Conditions
Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by the body’s inability to regulate blood glucose levels, also known as blood sugar. The main hormone regulating blood glucose is insulin. Insulin moves glucose from the blood stream into cells in the liver, muscle and fat.
Diabetes is classified into two categories, type 1 and type 2.
- Type 1, which represents 5% of the diabetic population, also known as early onset diabetes typically occurs in childhood or early adulthood. People with this condition do not produce insulin, the hormone that converts sugar into energy.
- Type 2, the most common form, typically occurs later in life. With this condition the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells have become resistant to or do not recognize insulin.
If glucose is not removed from the blood it remains there and causes damage to tissues and organs. Over time, symptoms of elevated blood glucose will manifest in the following ways:
- Blurry vision
- Excess thirst
- Fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Hunger
- Weight loss/weight gain
- Kidney damage and/or kidney failure
- Damage to nerves leading to Peripheral neuropathy
- Poor wound healing, which can lead to amputation of a limb
- Permanent loss of vision/blindness
Prevention is always best, however for those who are already diagnosed with Diabetes, management is key. Review from the 3rd National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey has shown that only 7.3% of diabetics are well controlled indicating a SEVERE deficiency in the management of a chronic, deadly progressive disease.
If not managed appropriately, diabetes can affect other organs of the body that include diabetics have up to a 4x higher chance of developing heart disease or stroke. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults and the leading cause of kidney failure. Up to 70% have damage to their nervous system and 65,000+ lower limb amputations annually.
Diabetes also causes increased incidence of mouth or dental disease, increased incidences of depression, increased risk of developing a life threatening infection and increased risk for cancers and autoimmune disease.
American males have a 1 in 3 chance of developing diabetes during their lifetime. American women have nearly a 40% chance of developing diabetes during their lifetime. This is an epidemic with very bad consequences. In addition many pharmaceuticals that are prescribed to help balance blood glucose levels can reduce or inhibit vitamin uptake, leading to further complications. It is absolutely imperative that an individual with diabetes seeks integrative medical care, which treats diabetes as a systemic, whole body illness.
Research:
Major auto hemotherapy performed for several months helped heal painful, non-healing leg ulcers in 2 patients, one with Diabetes mellitus type II and the other with vascultis. Both patients had been to multiple specialists and had undergone multiple different treatments, however their ulcers continued to worsen until they had major auto hemotherapy treatments. (de Monte A, Van der Zee H, Bocci V. Major ozonated autohemotherapy in chronic limb ischemia with ulcerations.
A recent study revealed significant improvement in peripheral neuropathy symptoms in 34 out of 46 patients (77%) following treatment with acupuncture. Follow up with patients 18-52 weeks later revealed that 67% of them stopped or significantly reduced the use of their pain medications. Only 8 of the patients had to have additional acupuncture treatment and 7 of the patients reported their symptoms were completely gone..
Chromium picolinate is a nutrient that has been found to be very beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. 13 out of 15 clinical studies which consisted of 1,690 subjects (1,505 in the Chromium Picolinate group) revealed significant improvement in at least on parameter of blood sugar control. Helpful effects were observed in at least one aspect of diabetes management in all 15 studies including dyslipidemia. Chromium picolinate in the studies was shown to reduce blood sugar levels, insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides and also decreased the need for hypoglycemic medication equating to a decreased risk of disease complications.
Treatment
We have a variety of approaches to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes.
- Laboratory Testing to assess current blood sugar control and management of blood sugar.
- Dietary Changes: Insulin Resistance/Diabetic Diet Plan to improve blood sugar control and decrease inflammation in the body.
- Nutrient IVs:Treats vitamins and mineral deficiencies from the gastrointestinal side effect of diarrhea (which leads to malabsorption of vitamins and minerals) often caused by Metformin and other oral hypoglycemics.
- Supplementation with specific vitamin and minerals to improve insulin sensitivity and to provide antioxidants to protect organs and tissues from damage. Also can help prevent and treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy
- Herbal medicine to help improve insulin sensitivity and possibly reduce the dosage of diabetic medications.
- Major Auto Hemotherapy- Provides more oxygen to tissues to help speed wound healing and prevent oxidative damage
- Acupuncture
Diabetes must be approached from a total body perspective.
Dr. Williamson is very knowledgeable about all aspects of medicine and has given me hope. I am still undergoing treatment but feel I have found the place to get the help I need.
