Type 2 diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent today in America, even among children. Did you know that 90% of the 26 million diabetics in America suffer from type2 diabetes? For those who suffer from type 1, the only treatment is insulin injections for the rest of their lives due to the fact that their bodies no longer produce insulin. But for those who have type 2, it may actually be possible to reverse their diabetes with the proper guidance and lifestyle changes.
First of all, it’s important to understand the mechanics of diabetes. Believe it or not, every person has a different root cause of his or her condition. For example, autoimmunity is the hidden cause of diabetes for about 25% of type 2 diabetics. This means that your immune system is actually attacking a part of your body, and it could be your pancreas or adrenal glands, which both play a role in blood sugar regulation. Unfortunately, insulin injections and diabetic medications do nothing for an autoimmune disorder, so if your provider is only looking at those options for your care, your condition will get progressively worse.
Did you know that your thyroid, liver and adrenal system as well as your pancreas all contribute to proper blood sugar regulation? For example, your liver stores glucose in a form called glycogen and it has the ability to produce glycogen for when your body needs it. If your liver is not functioning properly due to a poor diet, excess alcohol, infections, toxins and even medications, it can cause your blood sugar to elevate and you may develop type 2 diabetes. If your provider is not checking all of these body systems, an important factor in your health care is being overlooked. It’s imperative to determine the root cause of your condition. It’s the only way to properly manage your diabetes. Unfortunately, as you can see, diabetes is much too complex to rely on a “one size fits all” model for care.
Functional medicine providers are highly trained and specialize in helping patients with chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes. Even folks with type 1 diabetes are experiencing a better quality of life when working with this type of provider. This is because the care that they offer is comprehensive and customized. Comprehensive because of the thorough evaluation and testing that they begin with in order to get a complete picture of your health and determine exactly what’s causing your condition. Customized because they create an individualized care plan for every patient based on their specific needs and test results. This type of practitioner is dedicated to finding answers and solutions for each patient, and most patients notice an improvement in their overall health and wellbeing.
-Dr. Ashley Woyak, Forward Natural Medicine