Dr Julian Whitaker

[Seghes]

Some time ago I was given a paper written by this guy. He debunks the conventional approaches to treating diabetes, calling them irrational or incomplete. He argues that modern medicine misses the point and that diabetes is essentially a nutritional wasting disease, (main proof: excessive urination), and therefore supplements are critical to replace lost nutrients and vitamins. He seems to have many followers, yet I couldn't find any trace of him on the Diabetes UK site and it’s forums.
Now I’m not a follower of him but I certainly have an interest. Anybody got any information about his practices and legitimacy?

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Anybody got any information about his practices and legitimacy?

Cranky, by the looks of it.

Julian Whitaker

Julian Whitaker is an American alternative medicine practitioner, anti-vaxxer[2], cholesterol denialist and vitamin woo promoter who operated the "Whitaker Wellness Institute" in California. He holds an MD from Emory and was a board certified physician in the field of integrative and...

rationalwiki.org

Julian Whitaker, M.D. | Quackwatch

NCAHF receives many requests for information on Julian Whitaker, MD, of California. Questions are generated by his mass mailings of magazines extolling hims ...

quackwatch.org

 

[Robin]

Some time ago I was given a paper written by this guy. He debunks the conventional approaches to treating diabetes, calling them irrational or incomplete. He argues that modern medicine misses the point and that diabetes is essentially a nutritional wasting disease, (main proof: excessive urination), and therefore supplements are critical to replace lost nutrients and vitamins. He seems to have many followers, yet I couldn't find any trace of him on the Diabetes UK site and it’s forums.
Now I’m not a follower of him but I certainly have an interest. Anybody got any information about his practices and legitimacy?

A quick Google throws up the following angles.
He sells nutritional supplements, claiming to regularise Blood Glucose, the usual suspects, cinnamon, chromium, etc, which have all been touted by various people wanting to sell them to people with diabetes.
In his company newsletter in 2009 he wrote an anti-vax article supporting the childhood vaccinations/autism link.
Also the links above which @Bruce Stephens has beaten me to it.

I get that if you are undiagnosed and pee a lot to excrete all your excess sugar, you will also lose trace elements, but surely the remedy for this is attacking the root cause, ie controlling the blood sugar, so your kidneys no longer need to work overtime, not treating the resulting symptom of polyuria by just constantly replacing the lost minerals.

 

[DaveB]

This is all Snake Oil medicine and to be ignored.

 

[Gwynn]

Seems a bit dodgy to me, looking online.

 

[mikeyB]

I remember seeing a T2 diabetic patient die after following a non standard regime from some alternative practitioner giving non standard advice. She died after arriving in hospital in such a metabolic disarray that her vital organs were just shutting down. When that reached the heart, not long after the brain, and a few hours after the kidneys, she departed the physical world, leaving a husband who was off to speak to a lawyer. I can only assume he didn’t find any fault in himself as he presumably watched her health decline and did nothing.

 

[Gwynn]

Hmm sometimes you can do nothing. My own wife, although terribly ill, refuses to accept that and is very resistant to any treatment or advice no matter what the deteriorating physical or mental evidence shows.

So maybe he tried but could not persuade her to take a different route. His distress, like mine may be overwhelming.

I would give anything for my wife to change her stance but legally and morally she has free will and it is not for me or the doctors to force her (unless sectioned again - a tough, horrible route).