Diabetes and Obesity
Diabetes is the number one chronic disease plaguing our nation and world today. 65% of Americans are overweight and the rest of the world is catching up fast. Between 1983 and 2008, the prevalence of diabetes increased sevenfold.
It is projected that by the year 2026, 1 in 3 people will have diabetes. The implications of those reports are profound: it is estimated that diabetes will take the entire budget of our healthcare system to cover all the costs to treat diabetics. Even that will still be insufficient. In short, there will not be enough money left over for anything other that diabetes treatment. This is a rather dismal prediction.
Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes
Some of the most common side effects that people associate with diabetes include being thirsty, numbness and tingling in the hands or feet, increased urination, and having to take your blood sugar daily.
Most people are not aware of the many other possible side effects one can experience as a result of having diabetes. Not to mention the side effects from taking insulin, metformin, or whatever medication doctors are prescribing. Diabetes will also lead to pancreas malfunction as a result of the pancreas being over-stimulated to produce extra insulin to make up for the perceived deficiency. Loss of consciousness and lack of concentration are common signs and symptoms of diabetes. This is due to the fact that sugar is not being transported across the blood brain barrier to feed the brain.
Heart disease, damaged blood vessels, high blood pressure, dry, cracked skin, stroke, neuropathy, and increased risk or prevalence of bacterial, fungal and yeast infections are common occurrences in those dealing with diabetes or pre-diabetes (metabolic syndrome).
While not an all-inclusive list by any means, you can get an idea of why the cost of being diabetic is so expensive. Keep in mind that these signs and symptoms don’t take into account the medication you will most likely be on for the side effects of the ones you are already on. And the cycle continues.
To determine if a patient is diabetic, their blood glucose levels will be tested; and if they are over a certain amount, then they are classified as diabetic. A more relevant test is what is called an HBA1C test. This test is an indication of blood glucose levels over the last three months.
The general levels that I go by are:
Normal is less than or equal to 5.6
Pre-diabetic (metabolic syndrome) is 5.7 - 6.4
Diabetic is equal to greater than 6.5
So what actually causes diabetes?
Hopefully, now you're a little scared about being pre-diabetic or diabetic. If so, I've done part of my job. While not an uncomplicated question to answer, I can give you some insight into some of the most common issues that are related to developing diabetes. As many of my patients know, it's not always as simple as being overweight and not eating right. In my experience, only a small percentage of patients can attribute their diabetes or metabolic syndrome solely to being overweight.
I often see patients in my office that are experiencing some odd signs and symptoms even though they “look” as if they are in perfectly healthy shape. When we do some simple lab testing and they come back as being pre-diabetic or diabetic, they can’t really understand how they could have developed diabetes.
As a side note, I'd like to explain that patients develop diabetes. They don’t catch it. Almost 100% of the time, diabetes is an entirely preventable disease or condition. We develop diabetes in response to one of the following reasons. In no particular order.
Common Causes Leading to Diabetes
Impaired cell signaling and gene transcription
Enzymatic dysfunction
Membrane and cellular dysfunction
Inflammation
Oxidative stress
Mitochondrial dysfunction
HPATG (Hypo-Pituitary-Adrenothyrogonadal) Axis dysfunction
Biotransformation / Environmental Toxins
Assimilation / Gut Dysfunction
How to treat diabetes naturally and effectively while spending less money
Diabetes is one of the most expensive diseases to treat medically, yet one of the cheapest conditions to treat naturally. Integrative functional medicine approaches diabetes by evaluating a person holistically, and not just the set of symptoms they are experiencing. High blood sugar is a symptom of insulin resistance or lack of insulin production, and our job is to determine the reason why your body is malfunctioning.
We achieve this through a thorough history, physical examination, and comprehensive lab testing. The lab testing will help us root out the cause of your diabetes. The causes may include: excess weight, dysfunctional enzymes within the body that are involved in insulin production and cell sensitization, inflammation that reduces the effectiveness of insulin, pancreatic burnout due to years of over production, HPATG axis dysfunction (hormone system of the body), increased cortisol levels resulting in decreased sensitivity of the body to insulin, or a vitamin deficiency that is preventing assimilation, absorption or utilization of certain nutrients, enzymes, mitochondria, etc.
Case in point: Patient “J”
I recently had a late thirty-something male (lets call him J), that had been in good shape all of his life. Recently married, he and his wife were thinking about having children, but he was feeling run down, tired, and generally fatigued and ill. This patient was by no means overweight and was managing to get in 3-4 hours of exercise per week. He just couldn’t figure out what was going on.
J came into my office and we went over his history in great detail. During the course of the history, I had a few inclinations as to what was going on with J. I sent him for lab testing and made sure they tested his HA1C levels. When we got the results, J was astounded. His HA1C levels were at 6.5 — clearly in the diabetic range. I had remembered that J reported to me that he and his wife had just bought a house and were doing a lot of work on it. He said the house “was a fixer.”
One of the first things that jumped to the front of my mind were toxins. J reported that the yard was a mess and that he had been spraying Roundup all over it to kill the thousands of weeds. Little did J know that Roundup contains Glyphosate. Glyphosate is terrible in MANY ways (I'll go over that in one of my blogs) but in J’s case, it was destroying the beneficial bacteria in his intestines. Without that beneficial bacteria, we cannot produce the essential amino acid Tryptophan. Without Tryptophan, we cannot make serotonin or insulin. Thus, J developed diabetes.
In response to this, we got rid of all the toxins in J’s environment; most notably the Roundup. We put him on an eight-week detox program, and viola! J no longer has diabetes, has a little boy, and is now enjoying life like it was meant to be enjoyed.
Some supplements that can help with managing diabetes
Keep in mind that the effectiveness will be limited if there is another underlying condition contributing to the diabetes.
Chromium - Works with insulin to transport glucose into the cells so that the body can utilize the sugar.
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) - This acts as an antioxidant as well as working to increase the uptake of glucose into the cells by inhibiting the action of glycosylation.
B vitamins - Nerve damage can often occur in diabetics. This is what eads to the decrease in sensation associated with diabetes. B vitamins help to maintain nerve health.
Vitamin C - Vitamin C acts to lower sorbitol levels in the blood. Excessive sorbitol in the body can lead to damage to the eyes, kidneys, and nerves.
Vitamin D - This can be used to boost antimicrobial peptides resulting in a decrease in the occurrence of infections.
Vitamin E - This is a fat soluble vitamin. If you take this vitamin, make sure it is only in its natural form. You can overdose on vitamin E. It works as an antioxidant, improves glucose control, protects the nerves and blood vessels, and protects against diabetic cataracts and atherosclerosis.
Magnesium - This is essential for energy production and protein synthesis. Once the glucose is in the cells, magnesium assists in mitochondria function (energy production).
Vanadium - This basically acts as an insulin copycat helping to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
Berberine - Acts as a regulator in metabolism; improves insulin sensitivity so less insulin produces a greater effect, and has been shown to reduce glucose production.
Omega 3 fatty acids - Although not directly involved in blood sugar metabolism or insulin sensitivity, Omega 3 is great for heart-health which is one of the most common co-morbidities associated with diabetes.
Ginseng - Taken before a meal, it has shown to induce lower post prandial (meal) blood sugar levels.
Bitter Melon - Studies show that bitter melon possesses glucose-lowering properties.
Cinnamon - Although there are limited studies supporting cinnamon in diabetes therapy, some indicate that it can help improve blood sugar levels.
Green Tea - The active ingredient in green tea is epigallocatachin gallate (EGCG). This has been shown to be helpful for diabetes by improving blood glucose level and increasing sensitivity to insulin.
Gymnema sylvestre - A Hindi plant that translates as “sugar destroyer.” The studies are not very plentiful for this particular supplement, but it may be effective. It appears to work by assisting the cell to use glucose and by stimulating the body to produce more insulin (although this may not be a good solution long-term).
So there you have it. A long list of supplements that you can take to help diabetes. It can be a little overwhelming. I will list a few specific products below that you can try as a self-treatment. Sometimes a little supplementation is all you need.
I recommend opening an account through health wave (cheaper than Amazon).
This information is by no means a substitute for professional medical help. If need be, consult a doctor prior to commencing any treatment program. If you have questions or need further evaluation I recommend getting evaluated by myself (I do offer Phone appointments for those that live far) or another Functional Medicine Physician (IFM Trained)
We should strive to live our lives at the intersection of Health and Happiness. Dr. Craig Mortensen is an expert in Integrative Functional Medicine and the detective work that is involved in deciphering why someone has a particular disease or condition.
Generally, I don’t recommend trying to tackle major health problems on your own. A professional athlete always has a coach. Taking the wrong course of action can have detrimental effects. However, with diabetes, this is one time that an uncomplicated case can respond very well to some simple supplements.