Prolotherapy and Diabetes
Robert Filice, M.D. Former staff physician

We are sometimes asked if diabetic patients can receive Prolotherapy.

The basis for the question is that standard Prolo solutions contain dextrose (glucose) as the major active ingredient, so should the diabetic refrain from using Prolo or does he need to take more medication to compensate for the treatment?

The answer is “no” to both questions.

Prolo solution is injected directly into the soft tissue adjacent to bone. But it never gets injected directly into blood vessels, and tests have documented that even extensive Prolotherapy will have no discernable effect on blood sugar.

This would be because there would be an extremely slow rate of absorption of the dextrose. If the Prolo treatment were experienced as quite stressful by the patient, it is possible that adrenalin release under that stress might indirectly cause an immediate increase in blood glucose levels. But such a change would be very temporary, and of course would only happen approximately once a month.

Therefore we can conclude that diabetes, even poorly controlled diabetes, does not constitute a contraindication against performing Prolotherapy. Diabetics with arthritis pain should be cautious about the use of glucosamine sulfate because laboratory experiments suggest that this cousin of glucose may contribute to insulin resistance, and to higher insulin levels in those who already have blood sugar problems. Since this supplement is also taken multiple times daily, it does hold the potential of compromising the diabetic patient’s management of his or her blood sugar.