Diabetes is a condition denoted by an elevated blood sugar in excess of 126 in the fasting state. There are two types of diabetes. Type II diabetes, or adult onset, is due to metabolic problems involving, in most cases, insulin resistance. Type I diabetes, or juvenile onset, is more rare and involves the total loss of the ability of the pancreas to make insulin.
Diabetes is on the rise and now we see Type II diabetes occurring in teenagers, where it used to only occur in middle and older geriatric patients. Type II diabetes is usually associated with increased body fat. However, there is a sub-population of about 20% that are “skinny” diabetics due to insulin insufficiency.The rise of diabetes and obesity are directly related. There is a direct relationship between the increased amount of refined sugar consumption and under-consumption of healthy fats and type II diabetes. There is approximately 1 teaspoon per ounce in a soda. In other words, you are consuming 12 teaspoons of sugar per cola.
What are you thinking when you give a 3-year-old a soda? This causes their little bodies to go into a frenzy to produce enough insulin to keep the blood sugar within normal limits. After years of this abuse, the body many times will overreact, producing too much insulin in response to blood sugar levels rising, causing blood sugars to crash too low and then craving for sugar again occurs and the cycle repeats itself. This cycle continues until the body no longer responds to the insulin (insulin resistance) and blood sugars stay elevated.
Prolonged elevated blood sugars cause an oxidative stress that damages tissues, especially the brain, blood vessels, nerves in the feet, our kidneys and our eyes. Diabetes occurs from prolonged eating of an imbalanced diet, specifically the displace
ment of nutrient and fiber-rich foods such as spinach, greens, sweet potatoes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, lean meats, fish, seasonal fruit, nuts, seeds, olive oil and coconut oils for pop, donuts, chips, french fries, candy bars, refined breads, pastas, and milk products which now contain antibiotics, pesticides, insecticides and growth hormone.
Generally speaking, most Type II diabetics respond favorably to what I call the caveman diet. Genetically speaking, our DNA has not changed much from our ancestors of 50,000 years ago. So what could a caveman eat? He ate game and fish that he could catch, vegetables growing from the ground, fruit from the trees, and nuts and seeds. Research demonstrates that Type II diabetics can be cured by a permanent change in diet. This change can occur even more rapidly with the addition of aerobic and weight-resistant exercises. I have seen many patients get off insulin in just a few weeks. Besides whole food dietary changes and exercise, supplementation of specific nutrients such as cinnamon, chromium, and alpha lipoic acid , and the like are helpful at improving insulin/sugar dysregulation.
Kelly Miller DC NMD FASA FBAARM CFDMP*, physician at Hoffman Clinic for Optimal Health.Call today. (813) 985-1322. Serving Temple Terrace, north Hillsborough County, and the greater Tampa Bay area.
* There is currently no licensure for Naturopathic Physicians (NMD) in the state of Florida and the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine does not currently recognize the credentialing of the Fellowship from the Brazil-American Academy for Aging and Regenerative Medicine (FBAARM), or the Certification in Functional Diagnostic Medicine (CFDMP) from Functional Medicine University.