The Danger of 'Diabetes Reversal' Advertisements

Nowadays, the danger from advertisements claiming “Diabetes reversal” is greater than diabetes itself.

In the OPD, a 65-year-old female patient came for a second opinion. She said she came after reading our WhatsApp posts.

She carried a large file. The file was so thick that just opening it showed she had gone through more confusion than treatment in recent months.

Reports, supplements, smoothies, powders, difficult diet charts, and lists of things to eat every 2 hours—all of this left the patient completely exhausted.

I was quietly reviewing the file when she suddenly said, “Doctor, do I want to manage diabetes or spend the whole day thinking about it?”

That one sentence expressed a lot of frustration.

After a while, my eyes landed on a page in the file titled “Diabetes Freedom Program” with prices of ₹40,000, ₹55,000, and ₹70,000.

I asked, “What is this?”

She replied, “I spent so much money, but now I feel more tired from the fear of diabetes than from diabetes itself.”

Honestly, this is not new.

Advertisements say “Reverse it,” “Get freedom,” “Permanent cure,” “Last chance.”

Such ads make patients feel, “If I don’t do something big immediately, it will be too late.”

I calmly told her one thing: “Diabetes is not a disease to panic about. It is a disease to understand.”

Yes, it requires discipline, but not drama.

Simple home-cooked meals, some regular walking, good sleep, watching your weight, tracking, and patience.

It may seem boring, but this is the only way!

When she was closing the file, I smiled and said, “Don’t complicate diabetes. Keep it simple and stupid.”

She quietly said, “Someone should have told me this earlier.”

(Based on true clinical events)

Dr Ravindra L Kulkarni, MD, DNB, FSCAI (Cardiology) Just For Hearts