Although I agree completely that drugs are useless, and that any treatment of type 2 diabetes besides diet and exercise is enabling and therefore worse than nothing, non-physicians should realize:

1) Dr Mercola's patient population is enviably anomolous;

2) most patients do not go to their doctor to ask how to prevent type 2 diabetes, either we find it or they already have it.  They come to us with a problem they want solved in 10 min without effort on their part, and that their "insurance" will cover.  They expect this to occur and if it does not, they are nonplused.  When  they learn that they have to eat right and exercise, and then learn what that means speciffically, they refuse.  They want a pill, and it better not be >$20/mon co-pay.

If you argue with them they will usually leave the practice.  If you try to do it over the course of tx, say years, a little at a time, the effect is so incrementally small -v- what you know a full blown natural treatment would provide that I just give up.  There's not enough satifaction for me to offset the time and lost money of cajoling/patient loss.

I am starting to believe that I'm the one with a problem.  These pts know  eating like pigs and not exercising  causes their health problems and shortened life spans.  They  have simply made a choice with which I do not agree.  I think they are for the most part aware that the pills may help a little given that they are not going to change.

So I, like most of the profession and the drug companies catering to them, will ask once or twice if they want health or enablement, and go with their choice.  At least untill I can stand it no longer and flip to diet dictocrat.

Such is the schizophrenia of  trying to act on rationalization.

MY RESPONSE

I could not disagree more strongly with Dr. D's post. Type 2 diabetes is virtaully 100% curable with proper diet and exericse. I have personally mentored many hundreds of people through this process.

Dr. D you are GIVING UP on them and not giving them a chance. Nearly all of those that you are giving up on hae significant psychoemotional issues that prevent them from applying this nearly universal effective strategies.

Patients should certainly have freedom of choice, but I do not believe that
offering them an expensive "magic pill" that is questionably effective at best,

•  in no way shape or form addresses the cause of the disease, and
• has a serious chance of actually causing more problems than it solives

is truly serving your patients.

Dr. D you have capitulated and surrendered to the drug model and doing your patients a great disservice by not offering them an example of what is possilble and providing them with tools to achieve it.

If they still choose the easy way there are plenty of ignorant physicians who will gladly cooperate with them and prescribe these deadly and ineffective nostrums till the cows come home.