General Articles

Type 2 diabetes treatment failure is distressing to say the least. Doctors’ diabetic care seems to accelerate the growth of both the pharmaceutical industry and the medical supply business.

Doctor’s Advice

The doctor’s advice is oddly consistent with the American dietary approach. Eat everything in moderation. That advice hasn’t paid off.  Their solution to the problem is an insulin injection or a pill along with a jab of the finger a few times a day.

Their cash flow isn’t hurt, but the potential for a full recovery isn’t anywhere to be seen. What are the medical community’s benchmarks for successful disease management?  Well it seems the simple trick to success is not to challenge the patient to change their lifestyle, but to just comply with the drug schedule, and adjust medication with glucose monitoring.

The treatment isn’t about science; though that is what it is suppose to be about. The medical system is about care not cure. That is the real problem. Doctors support a system that is about volume, and what works best is maintenance.

Here is some advice from a pediatric endocrinologist and senior scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center. For Halloween he gave parents three options.

Counting Carbohydrates

By counting carbohydrates, kids can enjoy some of the treats that Halloween has to offer in moderation. This option allows the child to keep up with how many carbs they are eating: the example is one unit of insulin for every 15 or 20 grams of carbohydrates.

This is the doctor’s quote: “This is an easy option for kids on an insulin pump because they can just dial in an extra dose of insulin to compensate for what they are about to eat. But for kids that take shots, this could prove to be more difficult or inconvenient if they have to go to the school nurse for an extra dose,”

What is wrong with this solution is that everything can be solved with a shot of insulin. This message sets the stage for life, with using insulin as the fix for poor dietary choices. Sometimes you need the insulin, but to use it as a springboard to survival is absurd. The next problem is the quality of the treats and the ingredient list. These treats will deplete the body of its store of vitamins and minerals, which are needed and used by the pancreas, liver, and all systems that support the body’s ability to deal with sugar and toxins, such as artificial flavor and colors.

This is considered a proactive approach by both the parents and physician. The child needs to feel part of the crowd, and enjoy the American past time of eating poor quality fuel for the body.

Exchanging Candy

The second solution suggested is that the parents can trade the child a gift, money, or low carb snack for their candy. Parents can also provide a substitute snack for their child if the class is holding a Halloween party at school.

I know as a parent that this sounds good and it may work.  However, to offer cash or a gift makes the candy seem to have a high value. What the problem is this is considered a practical solution, since we live in the real world. This approach doesn’t remove sweet treats but perpetuates its value.

The low carb approach is good and even better if it’s structured to be the desired item by the child. The way to do that isn’t mystical; it’s eating healthy while pregnant, and starting the baby on a good diet. The chances of having diabetes would be lower with this approach.

Dessert

kids can savor their Halloween treats without an extra shot or dose of insulin by having them for dessert after dinner. The quote “By incorporating a sugary treat into meal time, when a child would normally get a dose of insulin, it eliminates the need for adding doses to their regimen.”

Another idea I am not fond of and the reason is there is an aticipation of a reward. It takes sweets and holds them in high esteem. Protecting health and remaining safe from disease is the main goal, not building deals around things that aren’t good for diabetes.

Removal of harmful substances is a necessary tool for the parents of diabetic children. Avoiding the American way of eating will enable diabetic children to achieve a long and healthy life.

There is plenty of finger-pointing when it comes to what people eat. There is very little said about muscle strength. The fact is muscle strength combats aging. Science is discovering the unique health benefits to being fit. From diabetes management, cancer risk reduction,  cardiovascular health, and cognitive abilities exercise offers a multitude of benefits.

There is a harmonic relationship between muscle power and health. Muscle strength makes life a whole lot easier. As one gets older and slower, the size and strength of the muscles are the deciding factor in the rate of decline in aging. Muscle volume supports your daily activities. To have stronger muscles means that size is important. You need enough to support daily activity, and slow down age related changes.

Physical Performance

Physical performance is dependent on muscle strength. Muscles are a necessary tool for being able to engage in daily activity. The first through people have at times: is it worth the sweat to maintain a high level of strength. This isn’t about flexing or building hard as rocks muscles. This is about unleashing enough strength to make life easier, and not miss out on the senior years.

Age-defying looks and vitality depend on muscle power. There are many concrete ways to build muscles at any age. The sooner you make this a daily goal the better. What build muscles are the same things that keep you fit and active.

The way to stay fit is to feel the clay of the tennis court against your feet, or the grass on a golf course. Taking up running, jogging or walking, or just getting your feet wet jumping into the pool for a swim.

To really outsmart father time means to take steps to ensure you reach the goal of maximizing your performance. This means anything from yoga to strength training. There is nothing like working out to meet your goal using anything from aerobics to Pilates.

 Repetitions

Working our isn’t what you did last week, last month, or last year it is what you are doing currently. Small daily goals become the motivation for more movement.

Hitting the gym is the best way to perfect all sport performances. What may seem like monotony becomes an inspiration as you develop a passion for fitness. What you hear from most people is a mixed message: they know they should workout, but they don’t like the work involved. When you are feeling really good you want to be moving and not sit glued to the couch. Any workout that you enjoy, from the Asian healing arts to the modern day Zumba classes will optimize your health. 

Fuel Sources

Exercise takes endurance, and to most fitness experts’ food is part and parcel of training. Foods need to provide an energy boost, and a means to a fast recovery. In real life the only thing that provides energy is good nutritional practices.

Recommendations run far and wide. Every whole food has its place from organic superfoods to good enzymes. Amino acids are important as are all vitamins and minerals. Good sources of protein work well. There are vegetarian athletes who have learned what works for them. The most important factor is to be aware of what you put into your body. Sugar along with processed foods will not supply your body with sustainable energy.

Everyone deserves a body that is trim and fit. There are limitless possibilities to make your body into a fine tuned instrument. Small steps will pay off big time in helping you unleash the power you already have. Exercise is an investment in the future, which can make prime time anytime, from youth to the senior years.

Calorie counting is destructive. The initial goal should be to get strong and fit. Counting calories can make many dieters weak. Being hungry all the time is counter productive.

Calorie control equals weight management to most people, and even the medical experts think this is true. What calories really do is different from the hype. When the weight loss industry capitalizes on the proven benefits of cutting calories, what they are doing is promoting a way to utilize diet in an unhealthy way.

Caveman Diet

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (USCF) say their research has shown people on a high protein diet combined with plenty of vegetables show dramatic health improvements. These include weight loss, and lower blood pressure. What they are talking about is a diet that is considered similar to the “Hunters Gathers” or caveman diet.

Dr. Tim White a paleobiologist from the University of California Berkley said: “Our Biology is still basically the same biology that we had as hunters and gathers 100,000 years ago in Africa.” Dr. White said the constant physical activity that the cavemen had to undertake to hunt and find food kept them fit, lean, muscular and active. Their diet consisted of large amounts of lean meat, and vegetables.

Robert Lustig, MD. an endocrinologist at UCSF, said that people on the diet have experienced a regression of their diabetes as a result, to the point they are effectively cured.

Dr. Kim Mulvihill, a reporter from CBS tried the diet herself and doctors recommended she should stay on the diet permanently. Her cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels dropped dramatically over a few weeks. After seven weeks she was no longer pre-diabetic, and by combining the so called paleo diet with a weight loss program she lost thirty pounds.

Fish

Another article talked about people who eat fish as their primary source of animal protein. They reported lower glucose concentrations with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of Valencia reported in the journal Nutricion Hospitalaria that there are benefits from a Mediterranean diet high in fish consumption. This study showed the benefits of the omega 3’s in fish. Omega 3 from fish and grass fed meat controls inflammation. Micronutrients from both vegetables and fruits also, turn off inflammation.

Inflammation

There are a good number of studies that show weight gain may be linked to chronic inflammation. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition researches looked at nine years of data tracking 1,222 adults and found that weight gain was associated with an increase in chronic inflammation. This may be why weight gain is associated with heart disease and cancer. Both these conditions are associated with chronic inflammation.

Counting calories is counter productive, especially when you buy 100 calorie packs of pure carbohydrates in the form of crackers of cookies. The only weapon against obesity is whole foods diet with all the omega 3 fatty acids and nutrients your body need.

A diet based on vegetables, and fruit with some high quality protein is better than a calorie restricted diet for weight management. A nation that has embraced calorie counting as a way to control weight is deluding itself into thinking that saving calories can repair the damage done by faux foods. By changing your goal from weight, to having more energy by becoming healthier your will achieve a consistent weight.