This is the third of a four-part piece exploring the impact of chiropractic care on diabetics.

ASIDE from drugs to lower blood sugar, many physicians will advise diabetic patients to take a statin cholesterol-lowering drug to lower heart disease risk. This is wrong on many levels (not the least of which is the fact that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease), including the fact that statin drugs may actually contribute to diabetes.

A meta-analysis, published in JAMA, concluded that those taking higher doses of statins were at increased risk of diabetes compared to those taking moderate doses.

Statins appear to provoke diabetes through a few different mechanisms, the most important being that they increase your insulin levels, which can be extremely harmful to your health. Statins also increase your diabetes risk by raising your blood sugar and robbing your body of certain valuable nutrients, which can also impact your blood sugar levels. Two nutrients in particular, vitamin D and CoQ10, are both needed to maintain ideal blood glucose levels.

It’s important for awareness of this connection because GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of the prescription-strength fish oil medication, sold under the name Lovaza, has a new combination statin-fish oil drug which reportedly passed the required FDA testing.

While high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats are essential for preventing type 2 diabetes, prescription-strength fish oil combined with a statin drug is not.

Please don’t let anyone tell you that type 2 diabetes has no cure, as this is not true. What they mean is that medicine has no cure or is not willing to cure this condition. Type 2 diabetes is not terminal. Most type 2 diabetics can be successfully treated, eliminating the symptoms of diabetes, or the high risk of developing health complications if they are willing to implement the lifestyle changes necessary. These same changes will also drastically reduce risk of the disease to help avoid developing it in the first place.

Severely limit or eliminate grains and sugar from your diet, especially fructose, which is far more detrimental than any other type of sugar. Drinking just one sweetened drink a day can raise your diabetes risk by 25 per cent compared to drinking one sugary drink per month, it is imperative to evaluate the diet and look for hidden sources of refined sugars and fructose. Artificially sweetened food and drinks should be avoided as well; probably, even more so.

This also means avoiding most processed foods, as they are loaded with fructose. You may even need to avoid certain beneficial fruits until your diabetes is under control.

It’s important to realise that nearly all type 2 diabetics need to swap out their grains for other foods, such as healthy sources of protein or vegetable-only carbohydrates. We now offer a completely plant-based omega acid supplement which has the safest, most effective and balanced source of omega acids on the planet.

Exercise is an absolutely essential factor, without which one is highly unlikely to get this devastating disease under control. It is clearly one of the most potent ways to lower your insulin and leptin resistance. Make sure to incorporate high-intensity peak fitness exercises if you are physically able to do so. These types of exercises boost fat loss, promote muscle building, and help the body produce human growth hormone (HGH) naturally. Typically, large amounts of exercise will be needed until blood sugar levels are under control. Up to an hour or two a day may be needed eventually. Naturally, it is best to gradually work up to that amount of time, based upon current levels of fitness.

Don’t forget to “Ask Your Chiropractor” every week, where your questions may be published and answered in subsequent articles. Address questions to: Dr Chris Davis, the Spinal Mechanic at movethebone@gmail.com; or, Dr Michael Harvey, director, at dr.michael_harvey@yahoo.com or visit www.drharveychiropractic.com