Take control of Type-2 Diabetes

Anyone who has been in a drug store lately or at a health screening at work has probably found themselves exposed to the informational sources regarding metabolic type-2 diabetes. Dealing with it can be a complex problem and it is rampant in the culture today.  The bulk of the treatment strategies are diet related and with good reason, as diet is perhaps the easiest and most important variable to influence. It’s tough to do something with your genes and often individuals don’t like to make the other lifestyle changes such as exercise or better sleep habits both of which can improve the blood sugar numbers. Additionally, alternative medicine practitioners such as Chiropractors and Acupuncturists can provide a different focus to the disease as their nutritional protocols are somewhat different than conventional medicine. When taken as a team approach with conventional medicine, alternative medicine can greatly enhance the chances of a positive therapeutic outcome.

Metabolic Type-2 diabetes is different than conventional diabetes in that Type-2 is usually acquired later in life. A sedentary lifestyle and increased weight gain both play a role but most importantly it’s about stress and the body’s inability to digest fats. This is often seen in a patient’s high triglyceride reading in their blood work. Since they don’t digest fats well they get their energy from sugar. Essentially the undigested fat molecule blocks the receptor sites so insulin can’t dock.  As a doctor, I often hear my diabetic patients tell me how their blood sugar went to the moon following the eating of an avocado. An avocado is a powerhouse of good fatty acids which the body uses as a substrate to create hormones. However, if the body can’t digest them that’s where the problem lies. Ironically avocados are often on the list of good foods for a diabetic to eat. So the solution is often a simple one. By taking a digestive enzyme like Lipase with the first bite of a meal it helps to predigest the fats and ends the process of the receptor sites for insulin being blocked. A diabetic patient still needs to pay attention to the broad guidelines of proper eating as well such as eating reasonable portions and staying away from sugars but often helping to aid the fat digestion is one of the missing ingredients. The fat problem is further complicated since many of the low sugar pre-packaged meals targeted for diabetics are loaded instead with fats.

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Stress also plays an important for the type-2 diabetic as the brain itself is a glucose hog. When a person is under stress the brain is screaming at the liver for more sugar and this starts the gluconeogenesis process in the liver where additional sugar is created. Cholesterol usually goes up as a by-product of this process as cholesterol is a building block which the body makes hormones from. So by keeping your stress under control it can frequently help in controlling the body’s sugar as well. Interesting to note that stress in the body usually attacks the weakest area, whether it’s blood pressure, blood sugar, headaches or something like a recurrent UTI.  Consequently, by getting the stress under control you’re better able to keep your blood sugar in check or whatever chronic metabolic issue the body is dealing with.

In the context of Holistic Medicine, there are treatment strategies both in Chiropractic and Acupuncture to deal with elevated blood sugar. Insofar as both are an input into the nervous system they can have some effect in normalizing a blood sugar pattern. In acupuncture, there are specific acupuncture points along the meridians which are activated and Chinese herbal formulas such as Yu Quan Wan work well for diabetic conditions. These are easily obtained on-line or at any health food store that sells Chinese herbs. For more information on Nutritional Guidelines and Type-2 Diabetes take a look at this article from webmd.

Located in Penfield, the office serves Fairport, Brighton, Webster and the greater Rochester, NY area. For more information about if acupuncture  can help you, call our office for a free consultation with Dr. Sadlon.