Stop Giving Medical Advice You’re Not Qualified to Give

I have to tell you about something I saw recently. It was a Facebook page that was claiming that “type 1 diabetes is reversible”. Now, if you go to any trained medical professional, or anyone who has T1D, they will tell you that it is absolutely NOT reversible. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. People need to stop giving medical advice when they have no qualifications. But it doesn’t bother me for the reason you might think.

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Once you or your loved one is diagnosed, you’ll soon notice all of the “helpful” people giving you advice. These are people who have no personal experience and are generally passing along a tidbit of information that they heard on Dr. Oz or something they read on the cover of a magazine.

They mean well, but they’re misinformed.

After repeatedly hearing that cinnamon and okra water will cure your child’s T1D, you can get a bit fed up with the comments. For every person you try to educate, another pops up with an even crazier idea than the last.

“You have T1D? You should check out the guy down the street. He sells fish soaked in okra water. It worked wonders on my friend’s, neighbor’s, second cousin. Tell him Cinnamon sent you.”

Back to the page and their advice

This Facebook page made me feel physically ill. It has since been deleted. But basically, it suggested that diet will reverse T1D.

The person who ran the page closely follows a man who calls himself the “Medical Medium”. If alarm bells aren’t already sounding at that term, please follow my short journey in researching him.

I found his website, he has some books and he seems very popular (this is disturbing to me, you’ll see why in a moment.)

He focuses on autoimmune diseases. But he claims that autoimmune diseases don’t actually exist. He says the body does not create antibodies that attack different parts of itself. That because doctors can’t explain autoimmune diseases, they made up this whole “autoimmune” thing. (I hope you’re starting to feel leery of this guy).

But the icing on the cake, and why I stopped reading about him after 5 minutes, he gets help diagnosing and curing diseases from, wait for it…

A spiritual partner from the other side!!!!!

Facepalm.

People follow this guy??

Of course people follow this guy

This is why people who are unqualified need to stop giving medical advice.

When you are diagnosed with a lifelong disease or condition, you go through the stages of grief.

If you’re unfamiliar with those stages they are:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

Someone who is in the first 4 stages could easily be persuaded to try something. They desperately need a cure to be real. Some will try ANYTHING to get their life back to normal.

If you tell a more seasoned person with diabetes that their T1D will be cured if they just stop eating eggs or eat a fruit only diet, it’s akin to someone telling you to stand on your head in the forest to get the tooth fairy to pay off your mortgage.*

It sounds ridiculous and is simply untrue.

But a newly diagnosed person wants it to be right with every fiber of their being. They WANT to believe it. Even though what is being said makes no sense and goes against EVERYTHING they have been taught, some people will try it anyway.

*I am not a mortgage broker. Don’t attempt headstand in place of a mortgage payment before discussing with a qualified mortgage broker.

People won’t stop giving medical advice

So you have to learn to stop taking it.

You can’t just follow the scarecrow down the yellow brick road and hope it’ll get you home.

If you take “medical advice” from people who are not trained in T1D, there could be dire consequences. Especially if those people suggest a “treatment” or “cure” that they claim doesn’t require insulin.

You have an Endocrinologist, a dietician, diabetes nurses. And if you don’t, you have access to these people.

You can go to trusted websites like the American Diabetes Association or the Canadian Diabetes Association.

While diet cannot reverse T1D, there are foods that can help regulate blood sugars. If you want to learn more about those foods, I suggest you check out Strive for 85 Low Carb Diabetes Support on Facebook. Mia, who runs the page, talks about what she is doing to manage her son’s blood sugar levels. She has a select carb approach to diabetes management, shares fantastic recipes, and finds fascinating articles for you to check out.

If you want to follow a promising trial that is currently being worked on, check out Dr. Faustman’s work.

Signs a site, page or group is not trustworthy:

1. They have no credentials. They are making claims that a doctor would make, throwing around words like “cure” , “reverse”, and “treatment”, but they are not a doctor.
2. They make absolute statements. If the person is claiming that their cure/ treatment will do X for everyone, they’re probably full of it. Look for people who are saying, “X worked for me, it might work for other people.”
3. They only mention one or two outside sources (or none at all). When the site only has one or two “doctors” or “professionals” that it mentions, there’s probably a reason for that. Maybe they are being paid to promote a book or website. Maybe they truly believe what they’re saying (that doesn’t make it true).
4. They tell you not to listen to your doctor. If they’re telling you that the medical profession is wrong, or that you shouldn’t believe decades of medical research, that’s an immediate red flag. This person needs to stop giving medical advice NOW.
5. They are unwilling to hear a different opinion. If it’s their way or the highway, take a step back. When people don’t want to debate or discuss opposing ideas, it’s because they don’t have enough information to back up what they’re saying. No big deal in most cases, but when they’re trying to give you medical advice, just walk away.
6. You can’t find a reliable site that verifies what they’re saying. If you come across something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Take a moment to google what you’ve heard. Do any reputable websites come up in the search? Talk to your doctor about what you read. What do they think about it?

Even trained, licensed medical professionals don’t give medical advice online. Always talk to your doctor before trying something new.

Happy carb counting,

Because yes, we still have to do that,

~ Leah

If you enjoyed this post, you might like these as well:

If You Give a T1D a Slice of Cake                                    No, It’s not Drugs… It’s Hypoglycemia

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