203-324-4747: Dr. Michael E. Doyle : Conventional & Alternative Medicine

If it weren’t so sad it would be funny.

There’s a big debate among medical researchers about whether one medicine for type 2 diabetes is more dangerous than another (http://www.theheart.org/article/1112711.do ). One of them (rosiglitazone) may cause more heart attacks than the other one (pioglitazone). But the debate misses the point. The important question is, “do these medicines save lives?”

While we know that both can lower blood sugar numbers, neither drug has been proven to help patients live longer. In fact, of all of the medications for type 2 diabetes, only one of them, metformin, seems to help patients live longer.

This question is important because many diabetes medicines are actually harmful. A couple of years ago, the ACCORD study showed that diabetics who took extra medicine (including the “glitazones above) to lower their blood sugar further were actually more likely to die. Not a great trade-off in my book. Patients who are given less medication and had higher blood sugars were less likely to die. Don’t you think that most patients would rather live longer with high blood sugar than die sooner with better numbers? Shouldn’t they at least be informed of these facts?

Before we spend millions more trying to decide which of these drugs is safer, we first need to know if they are safe or effective. Until someone proves that that these costly and risky drugs are worth using, I won’t be prescribing them…especially when safe ways to lower blood sugar including diet and exercise and various supplements are already available.

Update 8/12/10:

I worked on Saturday, then I went to a Renaissance Fair in Tuxedo, New York with the family on Sunday.  Again, the food was frightening.  Practically everything is sweet and as far as I can tell, everything sweet was made with high fructose corn syrup. Also, lots of food fried in who-knows-what kind of fat. It was pretty hard to limit the damage for myself and my family, but I tried.  If we go again, we’d better bring food and drink.

Then back home for a normal workweek.  I’ve been eating fairly carefully during the week, but I gained weight over the weekend as seems to be the norm.  Up til now, I haven’t been watching calories/portions.  In order to break through, I will have to focus on eating less…

WT: 188.6 lbs.

Dr. Doyle’s practice is designed is to combine Conventional and Alternative medicine to find the safest and most effective treatment for each patient. To learn more about Dr. Michael E. Doyle, click here.

I went with to my last weekend family to visit my sister in law in Montréal. Great weather. People are always very nice despite my complete inability to speak French beyond “merci.” We’ve been there before and have seen much of the beautiful city. This was a kid-oriented weekend and we went to a great waterpark and I rode the Rapids of Lachine with my two oldest sons (9 & 14). The Rapids might not have been much by a white water rafting standards, but there were plenty for me and my sons. We had a good time.

A great thing about Montréal (and probably Canada as a whole) is that some of the worst nutritional offenders are rarely seen. In particular, they don’t seem to use as much hydrogenated fat and high fructose corn syrup is rare. They actually sell real lard in the stores. My kind of country. We still have some lard left in our kitchen cupboard from the last trip. Unfortunately, even in Canada, waterpark cuisine and road food are not the greatest, but I tried…

WT: 188.8 lbs.

Dr. Doyle’s practice is designed is to combine Conventional and Alternative medicine to find the safest and most effective treatment for each patient. To learn more about Dr. Michael E. Doyle, click here.

Another tough weekend for losing weight. Company, too much food and some beer. I actually gained weight, but I’m getting back on track.

Afternoon 190.6 lbs.

Dr. Doyle’s practice is designed is to combine Conventional and Alternative medicine to find the safest and most effective treatment for each patient. To learn more about Dr. Michael E. Doyle, click here.

Forest Laboratories, Inc. has been producing and shipping a steady supply of the 1 grain (60 mg) and ½ grain (30 mg) dosage strengths of Armour Thyroid since February. As a result, these strengths are no longer on back-order. These two dosage strengths of Armour Thyroid can be used alone or in multiples to achieve common total daily dosage requirements.

Further, Forest Laboratories has begun producing additional dosage strengths. Since May we have shipped a limited supply of 1/4 grain (15 mg), 1.5 grain (90 mg), and 2 grain (120 mg) doses of Armour Thyroid. We continue to work diligently to provide additional supply in order to resolve the back-order of these and other Armour Thyroid dosage strengths.

If you have any questions about Armour Thyroid, please call the following toll-free hotline:
1-866-927-3260.

In the meantime, we encourage patients to speak with their physician regarding appropriate treatment for their condition.