- We eat food
- The food is digested and the carbohydrate portion is broken down into simple sugars much of which is glucose
- Glucose (blood sugar) enters the blood, and insulin is produced by the pancreas to manage transport and distribution around the body
- Insulin, acting like an usher, opens doors for glucose into different cells for a variety of purposes. Some of the glucose is converted to short term energy for immediate cell use, and some is stored as long term energy in the form of fat for later use.
In a diabetic this metabolic process collapses. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin, however the insulin does NOT do its job. This is called insulin resistance which simply put means that once the insulin starts giving orders to dispatch the blood sugar, the body does not pay attention. Th insulin therefore is rendered ineffective, and the blood sugar is NOT metabolized properly.
The end result of this is the complications listed in my last post. The status quo is to treat diabetes with modern drugs and in some cases surgery. The crux of the problem is that neither path treats the cause of the disease.
I have personally known Type 2 diabetics who feel that this is a disease that we can control with just adjusting the amount of insulin we take as opposed to adjusting the amount and type of food we eat. In my opinion this is a slippery slope at best. By refusing to make dietary or exercise changes in their lifestyle, they continue to gain weight which in turn makes them more inactive and it is a vicious cycle.
Knowing some of these folks personally, over time it takes more and more insulin to control blood sugar levels and it is a vicious cycle. I believe that one has to make up their mind to do something positive about reversing to whatever extent possible the ravages of the disease.
FIRST of all, you make up your mind you are not going to continue to live in a vicious cycle of chasing high and low blood glucose levels by first over eating and then taking more and more insulin.
You then meet with your doctor or a qualified nutritionist and work out a plan of eliminating all refined carbohydrates. You need to work out an exercise program consisting of both aerobics and weight resistance exercises combined with getting on an aggressive natural supplement program. You need to have your blood lipid profile done every 3 or 4 months. You will want to check your triglycerides, your cholesterol profile, your iodine levels, your vitamin D levels etc. if you are a male, you should also have your testosterone levels checked as well. On a daily basis, you need to be checking your own BG levels and keeping a log in addition to bringing your meter with you to your local doctor or diabetes clinic.
I would recommend that you partner up with a friend or acquaintance who is also diabetic and encourage each other to follow through on your exercise goals.
You should also take a hard look at the benefits of supplementing your diet with:
Calcium and Vitamin D3
I have several BLOG POSTS under the label of supplements for Diabetics, and exercising for type 2 diabetes, along with articles on controlling your PH factor and the PH of your interstitial fluid. In other words, you need to spend some time studying diabetes on your own and not just blindly depending on your insulin pump or prescription drugs to prolong your life.
There is a LOT you can do by making the decision to want to get better. There is life after doughnuts and NO the world does not run on "Dunkin".