Diabetes

Hi ya’ll, November is American Diabetes Month! At Adorn Naturopathic Medicine, I treat many women who have insulin resistance, prediabetes, and diabetes. In fact, women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) are often insulin resistant; their bodies can make insulin but cannot use it effectively, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes. So a key component of their treatment requires regulating their blood sugar. I want to share some helpful information to empower those seeking knowledge about this very prevalent illness. The CDC reports that 34.2 million Americans (1 in 10)  — have diabetes. 88 million American adults (approximately 1 in 3) have prediabetes. The CDC also estimates that by 2050 half of all Americans will be diabetic. 

So what is diabetes? Diabetes is a group of diseases in which insulin  — a hormone (made in the beta cells of the pancreas) that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells, is impaired. This impairment of insulin results in too much sugar in the blood (hyperglycemia or “high blood glucose”). The degree of impairment is noted by the types of diabetes. So what are the different types of diabetes?

Types of Diabetes: 

• Insulin resistance - when tissues do not respond fully to the effects of insulin and to compensate, pancreatic beta cells produce greater amounts of insulin to maintain a normal fasting blood glucose level. Eventually, insulin resistance may become so severe that the beta cells can no longer produce enough insulin to compensate and it may progress to prediabetes or type two diabetes 

• Prediabetes - a condition characterized by slightly elevated blood glucose levels, regarded as indicative that a person is at risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes.

• Type 2 diabetes  - generally evolves from a state of insulin resistance, the cells becomes less sensitive to the effects of insulin and consequently cannot regulate blood glucose levels appropriately 

• Type 1 diabetes  - an autoimmune disease whereby a person’s own immune system attacks their pancreatic beta cells, destroying enough of them that they cannot produce enough insulin to live without medical intervention 

• Gestational diabetes - is when a woman who is not diabetic before pregnancy becomes a type two diabetes patient during pregnancy. Usually, the woman is either obese before becoming pregnant or gains excess weight during pregnancy through overeating and lack of exercise. 

Symptoms of diabetes:

• Increased thirst

• Frequent urination

• Increased hunger

• Unintended weight loss

• Fatigue

• Blurred vision

• Slow-healing sores

• Frequent infections

• Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet

• Areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck

Prevention:

• Consume a healthy diet! 

  • Eating a low carbohydrate diet is essential to controlling your diabetes! Carbohydrates break down to sugar (glucose) in the blood. Low carb diets help to ensure glucose control, reduce lipids, reduce insulin resistance, reduce weight gain, and reduce blood pressure. 

  • Avoid overeating!

  • Increase healthy fats in the diet (saturated, omega-3 oil). Fats do not contain carbs and will not spike your blood sugar.

  • Watch animal protein intake and make sure animal products are of the highest quality. 

  • Increase fiber intake.

  • Eat lots of non-starchy vegetables.

  • Avoid fruits as they are high in carbs! Some low carb fruits include avocados, cucumbers, tomatoes, and berries. 

  • Eat organic foods! Organic foods have more nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants than conventionally grown nonorganic foods.

• Get active! Exercise is essential in the prevention and management of diabetes. It directly improves insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control because of a combination of increased lean muscle mass and improvement in muscle cell metabolism.  Aim for 150 or more minutes a week of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity (such as a brisk walk, bicycling, running or swimming), strength training, and stretching. 

• Lose weight! Losing a modest amount of weight and keeping it off can delay the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes. When you weigh less, your pancreas is better able to keep up with your body's need for insulin. In some cases, weight loss is enough to restore blood sugar to a normal level, which eliminates diabetes.

Treatment:

I follow a comprehensive approach to diabetes to treating diabetes by addressing the following:

1. Diet

2. Exercise

3. Healing the gut and microbiome

4. Environmental Detoxification

5. Sleep

6. Stress management  

7. Supplementation

8. Medication

If you are anyone you know is seeking a practitioner to help you prevent or manage your diabetes, please schedule a FREE 15 minute consultation at Adorn Naturopathic Medicine.

Resources:

Morstein, Mona. Master Your Diabetes: A Comprehensive, Integrative Approach for Both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2017.

“National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 Feb. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-stat-report.html.