The latest brief inspirational story I would like to share is not even from my patient population, but is from my friend and neighbor, Bruce. Bruce has waived his HIPAA rights to share his story in hopes to help others. Bruce is a 72 year old male who didn’t previously have any known medical problems of significance, and has felt healthy without any problems his whole life. He has always been very active, but not necessarily physically fit, and he had picked my brain a few times since we moved next door over a year ago about health and wellness.
Bruce this past summer prior to “Living Lean”
Well a big shock to Bruce came a couple of months ago, when he finally caught up with his primary doctor who performed basic screening labs and discovered that Bruce’s blood sugar was very high. After confirmation, Bruce was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was immediately instructed to slim down, eat better, exercise, and was prescribed a low dose of metformin (500mg twice daily). He started off well but after a couple of weeks he came to talk with “Lean Nurse” Rachel and me to optimize his treatment. We reviewed the patholophysiology of diabetes in relation to his belly fat (his waist was over 40 inches) and how he could possibly reverse the severely detrimental effects of “metabolic syndrome” with appropriate diet, exercise, and medications/supplements. Bruce was very motivated and heeded all of our advice. He subscribed to the teachings of our Lean Pyramid, began a very good exercise regimen consisting of combined aerobic and resistance training, and started taking Glycosolve (500mg berberine per capsule) every day.
Bruce started at 212 lbs and had a 41″ waist when he was diagnosed while his labs showed a hemoglobin A1c of 9.4 (approximates an average blood glucose of over 200) and fairly decent looking lipid (cholesterol) profile (total 220, LDL 151, HDL 54, Triglycerides 73, and “non-HDL” 166). He understood that his risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was now high along with all the other scary damage to organs which come from hyperglycemia and insulin resistance.
Two months after he was diagnosed and began consistently living lean, using Glycosolve, and adhering to his medications, Bruce had made extraordinary strides towards regaining control over his health. His fasting and post-prandial blood-sugars progressively improved from the 170s and 190s respectively down to the 140s and 170s respectively before even talking to us. After adding Glycosolve, his sugars immediately improved to 100s-120s and 130s-140s respectively. His weight has slowly gone down, initially averaging a 1-2 lbs weight loss weekl,y and is now weighing in at a trim 184 lbs (almost 30 pounds lost)! Very importantly, his waist has slimmed to 37″ and his hemoglobin A1c is now well below goal currently at 6.2 (“pre-diabetic range”). His LDL/”non-HDL” (“non-HDL” = total cholesterol – HDL and is a better marker of atherogenicity than LDL) have also improved to 115/128 respectively (HDL is 66) without any statin medications (one of the great benefits of Glycosolve) which greatly improves his calculated risk of heart disease!
Bruce, two months after “Living Lean”
Update! Bruce just had his 9 month follow-up with his doctor. He has adhered to the dietary and exercise regimen which helped him improve immediately and he has continued a low dose of metformin and Glycosolve. He is now down to 172 lbs (40lb loss!), his waist is down to 35″ (started at 41″, down another 2″ since our last check), A1C is 5.7 (bottom end of “pre-DM” range), and his lipid profile shows LDL-c of 91 and non-HDL 101 which is amazing without statin medications. He will also now be able to get off his only low dose blood pressure medication as his blood pressures have consistently been well below goal now.
So now we congratulate Bruce and praise his efforts while encouraging a lifestyle of continued “Leaner Living” to feel good and live long. He feels great both physically and emotionally with outstanding motivation to keep a consistent healthful lifestyle and spread the word to others who want to take control of their lives determining their own destinies. Thanks Bruce, keep up the good work, live lean, live long, and prosper!
Patrick says
ABSOLUTELY DIVINE! 🙂