Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance occurs when the cells in our body can no longer respond well to normal levels of insulin. Western societies suffer from an epidemic of blood sugar problems, especially diabetes. Many people have blood sugar problems they are not aware of, and much of this goes undiagnosed. This predisposes them to diabetes. Insulin, as we know, regulates our blood sugar levels. High insulin levels cause fat to be stored. Most people over 40 has a real problem with high body fat levels, no matter how well they eat and exercise. High insulin levels are called hyperinsulinemia, and are the hallmark of insulin resistance. Let's first look at some of the other symptoms of having excess insulin production.

• insulin resistance as shown by a GTT test
• low HDL with high LDL and/or high triglycerides
• excess body fat, especially abdominal fat deposits
• high blood uric acid levels
• any blood clotting problems
• high blood pressure
• high fasting blood sugar
• high HbA1c
• high insulin per se

There are several diagnostics you can use. You can measure blood insulin using www.healthcheckusa.com for only $29. You want 5.0 or less. Please remember that- 5.0 or less. The average American is almost 9.0. You can buy an inexpensive (non-coded) blood sugar meter at the drug store- like the Tru® meters. Fasting blood sugar should be 85 or less. If not, get an inexpensive glucose tolerance test (GTT).  The doctor will take a blood sample, give you a glucose drink, and then take another blood sample an hour later. If you still have high blood glucose levels after an hour, you have insulin resistance. Your blood sugar may be perfectly normal, so DON'T rely on this by itself. The GTT is more accurate than testing insulin per se. You want a second test level about 20 points below the accepted medical level. The "normal" level is just not good enough. You can also buy an inexpensive home HbA1c test at the drug store. You want a 4.7% level or less, and not the usual "normal" 5.6% level. This give you a six month average reading. Remember than magic number of 4.7, not 5.6.

What causes this, and what can you do? Why don't poor people in Third World countries suffer from this epidemic with their lack of medical care and poor living standards? Americans are the richest people on the face of the earth, and eat more food- and worse food- than anyone. We eat 42% fat calories on the average, and most of these are saturated, artery clogging animal fats. Our grains are refined, nutrition-less rice, bread, pasta, pastries, and cold cereals. We eat a mere 1% whole grains! We eat 160 pounds of various sugars annually we have no need for. This includes white sugar, corn syrup, fructose, and other simple sugars. It's all sugar folks, and brown sugar, raw sugar, agave, honey, maple syrup, and  the rest are basically the same. Read the article Sugar is Sugar. Anyone who pays up for "raw sugar" or agave in the store is deluding themselves. Don’t use stevia, sucralose, or any other substitutes either. They can actually be worse than natural sugars. Our excessive caffeine consumption also upsets our insulin and blood sugar balance. Even one cup of coffee or one energy drink can completely destroy your blood sugar axis over time. We swill soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, chemicals, preservatives, and alcohol by the gallon. Finally, our pancreas gives up, our cells can't properly utilize insulin, and we produce more and more of it in an attempt to stabilize our blood sugar.

The ideal diet includes at least half whole grains, like whole grain bread, brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain cold cereals, whole wheat pasta, and other such foods. Whole grains are the very basis of your diet. Eat all the beans and legumes you want. You only need about 15% protein, yet we eat twice the protein we need. Fat should be 10% to 20%, but no more than 20%. This should basically come from vegetables, and not animal foods. Diet is everything here, and no amount of supplements will help you if you don't eat good healthy, natural whole foods. Read Macrobiotics for Everyone.

Fad diets like the Glycemic Index are ridiculous and not based on science. Read Glycemic Index is Goofy in our library. They claim candy bars are better for your blood sugar than oatmeal! Seriously. The gluten free and Paleo people are just as bad. Anyone who follows there asinine regimens has some serious issues dealing with reality. Read Paleo Insanity, Gluten Free Insanity, and Wheat Baloney. The proponents, like Mercola, Davis, and Cordain tell you whole grains are bad for you, and cause high blood sugar levels. Well, why do rural Asians have a tiny fraction of the blood sugar issues we do? Why do people on macrobiotic and other whole grain diets rarely have blood sugar problems?

You should balance your basic hormones, including melatonin, DHEA, testosterone (yes, for women too), pregnenolone, T3, T4, and progesterone. Women should add estradiol, estrone, and estriol. Our hormones work together like a symphony concert in harmony as a team. Insulin is a very powerful hormone that depends on the functioning of all the others. You can test your hormones without a doctor using saliva kits and online labs. Read Balance Your Hormones. You can do all this easily, simply, and cheaply without a doctor. Thyroid balance is especially important. Read the article Thyroid Balance.

Take the natural supplements discussed in the articles Supplements for Younger People and Serious Supplement Program.  Read The Natural Diabetes Cure for an overview of all this. Minerals are vital here. You need all 17 minerals in All Your Minerals®, and not just chromium and vanadium.

Exercise is not optional here. Walking is the best and simplest exercise of all. Just walking briskly at four miles an hour for just a half hour a day will do wonders for you. Join a gym, and go twice a week for a half hour and "superset". Walk your dog every day. Put a universal machine in your spare bedroom and workout three times a week. How much exercise do you get every week? You can never be healthy and fit and truly enjoy life unless you get regular exercise. You simply are not going to cure any blood sugar problem without regular exercise. You must exercise to cure any blood sugar disorder.

One last word. For God's sake stay away from your doctor! He will give you dangerous, expensive, ineffective, toxic drugs like Metformin®, Januvia®, and Trulicity® to cover up the symptoms. If you are a type 2 diabetic you can CURE your diabetes with proper diet and exercise within six months. Type 1 diabetics can dramatically improve their health and cut down severely on insulin even. (They cannot be cured as they have no operant pancreas.) As always, a total program of natural health will deal with the CAUSE of your maladies, instead of covering up the symptoms. Diet is everything. DIET, proven supplements, natural hormones, exercise, fasting, no Rx drugs, and limit or stop any bad habits. These are the Seven Steps to Natural Health. Please read the article.