We've all heard in recent years that Type 2 diabetes is a modern epidemic. It used to be called “adult onset diabetes,” but this is no longer the case since children are being diagnosed with it. Why?
Let’s dumb down some human physiology for a moment and look at what happens. The pancreas produces insulin and kicks it out into the bloodstream. Insulin is the key that unlocks the door of each cell to let blood sugar in. So, under normal circumstances, you eat an apple which gets broken down into carbohydrate and smaller molecules of fructose. This gets converted to glucose and gets sent out into the bloodstream along with insulin from the pancreas. Insulin unlocks the cell door, glucose rushes in, the cell churns through its functions keeping your body alive at a certain rate (your basal metabolic rate or BMR). In this situation, all is well and good. However; when the body is bombarded with refined carbs and sugars found in soft drinks candy bars, boxed cereals, pastries, breads, and pastas, the blood sugar spikes and insulin gets kicked out of the pancreas. The cells are overloaded with sugar so they change the locks on their doors leaving us with a condition knows as insulin resistance. Basically the cells are saying, “Talk to the hand…” This causes blood sugar to spike higher and higher leading to a condition known as diabetes. It’s largely a problem of our food supply.
Any idea how much sugar the average American consumed around 1900? The answer is: between 10-15 pounds. Today we are at a deplorable 115 – 125 pounds per average American. This is what the modernization of food processing has done for us. Wow! No wonder we’re in trouble.
What can you do? First of all…make sure you have an idea of your blood sugar level. We offer a complete urinalysis here at our office. Fortunately we did a urinalysis on a young lady yesterday for her initial exam which showed her urine glucose off the charts. I advised them to see a medical doctor right away. (The doctor told her had she not caught this glucose problem he would have met her in the ICU in about a week. Whew! ) Her fasting blood glucose the next morning was 321! Normal is between 70-120 (not fasting!) Had she not been fasting, hers would have been still higher.
In our office, we educate and inform the patient about healthy lifestyle changes that can make a dramatic difference in their lives. We also work with acupuncture, and herb, supplement remedies that help lower insulin resistance and virtually eliminate the need for medication except in severe cases. The beauty of it is that EVERYONE responds. Some will completely get off all medication, others will still need some assistance, but to a much lesser degree. All will understand their condition better and learn how to help themselves become healthy and lead a productive life.
Action Steps
1. Come in for a urinalysis (free for existing patients if you mention this blog through 8/31/2011)
2. Learn your glucose level.
3. Make adjustment to diet, lifestyle.
4. Add in herbs & acupuncture if necessary, like gymnema.
5. Nip symptoms in the bud.
6. Retest urine for glucose levels.
7. Avoid disease.
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