Sugar Disease

Sugar is naturally found in grains, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Refined sugars are found in bread, donuts, cereals, and table sugar. The body converts all sugars into glucose to use as energy, primarily by releasing insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Due to their diet or inherited genes, some individuals struggle to process insulin-regulating sugar in their body's cells.

 

In the old world, if you had Diabetes, it was called Sugar Disease. Some folks still refer to having Diabetes as having "the sugars".

 

 

Insulin's Duties

 

  • It ensures glucose (sugar from carbohydrates) is moved into muscle cells to be burned as fuel for energy.
  • It helps to build muscle by storing amino acids from protein.
  • It stores magnesium for future energy production and to prevent muscle cramps.
  • It removes sugar from the blood and stores it as fat.
  • It regulates the body's salt and water balance.
  • It assists in thyroid hormone conversion, which affects the rate of calcium absorption into bones and how muscles store and utilize sugar for energy.
  • When sugar levels in the body spike, insulin also spikes to remove excess sugar from the blood.

 

 

What Is Insulin Resistance?

 

Insulin Resistance develops when the hormone insulin surges too frequently in response to consuming excessive amounts of high-carbohydrate foods.

 

Excess sugar is stored in muscles and visceral fat. Visceral fat is located deep inside the abdominal cavity. Naturally, it surrounds major organs, such as your liver and intestines, but excess sugar causes too much fat to be stored in these places, which isn't the fat you pinch with your fingers. That's subcutaneous fat. 

 

Insulin resistance makes it hard to lose body fat. To make matters worse, Insulin Resistance causes fatigue and carbohydrate cravings. Recovery time after exerting yourself or exercising takes longer because your cells are starving for energy. 

 

 

What Causes Insulin Resistance?

 

Cortisol is a hormone released in response to stress. Cortisol triggers the release of more insulin, resulting in the storage of more visceral fat. Ongoing, increased insulin levels (insulin resistance) can lead to Sugar Disease (Diabetes) in the long run. Why? Over time, as a reaction to excessive sugar surges, your body attempts to adapt by reducing the number of insulin receptors on your cells. Your cells bring their insulin receptors inside and shield them from being used. When this happens, insulin can no longer perform its duties because it can't find its receptors, so it stays in the blood. This decrease in insulin use also prevents sugar from getting into your cells, depriving them of energy and making it easier to succumb to infections, including the Herpes Simplex Virus. In blood tests, this is indicated by high glucose and insulin levels simultaneously. 

 

All of this causes inflammation. Why? Because excess sugar (and fat) is stored as fat. Because fat cells lack a blood supply, toxins accumulate within them and are released into the body, where they are picked up and sent to the liver and kidneys for detoxification. But guess what? The liver and kidneys can't work because of high sugar and insulin levels, which can go on for about five years before any symptoms of Diabetes start to appear as problems. During this phase, you can reverse Insulin Resistance through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. But, eventually, the pancreas won't be able to deliver any more insulin, and you'll need medication. Will this fix things? Usually, once you're on medication, it will take a lifestyle overhaul to get off the drugs and go back to normal. Is it possible? It depends on the extent of the damage. 

 

The liver absorbs as much sugar (glucose) as possible and turns it into bad cholesterol (LDL). It develops an insulin-resistant state, which causes fatty liver (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver). Fatty liver disease causes inflammation, and inflammation leads to scarring. There are different stages of fatty liver. Some are treatable. However, suppose you continue to eat a poor diet high in sugar and saturated fats. In that case, you can develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which happens when your liver is so fatty it's toxic and terribly inflamed, and your liver cells begin to die. NASH can lead to cirrhosis, which ends in liver failure, needing a transplant, or death.

 

 

Other Possible Causes of Insulin Resistance

 

 

 

Symptoms of Insulin Resistance & Sugar Disease (Diabetes)

 

 

Symptoms may also include headache, dizziness, irritability, fatigue, depression, numbness in the hands or feet, nervousness, shakiness, heart palpitations or a pounding heart, sweating, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms are due to adrenaline being released to compensate for the excess insulin produced from eating too many carbohydrates, which continues when blood sugar and insulin levels are left uncontrolled, which causes Diabetes. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce the insulin necessary to regulate blood sugar levels.

 

Note: Reactive Hypoglycemia (RHG) differs from hypoglycemia caused by not eating for long periods. Symptoms of RHG are much the same as those of Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and sugar cravings start to occur about 2-3 hours after eating a high-carbohydrate meal. RHG can also happen if you take your medication and forget to eat. 

 

 

When to See Your Doctor

 

If you are constantly thirsty and urinating frequently, please consult your doctor for a glucose test or purchase glucose testing strips from your local pharmacy to check your glucose levels. Normal glucose levels are read between 80 and 120. However, anything above 130 shows too much sugar in your blood and possible Diabetes, leading to blindness, neuropathy (pain and numbness in the extremities, especially the hands and feet), heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

Holistic Alternatives for Sugar Disease (Diabetes)

  • Here's how to curb blood sugar fluctuations in about ten days. 

 

  • Increase protein servings (6-7 oz) and healthy fats (4-5) throughout the day. Meat should be lean and organic (no hormones or antibiotics added), and dairy should be organic and low-fat. It would help if you ate some fish at least three times a week (Albacore tuna, wild-caught salmon).

 

  • Eat a healthy protein, fat (polyunsaturated), or organic dairy with every carbohydrate you consume (cheese, nuts, or healthy oils with salads and vegetables)

 

  • Lower your intake of carbohydrates. Eat only complex carbohydrates (whole grains and vegetables containing more fiber). Fiber One cereal contains half the recommended daily fiber amount (and tastes good). 

 

  • Limit fruit servings. Some fruits are better than others (berries, apples, and pears) because of their fiber content. Avoid fruits that are sweet (loaded with sugar).

 

  • Eat regularly (3-4 meals daily)

 

  • Drink pure water (4-8 cups each day)

 

  • Avoid fast, fried, processed, and sugary foods.

 

  • Eliminate all sodas from your diet, including diet soda.

 

  • Avoid monosodium glutamate (MSG).

 

  • Take prebiotics and probiotics to balance the bacteria in your gut microbiome. However, if you have problems with mast cells or Histamine Intolerance, there are certain ones you should avoid. I reveal them here.

 

  • Do all you can to balance your cortisol level. Excess cortisol causes visceral fat to build up, which ends up around your waist (crowding your organs) and your upper arms.

 

  • Fake sweeteners can promote health problems. Sugar-free doesn't always mean carbohydrate-free. Counterfeit sweeteners can harm your health. If you struggle with your sweet tooth, you can have occasional sugar-free gelatins or puddings, but read your labels. In my opinion, avoiding fake sweets is just a good idea. Occasional sparkling water is fine. However, carbonated water can cause digestive upset and gastric issues.

 

 

Diabetes, Honey & Cinnamon

 

One study showed that when raw honey is used instead of table sugar, insulin sensitivity increases and blood sugar levels decrease in those who replace table sugar with honey. Honey elevates blood sugar much less than refined sugar. The study used 8.5 ounces of water plus 3.5 tablespoons of honey for 15 days.

 

Even though honey increases blood sugar levels less than sugar does, it still increases them, and that's a huge concern when you have diabetes, so it makes sense to want to avoid using honey. However, there may be a way around this. Cinnamon is known to reduce blood sugar levels. Studies show that 3 grams (approximately 2.8 grams, equivalent to one teaspoon) of cinnamon taken daily can help decrease blood sugar levels. So, when taken together, cinnamon may negate some of the effects of honey on blood sugar. Of course, if you have Sugar Disease, you should consult your healthcare provider before incorporating honey or cinnamon into your diet. Otherwise, combine them in your tea, as a spread, or as food glazes. Just don't overdo it on cinnamon, as it can cause inflammation.

 

Rather than mixing honey and cinnamon at every use, it can be easier to make a small infusion ahead of time, which allows the cinnamon to infuse into the honey. Find a jar with a tight-fitting lid. A mason jar will do nicely. For every teaspoon of honey, add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Use one teaspoon per serving, not exceeding 3 to 4 servings daily. This infusion also works well for coughs and irritated throats.

 

Note: Children under the age of 1 year old should never have honey. Honey contains spores of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which can cause botulism in infants. These spores, found in dirt and dust, can contaminate honey. These bacteria are harmless to more mature digestive systems, but the digestive system hasn't developed the ability to handle the spores in young babies. In infants, the bacteria multiply and produce a toxin that is poisonous to the infant. Giving a child under 18 months of age, unless the child is over one year old and already has a healthy diet of various foods, is never suggested.

 

 

Lifestyle Changes to Consider

 

Ensure you maintain good gut health. An unhealthy gut microbiome is the basis of most diseases. Why? Because it causes inflammation. If you regularly suffer from digestive upsets or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, your gut microbes need help through your diet. There are all of these little "bugs" that live in your gut. None is good or bad. It only becomes "bad" for you when you have too little of some and too many of others. It's up to you to feed them and maintain their populations in balance. You'll also want to eat a variety of plant-based foods. Why? For their vitamin, mineral, and fiber content. You can also take supplements to help improve microbial balance and digestion, such as dietary enzymes, L-glutamine, prebiotics, and probiotics. 

 

In addition to dietary changes, regular movement is extremely helpful in managing blood sugar levels. Why? Because good muscle mass and tone require less insulin to manage your blood sugar levels, it doesn't mean you should work out and then eat a donut. 

 

Get a good night's sleep. You'll have temporary Insulin Resistance the next day when you don't sleep well overnight. When you never sleep well, you develop chronic Insulin Resistance.

 

 

Metformin

 

Metformin, the most commonly prescribed medication for Diabetes, stimulates your pancreas to produce a steady supply of insulin. However, it's crucial to note that Metformin can lead to various side effects, including ulcers in the digestive tract. To mitigate this, never take Metformin on an empty stomach.

 

Please note that extended-release Metformin is often more effective in maintaining stable blood sugar levels. By understanding and following these guidelines, you can better manage the potential side effects of Metformin.

 

 

Berberine

 

Berberine is an herbal remedy reported to work better than Metformin in reversing Diabetes with very few side effects. However, Dihydroberberine Berberine is best due to its bioavailability. Some products contain cinnamon, which helps maintain blood sugar and fight inflammation, but can upset the stomach (it's considered a "HOT" herb). It isn't necessary to choose a brand with cinnamon to reap the benefits of berberine.