A while ago, I frequently saw a patient coming to the outpatient clinic to purchase Liuwei Dihuang Pills. During our conversation, I learned that he had searched online and found that taking Liuwei Dihuang Pills could lower blood sugar. He had been taking them for two years, and his fasting blood glucose had decreased from an initial 9.1 to 8.7.

I asked this patient why he hadn’t chosen glucose-lowering medications like metformin as his first-line treatment. He replied that he couldn’t take Western medicine because it would harm his liver and kidneys, and the side effects were too severe. He believed traditional Chinese medicine was safe.

Since the outpatient clinic wasn’t very busy at the time, I invited him to sit down and talk. I said, "You’ve been taking Liuwei Dihuang Pills for two years. While your blood sugar appears to have decreased, it still hasn’t reached the target level. Have you considered why?"

From the look in his eyes, I could tell he was confused. On one hand, his blood sugar was indeed high and hadn’t dropped sufficiently. On the other hand, he was worried about the side effects of Western medicine and felt resistant to it, leaving him in a dilemma.

I said, "Let me help you analyze your current situation and share my advice:

1. Your medical history isn’t long, and you’re in the early stages of diabetes. The impairment of your pancreatic islet function isn’t severe. With proactive intervention through scientific methods, it can quickly return to normal.

2. Liuwei Dihuang Pills have the effect of nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys. They can help alleviate symptoms like dizziness, tinnitus, and soreness in the waist and knees in diabetic patients with kidney yin deficiency. However, they should only be used after a proper diagnosis by a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, not simply taken as a 'miracle drug' for lowering blood sugar based on online information.

3. All medications, whether traditional Chinese or Western, have certain side effects. However, these can be avoided by controlling the dosage and regularly monitoring relevant indicators. For example, metformin is explicitly recommended as the first-line medication for type 2 diabetes in the latest guidelines for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes, and it should be maintained throughout the treatment. As I’ve mentioned before, metformin was originally extracted from a plant called Galega officinalis. So, don’t believe those who claim that Western medicine has severe side effects and harms the liver and kidneys. Their goal might be to promote their own products for profit by exaggerating the drawbacks of other medications.

4. Currently, you are 180 cm tall and weigh 100 kg, which puts you in the overweight category. Insulin resistance is likely very pronounced. If this condition persists for another 3–5 years, a large number of pancreatic islet cells will become damaged, pushing you into the intermediate stage of diabetes. This means complications will start to emerge, so it’s crucial to adjust your treatment approach promptly.

During our conversation, another patient happened to come for a consultation, and their situations were quite similar. So, I offered both of them the same suggestion: to join my out-of-hospital management program. I told them I would personally manage their cases for a period. Their blood sugar would normalize within a week at most, and other indicators like weight, blood pressure, and blood lipids would gradually reach target levels. While these might take a bit longer than blood sugar to improve, they wouldn’t need hospitalization and could manage their health at home. I would provide one-on-one follow-up throughout this period, teaching them how to maintain a scientifically balanced diet and manage their blood sugar for long-term stability. This way, they wouldn’t have to repeatedly visit the hospital for blood sugar issues in the future.

The second patient understood what I said and immediately asked me to help manage his condition. The patient taking Liuwei Dihuang Pills, however, decided to continue with his current treatment approach.

About three to four months later, the patient taking Liuwei Dihuang Pills returned for a follow-up. His fasting blood glucose was 8.8, and his HbA1c was 7.9.

The patient under Dr. Wu’s out-of-hospital management had a fasting blood glucose of 5.5 and an HbA1c of 5.7, both fully within the target range.

In fact, by the third day of the management program, this patient’s blood sugar had already dropped to normal levels and remained stable. Over three months, not only did his blood sugar normalize, but his weight also decreased to 88 kg. He has since stopped taking all glucose-lowering medications and now looks at least 10 years younger, full of energy.

This case demonstrates the different outcomes achieved through different treatment philosophies and approaches.

To all friends with diabetes, don’t be afraid. With the right treatment approach, managing blood sugar is truly achievable. If you have any questions or concerns about diabetes, feel free to leave a comment below, and I’ll be glad to help.