Dr Glen Davies wins Medtech General Practitioner of the Year for pioneering work in Type 2 Diabetes remission
The annual New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards He Tohu Mauri Ora, was a black-tie affair held at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland on 15 May 2021. The evening celebrated GPs, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, suppliers, practice managers, researchers and others whose innovations and collaborations are transforming primary healthcare.
Dr Glen Davies, a GP at Taupō Medical Centre, ASLM board member, Fellow and Chair of the NZ Chapter of ASLM, was again recognised for his work encouraging his patients to follow a low carb diet to reverse their Type 2 Diabetes or pre diabetes, winning the Medtech General Practitioner of the Year award.
Dr Davies established the Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Taupō (RT2DT) group, which promotes a lifestyle that includes nutrient-rich whole unprocessed foods and natural fats, and avoids processed carbohydrates, industrial seed oils and sugar. Not only has it helped 118 of his patients at Taupō Medical Centre to reverse their type 2 diabetes and pre diabetes at last count, the group is inspiring a whole community to take better care of their health.
Responding to all the congratulatory messages, Dr Davies said:
“Tena koutou, Tena koutou, Tena koutou katoa. Nga mihi nui, kia koutou, Ka whakawhitai atu, Kia koutou mo to koutou mihi, Haemi mai ki to manakitanga, e to whanaungatanga, Tena koutou katoa” “Thank you everyone for the acknowledgment. This is not a win for me but a win for Lifestyle Medicine and particularly the acknowledgment that we offer very powerful nutritional tools that cannot just palliate metabolic syndrome but can actually reverse it. I hope to use this acknowledgment to increase the profile of Lifestyle Medicine.”
ASLM Executive Director, Stephen Penman, said, “Glen’s work in pioneering this approach in New Zealand is extraordinary. Not only is he bringing attention to the fact that Type 2 Diabetes can in many cases be put into remission, he’s demonstrating that patients want this, and they want their practitioners to help them achieve it. It’s not too hard – but it does require structure and effort. Key elements for success are a culturally appropriate diet, peer group and community support, which Glen has provided through the Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Taupō community group.
Dr Davies said, “Lifestyle Medicine practitioners have tools to help bring about change in health behaviour and low carb whole food is a very effective one. This approach is not just about helping the individual, but educating families and communities about the unhealthy food around them and a return to a more traditional, natural way of eating – ultimately addressing the social and environmental causes.”
“Thank you to ASLM and PreKure for the nominations. Thank you to everyone at Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Taupō and the 118 patients at Taupō Medical Centre who have reversed their diabetes and pre diabetes. Nga mihi.”