Unsolicited Advice for Managing Diabetes

I’’d be willing to bet that there is not a person with diabetes on this earth that has not been told by a friend, acquaintance or stranger about a miracle cure or natural remedy that will help them cure their diabetes.

I see examples shared almost daily in diabetes groups, and many of the ones that I have been sent are the most impressive fiction out there.

As we approach the holiday season, you will most likely have more interaction with friends and family who care about your wellbeing. You may find yourself on the receiving end of advice about managing diabetes that comes from a good place but is perhaps misleading.

Advice for Managing Diabetes Can Be Confusing

What is it that makes people feel we need to give unsolicited advice? And on a subject that we know nothing about! In the information age, just because it’s on the internet does not mean it is true.

While I am pretty sure if my child eats certain foods his blood sugars will be more stable, or he may need less insulin, but there is no diet or substance that is really going to cure him and change his need for insulin as a Type 1.

And Type 2s with all the shaming about diet and exercise, I wonder if they are more at odds with how to deal with this advice than Type 1s are.

But yet, while I absolutely hate this, last night I caught myself wanting to give someone that had cancer unsolicited advice.

What the hell do I know about cancer?

Nothing!

The Urge to Offer Advice for Managing Diabetes Can Be Hard to Resist

When reacting to someone trying to give me advice for managing diabetes, I try to stop and consider the intention behind it.

I have observed someone try to give a good friend advice on how to manage cancer with her diet. I am sure it was due her experience in getting these comments all the time that allowed her to just smile and not say anything. I was almost out of my seat wanting to shout to the friend who was caught up in her knowledge, “Are you kidding me?!”

But yet, last night when a friend shared some results on Facebook about a check-up that she was not happy about, there I was debating if I should write her a personal message to share my thoughts in more detail about how she could manage her cancer recovery.

Of course I desperately want to help, and not see anyone suffer or die from this condition. But back to my original point. What the hell do I know about cancer?

Absolutely nothing.

Thankfully, I controlled myself, tried to put myself in her position and thought it through. After all, she beat her cancer, so her doctors must know something!

I guess it is human nature to try to help, so it won’t be the last time I am inclined to share unsolicited advice. I just hope I have the sense to think about it before I open my mouth or take to the keyboard.

Have you received unsolicited advice for managing your diabetes? What was your reaction? Tell us in the comments below.