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Fibromyalgia Monthly Newsletter
Are You Part of the 25% of People Who Already Have It?
Hopefully you do not already have pre-diabetes, or insulin resistance. (Almost 50 million Americans already have.) But if you don't, you may eventually join the additional 50% that will have it by 2010. If I get my figures correct, that means that over 75% of us will have problems with absorption of nutrients that lead to Type II Diabetes. Diabetes is a condition of where there is too much glucose in the blood. But the path to this increased glucose doesn't happen quickly. It takes years of nutritional abuse that eventually leads to diabetes. In Chinese medicine,
Diabetes is called the "wasting disease", meaning that the body is not able to get the nutrients it needs to survive. We need glucose to get into our cells to produce energy. But when our pancreas cannot control the amount of insulin used to absorb glucose, it collects in our blood. When I see clients, I look for subtle symptoms that indicate the beginning of blood sugar imbalance. Here are the common symptoms of the beginning of diabetes:
Frequent urination
Blurred vision
Increased thirst
Poor healing of wounds
Fluid retention in feet and ankles
Dry flaky skin
Reoccurring nausea or abdominal pain
Unexplained weight loss or gain
Unexplained weakness
Numbness in fingers or toes
Increased heart rate
Reoccurring skin infections
Unexplained nervousness or apprehension
When a client complains of dizziness, the first cause I think of is a blood sugar imbalance. Is there too little or too much blood sugar in the blood? The most common symptom of low blood sugar is dizziness a few hours after eating. When our brain does not get enough energy we also get more symptoms of irritability and headaches, so these symptoms are also important.
Are You Always Hungry?
Do you have food cravings that are hard to ignore? What do you crave? Carbohydrates?
Many people who progress into diabetes are those who have trouble with food cravings, especially for processed carbohydrates. So much of the convenience food we get daily has no real food value and over time this lack of nutrients really catches up to us. When we crave certain foods it can show that we are not getting the nutrients we need.
A few years ago, we all were on a "low carb" craze. But that is not the answer to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. We need carbohydrates for energy, but the types of carbohydrates we need are not the processed types. We need to go back to a real food diet of foods that really have nutrition in a balanced form that will give us the energy we need to suppress food cravings. If you or a family member has some of the symptoms listed above -I highly recommend reading and using the downloaded booklet "Yes, You Can Have Carbohydrates!" from my website: www.NaturalChoicesforyou.com. Many people who use the Glycemic Load chart, with over 130 foods, really begin to see how a nutritional diet can help prevent diabetes. By understanding the way food combining helps to reduce blood sugar imbalances you can lower food cravings and create energy much more easily.
Blurred vision is another way some people are diagnosed with diabetes. They go to their eye doctor because they think they need new glasses, but are sent for a blood test to see if they have high blood sugar. High glucose levels cause damage to blood vessels causing inflammation, which can injure the retina of the eye. This inflammation causes changes in vision.
Also dry itchy skin, slow healing of skin, and reoccurring bacterial infections in the skin are signs that the blood sugar is out of balance. Bacteria love excess sugar in the blood, and that is one reason we need to avoid sugary foods when we are ill. With excess sugar the bacteria has a constant source for growth, and skin has trouble healing as well as it can. I often ask clients if they have trouble with healing of wounds or infections, and when I see it on friends I want to say something, but have to find a tactful way of asking about their health issues.
Skin problems give us an outside view of what is going on inside. If there is inflammation outside then look for inflammation inside. Dry skin outside probably indicates a lack of cell flexibility inside that can contribute to problems with nutrient absorption and energy production. Good fats such as fish oil (EPA-DHA) and flax oil that contain omega-3 fatty acids, and evening primrose oil or GLA with omega-6 fatty acids are necessary to get the internal and external cells working effectively. Use pharmaceutical grade (high quality) EPA-DHA Complex (Extra Strength if needed) or Omega EFA with GLA to get your cells functioning as well as they can. These "good fat" supplements really are necessary for using blood sugar effectively. You can get them at a discount by ordering at my Metagenics website.
Remember that it is important to get the highest quality of nutrients on a daily basis especially for all of us who are trying to prevent diabetes. Get your 9 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Vegetables are particularly important in getting your nutrients since they contain the full component of antioxidants, phytochemicals, minerals and B-Complex vitamins that help keep blood sugar in balance. In a Nurse's study, the nurses who ate the most vegetables had 58% less diabetes than those who ate the least. If you do not like vegetables you can order them in capsule form where you do not have to taste them. I have many clients who know they need vegetables but do not get them - are you in this crowd? Then click here to learn more about the university researched benefits of getting the high quality low sugar fruits and vegetables.
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