Diabetes – The mile marker for poor health
The prevalence of diabetes in the United States has increased by more than 60% since 1990 and is expected to more than double by 2050. Circulation. 119 2009:e21-e181
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 25.6 million American adults (or 11.3%) age 20 or older who have diabetes. It is estimated that 79 million Americans have prediabetes.
Symptoms of Diabetes:
Frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst are the three hallmark signs of diabetes. Fatigue, blurry vision, weight loss and tingling sensations are other symptoms that are associated with diabetes.
Glucose or blood sugar is tightly regulated by your body. It actually takes a lot of dysfunction for your blood sugar levels to rise in a system that is so tightly regulated. High blood sugar is not a sign of early health deterioration; rather, it is often a symptom of problems that have been progressing unchecked for some time.
Blood Glucose Values and Diabetes:
Normal blood glucose: (70-99) and A1C (4.5-5.5)
Prediabetes: blood glucose (100-125) and A1C (5.7-6.4)
Diabetes: blood glucose (>126) on more than one test and A1C (>6.5)
For those who are diagnosed with diabetes your A1C levels should be below 7.0.
Prediabetes: Impaired glucose tolerance and/or impaired fasting glucose means that your blood sugar is high but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. This usually happens first and is a warning sign that you’re on your way to developing diabetes if you don’t make any changes. You are also at risk of developing cardiovascular disease (heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke). The American Journal of Cardiology, Volume 109, Issue 5, 1 March 2012, Pages 775-776
Here’s the deal with diabetes: you need support, guidance and a plan. Medication alone does not cover all of these bases.
There’s a wide variety of protocols available online but often I see failure with dabbling, or trying this diet or that herb in hopes to lower blood sugar levels.
The Dr. Picard Protocol:
Ultimately, the end point is normal blood sugar levels and a healthier body by regaining your body’s natural ability to handle sugar. The results are generated not by dabbling or using the latest fad detox diet but by solid knowledge of the patient and their biochemistry.
A one-hour case review is the first step: Here we learn who you are, what kind of foods you consume and what your blood test tells us to determine the protocol you need. This is the starting point of your new wellness program. We will also look to see if you have other potential risk factors such as inflammation, elevated body fat and oxidative stress. Diabetes is not often an isolated problem.
Without this process you are at risk for what many diabetics progress to: permanent insulin dependence.
Next, we need a plan. Based on your initial case review we will determine what kind of person you are, including your lifestyle and preferences, and the type of support you need. I will design a plan especially for you based on solid nutritional science, incorporating dietary changes that use food as information, a weight loss strategy if needed, exercise support, and natural medicinal support if needed. Without a plan you have nothing. I will set a time frame for our goal and we will work together to achieve it.
Everything is planned and exclusively designed to move you in the right direction as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Whether you have elevated blood sugar, prediabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, or diabetes, be assured you have come to the right place. I will not only teach you what you need to know but I will also commit to getting you healthier and back on the right path to wellness again. It’s all about results.
Diabetes, no matter how you portray it, is a chronic degenerative disease. It is clear from the multitude of epidemiologic data that diabetes, insulin resistance, glucose, and obesity are risk factors for the development of heart failure. It is deadly and will kill you over time. Don’t be a statistic and be satisfied with the linear progression of one of the end points in sight, heart disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;55(4):283-293. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2009.07.029
If you have type II diabetes or have developed insulin resistance, your body was able to handle sugar at one time. What happened? Take action to find out what went wrong and how to fix it to become healthy again.