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Diabetes and a Practitioner “Eating Crow”

April 25, 2025 | 8 Comments | SAFM Team
How do you feel about having a savvy medical practitioner as your client or patient?

It might be exciting to you! Or it might be an intimidating thought? It is a mix of both for many providers, even those with the same or similar medical training. Perhaps the scenario triggers limiting beliefs about “not knowing enough” or being “out of my league” with a perceived professional equal or “superior”?

The reality is that these types of hesitations or niggling thoughts are natural, normal. The opportunity is to not let them hold you back. The “first” or “second” attempt at anything is uncomfortable, initimiating, and perhaps even scary. But the only way to transcend the feeling is to Take Action. After all, courage is not an absence of fear; it is a willingness to move forward in spite of it!

Here’s why you actually really want to work with a savvy MD client (or DC or PA or NP or scientist).  A physician who is excited and wildly satisfied with their own progress working with you can (1) become a passionate advocate for your practice (and potentially a generous, passionate referral-generating machine) and (2) embrace your role model and change the lives of thousands of other people.

Over the years, I have supported many docs as clients, and a few of them have been my favorites. Dr. G was one of them.

I used to meet her at the food court next to the hospital where she worked in Boston.  You only had to take one look at the droves of docs in scrubs scarfing down burgers, soda, and fries to know that there was huge opportunity at hand!

Dr. G came to me after “treating” her Type 2 diabetes for a year with Metformin.  I’ll always remember what she said during our initial consultation, “So here’s the truth:  I honestly don’t believe that diabetes can be completely undone.  But if I’m wrong, I really want to know what you know.  So I am willing to suspend disbelief and give it a try. And if I’m wrong, I’ll eat crow.”

Whew. Talk about an intimidating kick-off!

But to her word, she did give it an honest, committed trial.  And Dr. G got amazing results! She was able to stop using Metformin after about 3 months. Her HbA1c went from over 8% to 5.6% in about 10 months  Yes: less than one year. Clinically, that is going from essentially out-of-control diabetes to non-diabetic. (Her annual labs a further year later showed HbA1c at 5.3%. Healing, sustained.)

The work we did together follows very closely what we teach in SAFM’s curriculum where we have a 8-hour clinical course on Reversing Metabolic Dysfunction. We made a number of critical changes, but there are a few specific pearls I want to share with you….

  • 100% elimination of all grains….at least for a while.  The major challenge in reversing diabetes is “shocking” cells back into higher insulin sensitivity. In most cases, I find this requires making more severe dietary changes for a short time – typically ~6 months.  Don’t confuse the concepts of a healing diet vs. a healthy maintenance diet.  Many practitioners are big fans of whole grains.  But it’s important to remember that each client is unique. Some can well tolerate daily moderate servings of whole grains in fully countering insulin resistance, while others need to restrict carbohydrates much more dramatically.
  • Magnesium.  Insulin resistance impairs magnesium absorption.  And low magnesium creates insulin resistance.  A vicious cycle!  Every single diabetic client I have ever supported had suboptimal magnesium, so be on the lookout for this combination.  It’s important to ensure that it’s RBC (not serum) Magnesium being evaluated.  Dr. G was clinically low and needed a hefty daily dose (nearly 1000mg/day of mag glycinate) to get her levels up to even mid-normal.
  • Fat is Where It’s At.  Dr. G was like many of our clients:  still brainwashed about the supposed danger of liberal dietary fat intake.  She was amazed that I recommended eliminating oatmeal and whole wheat bread entirely and adding in regular intake of avocado, eggs, and coconut oil.  Dietary fat increases satiety (by triggering a hormone called cholecystokinin or CCK) and can help to alleviate cravings for more refined carbohydrates.
  • Resolved dysmotility. Because of its marked effect on incretins (e.g., GLP-1) and downstream intestinal mediators of metabolic function (like DPP-IV brush border enzymes), establishing optimal gastrointestinal motility should be a key part of every clinical plan to resolve Type 2 diabetes. In this case, no drugs required. We just sustainably addressed her unique root causes of dysmotility – poor hydration, inadequate fiber intake, and poor eating hygiene.
Dr. G was definitely satisfied with her progress.  And as she put it, she was “delighted to eat crow“, having seen for herself that diabetes can indeed be reversed.  She sent me several other clients, including a few of her physician colleagues. More importantly, she began to teach her own patients that there are new possibilities available to them!
Go beyond treating diabetes. Get savvy about reversing diabetes.  Undoubtedly a common challenge in your practice.  And open up to the possibility of serving other savvy practitioners, including those that may intimiate you a bit.  It could be a treasure chest for everyone!
With warmth and gratitude for what you share with the world,
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8 Questions for “Diabetes and a Practitioner “Eating Crow””

  1. 4
    Melaina Marion says:
    June 12, 2023 at 7:03 pm

    Why have her take alpha lipoic acid, biotin, and chromium?

    Reply
  2. 3
    Anne Lowenthal says:
    August 10, 2016 at 12:04 pm

    Here’s a big question that’s been on my mind for quite a while. I feel that I’m part of two worlds: the functional medicine world learning from you and practitioners like Mark Hyman, Dr Axe, Dr Jockers, etc. And then the vegan, plant based world with teachers like Neal Barnard, T Colin Campbell, etc. Diabetes is a great example of the divide between these two worlds. Recommendations are very different and yet both camps cite plenty of anecdotal evidence as well as more formal studies to back their claims. My personal philosophy is aligned much more with the vegan side (although I’m not totally vegan), and I don’t want to let my personal views cloud my recommendations. So here’s the question to you: Could it be that this is just a matter of bioindividuality where some people will have better results (eg reversing type 2 diabetes) with one vs the other approach? Or is it possible that although these approaches are very different in many ways, it’s possible that the vast majority of people suffering with diabetes would see good results with either approach and then it’ a matter of them deciding which resonates more for them? Or do you totally disagree with the leaders of the plant based approach?

    Reply
    • 3.1
      SAFM Team says:
      August 13, 2016 at 9:24 am

      Ahhh, a great question – and serendipitous timing. One of our next Clinical Courses is going to be on metabolic typing. As we well know, some people thrive with Paleo, and others thrive on a Vegetarian/Vegan diet. And there are of course many variations of both that accommodate our food allergies/sensitivities, our digestive limitations, our level of exercise/movement, and other unique needs. Our job is to help a client sort out what is best for their body and temperament. Of course, this best choice on a *visceral* level could be quite different or opposite what they may be trying to choose

        intellectually

      or based on a fad or the latest book they read or what their best friend or husband is doing or their political views. This is key because continuing to eat a diet that a person “wants” to be the best for them and ignoring the resulting dis-ease in their body is a recipe for ongoing illness. The body reflects this mental resistance physically. I had a vegetarian client once who wrestled with this for years but never got her immune system strong enough to combat a chronic infection and finally get well until she started eating meat. I had a carnivore client who wrestled with A-fib and anxiety that wouldn’t respond to other remedies until he started eating a plant-based diet and let go of all animal foods but 1-2x/week fish. The optimal unique diet has to start with what feels good in the body, with the mind in the passenger seat vs. the driver’s. Of course, many people will say they “feel great” eating a high-sugar diet. But what they are typically referring to is the addictive cycle of self-medicating. They nearly always do NOT feel good in their body doing this. They just enjoy the chemical rush and calming (or hyper focus) that comes from self-medicating. It’s critical for us to explain this difference to our clients! Ask them if they have a strong sense or intuition about what feels good in their BODY? What gives them the most physical energy and stamina and feels good physically in their gut. I often ask, “What kind of meal would most likely leaving you feeling fantastic both 30 min. after you ate it and also two hours later?” An individuals’ intuition is powerful, and as you well said, we have to be

        very

      careful not to allow our own choices to cloud our high-integrity assessment and reflection to others. Another key consideration is that ANY diet you recommend needs to be sustainable. I do believe 100% that both “camps” have long, credible lists of success stories. I also believe that they both have long lists of non-success stories; they just don’t publish them. Part of this is failure to sustain the core balance of the dietary choice (e.g. “paleo but with too many french fries and nightly coconut ice cream” or “vegan with lots of bread and pasta”). But absolutely, bio-individuality matters. A lot. Some vegetarians are obese and exhausted. Some carnivores or Paleos are obese and exhausted. We’ll cover more of this in the course I mentioned, but I believe those who are sympathetic dominant types (e.g. prone to hypertension, sleep poorly or lightly, typically poor digestion, relatively low hunger drive) likely will do best on some variation of a vegetarian, plant-based diet. Those who are parasympathetic dominant types (e.g. generally sleeps well, good digestion, frequently hungry, low blood pressure, perhaps prone to low body temperature and low thyroid and adrenal hormones) will likely do best on some variation of a high-fat, highER protein diet. The question is about which diet gives the body what it needs to calm the dominance and bring back balance in the autonomic nervous system. My good friend Tom clearly feels the best when his breakfast is a bowl of yogurt with lots of fruit and nuts and seeds and homemade granola. I truly feel the best when I have a ribeye steak and a giant pile of arugula with EVOO for breakfast. Both of our choices are “right”. For each of us uniquely. My choice is in fact not what I would choose intellectually – not even close. But I have learned over the years to listen to my body objectively and remember to regard food foremost as a fuel source. Just like nature does. A blessing always. And not something that has to be heavily laden with emotional, intellectual, political, religious, and moral bias and gravity. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  3. 2
    Shelly says:
    July 27, 2016 at 4:51 pm

    Is Berberine a readily available supplement?

    Reply
  4. 1
    Sarah Maddox says:
    August 7, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    What happens if a client also has gout / kidney concerns as well as sever diabetes? Even though animal protein, nuts and seeds etc. are slightly acidic, when balanced with ample alkalizing vegetables, they should be healthy for them to eat right?

    Reply
    • 1.1
      SAFM Team says:
      August 10, 2015 at 4:32 pm

      In my experience, most gout is actually caused by the elevated blood sugar in diabetes and also by high fructose intake. Usage of diuretic drugs for hypertension can also exacerbate gout. There is a detailed post in the Membership Q&A about Gout which you will probably find helpful. It is particularly important to drink plenty of water and to anchor their diet with low-glycemic vegetables (as you say). From there, yes, moderate animal protein and other whole foods should be fine. I would be sure to use benfotiamine to help protect the kidneys from the oxidative damage caused by the high blood sugar, but yes, changing their diet and reversing the diabetes is the ultimate path to healing. There are other key supplements targeted for gout such as tart cherry extract, which work quite well.

      Reply

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