I’m Taking Charge of My Health

My Journey to Reverse Diabetes Type2 continues. Some things we have control over. Some things we do not. As for my health, I made my decision. I was going to fulfill my responsibility by taking charge of my health as much as was in my power to do so. Thank you for joining me on this journey. It is a journey that is shared by many, and will be shared by an estimated 50% more in the next twenty five years. I cannot help but wonder how many of those will make the decision to take charge of their health while there is still time.

Taking Charge of My Health Requires Commitment

I was convinced however, that it was still in my power to reverse, if not outright cure it. The key I was convinced, was in taking charge of my health. Thus began my journey of research and adjustment. It is a journey which is ongoing. A journey in which I have developed a passion for knowledge, and hopefully inspiring others to take responsibility for their own health.

Just as my life was transformed spiritually when I came to faith in God, similarly I experienced another type of transformation on that day when I discovered I was a diabetic. For more on this, see my blog on “The Spiritual Component.” Now it is exciting for me to see when someone else “sees the light” as it relates to taking charge of their health so as to optimize their time on earth in body, mind, and spirit.

My First Steps

The first step I took was to stop working at nights, and start working daytime or evening hours. Re-training my body to sleep during the nights now became a challenge of course. My circadian rhythm now had a mind of its own. After about two weeks of struggling to sleep at nights, I came up with a plan that worked like a charm, and the best part is that it was without medications.

My next step was to lose the extra thirty pounds that I carried around my midsection. This I was able to accomplish in less than three months by eliminating most carbs from my diet (more on that later). This was a big accomplishment for me, as I was something of a carb lover prior to my transformation.

But to defeat any enemy, we need to study their modus operandi, their strengths, weakness etc., in the same way we need to study that which seeks to destroy us, whether it be spiritual or physical. In this case, I believe it would be helpful to first define what diabetes is, and how it works ….

What is type 2 Diabetes?

For those of who are more visually inclined (I guess that’s most of us) I believe you will will find this video very informative. It is provided by an organization that I highly recommend for their educational videos. Their emphasis is also on those of us who are taking charge of out health, or at least have a desire to do. They are are independent of any government interest and can be located at: http://www.clearlyhealth.com

Recently I discovered Dr. Don Colbert, MD who provides one of the clearest description of type 2 diabetes as I’ve ever heard. I will come back to Dr. Colbert’s book, and influence on me in a later blog, but first here is a quote from his book The Bible Cure for Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is non-insulin dependent diabetes. In type 2 diabetes the pancreas does make insulin, but the body cannot use the insulin properly. This form of the disease is sometimes called adult-onset diabetes because its victims tend to contract the disease in their adult years. However, our nation’s taste for a high sugar, high fat diet seems to have removed the age barrier. The medical community now reports that this form of diabetes accounts for a growing number of juvenile cases.

When you combine the unhealthy diet Dr. Colbert mentions above, along with less exercise, it is clear to see why diabetes is on the increase among both adult and children. In fact studies indicate one of three children will soon be afflicted with diabetes. Dr Colbert continues;

With this form of diabetes, the insulin levels in the blood are usually elevated (which means the pancreas is producing more insulin than normal). At the same time, the cells are resistant to the insulin because the insulin receptors on the surface of these cells do not function properly. They no longer recognize or accept insulin as a key, so more insulin is needed to “force the issue” so sugar can move from the blood to the starving cells. That means that an excessive amount of insulin is needed to keep the blood sugar in the normal range. When the system breaks down, blood sugar levels get dangerously high (this is called hyperglycemia) while the body’s cells are starving for lack of the blood sugar that is surrounding them.

All this may sound pretty boring but education is essential to those of us who are taking charge of our health. We have to learn, but without the application of that knowledge it is useless.

To continue, traditional wisdom says more insulin is the answer, but only if the pancreas is so damaged that is unable to produce enough insulin on its own (usually in type1 it is believed). in these cases there is little choice but to assist the body’s insulin production, at least to begin with. However, when the pancreas is producing enough insulin, which is believed to be the case in most type2 diabetics, insulin may do more harm than good. In other words, when insulin resistance is the primary problem, insulin will accomplish two things.

1.    More insulin will cause weight gain (insulin is a hormone which stores fat).

2.    More insulin will not translate into more cell sensitivity, (which is usually what is needed for good control or reversal of type2). Instead it will result in insulin dependence when the beta cells of the pancreas become inefficient and unable to keep up with production of insulin. For more on this see my blog on “Insulin resistance.”

It becomes more and more obvious that diabetes, more than most complications, is in our power to avoid simply by eating differently.

Join me next time as I continue my Journey to Reverse Diabetes Type2. More importantly I’m taking charge of my health. How about you?