michaeljung/
Shutterstock.com
Preventing,
Reversing and Managing Diabetes Naturally
by Linda Sechrist
condition is to raise awareness of the physical, behavioral and mental causes that lead to its emergence, and making healthy lifestyle choices that regulate blood sugar levels.
Naturally Control
Blood Sugar Glucose, the human body’s key source of cellular energy, is the end product of the digestive system breaking down carbohydrates, proteins and fats for absorption in the intestines. From there, it passes into the bloodstream. Glucose also supplies energy for the brain. Normal blood glucose levels vary throughout the day. For healthy individuals, a fasting blood sugar level upon awakening is less than 100 milligrams (mg) per deciliter (dl) of blood. Before meals, normal levels are 70 to 99 mg/dl; otherwise, 100 to 125. Consistent readings above 126 indicate that lifestyle changes are needed to avoid eventual progression into full Type 2 diabetes. When there’s an inability to effi ciently
M
ore health practitioners today are recognizing both the mind- body connection, as well as
energetic and metaphysical insights into preventing and reversing illnesses. As a result, those facing diabetes and other health challenges are accessing contemporary resources such as Louise L. Hay’s explanation of the emotional roots of disease in You Can Heal Your Life, and the medical science and natural methods explained by health researcher and author Gary Null, Ph.D., in No More Diabetes: A Complete Guide to Preventing, Treating, and Overcoming Diabetes. Applying a “both” rather than an “either” approach illuminates the importance of recognizing the ways our thoughts, emotions and lifestyle choices can impact chronic illness and long-term health.
Two Perspectives Hay suggests that this metabolic disorder
may be rooted in a feeling of being deprived of life’s sweetness and longing for what might have been, accompanied by a great need to control deep sorrow.
Such chronic unease can show up as Type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes; Type 2, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes; latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), a slowly progressing variation of Type 1; or gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy. Eavesdropping on our repetitive inner mind chatter and observing its impact on outer experiences can reveal faulty thinking that disrupts the mind-body connection. Hay, a fi rm believer in the power of affi rmations to send a message to the subconscious mind, recommends them to aid healing. For diabetes, she suggests, “This moment is fi lled with joy. I now choose to experience the sweetness of today.”
Null cites medical evidence that explains how the physical causes of diabetes are related to the pancreatic production of the hormone insulin and the body’s use of it, together with rollercoaster blood sugar levels determined by food selections, stress, sleeplessness, insuffi cient rest and lack of exercise. His approach for preventing, reversing or managing this debilitating
24 Central Florida natural awakenings
transport glucose from the blood into cells, cells don’t receive the energy they need to function properly. “Elevated glucose levels contribute to blood vessel damage, high blood pressure and infl ammation among other issues. High glucose causes insulin levels to spike in an effort to draw the glucose into cells. This stresses the pancreas and causes a sugar crash, called hypoglycemia, which can lead individuals to make impulsive, poor food choices,” advises Marcy Kirshenbaum, a board-certifi ed clinical nutritionist and owner of Enhance Nutrition, in Northbrook, Illinois. She notes, “Elevated sugar and insulin
levels raise triglycerides, a fat that circulates in the blood, and cholesterol, specifi cally the LDL (low-density lipoprotein) levels. Triglycerides and cholesterol are important measures of heart health. Triglyceride levels of 150 mg/dl in fasting blood is a risk factor for a stroke or heart attack.”
Early Heads-Up According to the American Diabetes
Association, 8.1 million of the 29.1 million individuals diagnosed with diabetes were previously unaware of any early symptoms such as dry mouth,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
