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It's absolutely worth the experiment of getting a continuous glucose monitor for a couple of weeks to see where your lifestyle is at. I quite liked the Freesty
by smallerfish 2y ago
It's absolutely worth the experiment of getting a continuous glucose monitor for a couple of weeks to see where your lifestyle is at.
I quite liked the Freestyle Libre 3, which you can buy online without a prescription. The software is rudimentary but it'll give you the information that you need. A single device will last for (up to) 2 weeks, which is better than the alternatives I looked at, hence my recommendation.
IIRC from Peter Attia's book Outlive, you are aiming to keep blood glucose at an average of 100, with very few spikes above X (I think he said 160, but would need to check). He does suggest once you have measured for a few days to push the envelope with carbs, sugars, etc and see how your body reacts.
- worldsayshi 2y agoYou can monitor your glucose level without blood samples??
- pas 2y agothe needle is used to insert the sensor (which is a thin flexible filament), the needle does not stay in https://www.nutrisense.io/what-is-a-cgm/how-to https://www.nutrisense.io/what-is-a-cgm/how-to (see the stop-motion video showing the application) . . . """ The sensor is a tiny piece of material that measures real-time glucose levels in your interstitial fluid. You’ll insert the sensor under your skin with an applicator. It uses a needle to pierce your skin. You remove the needle, and it leaves the sensor in place. """ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/continuous-glucose-monitoring-cgm https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/continuous-gl... . . . this is the one mentioned, you can see the small filament/needle on the animation https://www.freestyle.abbott/us-en/compare-cgms.html https://www.freestyle.abbott/us-en/compare-cgms.html . . and R&D is - of course - ongoing to have a completely non-invasive solution https://spectrum.ieee.org/skinlike-biosensor-offers-needlefree-blood-sugar-monitoring https://spectrum.ieee.org/skinlike-biosensor-offers-needlefr...
- FooBarWidget 2y agoI see that devices like this do not require blood samples. Are they accurate?
- guappa 2y agoI guess not as much as testing blood. But this is not meant for diabetics, more as a toy I guess.
- smallerfish 2y agoThey are far from toys, and they're FDA approved for diabetics.
- jasonpeacock 2y agoThey do require blood samples. The device sticks to the back of your arm, and a small sensor is embedded in your skin. It's painless, and the sensor continuously samples the blood in your skin to measure blood sugar levels. They are accurate enough - they are FDA approved (in the US).
- beAbU 2y agoCare to share a link with a "buy now" button? Nowhere on their website could I find anything related to cost, or the ability to actually buy one.
- smallerfish 2y agoI bought mine from Total Diabetes Supply just 2 months ago, but for some reason it's not in their catalog anymore. You could go with the Dexcom G7 instead, which I've read favorable things about. https://www.totaldiabetessupply.com/products/dexcom-g7 https://www.totaldiabetessupply.com/products/dexcom-g7
- tmikaeld 2y agoIt's inserted under the skin?! Seems quite risky, especially removal of it.
- pas 2y agoit's a brand new short sterile needle used for the application, then a flexible filament is left in, immediately covered with a protective patch (adhesive bandage/membrane/layer). millions of people do it every few weeks. (yes, that doesn't mean it's absolutely zero risk, of course.) https://www.nutrisense.io/what-is-a-cgm/how-to https://www.nutrisense.io/what-is-a-cgm/how-to
- smallerfish 2y ago
- Eumenes 2y agoIts absolutely ridiculous that the pokey things and strips require a prescription. What is the rationale?
- jasonpeacock 2y ago> pokey things and strips Those do not require a prescription, but they are also not a CGM. They are blood sugar test kits, you can order them on Amazon. You could poke your fingers every hour or 15min to replicate the continuous sampling of a CGM, but that's tedious and makes your fingers sore... CGMs (in the US) just recently (this year) are allowed to be sold OTC without a prescription, now you can buy them online too.
- kyriakos 2y agoIs there something similar available in EU/or Europe in general?
- b0dhimind 2y agoIs there a CGM that's not disposable and not prescription or subscription?
- idamantium 2y agoI had a hard time reading Attia's book because something seemed so extreme and vigilant about his approach. The last chapter really blew that all open in the dramatic portrayal of how psychologically unhealthy many aspects of his life are, for seemingly tragic reasons. For me, the trauma driving his perfectionism brought into question the ethos of his whole approach, regardless of how sound or not the science may be.