AKOM News
Contributed by Dr. Jewon Lee, Director of BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic
: Peering into Internal Medicine, 20th
2025. 5. 28.
"Are there really people who are diagnosed with diabetes and then go into remission?"
A 40-year-old male patient asked this question, visiting us for recent weight loss and severe hunger.
He was first diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes about 2 years and 3 months ago, with an HbA1c of 13%. He improved significantly with medication, diet changes, and regular exercise.
"Remission is Impossible"
Believing that "medication is not a fundamental cure and could damage the pancreas," the patient stopped taking his glucose-lowering drugs 10 months ago.
Although his HbA1c stayed between 5.5-5.8%, he was repeatedly told by doctors that "diabetes remission is impossible."
He came to the Korean Medicine internal medicine clinic seeking to be diagnosed with 'diabetes remission'.
The Definition of 'Remission' and the Disease Within
In 2021, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and other global societies jointly defined T2D Remission: "HbA1c < 6.5% for 3 months or more without glucose-lowering medication."
At his visit, the patient's HbA1c was 5.0% (normal).
However, a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) test revealed 'severe blood sugar variability'—sharp spikes after meals. This was the cause of his extreme hunger.
Korean Medicine Treatment for Remission
We diagnosed his condition as 'Damp-Heat Syndrome' (濕熱證) from a KM perspective and began herbal medicine (decoction) treatment to improve glucose variability and achieve sustainable remission.
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) daily log graph of a diabetes patient (in remission)
- After 7 days: His post-meal glucose variability stabilized significantly.
- After 86 days: His high Lipase (pancreatic enzyme) level normalized, and his severe hunger symptoms improved.
- His HbA1c remained stable at 5.0% throughout the treatment.
Diagnostic laboratory test results of a diabetes patient (in remission)
A Korean Medicine physician's diabetes care doesn't just stop at lowering blood sugar. Its essence is to explore the inner aspects of the disease (like glucose variability) and help the patient find a 'sustainable lifestyle' to maintain their own health.
Internal medicine by a Korean Medicine physician can offer patients a new option, and that option includes 'diabetes remission'.
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Peering into Internal Medicine⑳ - AKOM News
“Are there people whose diabetes goes into remission?”
Internal Medicine by Korean Medicine physicians can offer patients new options
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