Diabetes & Blood Sugar Balance
Don’t let your blood sugar rule your life.
Uncontrolled blood glucose levels can take a major toll on your body and overall wellness. It’s exhausting to cycle between “hangry” and shaky, watching the clock and keeping emergency snacks on hand while the rest of the world seems unphased by a late lunch.
People with metabolic disorders like prediabetes, diabetes, hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia often feel like they’ve been given a life sentence filled with restrictions or medications. Those at risk of developing blood sugar issues may feel frozen, not knowing how to help themselves or reverse course.
Blood sugar imbalances can be daunting, but there is always hope. Understanding your insulin response and what you can do to affect it can restore your sense of control and give you the best opportunity to feel healthy.
There are a lot of misconceptions about blood sugar balance.
Blood Glucose & Insulin
Your body needs sugar to survive. Glucose is essential to almost every major bodily function, including the brain activity that helps you breathe, walk, and speak. The amount of sugar you have in your bloodstream is carefully controlled by insulin, a regulating hormone created by the pancreas.
Imagine your body is a car, and glucose is the fuel that keeps the engine running. Insulin is like the key that unlocks the fuel tank, allowing glucose to enter your cells and provide energy.
With diabetes, you have too much sugar and not enough insulin. That means your fuel tank gets too full, and there’s no key to release that fuel to create energy. As a result, your blood sugar levels get too high and you feel drained. Your body doesn't have the fuel it needs to keep your organs functioning or repair your cells.
In contrast, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) means your fuel tank is empty. Even if you have the insulin key to release the fuel, there just isn’t enough to power your body. You may get weak and shaky or feel foggy.
In time, both conditions can lead to scary symptoms: extreme hunger or thirst, dizziness, confusion, feeling sweaty or cold, heart palpitations, and nausea. The more times your fuel tank gets too full or too empty, the more stress hormones you release and the harder it is for your body to cope or heal.
Why do people get diabetes or hyperglycemia?
The truth is that anyone can develop problems with their blood glucose and insulin response. However, some factors may increase your risk, including:
DNA: Adults of African, Hispanic, Indigenous American, or Asian descent have a drastically higher risk of developing diabetes and other blood sugar imbalances. Family history also matters – having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes means you’re about 40% more likely to develop the disease yourself.
Age: Your chances of developing type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders grow every year after age 45. Nearly 30% of Americans aged 65 or older have been diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Nutrition: What, when, and how you eat can determine whether you have sustained blood sugar balance or ride a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Meal timing, nutrient intake, and even the order in which you eat certain foods can all impact your blood sugar levels.
Pre-Existing Conditions: Other health problems like high blood pressure or low HDL (good cholesterol) can contribute to your risk for metabolic disorders. Type 2 diabetes can also be affected by your weight and how physically active you are.
Diabetes is never guaranteed.
When it comes to blood sugar, knowledge is key. Research proves that even if you have significant genetic risk of developing blood sugar problems, a healthy lifestyle can make all the difference.
At Ann Arbor Holistic Health, we recognize that diabetes doesn't have to be forever, and you don’t have to wait for a diagnosis to take action. We use a personalized approach, fine-tuned to your individual body and symptoms, to help you take control of your blood sugar and your health.
Comprehensive Body Chemistry Analysis
Wellness is never one-size-fits-all. The right functional testing can help you identify the root causes of blood sugar imbalances and provide the insight needed to make a change.
Customized Wellness Plan
We can help you understand your spikes and crashes and create an ultra-customized wellness plan that makes you feel empowered, not restricted.
Nutrition & Self-Care
As you strive for healthy blood sugar balance, your practitioner is always there as your partner, ready to answer questions, offer resources, and provide compassion and accountability.
Marshmallows for Lunch
As a college student in the 90s, Justine ate marshmallows for lunch. She thought it was fine because they were fat free! Back then, we all thought fat was the villain, and there was a fat-free version of everything. (Remember SnackWell’s?) Like most of us, Justine didn’t realize that we actually need healthy fats in our diet – she mistakenly believed that if you eat fat, you get fat.
Justine also didn’t realize that eating all that sugar was causing intense stress on her body. Because she was constantly trying to lose weight, she waited as long as possible to eat each day. When she finally did have a meal, it was all carbs and almost zero fats or proteins. If she went too long between meals, she felt weak and shaky, nauseous, and light-headed or dizzy. Sometimes she got raging headaches so severe that she ended up in the ER.
In pursuit of a “healthy” lifestyle and weight, Justine had developed prediabetes and was on course for something much worse.
Humans can only tolerate a very specific amount of sugar in their bloodstream at any given moment. If we consume too much sugar at once, our blood sugar rises. After insulin responds to that excess sugar, our blood sugar plummets. Every time glucose rises too high or falls too low, our body panics and adapts.
To bring our blood sugar back into a healthy range, we release insulin, our glucose regulator, and cortisol, our main stress hormone. Cortisol exists to give us extra strength in times of emergency. It makes us more alert, more ready to handle whatever danger is in our path, and it raises our blood sugar to be sure we’re prepared to run or fight.
When this happens occasionally, the body responds beautifully. But when it happens repeatedly, day after day and year after year, the organs and hormones that regulate blood sugar begin to lose their ability to keep glucose levels in the right range. This is the beginning of diabetes.
There is a better way.
Remember Justine? She discovered that her health was in her control. She learned how to eat, exercise, and practice self-care to nurture blood sugar balance. She reached and maintained her ideal weight, and went on to become the Clinical Director of Ann Arbor Holistic Health. (True story.)
Your health is within your control, especially when you have the support of holistic wellness practitioners. At Ann Arbor Holistic Health, we encourage and empower our clients through education and targeted wellness plans.
Identifying root causes like digestive disorders, autoimmune conditions, and hormone disorders is the first step to balancing your blood sugar. You can live happily, eat well without depriving yourself, and control insulin surges. You are in charge, not your blood sugar.
Contact us today to schedule your free Comprehensive Evaluation & Consultation. We know you’re ready to feel better, and we’re ready to help you get there.
Living with diabetes can be challenging. If you’re not digesting your food well, then you’re compounding the issue. Make the most of what you eat and increase your energy and strength by improving your gut health.
Diabetes does not have to define you. Take charge of your health and start your journey to wellness, with helpful diet, exercise, and stress management techniques.
Stress hormones like cortisol can wreak havoc on your blood sugar balance. Understanding your hormonal health is crucial to controlling diabetes and other metabolic disorders.