According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million people in the United States, or 8% of the population, have diabetes. One of the reasons this number is so high is that an early diagnosis can be difficult to come by. Diabetes often goes undiagnosed until it reaches its later stages because initial symptoms can seem harmless. The more commonly known symptoms of diabetes, frequent urination, extreme hunger or thirst, fatigue or blurred vision, may not occur for years. Alarmingly, even with the efforts of the health industry to inform the public to catch diabetes before it gets out of control, the prevalence of diabetes increased by 13.5% from 2005-2007. Although catching diabetes early can slow complications like heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and nerve damage, the key to stopping diabetes is prevention.
Diabetes is a condition where the body either does not make insulin (Type I diabetes) or the cells of the body have trouble responding to insulin that is present (Type II diabetes). Although Type I diabetes must be treated medically, Type II diabetes can be managed naturally. In order to manage Type II diabetes, we must understand the process of insulin and the role it plays in regulating our blood sugar.
When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin binds to different receptors on our cells to enable sugar to be transported from the blood into the cells. In a person with diabetes Type II or pre-diabetes, cells become desensitized to insulin. Because of this, the glucose stays and builds up in the blood instead of going into cells. This causes two problems:
1) In the short term, your cells become starved for energy.
2) Over time, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.
Ninety-one percent (91%) of Type II diabetes cases can be prevented through adopting healthy habits and lifestyle choices. AT IHD, we have a therapeutic lifestyles program called First Line Therapy that enables people to prevent the prevalence of diabetes and reduce the need for dependency on diabetes medication.
What is First Line Therapy?
First Line Therapy is a therapeutic lifestyle program that helps you live in a way that improves your health. It means making choices everyday that will enhance your health and enable you to achieve a full and healthy life. Diabetics could benefit from our First Line Therapy Program by making empowering choices about…
Diet: spacing out their meals, controlling portion sizes choosing foods that will not cause insulin surges and taking supplements that support blood sugar metabolism.
Exercise: Proper physical activity promotes better metabolism. Having a workout that maximizes the amount of muscle in the body while decreasing fat will enable the body to have a healthier metabolism, control insulin and regulate blood sugar more efficiently.
Emotional Stress: Stress is always a choice and when we go into a state of distress, it taxes our mind as well as our bodies. Stress restricts blood flow, which carries essential nutrients that help control blood sugar. Having strategies to combat stress can be the difference between creating a state of health over disease.
Life provides us an opportunity to experience it at a deep level. Waking up in the morning refreshed, full of energy and with vibrant health is vital to the experience of life to its fullest potential. Creating this state can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be once you have the proper guidance. Call our office to schedule a complimentary screening and consultation to see if the First Line Therapy therapeutic lifestyle program could be right you.
