Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder where blood sugar starts to rise. The body tries to compensate by making insulin to get the blood sugar down and into the cells where it's needed. Some symptoms that can occur as a result of this not functioning is, in the kidneys, urine starts to show up with glucose and protein, where that should not be the case.
In the feet, people might experience numbness or tingling or burning sensation. This could eventually lead to amputations of different parts of the feet. In the eye, there might be decreased visual acuity, blurriness, and eventually blindness. The worst-case scenario is actually death.
The conventional treatment for Type 2 diabetes is drug therapy. The goal of the drug therapy is to decrease blood sugar levels and to drive that blood sugar into the cells. Oral medications serve to increase the insulin that gets produced in the pancreas, and also increase the sensitivity of the insulin receptors, so that, that blood sugar can be driven into the cells, where it can be utilized.
In the event that, that isn't adequate, insulin can be injected into the body, such that the glucose can be pushed into the cells with the use of insulin.
When someone comes to me with Type 2 diabetes, I will do a comprehensive intake. In their history, I want to find out what they are eating, how their digestive system is working, whether they have constipation, diarrhea, gas, or bloating. I will also want to find out through physical exam how their sensory systems are working, if they are experiencing numbness, tingling. I will also check their eyesight, make sure that they are not experiencing changes in their vision.
Lab wise, we will take a look at their blood, looking for levels of glucose, insulin, and also looking to see what their lipids are doing. Oftentimes this can be elevated. I will also check their urine to see if they are spilling any glucose or sugar and any protein. All these pieces get incorporated to give me a overall picture as to how they are doing.
My treatment always begins by changing the patient's diet. I will eliminate any of the processed foods in their diet, and incorporate more organic whole foods.
Exercise will be essential for their overall progress. The goal of the exercise is to decrease the body fat and increase muscle mass, because muscle mass dictates metabolism. I can also use some herbs. Those herbs would be gymnema. Things that are designed to do the same things that the drug therapy is designed to do, which is to increase insulin sensitivity, and also to increase the production of insulin from the pancreas.
Some other things that I incorporate are vitamins and minerals. Things such as Bilberry to help support blood vessels, antioxidant to decrease the damage to the tissue, and also Pycnogenol, that works as a great anti-inflammatory, and helps slightly lower blood sugar overall.
While there is a genetic component to diabetes, it's definitely a disease of lifestyle. For those patients who follow my recommendations about diet and exercise, they definitely see some improvement within about 12-16 months. They see a decrease in their symptoms and a decrease in their reliance on drugs.
If someone wants to reverse Type 2 diabetes, I recommended that they adopt the natural living lifestyle. This includes eliminating processed foods and incorporating or eating more organic whole foods. Also, taking a supplement, such as to gymnema, chromium, alpha-lipoic acid or other antioxidants, and of course exercising regularly, and definitely see a naturopathic doctor.
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