The Longterm Solution Does Not Lie In Adding More Insulin, More Carbs, And Eating More Often
Giving more insulin to a Type 2 Diabetic and expecting a longterm solution is like giving more alcohol to an alcoholic to take the edge off. It may feel *good* in the moment, but it’s a train wreck waiting to happen and it’s clearly NOT curing the root cause of the problem.
Type 2 Diabetes is a problem caused by too much sugar in the body (not simply the blood) and too much insulin being produced as a result … leading to insulin resistance. You cannot treat hyperinsulinemia with more insulin and expect a resolution! It makes no sense!
The primary goal of treating Type 2 Diabetes shouldn’t just be on decreasing blood sugar, but rather on decreasing sugar throughout the entire body. You can lower blood sugar with drugs, but if the sugar from the blood is simply being forced into the liver (and elsewhere in the body), it doesn’t actually treat the disease caused by too much sugar in the body and the resulting insulin resistance.
Take a step or two back and consider pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, weight gain over time, weight loss resistance, and fatty liver. Unfortunately, the MAJORITY of American adults fall into at least one of these categories… and the number of children headed down this same path is devastating.
In the cases listed above, eating more sugar/carbs when you feel your “sugar dropping” AND/OR eating frequently and snacking often to “keep your blood sugar stable” is akin to giving the alcoholic that next drink.
When your body is addicted to sugar/carbs AND/OR to frequent feedings which cause rises in blood sugar and insulin, you will most likely feel some body signals when you remove the source(s) of the problem. If you go longer than usual without eating or skip a meal or two, sure, you could feel a bit hangry, light-headed, tired, have a headache or have some cravings. Like any veteran addict, we want that fix to ease our symptoms… “bring on some carbs!” (Not a good idea.)
Also, when we eat lots of carbs and sugar, not enough healthy fat, and we eat too many times throughout the day, we teach our bodies (brains) to run on sugar, sugar, sugar (glucose) and insulin remains consistently high as a result. We become sugar burners vs. fat burners. When we reduce or remove that all-too-familiar and readily available source of fuel (sugar), it can take a little bit for the body & brain to transition over to our fat stores as a source of fuel (ketones). That transition time can be unpleasant for some, but what lies beyond makes it incredibly worthwhile.
Symptoms identified as “hypoglycemia” are usually just that – symptoms. They are not the real problem, they’re just indicators of what’s happening at a deeper level. The real problem is too much sugar (carbs) coming in which leads to TOO MUCH INSULIN (and eventually insulin resistance).
The way to STOP this is NOT by eating more carbs or eating more often! This will further increase insulin! (Now go back and re-think what I said at the beginning. Does it make sense to give Type 2 Diabetics MORE insulin and expect a solution??) We need to reduce the carb intake (refined carbs in particular), increase our healthy fat intake, and eat a moderate (not high) amount of clean sources of protein. In the case of diabetes, we also need to take care of what’s already in ‘storage’. More on that in a minute.
If you’re already dealing with some of the metabolic issues listed above, it’s time to seriously consider HOW you can turn things around… and you CAN! It starts with talking to your doctor if you’re on any drugs for blood sugar issues, then not adding so much sugar (carbs) to an already overloaded system. Change what you’re eating – add more healthy fats, less carbs & sugar (from all sources except vegetables), fewer factory made toxic foods, and moderate amounts of clean protein sources.
Next, in order to burn off stored sugar and fat in the liver and provide your system a fresh slate to move forward with, it’s time to incorporate strategic diet variation on a weekly, monthly, and seasonal basis, which includes an individualized combination of time-restricted eating/intermittent fasting, extended fasting, and therapeutic/functional fasting.
You will be shocked by how quickly you can turn things around!
Need some help getting started and designing your path to healthy function? Let me know!
Dr. Colleen Trombley-VanHoogstraat (“Dr Mom Online”) is a long-time personality in Natural Health & Wellness and is in her 24th year of active practice in Michigan, along with her husband Dr. Marc VanHoogstraat. She’s also the proud mom of two fabulous kiddos that she currently home schools – really, she’s more of their Manager at this point in their education!
Her unique perspective of the science of Wellness provides predictable solutions and transformational results for those struggling with chronic health issues, as well as those seeking lifelong health. To discover her simple strategies for creating better health through functional nutrition, movement, mindset, cellular detoxification, hormonal optimization, and metabolic re-setting, jump on board as a regular reader of Dr Mom Online when you plug in your name and email address and follow along on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/drmomonline/
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