DR. WALKER

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic reversible condition secondary to excessive sugar, also known as glucose, circulating in the blood. It is a metabolic and endocrine dysfunction in which the pancreas produces insulin but the cells of the body respond poorly to the insulin, and as a result less sugar gets into the cell. Insulin is a hormone that helps to regulate sugars, starches, and other foods that the body uses as a source of energy. Important to note that many people who become diabetic at one time was considered “prediabetic” which is simply that your blood sugars are higher than normal, but not yet so high that it is diagnostic for type 2 diabetes. The risk of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes increase as we age, and as body fat percentage increases.

What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

Common symptoms of type 2 diabetes include irritability and thirst. These may initially seem unimportant, but early detection is key to early diagnosis and potentially offsetting some of the long-term complications. Many people have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes for years and not know it. Common symptoms include:
• Excessive thirst.
• Frequent urination.
• Increased hunger.
• Extreme hunger.
• Unusual weight loss.
• Fatigue.
• Irritability.
• Blurry vision.
• Slow-healing sores.
• Frequent infections.
• Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet.
• Areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpit areas.

How is type 2 diabetes diagnosed?

The healthy range for blood sugar should be below 100 mg/dL and some say around 80 is ideal. Having serially elevated numbers, in the 100 to 125 mg/dL range, is considered prediabetic.

Fasting blood sugar test. Usually this test is done after fasting overnight.
100 mg/dL or less is normal.
100 to 125 mg/dL as pre-diabetic.
126 mg/dL or greater in 2 separate test is diagnostic.
Glycated hemoglobin A1C test. This test indicates average blood sugar levels over the past 2 to 3 months.
According to the new standards. This number should be:
5.7% which is considered normal.
5.7 to 6.4 is pre-diabetes.
6.5% on two separate tests indicate diabetes.
Random blood sugar test. This test suggests that your blood sugar levels should be less than 200 mg/dL regardless of when you ate last. This is also considering that the patient has symptoms that correlates with type 2 diabetes.

What supplements are known to help with type 2 diabetes?

Chromium. Chromium is a critical cofactor in the mechanism of action of insulin. Chromium is also thought to enhance glucose metabolism. Foods high in chromium, include coffee, nuts, and broccoli. We can also get chromium in supplement form. RDA for chromium is 50 to 200 µg per day for adults.
Coenzyme Q10/Ubiquinol. CoQ10 is found in every cell of the body except for mature red blood cell. CoQ10 is critical for the production of energy, as well as a large number of cellular reactions and important in managing free radicals.
Cinnamon. Cinnamon bark specifically, can be an important tool in reducing blood sugars.
Berberine. This has been used in traditional Chinese medicine and is thought to help decrease insulin resistance. Generally, 500 to 1000 mg per day is suggested.

What are the complications of type 2 diabetes?

High blood pressure. Atherosclerotic disease or hardening of the blood vessels, which increases risk for high blood pressure and other heart diseases. Other conditions including irregular heart rhythms could occur, which could lead to sudden cardiac death.
Dementia. In some circles, diabetes directly causes Alzheimer’s disease and is now termed “type 3 diabetes.” It appears that insulin plays an important role in the formation of amyloid plaques, which lead to neurofibrillary tangles seen commonly with Alzheimer’s disease. Several studies have shown that having a glucose level higher than normal, chronically, causes rapid production of beta-amyloid, which can clump together to form amyloid plaques. Again, these plaques are implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Eye damage. Common finding in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes is damage to the blood vessels in the retina, which could potentially leads to blindness. Additionally, patients with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk for glaucoma and cataracts.
Stroke. High blood glucose levels can lead to damages to small blood vessels, which in turn increases risk for strokes. Additionally, excess sugars lead to fat deposition inside the vessels, which could lead to a narrowing and eventually blockage of the blood vessel. Adults with diabetes are more than 1.5 times more likely to develop a stroke in their lifetime than people without diabetes.
Nerve damage. Type 2 diabetes, especially if uncontrolled may result in nerve damage called neuropathy. This may result in the feeling of numbness and tingling or even burning sensation, typically in fingers and toes.
Kidney damage. Long-standing, uncontrolled, type 2 diabetes can lead to chronic kidney disease, which may result in hemodialysis.

Self-Care Plan:

Important to note the type 2 diabetes in many cases can be reversed, often with diet and lifestyle changes.
Reduce/eliminate refined carbohydrates.
Refined carbohydrates include grains that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients. These are used to make foods such as white bread, pizza dough, pasta, pastries, white flour, white rice, sweet desserts, and cereals. Foods containing refined carbohydrates become glucose and may increase triglycerides, and predisposes to insulin resistance over time. Refined sugars are also included in this group in the form of sucrose (table sugar), high fructose corn syrup and agave syrup. All of these are major risk factors for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Intermittent Fasting. Intermittent fasting is a method of eating which involves periods with no food intake. When done safely may help you lose weight and reverse type 2 diabetes. Some benefits of intermittent fasting include improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood glucose levels, lower blood pressure, and reduce oxidative stress.
Weight Loss. People who are overweight may need as much as 2 or 3 times more insulin than a person with a normal/healthy weight. At some point the body could require more insulin than the pancreas is able to produce. That being said, a lower weight means the pancreas is better able to keep up with the bodies demand for insulin. Additionally, a low/normal weight reduce your risk for complications of diabetes to include heart disease, cardiovascular disorders, and nerve damage.
More Vegetables. These include dark, leafy, green vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and spinach. Vegetables like zucchini, cucumbers, and bell peppers could also help but remember that these are high in lectins. Lectins increase inflammation, and inflammation lead to chronic disease.
Exercise. Remember that unused sugars will be stored as fat. Simple things like walking 30 minutes at moderate intensity, 5 days a week can significantly improve blood sugar levels. Do your best to shoot for 10,000 steps per day. Taking the stairs instead of elevators and walking after lunch and dinner can also help.
Are there other things to consider? Many of these techniques can decrease overall blood sugars. So, it is important to remind your doctors, especially if you are on diabetes medication, about supplements and techniques you are utilizing so that your blood sugars do not drop dangerously low.