Though we are here to talk about blood sugar and insulin resistance, we
also have to mention the coming problem; Diabetes!
Today, many people with blood sugar imbalance or insulin resistance are not getting to the root of the problem. This compounds the problem and
it essentially reveals a fundamental difference in modalities. The best way
to manage your diabetes is to get to the causal actions. Doesn't that make
more sense?
Let me be very clear that WE cannot cure you of diabetes.
We would like to help point you toward healthier life choices but please check
with your doctor. The American Diabetes Association dedicates much of
their work to teaching through a better, healthier lifestyle. We would however like to address the blood sugar part of
diabetes and help you, if possible to understand how to keep that level.
At this point, the exact cause of Type I diabetes remains unknown.
However, a current theory is that injury to the insulin producing beta cells
in the
pancreas (free radical damage), coupled with some defect in the tissues’ ability
to regenerate itself, produces diabetes. Since this was once called Juvenile
Onset Diabetes there is likely a genetic component to its onset.
Most holistic
experts recognize Diabetes Type 2 as a lifestyle disease that can be regulated
with diet, exercise, and proper nutrition.
The pancreas’ (vital organ near the stomach) main job is to produce the
hormone insulin. Carbohydrates stimulate the secretion of insulin more than
any other component of food. Fast absorption carbohydrates (there are slow
absorption carbohydrates) in our food means that the pancreas has
to work
hard and produces more insulin. If the pancreas is over-stimulated
over a long period of time, it may become "exhausted" and
Type 2 diabetes develops in genetically susceptible individuals.
High
insulin levels are undesirable, even without diabetes, because they
increase the risk of heart disease and hypertension. Insulin
influences the way we metabolize foods, determining whether we burn
fat or carbohydrate to meet our energy needs and ultimately determining
whether we store fat in our body. *
Symptoms
Below you will find some diabetes indicators **. Getting your blood sugar
checked is a very easy thing to do. Frankly most any of your friends
who have diabetes
are willing to help you and share their knowledge. They already have
the monitoring equipment. Ask them.
Frequent urination
Excessive appetite
Excessive thirst
Blurring of vision
General fatigue
Itching skin
Wounds that are slow to heal
Skin infections
Tingling or numbness of the feet
lingering flu-like symptoms
Loss of hair on the legs
Increased facial hair
Small yellow bumps (known as xanthomas) anywhere on the body
Inflammation of the penis, particularly the glands and foreskin (balanophosthitis)
often may be the first indication of diabetes mellitus
The
Simple Explanation
There are two primary reasons known for Diabetes.
A prolonged diet, high in improper
carbohydrates.
Improper, insufficient and under nourishment.
Let's look at what happens
in our bodies. Whenever we eat, our bodies convert the carbohydrates into
sugar (glucose).
This causes the glucose level of our blood to rise. The more
carbohydrates you eat, the higher your blood sugar rises. Your
body then needs to metabolize this sugar and convert it to energy. This
is where insulin comes into the picture.
When your blood sugar rises,
your body produces more insulin to lower your blood sugar. That's
good!! Sooooo, what's
the problem? You'll soon see!
The function of insulin
is to help or push the sugar from your blood into
the cells in your body. On the
outside of every cell, there are what we call "insulin
receptors". These
receptors act like guards, guarding the doorway into
your cells.
These guards (insulin receptors) regulate the amount
of sugar that gets into your
cells. Got the picture? Let's continue.
When you
have a prolonged diet that is high in carbohydrates,
things begin to happen within your body. There are
way too much carbohydrates being converted to sugar. This
causes
your body to produce
an excess amount of insulin. Why? Because! It
needs the insulin to push all that sugar into the
cells. Still
with me?
With all this excess insulin trying to push the sugar
into your cells, the insulin receptors (the guards)
begin to get lazy. Some
of the guards (the insulin receptors) won't let the
sugar into the cells. So what happens now? Your
blood sugar rises even more. Wait it gets worse!
Because your blood sugar is now elevated, your body thinks
it needs to produce more insulin to get the
excess blood
sugar into your
cells. Remember from above when the insulin receptors
(guards) got lazy. All this additional excess insulin
causes even more guards (insulin receptors) to get
lazy, malfunction and shut the doors. So
the cycle continues, and goes on and on and on. More
insulin, causing more insulin receptors to fail,
and there you go…insulin
resistance.
When your body (pancreas) can no longer
produce enough insulin to push the sugar into the
cells, you develop
Type 2 diabetes.
This is a very simple explanation
of what the problem really is.
What's the Bottom line?
Type 2 Diabetes is really insulin resistance. The
solution to the problem, aside from eating a "better" carbohydrate,
is to find a way to increase the sensitivity
of your cells to insulin and help your body get the sugar out of the bloodstream
and into your
cells so it can be metabolized and turned
into energy. This is
one of the reasons why diabetics continuously
feel tired and fatigued. Does
that make sense?
Excess Insulin has negative
effects!
As just stated, your body's
metabolism processes food and produces energy, and insulin is
your metabolism's master hormone. Having
an over-abundant supply of this hormone can
be very detrimental to your
health. Listed below are some of the complications
caused by excess insulin.
Heart Disease.
Hardening of the Arteries.
Damage to Artery Walls.
Increased Cholesterol Levels.
Vitamin & Mineral Deficiencies.
Kidney Disease
Accumulation & storage of fat.
Weight Gain
Fat burning mechanism turned off.
Nutritional Deficiencies from excess insulin.
Science has shown that excess
insulin also causes your body to become deficient in vitamins, minerals
and other nutrients. It's
a proven fact that being deficient
in them is directly linked to high blood sugar levels. Thus
the
cycle
continues.
Chromium
Chromium is essential to your metabolism and maintaining
safe sugar levels. Excess insulin
depletes our chromium. According
to Dr. Michael Eades, MD, author
of "Protein Power", he
states, "The insulin receptor,
the structure on the surfaces of
your cells that actually become
resistant to insulin, requires chromium
to function properly. Deficiency
of chromium is rampant - it affects
90% of the American population
- because a diet high in starch and
sugar puts a heavy demand on the
insulin system to handle the incoming
carbohydrate load, and
that demand depletes chromium."
It has been suggested that a chromium deficiency may be the primary underlying
factor contributing to the large number of Americans who suffer with blood
sugar problems, both diabetes and hypoglycemia. Evidence is overwhelming that
there is also a significant chromium insufficiency in the United States.**
Calcium
and Magnesium
Excess insulin also
causes your body to become depleted in calcium and
magnesium. Both of these elements
are essential for good health and are needed
for hundreds of bodily functions. One
of the most common problems that result
from a deficiency in calcium is
bone density. Magnesium also plays
an important role in your body's utilization
of calcium.
Some of the other deficiencies caused by excess insulin are: Zinc,
Selenium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E,
the B complex Vitamins, the
Essential Fatty Acids, and much
more. Now you know how and why
people get Type 2 Diabetes. Now
you know some of the consequences
of not
controlling
your blood sugar.
Here are your
choices:
You can continue on with what you've
been doing.
You can learn about a safe and
effective way to help control
your blood sugar
with no known side effects!
* Pg. 4 - The Glucose Revolution THE AUTHORITATIVE
GUIDE TO THE GLYCEMIC INDEX JENNIE BRAND-MILLER, PH.D; THOMAS M.S. WOLEVER,
M.D., PH.D; STEPHEN COLAGIURI,
M.D.;
KAYE FOSTER-POWELL, M. NUTR. & DIET; ADAPTED BY JOHANA BURANI, M.S., R.D.
C.D.E. MARLOWE & COMPANY NEW YORK 841 Broadway, 4th Floor New York, NY
10003
