Far too many Americans are suffering from type 2 diabetes, and a new study came out recently saying that 1 in 3 Americans (88 million people!) have pre-diabetes and do not even know they have it. With that being said, I wanted to provide resources for reversing type 2 diabetes and also just general management and education on the subject. Even if you do not suffer from this chronic condition, its time to understand what pre-diabetes means, so that you can prevent from ever being diagnosed with diabetes down the roads. Special note: As always, discuss anything with your Doctor before trying at home, they can help guide you and make sure everything is safe and personalized for your health.
What is pre-diabetes and can you prevent it?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “prediabetes is when your blood sugar level is higher than the normal ranges, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes”. Basically its a warning sign so that you can take action now with lifestyle changes, before going down the road of having actual diabetes. Your body is screaming for help!
I mentioned earlier that 1 in 3 Americans has pre-diabetes. So, the question is – are you one of those people? When was the last time you went to the doctor and got tested? Were your ranges normal, or borderline? If you are above 100 on your glucose reading that means you are possibly on your way to diabetes. It means its time to take action and work with your doctor now to find ways to reduce your chances of getting it.
According to the CDC (linked above) prediabetes is caused by “the cells in your body not responding to insulin”, which is a hormone. Basically, your body is having trouble keeping up with the demand of lowering your blood sugar after each meal that you eat. The common meal filled with processed and refined foods, can spike your blood sugar on a regular basis because it lacks nutrition. It puts stress on the body overtime, which can lead to diabetes. Make sure you read more in that article linked above for reference, it also lists out the signs and symptoms so you can be on the lookout.
Can you reverse type 2 diabetes?
I prefer to let you do your own research, which I am going to provide below. I use to think reversing this condition was impossible. However, now I can see that it is possible. But, that does not mean everyone can reverse their condition because we all have different genetics and health issues that play a role. So, with that being said. there are some great strides being made by a couple companies that will be mentioned below that I highly recommend you look into, and ask your Doctor to advise you on how to get involved in their care, or treatment plans.
If you do have type 2 diabetes, I am sure you are tired of feeling sick, sluggish, and tired of spending money on medications, let alone dealing with their side effects so I hope you at least read about the companies mentioned.
Resources for managing and reversing diabetes
I am excited to share with you two companies. Virta Health and Levels Health. Both of these companies are changing the landscape of how we help people with their blood sugar control.
Levels Health provides you with an at-home real time continuous glucose monitor (make sure you check out their blog and podcast!). It syncs up with an app on your phone so you can see after you eat what happens to your blood sugar. Does it spike after eating chips and queso? or, does it remains in a good zone after eating that apple with peanut butter? This company is providing the opportunity for real time data that can be shared with physicians for better care. It helps open your eyes to see what foods are impacting your health on a daily basis. You can make adjustments based on what happens, and find the perfect combination of foods to eat to keep your blood sugar in control throughout the day. I suggest you listen to their founder on this podcast and just hear for yourself the benefits this device can have for you.
Virta Health is an actual program that runs through your medical plan. You get set up with a Doctor and Health Coach. They help guide you through lifestyle changes to help reduce your medications and sometimes drop your medications completely, which would be considered reversing your diabetes. You can have virtual care, no need to travel to their home base. They work with you from anywhere in America. They also work in partnership with your current diabetes doctor if you want to do that as well. The results they are seeing are amazing! See a snippet below.
- 1.3 HbA1C drop
- 30lb average weight loss
- $160 dollar savings on average per month from reducing medications
If those results do not get you interested in looking in to their research, I am not sure what will. Make sure you read their whitepapers as well and take them to your Doctor for your next visit!
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