excessive thirst, frequent urination, constant hunger (even after meals), unusual weight gain or loss and lack of energy. “Many individuals only learn of their condition from a doctor- ordered routine blood test such as the A1C glycated hemoglobin procedure, which reads blood sugar levels over a three-month period,” advises Dr. Nancy Iankowitz, a board-certifi ed family nurse practitioner and founding director of Holistic and Integrative Healing, in Holmes, New York. Individuals that consume large amounts of simple carbohydrates and sugars, are overweight or are exceedingly sedentary and eat unhealthy processed foods, have a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Iankowitz’s effective, patient-centered


practice follows a practical, four-month healing plan that includes tracking foods, moods, blood pressure, sleeping habits and exercise, all necessary to manage or reverse Type 2 diabetes.


Effective Diet Choices Making the highest-impact food choices


is critical in the earliest stages of diabetes. That’s why nutritionist and holistic


The role of exercise is also vital for those needing to reverse pre-diabetes or managing diabetes aided by insulin injections. “Exercise increases the muscle cell’s demand for glucose, moving it out of the blood into muscle cells that use it as fuel, and so lowering insulin levels,” explains Jamie Coughlan, a naturopathic doctor who practices in Pleasanton and Pleasant Hill, California. Dr. Angelo Baccellieri, owner of


integrative health practitioner Saskia Kleinert, an independent practitioner who also serves as director of the Emeryville Health & Wellness Center, in California, helps patients integrate dietary changes into everyday life. “Patient education includes the necessity of eating low-glycemic index foods and reducing blood glucose levels, while increasing healthy fats with nuts, avocado and olive oil,” advises Kleinert. She notes that antioxidant-rich plant foods are another key component of an effective dietary plan for all age groups.


Westchester Wellness Medicine, in Harrison, New York, introduces patients to intermittent fasting, an eating pattern that helps treat insulin resistance and control blood sugar. “The concept is predicated on going 14 to 16 hours without food, replicating how our primitive ancestors ate. They feasted when food was available and fasted during famines, sometimes going several days without eating,” advises Baccellieri, who notes that intermittent fasting can be done one day a week. “Our biochemistry actually does very well with this approach, which isn’t hard to do when your last meal is at 7 p.m. and you skip breakfast and delay


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