Virta Health?
 

I'm wondering if anyone has any first hand (or close) knowledge of Virta Health. A close family member of mine was recently diagnosed with Diabetes T2 and is interested in a low carb approach to treatment, but is not getting low carb support from his local doctors.

I'm just curious whether anyone here has an opinion yay or nay about his organization.

Thanks in advance for your input!

I have followed the launch and expansion of Virta Health since it started. https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthr...t=478789&page=3

They have an email list that sends updates and they have been very successful raising buckets more of venture capital funding and now manage some huge accounts, one is part of the VA system, some state BC/BS plans. I don’t have personal knowledge but I believe the individual program with them is still rather expensive and outside insurance coverage. The research tab on their website is helpful.

As an alternative that may be covered by insurance, this is a long list of low carb doctors in the United States and around the world. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/doctors

The other new positive development stemming from Covid, is many doctors were able to expand their telehealth presence. One that I follow is Dr. Tro, and he is now licensed in some 30+ states. This is Direct primary care, so it is also outside of insurance programs, but he has reasonable short term coaching programs and provides free resources to start right on his website. His coach Amy Eiges is amazing! See her articles on their blog. https://www.doctortro.com/

But also go back to check that DietDoctor list, because some of those well-known low-carb doctors have also applied for telehealth licenses in other states, it is noted if Remote Consultations are available. Virta Health already has these licenses to operate in other states, but it became more widespread in the past 18 months. If a local doctor will work with a patient for blood draws and medication management, the world is your oyster. :)

And yet another option is to take a low carb course/masterclass on-line. Dr Westman offers a Keto course at his Adapt Your Life Academy. https://adaptyourlifeacademy.com, sure there are other courses from LC Diabetes educators. And for a simple, well written book explaining low carb, his new book, End Your Carb Confusion, is very good.

Thank you Janet!!!
 

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide all of this feedback and links to resources!!!! This gives us a great place to start!

Glad I could help. Since your cousin was recently diagnosed, and if he is not already on diabetes medications, he could start to lower his carb intake in steps on his own. DietDoctor is a fabulous resource for Everything Low Carb, and health including T2.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

If not on medication and willing to dive right in, Dr Westman’s Clinic diet, now called Phase 1, in the new book End Your Carb Confusion, is explained simply yet with more detail than his previous "page 4".

T2 is reversible......so worth the effort to change diet to change the outcome.

Please know there is a litany of support for low carb and the studies to support better health. Changing ones diet needs support like a group here, and a continual banking of new knowledge shared by an ever growing list of MDs , PhDs and other health professionals.

November is Diabetes Awareness month. DietDoctor newsletter today included this link. https://www.dietdoctor.com/diabetes/diet

The on-line discount lab I use to order my own blood work is offering Monthly specials for all the diabetes/glucose tests. There are many other on-line labs if this is not convenient.

https://www.directlabs.com/default.aspx