What If Diabetes Isn’t What We’ve Been Told?
Life Without Diabetes?What If Diabetes Isn’t What We’ve Been Told?
Most people think diabetes means “too much sugar.”
Most people also think diabetes is a life sentence - a jail sentence not to be reversed.
Do you believe everything you've been told?
Now... before we go a SECOND further, this is a review/breakdown by me, Curtis Johnson, AKA Not-Dr. Curtis Johnson, NOT-PHD... so grain of salt time. Consult a doctor... like Dr Moore... or the link at the bottom of this Blog...
Ok, where we're we...
Diabetes = "too much sugar" is only partially true. But it’s not really the root problem.
As Dr Tanner Moore explained in the conversation:
“Type two diabetes is not high blood sugar. Type two diabetes is insulin resistance, specifically insulin resistance primarily of your liver.”
That’s a radically different way to look at it and its frankly not what most American's think of when they think of "diabetes"
Let’s simplify that.
When you eat carbohydrates (which your body converts to sugar - aka, chips, beer, skittles, corn... anything that tastes good), or sugar, your blood sugar rises. To handle this, your body releases a hormone that lets your cells know that energy has arrived! "Now move it out of the bloodstream and store or use it!" This hormone is called insulin. And again, it's a hormone which tells, and helps, your cells to absorb that sugar. Your cells use what it can, stores some for later and your liver takes what's left of it and converts it into fat.
Simple Analogy
Imagine insulin as a warehouse manager.
Food arrives at the loading dock (your bloodstream).
Insulin tells workers (your cells) where to send the sugar:
- Burn it for energy (literally food for your body's cells)
- Store it in the pantry (the liver and muscles tuck some away)
- Put the extra in long-term storage (turned into fat by the liver)
When the warehouse becomes overloaded and workers stop responding well, the system starts breaking down.
That’s essentially what happens in insulin resistance.
Over time, if sugar intake stays high:
- The liver fills with fat.
- It loses the ability to process sugar efficiently.
- Insulin levels rise higher and higher.
- Eventually, blood sugar stays elevated in your blood.
That’s when someone gets diagnosed.
But here’s the deeper insight from Dr Moore:
“Diabetes… it’s really not a disease. It’s an adaptation.”
In other words and very much an over-simplification, your body is choosing high blood sugar over liver failure. It’s the lesser of two evils. The fact of the matter is one would kill you much quicker than the other. (Hint, hint... liver complications are the quicker one... like way quicker... diabetes on the other hand, can take years or decades... hence why the body prioritizes the liver.)
That means diabetes didn’t “just happen.” It developed over time because your metabolism was overwhelmed, overworked and frankly sabotoged.
The Addiction Element
One of the most eye-opening moments from the discussion:
“When you give somebody sugar in an MRI and you give them cocaine… you can’t tell the difference on which one they took.”
Sugar lights up the same addiction center in the brain as cocaine.
You might think that's ridiculous... but the differences are just in how dramatically or subtly someone will hunt down their next "fix"... sugar's jus much much easier to find.
Because sugar drives dopamine the same way addictive drugs do, simple willpower isn’t always enough. Over time, the brain needs and wants more to get the same reward. Meanwhile, insulin stays elevated, which has the added body sabotage that it makes it harder for your body to lose weight which then worsens the strain on your metabolism.
Early Warning Signs
Before someone hits the diagnostic threshold (an A1C of 6.5), the body usually gives signals:
- Skin tags (little worm-like pieces of skin especially around the neck or underarms)
- Darkened, thick skin on the back of the neck
- Frequent urination
- Constant thirst
- Blurry vision after eating sugar
These are insulin signals and you need to make sure to pay attention if they're popping up.
If you’re seeing them, your metabolism is under pressure.
“When you give somebody sugar in an MRI and you give them cocaine… you can’t tell the difference on which one they took.”
Why Medication Isn’t the Whole Answer
Standard guidelines say lifestyle change is first-line therapy. But as pointed out:
“There’s a little tiny line that says first line therapy for type 2 diabetes is lifestyle and nutritional changes. And then there’s huge boxes right under that of everything you do when that fails.”
The problem is that most people are never clearly told what those lifestyle changes actually mean. Not only are they not told by their doctor... most doctors don't really know what to do, let alone have or take the time to tell their patients.
Medication can manage blood sugar. But as stated bluntly:
“Nobody ever got diabetes from a metformin deficiency.”
So if you're facitiously "not short on metformin" , why is that effectively route numbero uno? and the answer is simply that the drug's treating the numbers. They don’t automatically fix insulin resistance.
Reversal requires lowering the insulin load and allowing the liver to recover.
The Three Foundational Changes
When asked for the top health improvements anyone can make:
- Eat less carbs
- Drink more water
- Mind your own business
That last one was honestly half joke, though you could easily align that to reducing stress. Chronic stress raises cortisol, increases sugar cravings, disrupts sleep, and worsens insulin resistance.
Add:
- Consistent sleep
- Regular movement
- Lower sugar intake
And you create space for metabolic repair.
Aaaaaaand if you're a business owner, that stress kick you square in the face, day and night.
Can Diabetes Be Reversed?
In military settings, diabetes often had to be reversed within six months. The approach focused on reducing carbohydrate load and restoring metabolic health. Its not easy... but it is done...
Let me reiterate that point, it can be reversed.
As summarized in the conversation:
“Type 2 diabetes is not a chronic progressive disease. It’s a reversible metabolic disorder rooted in chronically elevated insulin levels driven by excessive carbohydrate intake.”
Again, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. But it does mean it’s possible.
If you want to explore structured support for reversing insulin resistance and rebuilding metabolic health, you can learn more here:
So to sum it all up, your body isn’t broken... it's responding, and it's best you listen.
The trick is to have a doc on your side to help you translate... a doc that's willing to help you do the harder work to get you to your goal, not just get you out the door.
Might be time to trust the "system" a litte less.
