Fasting, Faith, and the Diabetic Foot: Risks and Remedies

Dr. G explores how religious fasting can affect people with diabetes and diabetic foot ulcers, explaining the physiology (glucose, ketones, hydration), the risks to wound healing and infection, and the difference between safe fasting and medical emergencies like DKA or severe dehydration.Practical advice emphasizes talking with your primary care doctor, endocrinologist, and wound care team before fasting, monitoring blood glucose, adjusting medications and antibiotics as needed, ensuring adequate nutrition and fluids when allowed, and seeking urgent care for warning signs to prioritize limb salvage while respecting faith.