# My brother-in-law is trying to kill himself with the power of prayer **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369 "2008-12-02T17:57:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/21 "2008-12-02T19:59:58Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Take him to the Krispy Kreme closest to the hospital. Pump his ass so full of spun sugar his eyes make scrunching noises every time he blinks. > > Dial 911 on your phone and hit the ‘send’ button when he hits the ground. > > -Joe, helicopter and rowboat in one I like this! Seriously, what it the position of CoGiC on medical care? I’m AoG & I pulled this crap, they’d rush me to a Dr. because 1) they care about me, and 2) they wouldn’t want me embarrassing the church because of my own nuttiness. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/22 "2008-12-02T20:01:58Z")
One of my husband’s doctors said once that diabetes was one of the hardest diseases to treat because so many people can have outrageous blood sugars and never feel a thing. Maybe impotence will wake him up. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/23 "2008-12-02T20:12:07Z")
I had a family member who did the same sort of thing. He figured he’d focus on prayer and religious rituals to get him through his diabetes… Amusing thing was since he’s a part of an Eastern Faith, one of the rituals for prayer is daily fasting, and a personal sacrifice of a beloved food. He gave up sweets, and then started his Fasting. That actually took care of most of his issues, and brought his sugar down to manageable levels so that he doesn’t have to take medications. Still rather amusing to me, but he’s happy to have the “Power of Prayer” on his side- he just chose not to settle on a wimpy “Are you there God?” sort of prayer, and found the most complicated strict one he could find… Ah… the lord works in mysterious ways. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/24 "2008-12-02T20:15:03Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Here’s a little context. First of all, I have type-2 diabetes, which I discovered rather dramatically when I collapsed in a doctor’s office a few years back. My blood sugar was over 700, I am told, and I was very lucky to have collapsed before witnesses so I could be taken to the hospital rather than alone in my apartment where I would have probably died in peace. As you might imagine, this experience made me a believer in managing blood sugar proactively. Few years back, a friend of mine (since _grade school_) developed undiagnosed Type II diabetes, went back to his apartment over Christmas break to get ready for his next semester classes… and died, because his blood sugar was so out of whack that he couldn’t think straight (judging from reports of the state of his apartment). And another of our friends is a Type I, so we were all well aware of the symptoms and consequences of diabetes; the blood sugar stupids were too much for him to overcome, though. Knowing how my surviving diabetic friend gets when his blood sugar is out of whack, I wonder if that is playing a part in Ed’s stubbornness. Arguing with a diabetic having a reaction is sometimes like arguing with a very stubborn child, except you can’t even tell them to go to their room. Also: cinnamon may lower glucose and chloresterol levels, however I think that study results have been unclear, and I’m not sure that there is a recommended dosage level. My diabetic friend uses it as his excuse to enjoy cinnamon, though… much as I call dark chocolate M&Ms “antioxidant pills”. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/25 "2008-12-02T20:17:56Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Also: cinnamon may lower glucose and chloresterol levels, however I think that study results have been unclear, and I’m not sure that there is a recommended dosage level. My diabetic friend uses it as his excuse to enjoy cinnamon, though… much as I call dark chocolate M&Ms “antioxidant pills”. Did you see the link on the OP about cinnamon? ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/26 "2008-12-02T20:19:05Z")
What’s the Harm? Faith healing: 31 people who died from ignoring medical advice in favor of religious advice. > **[What's the harm in believing in faith healing?](http://whatstheharm.net/faithhealing.html)** > > These are stories of people who have been harmed by not thinking critically about faith healing. This includes deaths, injuries, hospitalizations, major financial loss and other damages. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/27 "2008-12-02T20:24:14Z")
I don’t know if its the power of prayer - I think its the power of “I don’t want to deal with it” manifested in prayer. I have a brother in law killing himself in a similar fashion (in his case, heart disease and obesity), but he is not claiming to be healed through prayer…rather his is a “special case” and all those statistics - well those of population statistics - as an individual he is different. AND this guy is a medical professional. It will go away if I ignore it (and it will, dead people really don’t have diabetes or heart disease - anymore) and dealing with it productively creates stress and work I don’t want to deal with, so I’ll avoid it. The prayer thing is a nice twist (my BILs is childhood abandonment) because you get the pity and attention of the congregation at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/28 "2008-12-02T20:27:54Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > One of my husband’s doctors said once that diabetes was one of the hardest diseases to treat because so many people can have outrageous blood sugars and never feel a thing. That happened with AC. Hers was over 700 and she should have been hospitilzed right away. But what did her idiot doctor do? Wait three months to tell her! She has a new doctor now. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/29 "2008-12-02T20:43:01Z")
Does it seem…\*wrong…\*to pray for a miracle when a conventional solution is readily available? That IS what we’re talking about, right? “Eat right, exercize and take the meds and live a long healthy life or ask God for Direct Intervention, like he didn’t have anything more pressing…” ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/30 "2008-12-02T20:45:39Z")
Exactly, shouldn’t you at least try to meet God halfway on something like this? Seriously, **Skald** , you should call the preacher and ask him to talk your BIL. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/31 "2008-12-02T20:57:33Z")
God answered the prayers of generations of diabetics by giving us knowledge and the medical technology to manage diabetes. Waiting for God to cure him while ignoring the gifts God gave him for managing his conditions seems… rather disrespectful to me. Not a good idea to disrespect God, ya know? ---
**Author:** ![MN\_Maenad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/32 "2008-12-02T21:03:27Z")
I feel for you, Skald. I had a family member pass away a little over a year ago after a battle with cancer that involved every woo-woo “cure” you could think of, with western medicine turned to only when it was already too late. It sucks, hard, and the grief and guilt of the survivors are almost as bad as with a deliberate suicide. Try not to get too emotionally involved, and be there for the family when the inevitable finally happens. Be prepared for some of the people who encouraged his self-destructive behavior to remain firmly in denial until the day they die - they won’t be able to live with the guilt otherwise. Upon preview, this post sounds really melodramatic. It may be months or years or decades before he dies, but if he hastens it at all with his behavior, the feelings of the survivors will probably be the same. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/33 "2008-12-02T21:21:52Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Did you see the link on the OP about cinnamon? Yes. But did you see how many posters were perplexed as why Skald would be taking cinnamon? Figured may as well hope the link-impaired weren’t also reading-impaired, and mention it in another post. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/34 "2008-12-02T21:29:02Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > One of my husband’s doctors said once that diabetes was one of the hardest diseases to treat because so many people can have outrageous blood sugars and never feel a thing. Maybe impotence will wake him up. Impotence rarely wakes people up. A raging boner on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/35 "2008-12-02T21:29:08Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Yes. But did you see how many posters were perplexed as why Skald would be taking cinnamon? Figured may as well hope the link-impaired weren’t also reading-impaired, and mention it in another post. Yeah, but the link says not to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/36 "2008-12-02T21:44:57Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > “You sure? Have you been feeling fatigued lately? Peeing a lot–like every two hours? Feeling cranky?” > [@jsgoddess](#): > > One of my husband’s doctors said once that diabetes was one of the hardest diseases to treat because so many people can have outrageous blood sugars and never feel a thing. …Ah, crap. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/37 "2008-12-02T21:47:59Z")
Forget the pastor, call his **doctor**! The doctor won’t be able to _tell_ you anything, but they _will_ listen to what you have to say about their patient. Tell him or her that the last two times BIL checked his blood sugar levels using one of your meters, they were 350 and 325. Then hopefully they’ll take some sort of action, even if it’s just to have their office manager call BIL to schedule his next appointment sooner, rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/38 "2008-12-02T22:28:19Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Dude that sucks. I would second the suggestion to go to the minister and insist that he give a good “but while we’re waiting for God to heal you, get thy ass to a physician” talk to the guy. IMHO, a lot of people who use prayer to fix things like diabetes, are actually doing it more because they want a solution that doesn’t require them to change their lifestyles. Ed can eat whatever he wants if Jeebus fixes it for him. If he goes to a doctor, he’ll have to start a _regimen_ :eek: . I dated a girl like that. Given the choice between working really hard for one year to help herself out of a bad situation, or wait 10 years for God to fix it, she’d pick the latter because, honestly, it wasn’t about faith, it was about not wanting to work hard. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/39 "2008-12-02T22:35:14Z")
> [@Juliana](#): > > Oh, and a BG of 350 is not a borderline. No one should have a BG that high. If he wants to live, or not go blind, have kidney disease or any other of the bad things that can happen to an out-of-control diabetic, he needs to get looked at ASAFP. Yeah, I know. I expect when he got the “borderline” diagnosis he had a fasting blood glucose of 190 or something. [QUOTE=VarlosZ] Seriously, Skald, you should call the preacher and ask him to talk your BIL. [/QUOTE] Unfortunately, this is the same minister who, a few years back, said, in my uncle’s eulogy, that all fags are doomed to hell–WHILE MY UNCLE’S SON, WHO WAS DYING OF AIDS, WAS IN THE FRONT ROW. The next time I saw said minister was after my cousin’s death, and I told him what a miserable fuckwit he was and how in a just world he’d be beaten to death by a random mugger. Consequently I am…dubious…that he’d talk to me now. [QUOTE=Contrapuntal] [QUOTE=Lightray] Yes. But did you see how many posters were perplexed as why Skald would be taking cinnamon? Figured may as well hope the link-impaired weren’t also reading-impaired, and mention it in another post. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but the link says not to do it. [/QUOTE] I’m not willing to rely on cinnamon alone, or even primarily. But there were some good articles in PubMed about it back when I was diagnosed, and at seems that it is, at worst, harmless, if inefficacious, and possibly helpful. As it’s also ridiculously cheap and easy, I do it. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369/40 "2008-12-02T22:49:33Z")
Plus, cinnamon tastes great, so what the heck… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brother-in-law-is-trying-to-kill-himself-with-the-power-of-prayer/475369.md?page=3)