Diabetes Prevention

Before any appointments, lab testing is ordered to identify baselines of patients’ metabolic risk factors. The program includes 2 visits (to start) with our board certified obesity medicine practitioner, India Scott. The initial visit is a a thorough and comprehensive hour long appointment. The followup appointment is to be used in the following 3-6 month period, based upon the acute needs of a patient, to track progress and identify continued course of action.

After the initial two appointments, patients can book future followups on an as-needed basis.

Learn more about India Scott

The Diabetes Prevention program includes an hour long intake appointment, and a 30 minute followup appointment. The cost of the program is $975. Patients can call the office to book appointments on an as-needed basis for a fee, after using up the two appointments. Lab testing is not included in the fee.

Quick Answer: We do not use insulin as a first-line treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Insulin worsens the underlying problem — insulin resistance — by forcing more insulin into a system that’s already overloaded. Instead, we reverse insulin resistance using dietary intervention, lifestyle changes, and medications that improve insulin sensitivity (like metformin and berberine).

Why Insulin Is the Wrong Approach for Type 2 Diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes is fundamentally different from Type 1:

Type 1 Diabetes:

• Autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells
• Body produces NO insulin
• Insulin is absolutely required (life-saving)

Type 2 Diabetes:

• Insulin resistance (cells don’t respond to insulin)
• Body produces EXCESS insulin (hyperinsulinemia)
• Pancreas eventually “burns out” from overproduction
• Insulin is NOT required — it makes the problem worse

The Problem with Insulin for Type 2 Diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance — meaning your cells don’t respond to insulin effectively.

The conventional approach:

• “Your blood sugar is high, here’s insulin to force it down.”

The problem:

• Adding more insulin to an insulin-resistant system doesn’t fix insulin resistance
• It forces glucose into cells temporarily (lowering blood sugar)
• But it worsens insulin resistance over time (cells become MORE resistant)
• Requires progressively higher doses
• Never addresses root cause

It’s like trying to open a locked door by pushing harder — instead of finding the key.

What Insulin Does to Type 2 Diabetics:

Short-term:

• Lowers blood sugar (good)
• May reduce symptoms of hyperglycemia

Long-term:

• Worsens insulin resistance (vicious cycle)
• Causes weight gain (insulin is a fat-storage hormone)
• Increases cardiovascular risk (hyperinsulinemia damages blood vessels)
• Increases cancer risk (insulin is a growth factor)
• Progressive dose escalation (need more and more insulin over time)
• Hypoglycemia risk (low blood sugar episodes, dangerous)
• Dependency (become reliant on external insulin)

Insulin for Type 2 diabetes is symptom suppression, not treatment.

The Correct Approach: Reverse Insulin Resistance

We address the ROOT CAUSE:

Type 2 diabetes is driven by:

• Chronic carbohydrate overload (excess glucose → insulin spikes → insulin resistance)
• Visceral fat accumulation (fat cells secrete inflammatory cytokines → insulin resistance)
• Chronic inflammation
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Environmental factors (blue light exposure leading to impaired circadian rythym)

What Happens to Blood Sugar on Our Approach?

Conventional approach with insulin:

• Blood sugar controlled artificially
• Insulin resistance worsens
• Dose escalates over time
• Disease “progresses”

Our approach (reverse insulin resistance):

• Blood sugar improves naturally (within 4-8 weeks)
• Insulin sensitivity restored (within 3-6 months)
• Medications REDUCED or eliminated
• Disease REVERSED

Studies show 50-60% remission rates with intensive lifestyle intervention.

When Insulin Might Be Necessary (Rare Cases):

We acknowledge insulin has a role in specific situations:

1. Type 1 Diabetes

• Absolute insulin deficiency
• Insulin is life-saving and required

2. Late-Stage Type 2 Diabetes with Pancreatic Failure

• After decades of Type 2 diabetes, pancreas may lose ability to produce insulin
• In these cases, insulin may be necessary (at least temporarily)
• BUT: Even late-stage diabetics can often reduce insulin doses significantly with dietary intervention

3. Acute Hyperglycemia (DKA, HHS)

• Emergency situations requiring immediate glucose control
• Short-term insulin use appropriate

For the vast majority of Type 2 diabetics, insulin is not necessary — and is counterproductive.

What About “But My Doctor Says I Need Insulin”?

Conventional endocrinology relies on insulin for Type 2 diabetes because:

• They don’t believe patients will change diet
• They’re trained to manage disease, not reverse it
• Insulin is profitable (pharmaceutical industry)
• Low-carb diets challenge conventional dietary guidelines

But evidence is overwhelming:

• Low-carb diets reverse Type 2 diabetes
• Insulin worsens insulin resistance
• Dietary intervention is more effective than medication

You don’t have to accept “progressive disease” as inevitable.

Our Clinical Philosophy:

We use metformin, NOT insulin, as first-line medication:

Metformin:

• Improves insulin sensitivity (addresses root cause)
• Reduces glucose production in liver
• Safe, cheap, well-tolerated
• Weight-neutral or promotes slight weight loss
• Reduces cardiovascular risk
• No hypoglycemia risk

Insulin:

• Worsens insulin resistance
• Causes weight gain
• Increases cardiovascular risk
• Hypoglycemia risk
• Expensive
• Requires injections

The choice is clear.

What Patients Tell Us:

“My endocrinologist started me on insulin. I gained 30 lbs and my blood sugar was still out of control. I came to Leading Edge, went low-carb, and got OFF insulin within 6 months. My HbA1c went from 9.2% to 5.6%.”

“I was on 100 units of insulin per day. I thought I’d be on it forever. Now I’m on zero insulin, just metformin, and my blood sugar is better than it’s ever been.”

We see this regularly.

Bottom Line:

For Type 2 diabetes:

• Insulin worsens the problem
• Metformin + dietary intervention FIXES the problem
• Insulin resistance is reversible
• You don’t have to accept lifelong, escalating insulin doses

Our approach:

• Low-carb or ketogenic diet
• Metformin (or berberine)
• Lifestyle optimization
• Reversal of insulin resistance

Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle-acquired condition — and it’s reversible with the right approach.

Quick Answer: You absolutely can — and we encourage self-education. However, reversing insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes involves nuance: managing medication adjustments (especially if you’re on insulin or sulfonylureas), avoiding dangerous practices, navigating conflicting information, and staying accountable through plateaus. Our program provides medical oversight, personalized guidance, and support to ensure you reverse diabetes safely and effectively.

You CAN Do This on Your Own — But Here’s Why Guidance Helps:

Reversing Type 2 diabetes isn’t complicated — but it requires:

• Understanding metabolic physiology
• Safe medication management
• Navigating misinformation
• Staying consistent through challenges
• Troubleshooting plateaus
• Avoiding common mistakes

Many people successfully reverse diabetes on their own — especially if they’re early-stage (pre-diabetes) and not on medications.

But there are real risks and challenges to going it alone.

When You NEED Medical Oversight:

1. You’re on Diabetes Medications (Especially Insulin or Sulfonylureas)

If you drastically reduce carbs while on these medications, you risk severe hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar).

Medications that CAUSE hypoglycemia:

• Insulin (any type)
• Sulfonylureas (glyburide, glipizide, glimepiride)
• Meglitinides (repaglinide, nateglinide)

What happens if you cut carbs and don’t adjust medications:

• Blood sugar drops rapidly
• Medication dose is now too high
• Hypoglycemia: Shakiness, confusion, sweating, fainting, seizures, coma, DEATH

This is why medical supervision is critical.

We adjust medication doses proactively as blood sugar improves — keeping you safe.

2. You Have Diabetic Complications

If you have:

• Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage)
• Diabetic retinopathy (eye damage)
• Diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage)
• Cardiovascular disease

You need monitoring to ensure:

• Reversal doesn’t worsen complications (rare, but possible)
• Blood sugar doesn’t drop too quickly (can temporarily worsen retinopathy)
• Kidney function is stable (ketogenic diet is safe for kidneys, but monitoring is prudent)

3. You’re on Other Medications Affected by Diet

Low-carb diets affect:

• Blood pressure (often drops — blood pressure meds may need reduction)
• Diuretics (electrolyte management needed)
• Lithium, warfarin, and others (dose adjustments may be needed)

Unmonitored medication interactions can be dangerous.

Why Self-Education Alone Often Fails:

The internet is full of conflicting advice:

• “Eat low-carb”
• “No, eat low-fat”
• “Keto is dangerous”
• “Intermittent fasting is essential”
• “You need to eat every 3 hours to keep blood sugar stable”

How do you know what’s true?

Common mistakes people make trying to reverse diabetes on their own:

1. Choosing the Wrong Approach

• Going low-fat instead of low-carb (doesn’t work for insulin resistance)
• Eating “healthy whole grains” (still spikes blood sugar)
• Following ADA (American Diabetes Association) guidelines (ineffective for reversal)

2. Not Tracking Progress

• No glucose monitoring
• No HbA1c testing
• No insulin testing (to measure insulin resistance)
• Can’t optimize what you don’t measure

3. Giving Up Too Soon

• Initial adaptation is hard (keto flu, cravings)
• Progress plateaus (common around week 6-8)
• No accountability or support

4. Dangerous Practices

• Stopping medications abruptly (instead of tapering)
• Over-restricting calories (slows metabolism)
• Not eating enough protein (muscle loss)
• Ignoring electrolytes (can cause symptoms)

With guidance, you avoid these mistakes.

What Our Program Provides That You Can’t Get on Your Own:

1. Medical Supervision

• Safe medication adjustments as blood sugar improves
• Lab monitoring (HbA1c, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, lipids)
• Early detection of issues
• Complication monitoring

2. Personalized Plan

• Not one-size-fits-all
• Tailored to YOUR medications, health history, preferences
• Adjusted based on YOUR response

3. Education

• Why low-carb works (understand the science)
• How to troubleshoot plateaus
• What to expect week by week
• How to maintain long-term

4. Accountability

• Support through challenges
• Motivation when progress stalls

5. Troubleshooting

• Blood sugar not improving? (adjust approach)
• Experiencing side effects? (manage symptoms)
• Plateau? (identify why, adjust protocol)

6. Access to Provider

• Questions answered
• Concerns addressed
• Adjustments made proactively

What You Get with Our Program vs. Going Alone:

Our Role: Accelerate Success, Minimize Risk

We’re not here to gatekeep information.

We’re here to:

• Make reversal SAFER (medication management)
• Make reversal FASTER (optimized protocol, troubleshooting)
• Make reversal MORE LIKELY TO SUCCEED (accountability, support)

Think of us as a coach — you’re running the race, we’re providing guidance, strategy, and support.

Bottom Line:

Can you reverse Type 2 diabetes on your own? Yes — especially if you’re early-stage and not on medications.

Should you? Depends on your situation.

If you’re on insulin or diabetes medications, have complications, or want medical oversight and support — our program is for you.

If you’re pre-diabetic, highly motivated, and want to try on your own first — go for it. If you hit roadblocks, we’re here.

Diabetes reversal is achievable — with or without us. We just make it safer, faster, and more likely to succeed.