How Micronutrient Testing Saved Me From Diabetes
Yes, even us healthcare practitioners can succumb to micronutrient deficiencies (and diabetes), even when we think we are eating properly and are at a healthy weight. I am going to be transparent here, and share with you “my story” of why having “micronutrient testing” is so very important. I will also share with you my PERSONAL laboratory results (before lifestyle changes, and after). Keep in mind that micronutrient changes are often subtle and take a while to see improvements in the actual numbers, but it may not take long at all to see improvements in symptoms and outcomes, as in my situation. However, I had drastic improvements in all areas!
MY PERSONAL PRE-DIABETES STORY & HOW MICRONUTRIENT TESTING SAVED ME FROM FULL-BLOWN DIABETES
Even if our nutrient status is appropriate during one part of our life, it doesn’t mean that it will remain that way during the next stage or phase of our life. When I started going through menopause, I noticed that my blood sugars were increasing. (Yes, I test my blood sugars at home with my own glucometer even though I do NOT have diabetes. Everyone should make a habit of testing their blood sugars periodically to be proactive in preventing diabetes. Had I not been testing my blood sugars, I would have never known that I was becoming pre-diabetic—I had no signs of pre-diabetes and I am not overweight). Even though I am at a healthy weight, eating properly (or so I thought) and exercising daily, my blood sugars were higher than they should have been—WHAT GIVES? It was time for further investigation.
My Highest A1C Report was 5.8 on 01-08-2015
(I diagnosed myself as having pre-diabetes. An A1c of 5.7 to 6.4 is diagnostic for pre-diabetes). This is the stage where if you catch it soon enough, you can turn things around.
My Fasting Insulin Level was LESS THAN 2.0 on 08-26-2014
(fasting insulin levels should be in the range of 4-6)
My Micronutrient Report on 10-28-2014
(you can see my deficiencies here—most all affecting insulin production and insulin sensitivity at the cellular level)
WHAT GIVES…. was a multiple of things:
1) Hormonal Imbalances: Menopause is a time where basically all of our hormones become imbalanced. Other things can cause hormonal imbalances, but it was menopause that was my trigger. (I still haven’t figured out how to turn back time). These hormonal imbalances were affecting my ability to make insulin and the stress from “hot flashes” was causing elevated cortisol levels that can also lead to elevated blood sugars. (Keep in mind, other than these symptoms of menopause, I was great. I had no weight gain, and other than “hot flashes” and higher blood sugars, I was managing menopause well).
2) Nutrient imbalances: My micronutrient report was instrumental in explaining why I could not metabolize the limited amount of carbohydrates I was consuming. I was deficient in the nutrients that not only are needed to make insulin, but I was also deficient in the nutrients that are required to get the insulin and sugar into the cells.
3) Diet: Although I thought I was eating healthy, I wasn’t. I was eating how my nutrition college education and professional national organizations (and even the government nutrition programs) taught me through the years was proper, BUT, was it really????? Over the greater than 30 years that I have been in the healthcare arena, there have been a lot of advances through science and experience (outcomes) to show that almost everything we thought we knew about eating correctly, is absolutely WRONG.
I have had to relearn most everything I thought I ever knew about nutrition. Honestly…..almost everything I initially learned was WRONG, and that includes how to manage diabetes, and how to eat to stay healthy overall.
Warning: It’s okay to learn new and better ways of doing things. That’s what “practicing” medicine is all about. We are continually learning and we MUST continually evolve and be willing to make necessary changes. But understand, not every other healthcare practitioner is keeping up with these changes, and/or they may not be willing to change how they practice.
SOLUTIONS:
1) Diet & Lifestyle Changes: this will be different for everyone, but understand that I made significant diet and lifestyle changes and these changes were drastic! So drastic, that many of my colleagues would probably think I was a quack. The truth is, I am actually less restrictive now than when I was using previous conventional nutrition wisdom. I am actually eating more fattier foods and eating more food in general, than I ever have been (and not gaining weight). It feels great! Please contact me to discuss your individualized situation so you can start reaping better health, too.
2) Supplements: no more “over-the-counter supplements”—these are unregulated and often dangerous (more information here). Forget everything you ever heard about getting all of your nutrients from food. It won’t work….especially not with today’s food supply. You WILL need pharmaceutical-grade supplements to stay healthy. When I was trained as a dietitian, it was implied that it would be unethical to sell supplements. Well, I am here to tell you that it is unethical NOT to sell pharmaceutical-grade supplements if you are a healthcare provider, or to at least provide patients with the resources to obtain them. Otherwise, who else can you trust to get wholesome ingredients and a personalized prescription based on your individualized needs (much better than a pharmaceutical drug prescription). This is just another way that quality nutrition and healthcare are evolving—are you ready to evolve?)
3) Bioidentical Hormones: forget conventional treatment with synthetic hormones, including thyroid medications; we have got to get all “synthetic” products out of our body’s. Our body’s know the difference. Let me help you get balanced with bioidentical hormones.
MY LAB RESULTS FOLLOWING 8 months of implementing the SOLUTIONS above:
NO MORE PRE-DIABETES
(I am now back to A1c of LESS than I was at baseline, with goals to get even lower)
A1C post-Lifestyle Adjustments (5.3 on 08-15-2015)
Fasting Insulin Level (now 3.8….was LESS THAN 2.0….goal is 4-9)
(this means I am getting the nutrients now to make more insulin and improve the cell’s sensitivity to insulin and glucose, thus making my blood sugar and A1c go in the right direction—prior to that I didn’t have enough insulin to get the blood sugar into the cell (because I didn’t have the right nutrients available for the body to do what it naturally does) and therefore the sugar was staying in my blood steam, increasing my risk for diabetes complications)
My Micronutrient Report on 07-15-2015
(went from 5 actual functional deficiencies to only 1 (but improvement in that 1); improved on 8 borderline deficiencies, no change on 2 borderline deficiencies, and worsened on 4 nutrients [that is another story I will gladly discuss at your visit])
MY LAB RESULTS FOLLOWING 16 months of implementing the SOLUTIONS above:
NO MORE PRE-DIABETES
I told you I would continue to get it even lower!!!! Here is the PROOF:
A1C with Maintenance of Healthy Lifestyle Choices (5.0 on 02-20-2016; highest was 5.8)
(This may not seem like a big drop, but it is VERY SIGNIFICANT. It was over a one-year process to get here!!!! (The higher the A1C to start, the less time needed to see significant improvements.) Every 1/10 percent reduction of A1c will reduce your risk for developing heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer and more. A1C is an important metabolic marker for overall health, not just diabetes).
Fasting Insulin Level (now 4.7 on 02-20-2016; initially it was LESS THAN 2.0…goal is 4-6)
(All I needed was to get and absorb all the right nutrients that would allow my body to make enough insulin, which would then allow my blood glucose to “go into the cell” and “get out of my bloodstream,” and thus promote an ideal blood sugar range. You can see how much my micronutrient profile also improved, below.”)
Maintaining OPTIMUM micronutrient balance is the KEY to maintaining optimum blood sugar control! It’s not just about the SUGAR!
My Micronutrient Report on 02-09-2016
MY LAB RESULTS FOLLOWING 23 months of implementing the SOLUTIONS above:
NO MORE PRE-DIABETES
I am totally overjoyed with these recent A1c results. My new lifestyle has definitely paid off. These results could have never been obtained following the guidelines of conventional medicine!
My A1c is LESS than 5.0 on 09-01-2016 (OMG, I can hardly believe I got below 5.0—and without deprivation or dietiting)
Oops, though, by Micronutrient Report slipped slightly (because I got lazy and failed to reorder some of my supplements). Thankfully, it didn’t affect my glycemic control, but I will definitely need to be more dilagent in taking my supplements (and/or eating properly) or my next lab results may not be as good.
My Micronutrient Report on 09-01-2016
Every 6 month reports are ideal!
If you are ready to start protecting yourself from the sneaky ravages of abnormal blood sugar, don’t even attempt to try without having your Micronutrient status assessed. Contact us now to request an appointment.
To learn more about Micronutrient Testing AND other specialized testing that is often NOT available through conventional healthcare, go here NOW. It can change your health forever, for almost any health condition.