Diabetes

 

In this section, we will mostly focus on the most common form of diabetes, the so called Type 2 diabetes. Among the older population of diabetics, 99 percent suffer from this type. Its counterpart, Type 1 diabetes, usually occurs in younger individuals, sometimes as a result of an infection of the pancreas or an autoimmune condition. Type 1 diabetes can be easily differentiated from Type 2 diabetes by using the insulin blood test described below named the insulin challenge test.

Diabetes is a very misunderstood disease, and it comes with severe complications thatcan last for many years. Left unchecked or uncontrolled, it can lead to heart attacks, clogging of blood vessels, loss of feeling, and chronic pain. On the other hand, when diabetes is kept under control, a diabeticmay live an enjoyable life for decades.

But what is diabetes? You may ask. How does it happen?

Simply put, diabetes is an illness where there is too much sugar in the blood. This overload of blood sugar will eventually seep into the cells and overwhelm them with sugar. The result are“sugarized” or caramelized cells that can’t function anymore.

Caramel literally forms innerves and muscles, and this process is similar to the way caramel forms when sugar is heated in pan. This type of caramel forms inside diabetic cells, preventing them from functioning normally and ultimately killing them. While cells will fight valiantly to stop this sugar onslaught, if they become overwhelmed with sugar, there is little they can do to stave off the damage and the progression of disease.

A major inconvenience for doctors is that high blood sugar does not present with any pain, at least not initially, so those who have this condition seldom realize they have diabetes.Most people think that if they are not in pain or visibly suffering, then nothing may be wrong with them. This kind of thinking brought on tremendous amounts of unnecessary suffering in the last few decades.

Normal fasting blood sugar is 100 or less, some people say 86 or less and this level rises a bit after eating. Blood sugar starts higher in diabetics, goes up much higher after meals, and comes down much slower. This makes sense, as the cells are already overwhelmed with extra sugar from before the meal and now they have an extra burden to deal with when presented with even more sugar during a meal.

Popular medical opinion purports that cells are in fact starving and claims that insulin does not push sugar into the cells efficiently. This is the conventional thinking of how diabetes occurs.

On the very contrary, I believe that diabetic cells are not really starving for sugar.They may be starving for other micronutrients, but not for sugar. In the case of the sugar overwhelm in the cell, insulin will be downregulated, meaning there will be less ability of insulin to push even more sugar inside the cell.This seems to me as a normal defense mechanism and a healthy behavior of a normal cell to refuse even more of something that is already overwhelmed with.

The degree of caramelization of the cells is reflected in a blood indicator test called Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), meaning the glycosylated (caramelized) hemoglobin. Hemoglobin A1cis an accurate marker of diabetes. Doctors use HbA1c to actually measure the degree of cell caramelization and sugar overwhelm. This is a logical argument that in fact, in diabetes, the diabetic cells are being overwhelmed by sugar, and not starving for sugar.Therefore diabetes is in fact a disease of sugar overwhelm wreaking havoc on the cells.

Hemoglobin A1c should be below 6 percent, ideally under 5.7 percent. Anything above 6 is diabetes or at least the beginning of diabetes. Above 6.5 percent doctors consider that the patient has full-blown diabetes.

Aggravating factors for diabetes include any factors that overwhelm the system with sugar or that may block the utilization of sugars by the cells.Being overweight, not exercising, eating and drinking carbohydrates or artificial sweeteners will only aggravate this condition.
Many may not realize this, but skin tags are usually a sign of diabetes.

Management of Diabetes

Metformin is a prescription medication at this time. It can be very useful in the initial stages of diabetes. Metformin is also a great anti-aging medication. However, the blood sugar lowering effect of metformin is limited and it can also cause frequent bowel problems.

Diabetics should check blood sugar twicedaily in the beginning, then less frequently over time. Blood sugar levels should be tested before breakfast and before the evening meal. The results should be written down and recorded for future reference.

When you glance over the blood sugar log, consider the top and bottom 10 percent of the numbers and learn what caused you to have high or low blood sugar those days. Overeating or eating refined carbs like pizza or ice cream will certainly cause many blood sugar spikes.

Blood sugar levels are dangerous below 70 and over 450. Levels around 200 can be well tolerated for months and years. People do worry about blood sugar into the 200 -300 range, however, in general,blood sugar level in this range can be sustained with no major problems for a few extra weeks until a regimen of medication is designed and put in place.

Medication is typically administered when fasting blood sugar is consistently measured being 140 or higher. It is a good idea to maximize the initial medication before opting to add other medications to the regimen.

An easy two step blood test generally reveals with a great degree of accuracy if a person is responding well to oral medication or the patient should be starting insulin.

This test is called insulin stimulation test. This is how it is done: Early morning, with nothing to eat overnight and only water allowed in the morning, an initial blood test should be taken to test the fasting insulin level prior to breakfast. After the blood is taken, the patient is advised to eat a good breakfast and then return about an hour later for a repeat blood insulin test, this time not fasting.

If the second insulin level taken after a meal containing carbohydrates is seven or more units higher than the first test, this means that there are enough insulin reserves to be mobilized when facing the challenge of a meal. When the levels of insulin rise by more than 7 -10 units it is said that the pancreas responds well to the insulin challenge. If this is so,then the patient does not really need insulin. In this case we know that the diabetic patient illness can be managed through medication, exercise and a strict diet. By knowing this valuable information we can then customize a great plan for the patient.

During exercise the body and its’ cells will consume some lingering cell sugar, therefore making “space” or availability for more sugar to be pushed inside the cell. Losing weight will help get rid or at least ease up the sugar burden to the cells. Fasting can therefore work wonders. However, patients on blood sugar medication should not fast, due to a high risk of their sugar levels crashing. Those who are committed to fasting should wean themselves off from blood sugar lowering medication first. They could cut the medication down completely or partially and then slowly, under medical supervision, ease up into fasting.

Diabetics should avoid “sugar” under any name and sweeteners of any kind. Avoid anything that tastes sweet, as well as anything made out of dough. There are large quantities of sugar in most bakery products, bread, pasta, pizza, potatoes, bagels, donuts, cookies, cakes, candies, and ice cream, so these foods should not be eaten by diabetics.
Besides refined and unrefined, sugar has many names: fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup.You should avoid all of these as much as possible.

Another trap for poorly informed buyers are products that claim they are diet or light. Never fall for this! As we’ve already discussed, these contain artificial sweeteners and are extremely hazardous to your health and toxic. Some studies actually show that people gain more weight eating diet products than eating the regular varieties. Any product that claims to be zero calories is also fraudulent; there is no such thing as a product with null calories. What they really mean is that the sweeteners are not broken or burned down completely to water and CO2. They may stay unbroken, however giving us side effects and lots of trouble.

The most widely used artificial sweeteners are aspartame, NutraSweet, Equal,Sucralose, saccharin, etc. None of these are good for you in any way. They are entirely unnatural and are number one on the complaint list at the FDA, but it is a billion-dollar market that will not easily give up its profits for the sake of human health. The only better, natural sweetener is natural honey or maple syrup, and these should be used very sparingly as they too raise insulin levels.

Natural sugar from fresh fruits and vegetables is okay in small amounts. These come with natural enzymes and the vitamins necessary for their processing. Do not choose the sweetest fruits, like grapes or melons, just to satisfy a sugar addiction, and do not eat these excessively, especially if you want to lose weight. Eat fruits that do not taste sweet, and enjoy small berries. Sugar resulted from canned or processed fruits and vegetables isnot okay, as the vitamins and enzymes that would have naturally accompanied them are destroyed in the processing. Never believe that canned fruits are as good as eating fresh fruits.

Liquid sugar is just about the worst thing you can do to your body. Unfortunately, sugary drinks have taken over the world. Avoid soda and sweet drinks, carbonated or not, under any name or form. One can of sodacontainsnine to thirteen teaspoons of sugar or a sugar equivalent. This is far above the recommended intake for an adult. Do not think fruit juices are a better option, as these also contain high amounts of sugar and preservatives to keep the color vivid and to improve the taste. If you are going to have juice, drink homemade ones occasionally, and be aware that all fruits contain fructose, a fruit sugar that should only be used in moderation.

One sugar habit many people have is eating ice cream, especially in the evenings. Some eat a pint or more, even up to a half-gallon. This is also a habit that needs to be changed, as ice cream is full of sugar and this too raises insulin and promotes fat production.

Summary

• Diabetes is a disease of sugar overwhelm.
• Keep Hemoglobin A1c below 5.7 and fasting blood sugar well below 95
• Use insulin stimulation test to evaluate the need for insulin
• Avoid “sugar” under any name and sweeteners of any kind.
• Avoid anything that tastes sweet, as well as anything made out of dough