Thomas A. Chaney, Stephanie J. Chaney, Jama Lambert
Jun 10, 2022
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Quality indicators
Journal
Alternative therapies in health and medicine
Abstract
Background There is a subgroup of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in whom traditional treatment does not work well. Traditional management of T2D does not address the autoimmune component seen in a subgroup of patients with T2D. Primary Study Objective We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of using a personalized functional medicine (PFM) approach to managing T2D. Methods/Design Patient files from 2010 to 2015 were culled for patients previously diagnosed with T2D and their deidentified data regarding medications and T2D biomarker test results were compiled. A total of 35 patients were contacted for permission to use their deidentified data for the purposes of this article. Of 35 patients, 11 provided written consent. Setting All participants had entered a single, private, integrative medicine clinic based in Maryland, USA. Participants The patient group consisted of 5 women and 6 men; age 50 to 77 years. Each patient was taking an antidiabetic medication and had reached a plateau in recovery, or wanted to reduce their medication intake. Allopathic physicians were retained by patients undergoing PFM treatment. Intervention After a thorough intake history was completed, necessary specimens were collected for analysis. Once test results were reviewed to identify nutrient deficiencies, intestinal dysbiosis, hormone imbalances, chemical burden and food immune reactivities, a personalized plan was developed for each individual patient. Each patient was retested appropriately during treatment. Treatment lasted from 2 to 10 months based on the patients' goals. Primary Outcome Measures The effectiveness of the PFM approach was measured by the reduction in medication needed to manage T2D and improvement in T2D biomarkers. Results At the end of PFM treatment, 6 patients were completely off T2D-related medications, and 5 had their doses reduced by 50%. Diabetes biomarkers improved: glucose decreased by an average of 78.36 mg/dL and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was lowered by an average of 2.71%. Conclusion In individuals not well-managed using traditional protocols, the PFM approach should be considered as an adjunct therapy.