We have been conditioned to believe that diabetes is a chronic, progressive condition which will stay with us and we have to resign ourselves to suffer its complications. This is what we are taught in medical college and our entire treatment focus is geared to suppressing the symptom of diabetes, the high blood sugar levels. But this does NOTHING to prevent the development of complications.

Using insulin to lower blood sugar levels might seem logical, and it even works to an extent, but the truth is that it does not affect the disease process in any way. In fact, insulin itself is obesogenic, ie, it aids in the deposition of fat and increases inflammation, which increases disease.

Diabetes occurs because of:

1. INSULIN RESISTANCE

Blood sugar levels are high but the cells are already flush with sugar and ‘refuse’ to accept more. The body makes more insulin, ‘thinking’ that low insulin is why sugar levels are high. This extra insulin is ineffective in driving the sugar into the cells. Put in a very simple way, this is Insulin Resistance.

The way to reverse Insulin Resistance, thereby to allow the sugar to enter the cells, thereby to lower blood sugar levels, is to prevent insulin spikes. And this is easily done by restricting refined carbohydrate consumption.

2. HORMONE IMBALANCE

Stress causes cortisol levels to rise, and because stress in our lives is chronic, the cortisol rise is also chronic. Cortisol was expected to rise in response to the ‘fight or flight’ response in cave dwellers faced with a sabre toothed tiger. The adrenalin secretion allowed our eyes to dilate so we could see better, our hearts to pump faster so more blood could reach the muscles so we could run faster, increased flow to the brain so we could think better, and so on. Short term response to an acute stressor. During this event, activities like digestion, reproduction, hormone secretion took a backseat as these are not urgent, and energy has to utilized for the urgent. No point digesting food if we’re going to be eaten by the tiger!

In recent times, stress has become chronic. Thus the imbalance in the body response has also become chronic.

3. LIFESTYLE

The sedentary lifestyle we have all adopted, including our little children, increases the risk for developing Type II Diabetes. Men watching more than 40 hours a week of TV had thrice the risk as those watching for an hour.

4. NUTRITION

The food we eat today is lacking in nutrition compared to the same foods eaten say, 50 years ago. This is because of soil depletion, modern farming methods, use of pesticides, not to mention adulteration and the growth of fast ‘foods’. It stands to reason that a cheese curl full of chemicals cannot be the nutritional equivalent of an organic fresh green vegetable. Chemicals block cell receptors in the body, blocking enzymatic reactions. If the cell cannot function optimally, the body cannot either.

5. GENETICS

A family history of diabetes may load the gun, but the trigger is pulled only when lifestyle and poor nutrition contribute.

So there’s always a way.

Diabetes is unique among the chronic illnesses in how completely patient behavior influences it, and therefore it can be completely reversed. And the patient can actually look forward to regaining health and vitality, without fear of complications, without the constant stress of monitoring food and activity.