medicine to stay alive. Some medicines need, ~refrigeration to increase the medicine’s storage life. … Many RVs have an absorption refrigerator. The ‘powering source’ is the propane tank. The heat from the flame provides the process for cooling. … There are explanations about absorption refrigerators on the Internet.

    A small RV refrigerator might be suitable to use during emergencies if needed. There’s no reason to buy a new ‘propane’ refrigerator. RVs get wrecked, and the vehicle is parted out for whatever is still useful.
    People seem to buy things that never get used. But, some medicines are ‘life or death’ products, and some medicines require refrigeration.

    A person doesn’t have to buy an absorption refrigerator tomorrow, but it might behoove people in a disaster prone area, to check into absorption refrigerators from wrecked RVs. They would be less expensive than a new one.

    1. I’ve thought about getting a RV refrigerator also and I have been keeping my eye out for a unit from an abandoned RV. One other thought about keeping insulin or any other drug that must be kept cold cold would be to put the drugs in a waterproof container and then tying a small rope to it and lowering it down in to a water well. It would require some effort to do considering the well pump would also be down there but in an emergency it should work.

  9. @Anon — you said “The “rate” of diabetes” (type 2, because that’s what this discussion is about) “has not changed… It isn’t “caused” by lifestyle it is hereditary…they had it at birth but were asymptomatic (or ignored symptoms) as the grew up.”

    Please refer us to reliable scientific documentation of these statements. My wife is an RN with about 25 years of additional study into nutrition, and lifestyle diseases and she is telling me that your entire post is incorrect. If you can direct us to reputable study on this that will be helpful. Respectfully, I must say that as of now it looks like you are quite in error.

    It is critical that we get this one correct. Lives will be at stake, as preppers with Diabetes 2 may think that they are “stuck” with the disease because it’s hereditary, when in fact they brought it on themselves, and they can largely make it go away themselves BEFORE SHTF, and shouldn’t trust in saving pills with desiccants to get through the rest of their lives.

    1. Well you will have to understand a few truths. First the diabetic rate for the various ethnicities has not changed and yet they are very different. People of Northern European descent have a rate about 8% while people of native American descent is about 4 times that. That difference is huge. But native Americans in pre-Columbian America ate a paleo diet and got a lot of exercise. This helped them live longer lives in spite of their high diabetes rate. Now what I just described is well documented and not even controversial. BUT those with an agenda would still have you believe that it is our diet that causes it. There are dozens of “diets” and tens of thousands if not millions of proponent for each diet (vegan, paleo, etc.). Almost without exception these proponents or supporters of their favorite diet will insist it will make you healthy, live longer and avoid specific diseases. IF you believe that, I mean if you believe in a magic diet, then I cannot convince you no matter what I say that there is no magic diet. You will be more inclined to believe the hype. And some of that hype is about diabetes, just as there is hype about obesity and cancer and almost anything you can think of. Probably 90% of it simply isn’t true. But there will always be some “proof” that sounds convincing. Let me give yopu a popular example:

      In much of the world you live and die and may never see a doctor and if you die young no one may ever know what caused your premature death. But as civilization catches up with you health care becomes available and they begin to identify what illnesses people have and why they die. Not coincidently this growing civilization that better identifies your illness also brings better and different food. Perhaps even what we call the Western diet (meat and potatoes or maybe hamburgers and fries). And suddenly you have a statistic that seems to say as the Western diet comes into a 3rd world country the incidence of diabetes (or cancer or heart attacks, etc.) increases. Probably the incidence of those diseases didn’t change at all but are simply now being diagnosed more correctly. BUT there is that statistic and anyone with an axe to grind will cite the statistic. It will even be used in medical schools but, because health care providers learn a lot but rarely learn statistics they will remember the headline and never look into the data. Now I love my health care providers. When I go for an operation I make a point of remembering the names of the nurses and the aides. I bring candy when I go back for the checkup and stitch removal. So I am in no way trying to diminish them or their value. I am simply saying that there are lies, damned lies and statistics and unless you understand statistics you tend to simply remember the headline. AND someone put the headline there (usually) intending to deceive.

      So as our immigration increases and Hispanics and others with high rates of diabetes become a larger percentage of our population our America rate of diabetes will increase. But at the same time the rate for descendants of Northern Europeans will stay the same. And as sure as the sun comes up in the morning someone, some group will use the statistic to convince you and others that “our” rate of diabetes is going up and it must be what we eat. And voila a meme is implanted in everyone’s brain and it is very hard to change their minds.

  10. I understand that it is possible to ‘flash freeze’ insulin. Putting it in a regular freezer will destroy the molecules due to the formation of large crystals as a result of the long time period that it takes to solidify. It is, however as I understand it, possible to freeze insulin using a cryogen like liquid nitrogen. This rapid freezing process doesn’t allow for large crystal growth, and it can successfully be stored in a regular freezer after it has been frozen in this manner.

    It is certainly worth investigating further if you or a loved one is dependent upon insulin.

  11. Would the author please clarify whether the dissicants and oxygen absorbers should be placed inside the medication bottles, or in the vacuum pack bag?

    Putting them in the bottles seems more logical, as the bag would be opened from time to time, admitting fresh oxygen.

    Thank you.

    1. I would recommend putting the lid on lightly(not tightened down) then putting the dessicant and absorber outside of the bottle but inside the bag and then vacuum and seal the bag. If you limit the number out pills/bottle to 100 you will not need to reseal the bag once opened. Make sure to date each bag so you can rotate the stock oldest to newest just as you do with food items.

  12. Dr Scott M, I was diagnosed with diabetes 5 years ago. My weight was 255 lbs, & I had relatively little exercise. My dr started me on metformin & gradually increased it to the maximum 2550 mg/day. My test strips showed a fasting 130-165 during that period. Three years ago, my dr added 1 mg glimepride to my metformin. I also joined a gym & workout 3 times/wk, including cardio. I lost 12 lbs & can tighten my belt 3 more notches. My test strips showed 90-120 during these last 3 years. My most recent non-fasting A1c was 6.0.
    My question is, are my receptors & body damaged so badly that it is no longer possible to reduce or eliminate my metformin & glimepride? Is there a test for that?

    1. it is likely that more significant weight loss will help you. Keep up your efforts and increase your aerobic exercise to 45 minutes 5-6 times/wk. Go see a diabetic educator as well as a dietician. Good luck!

  13. Walmart sells the old style insulin for very cheap. Can be kept for a couple of years in a lightproof container in the back of your fridge. No prescription needed.

      1. I was researching a year or so ago and must have gone thru 50 articles and can’t remember which had that info, but it looked reliable. My neighbor has a young daughter on insulin and he is stuck in the normalcy bias. Doesn’t prepare for the lack of insulin if society goes sideways so I guess I’ll do it. If I find the article I’ll post you.

  14. “Type 1 is found almost exclusively in children.” I think you meant Type 1 is found to begin almost exclusively in children. My son was diagnosed at 8 years of age, and he is now 43, and of course he is still a Type 1 diabetic. He has, like most insulin-dependent diabetics, been hard hit by the exorbitant price gouging for insulins over the past 3-5 years. Changing from one brand of insulin to another can effect changes in episodes of hypoglycemia, thus chasing price drops wreaks havoc with glucose readings (and life threatening blood sugar plummets). Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) can help, but transmitters are touchy and don’t last as long as they ‘say’ they do, plus insurance companies are shy about covering them. Years ago there was some news about Canada making insulin from sunflowers, or some kind of flower, for an insulin nasal spray, but I’ve heard nothing about it since. Thanks for your article about Type 2 diabetics.

    1. Good catch! In my editing process a couple words were lost. Type 1 diabetes starts exclusively in children(who will have for their lifetime). Type 2 diabetes can start at any age but is mostly found to start in adulthood.

  15. Type 2 diabetes has also been linked to exposure to Agent Orange. All veterans who served in Vietnam and now also many Navy veterans who served off shore in the Vietnam conflict who develop Type 2 Diabetes can file a claim with the VA for disability. Becoming disabled with the VA means test strips, meters and medication are provided at no cost to the veteran. If you are or know any Vietnam veterans who are type 2 diabetics and are not being treated by the VA please have them check into this.

  16. Let’s be clear about one thing. If you want to lose weight, you must eat fewer refined carbohydrates. That is “junk food”, or as someone above said, “dead food”.

    Exercising it off is a dream. Exercise is good for so many things other than weight loss, as our fine doctor states. Also, if doing 30 minutes a day seems too much for you, get out from in front of your computer anyway and do ten minutes. Make it a habit that you want to do every day.

    I have a machine in the basement that I pedal on when I get chilly. This is instead of turning up the heat. The money saved goes for other things, like, you know…

    In warmer weather, like yesterday, I bicycle to meetings. To the library. The grocery store. Do I get thirty minutes a day? Sometimes. I strive for 150 minutes a week, some weeks more.

    You must move to be healthy. Get used to it.

    Carry on

  17. I got diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic at the first of the year. At first they had me on Metformin. The side effects were horrible. I stopped taking it. I started a keto diet. I eat more vegetables now than I ever have. I exercise by walking as much as I can. I have lost 35 pounds. My daily blood sugar reading has been around 85! So much of an improvement. I have not had my A1C rechecked yet. It’s all about the carb/sugar control. Also I feel so much better. I had just gotten lazy honestly. I had put on alot of weight and ate horribly. Diabetes does run in my family. I do think some of it is genetics, but most of it is lifestyle. I am proving that by changing how I eat and getting more exercise. I am determined to be healthier.

    Eat less carbs/sugar. The keto lifestyle has finally been the key. Also get exercise. Walk. Simple. Just as much as you can a day. Break it up if you have to. Drink plenty of water. Try not to get on medication if you can help it. Once your dependent on it, I think its hard to get off of it. It is not always easy. I do miss sweets sometimes. But being 35 pounds lighter and feeling better is so much better.

  18. Can someone with actual medical training tell me: What is the typical life expectancy and symptoms of a diabetic without treatment? AKA What will happen to a severely diabetic when the insulin runs out? For example someone that is currently taking 160 units of toujeo and 170 units of novolog a day. I know he is a dead man but how long? what symptoms??

    1. With dosages that high when their supply of insulin run out or degrades from lack of refrigeration they will slip into delirium, then a coma and without effective medical intervention will die quickly.

  19. You know, I am sure there of individuals that frequent this site, that have knowledge of naturopathic ways to address this problem. I would still love to hear from someone who has some input. We are all in this together.

  20. I have been losing weight by eating a low carb/ higher fat/ protein lifestyle. There are plenty of sources for this out there, Paleo, etc, but the most fascinating I have found is Dietdoctor.com, a largely free foreign website.
    I try to stay BELOW 50 grams of carbs in a day, and also do intermittent fasting. I have discovered that if you store factory bought freeze dried entrees, or MRE’s you could have 300-400 grams of carbs in a day. Purchasing a Harvest Right freeze-dryer has allowed our family to store food that we will eat during SHTF, and not turn us into diabetics. None of us are sugar babies, but breads and potatoes ARE hard to walk away from. My project is to make a Keto 24 hour ration, but customized for our family.
    Also, is there a link to read about the Shelf Life Extension Program, or has that been censored?

    1. I think it’s harder to prep for keto. Though probably less important as well. In an emergency situation we are likely to be much more active which will reduce the effects of the carbs.

      We are also likely to be strictly watching calories to make sure they last. Which will also help.

  21. I was diagnosed 5 years ago as a type 2, it runs in my family. I took care of my father as he went on insulin and into a wheelchair (wouldn’t give up ice cream), and after that my uncle as he went blind and had cardiac issues (wouldn’t stop drinking). Of course, it wouldn’t happen to me, I took after my mother, right? Wrong.

    With the best of bad examples if I continued, I went on a very restrictive diet I have kept to this day. Meat, eggs, cheese, some nuts, green leafy vegetables. With that I have gone from an A1C of 10.7 to holding at 5.5 with no medicines required. None. I have not needed a shot or a pill in over 4 years now. It isn’t easy, but whenever I think about that chocolate bar or fruit, I think about my father and his brother.

    My food storage has had to be drastically modified. The rice, beans and wheat are for others, not for me. A serving of pinto beans for supper will still send my fasting blood sugar above 150, just 1/2 cup is too much. Lots of canned meat and egg powder, plus nuts and dried veggies for roughage. Ugh! Still, not having my life tied to prescription drugs is worth it. When TSHTF, I won’t be trying to raid pharmacies for metformin and insulin.

  22. Thank you for this article! As a mid-50s male, I was surprised by my labs showing I was pre-diabetic in January. Heck, I do the 40 acre workout and keep my weight kind of OK, that’s good enough, right? No. Losing almost 20 pounds over the past year has made a tremendous improvement in my ability to do chores around the place and how I feel when i do them. I haven’t been near “ideal” weight in a long time. Cutting carbs, eating right, getting real exercise, and taking a break from alcohol helped too. What does all this mean? I don’t want to be on medication of any type, especially if I can do anything to help it. But if I have to have medicaiton, I’m glad I know how to store them for the future now. What a great and unexpected discussion for this forum. Thank you!

  23. Low carb/keto plus intermittent fasting will do wonders for diabetes.

    Instead of 50-60 grams of carb per meal, most shoot for under 50 carbs per day. And many for under 20.

    It’s also by far the easist way to lose weight. When I stay low carb my cravings stay under control and I can stay on diet and lost about 30 lbs in 4 months). Once I start adding carbs back in watch out.

    As they say, “one cookie is too many, and a dozen is not enough”

    The “Ketogenic intermittent fasting” group on facebook has a lot of good info and support.

    Good luck

  24. Read Dr. Fong’s book, “Obesity Code” and then look at http://www.dietdoctor.com.

    This book was recommended by JWR some months back and I will forever be grateful for it.

    Lost weight, lost joint inflammation, lowered cholesterol and and absolutely lowered blood pressure.

    Dr. Fong led me to KETO and it has truly been life changing for me. Although I never had Diabetes, the low carb high fat diet and converting to ketosis will cure type 2 issues and if followed properly will allow you to get off of the medications as well.

    Do some research regarding KETO, intermittent fasting, and how it relates to Type 2 Diabetes, dementia, and reversal of Alheimers as shown in a Stanford study.

  25. Update….I am now completely off of insulin and with the grace of God and the plan as outlined in the article I will hopefully never have to go back on it.

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