Diabetes & Prediabetes
Diabetes is a metabolic condition characterized by consistently high blood sugar levels. Normally, insulin release signals the body to lower blood sugar – but with diabetes, the body either doesn’t make enough insulin or it can’t effectively utilize the insulin it produces.
Types Of Diabetes
- Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, in which the immune system attacks and destroys pancreatic cells that produce insulin. About 10% of people with diabetes have this type.
- Type 2 diabetes happens when the body becomes resistant to the insulin hormone, and as a result causing elevated blood sugar levels.
- Prediabetes occurs when your blood sugar (measured as A1c) is higher than normal, but not yet high enough for an official type-2 diabetes diagnosis.
- Finally, gestational diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar during pregnancy – a result of insulin-blocking hormones secreted by the placenta.
Diabetes Symptoms
- Increased hunger
- Increased thirst
- Weight gain
- Frequent urination
- Blurry vision
- Extreme fatigue
- Sores that don’t heal
Beyond the general diabetes symptoms, men with diabetes may experience a decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction (ED), and oftentimes poor muscle strength.
For women with diabetes, urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and dry, itchy skin are common symptoms. Most women with gestational diabetes don’t show any symptoms. Oftentimes, the condition is detected during a routine blood sugar test performed between the 24th and 28th weeks of gestation. In some cases, a woman with gestational diabetes will experience increased thirst or urination.Conventional Treatments for Diabetes
With type 1 diabetes (which is an autoimmune condition), conventional practitioners mostly focus on insulin and adjunctive medications to deal with blood pressure and cholesterol – without exploring ways to address the underlying autoimmune disorder that destroys the pancreatic cells.
The Functional Medicine Approach To Diabetes
That’s why at Anchor Wellness Center, we run advanced lab testing beyond your standard blood tests so we can recommend a protocol that brings all your hormones back in balance – from insulin, to cortisol, thyroid and more.
Diagnosing Diabetes
If you suspect your symptoms might be related to diabetes, you should get a FPG and an A1C blood test through your primary care provider.
The fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test measures your blood sugar after you’ve fasted for 8 hours, while the A1C test provides a snapshot of your blood sugar levels over the previous 3 months.
We also recommend gut and hormonal testing to get the full picture of anything else that is impacting your insulin levels and causing symptoms.
The earlier you get diagnosed with diabetes, the sooner you can start addressing your diabetes – feel free to schedule a complimentary phone consultation to see what the best next steps are for you.
If you already have diabetes and want improve how you manage diabetes way, schedule a complimentary phone consultation.