There are low cost alternatives to diabetes treatment

NY Times:

Small Advances Can Mean Big Increases in Medical Bills

Some high-tech treatments help patients better control chronic diseases like diabetes, but they also drive an enormous surge in costs, and experts say many of them offer dubious benefits.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes I followed the advice of medical professionals and took various meds for treatment that maintained my blood sugar levels but did little to lower my A1C marker in the blood test that the diagnosis is based on.  I started having trouble with anemia and my kidneys deteriorated.

About a year ago I decided to go on a diet to defeat the diabetes.

Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Revised Edition Paperback by Joel Fuhrman and his book The End of Diabetes were a relatively pain free and hunger free approach. I lost 55 pounds and am no longer diabetic.  My A1C reading is in the normal range and I no longer take diabetic medications.  The books are inexpensive and the food on the diet can also be inexpensive.  It is a diet that someone on food stamps could easily follow.  In fact we could probably reduce diabetes and the associated cost to the healthcare system if food stamps were restricted to the items on this diet.

When I was first diagnosed it was my impression that I would have to manage the disease for the rest of my life.  But I did hear of a few cases where people were cured with lap band surgery.  This diet actually makes much more sense and I think is ultimately safer.  Losing the weight also made exercise much easier.  I still watch what I eat but if I had any idea that I could have cured my condition this way I would have started the diet much sooner.  

This is not an ad.  I found the books on Amazon and have no association with Dr. Fuhrman.