Alexander Yuryevich Shishonin and His Methods for Type 2 Diabetes

It is important to clarify from the outset: Shishonin is not a plant, not a medication, and not a dietary supplement. The discussion concerns Alexander Yuryevich Shishonin, a Candidate of Medical Sciences who promotes his own approach to treating various conditions—primarily hypertension and type 2 diabetes—through a set of specific exercises (so-called cervico-cerebral therapy) and lifestyle recommendations.

Information about his approach is widely circulated online (the “Shishonin.Club” channel, videos, blogs), but it has sparked serious debate within the professional medical community.

Core Claims of the Shishonin Method Regarding Type 2 Diabetes

1. Central hypothesis.
   According to Shishonin, the main cause of hypertension and type 2 diabetes is impaired cerebral blood flow due to compression and spasms in the cervical spine. This allegedly disrupts the function of the hypothalamus—the key regulatory center—which then fails to properly control blood glucose levels and blood pressure.

2. Primary treatment method: neck exercises.
   The exercise program is designed to relax the deep neck muscles, relieve “compression,” restore blood flow through the vertebral arteries, and thereby normalize hypothalamic function. According to these claims, this should lead to lower blood glucose levels and normalized blood pressure without medications, or with their significant reduction.

3. Dietary recommendations.
   In his programs (for example, the “Former Hypertensives Club”), Shishonin also offers nutritional advice that partially overlaps with standard diabetes guidelines: reducing rapidly absorbed carbohydrates and controlling body weight.

Criticism and Risks from an Evidence-Based Medicine Perspective

1. Lack of convincing scientific evidence.
   The main criticism from endocrinologists, cardiologists, and neurologists is the absence of large, independent, randomized controlled trials published in reputable international medical journals that demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of this method specifically for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The claims are based on personal experience, anecdotal cases, and theoretical constructs, which do not meet the standards of evidence-based medicine.

2. The dangerous idea of discontinuing medications.
   The most criticized and potentially life-threatening aspect is the encouragement to completely abandon conventional therapy (glucose-lowering medications, insulin, antihypertensive drugs). Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease. Abrupt discontinuation of prescribed medications without medical supervision can lead to:

   • Decompensation of diabetes: a sharp rise in blood glucose levels and the development of hyperglycemic coma.

   • Vascular complications: accelerated damage to the kidneys (nephropathy), eyes (retinopathy), nerves (neuropathy), and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

3. Oversimplification of a complex disease.
   Type 2 diabetes is a multifactorial condition in which insulin resistance, beta-cell dysfunction of the pancreas, genetic predisposition, obesity, and chronic inflammation play key roles. Reducing its cause to “neck compression” is a severe oversimplification that is not recognized by modern endocrinology.

4. Risks of the exercises themselves.
   Incorrect or careless performance of cervical spine exercises without prior evaluation (for example, in cases of vertebral instability, disc herniation, or atherosclerosis of the vertebral arteries) may lead to injuries, nerve or vessel compression, and even stroke.

What May Be Potentially Beneficial

1. General physical activity.
   Regular, moderate physical activity (which may include some of the exercises from the program) is a cornerstone of type 2 diabetes management. It improves insulin sensitivity and helps lower blood glucose levels.

2. Posture improvement.
   Improving the condition of the neck and back muscles may reduce tension headaches and enhance overall well-being.

3. Emphasis on non-pharmacological approaches.
   Proper nutrition and therapeutic exercise are indeed fundamental in diabetes management. However, they complement rather than replace medications when those are already indicated.

Key Conclusions and Absolute Recommendations

1. Shishonin and diabetes: not a treatment method.
   The approaches of A. Yu. Shishonin are not recognized or recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) or national endocrinology associations as a method for treating type 2 diabetes.

2. Prescribed therapy must not be discontinued.
   It is strictly prohibited to independently stop taking glucose-lowering medications or insulin under the influence of any alternative method. This can lead to irreversible consequences.

3. Consultation with the treating physician is mandatory.
   If you are interested in Shishonin’s exercises as an additional form of physical activity, you must discuss this with your endocrinologist and neurologist. The physician should rule out contraindications related to the cervical spine and blood vessels.

4. Proven methods remain the foundation of treatment.
   These include dietary therapy, appropriately dosed physical activity (walking, swimming, therapeutic exercise), physician-prescribed medication, and regular self-monitoring of blood glucose levels.

When it comes to treating chronic diseases that threaten both life expectancy and quality of life, one should rely on methods with proven effectiveness and safety, rather than on alternative theories that have not undergone rigorous scientific validation.