WHAT IS DIABETES?
Diabetes is characterized by disordered blood sugar metabolism. There are two types of diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes: an autoimmune condition, in which the pancreas is unable to product insulin, which affects how our body uses sugar
Type 2 Diabetes: a condition whereby the body produces insulin, but the cells don’t respond appropriately, which also affects how our body uses sugar.
In cases of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, a few things are similar: both involve education regarding insulin, blood sugar and nutrition. The specific treatments are different, but both can see benefit by seeing an integrated health team like you’ll find at Absolute Health and Wellness.
WHO SHOULD I SEE AT ABSOLUTE HEALTH AND WELLNESS?
We tend to begin management with our diabetic patients with our naturopaths. Naturopathic medicine has many roles to play, from diet, to supplement prescription to testing. Your naturopath will also help manage inflammation and hormones as those also have a lot to do with diabetes.
In some cases, blood sugar dysregulation is associated with specific tendinopathies and neuropathies, which may be best managed by a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath or massage therapist.
HOW WE COMMONLY TREAT DIABETES
- Weight Management and Lifestyle Change: Type 1 & 2 Diabetes are heavily affected by our lifestyle, many aspects of treatment revolve around the things you do at home
- Diet: understanding how diet affects diabetes and associated symptoms is key; learn how to incorporate carbs, protein and fat into your diet safely
- Herbs: research shows certain herbs can be helpful for the treatment of diabetes, some affect blood sugar, others help insulin sensitivity.
- Vitamins/Minerals: certain nutrients can be used therapeutically to treat diabetes and its associated conditions
- Prevention: many aspects of diabetes are manageable. Understanding the contributing factors of type 1 or type 2 diabetes is important, and knowing how to modify those factors is crucial
- Manual Therapy: in cases of tendinopathies and neuropathies associated with blood sugar dysregulation, manual therapy may be helpful, in combination with acupuncture and other therapeutic modalities
