Sugar is naturally found in grains, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Refined sugars are found in bread, donuts, cereals, and table sugar. All sugars are converted into glucose by the body to use as energy, primarily achieved by releasing insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Because of their diet or inherited genes, some people have a hard time processing insulin-regulating sugar in the body's cells.

In the old world, if you had Diabetes, it was called Sugar Disease. Some folks still refer to having Diabetes as having "the sugars".

Insulin's Duties

• It ensures glucose (sugar from carbohydrates) is moved into muscle cells to be burned as fuel for energy.
• It helps to build muscle by storing amino acids from protein.
• It stores Magnesiumfor future energy production and to keep muscles from cramping.
• It removes sugar from the blood and stores it as fat. by way of the liver.
• It controls salt and water balance in the body.
• It assists thyroid hormone conversion, which affects the rate of calcium being absorbed into bones and how muscles store sugar to burn for energy.
• When sugar levels in the body spike, insulin also spikes to remove excess sugar from the blood.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin Resistance develops when the hormone insulin surges too often from eating too many high-carbohydrate foods.

Excess sugar is stored in muscles and visceral fat. Visceral fat is located deep inside the abdominal cavity and naturally surrounds major organs, such as your liver and intestines, but excess sugar causes too much fat to be stored in these places, which isn't the fat you pinch with your fingers. That's subcutaneous fat. 

Insulin resistance makes it hard to lose body fat. To make matters worse, Insulin Resistance causes fatigue and carbohydrate cravings. Recovery time after exerting yourself or exercising takes longer because your cells are starving for energy. 

What Causes Insulin Resistance?

Cortisol is a hormone released when you are stressed. Cortisol triggers the release of more insulin, and the result is the storage of more visceral fat. Ongoing, increased insulin levels (insulin sensitivity) cause Sugar Disease (Diabetes) in the long run. Why? Over time, as a reaction to too many sugar surges, your body tries to adapt by decreasing the number of insulin receptors your cells contain. Your cells bring their insulin receptors inside and shield them from being used. When this happens, insulin can no longer perform its duties because it can't find its receptors, so it stays in the blood. This decrease in insulin use also prevents sugar from getting into your cells, depriving them of energy and making it easier to succumb to infections, including the Herpes Simplex Virus. In blood tests, this shows up as having high glucose and insulin levels simultaneously. 

All of this causes inflammation. Why? Because excess sugar (and fat) is stored as fat. Because fat cells don't have blood supply, toxins build up in them and are spewed into the body to be picked up and sent to the liver and kidneys for detoxification. But guess what? The liver and lidneys can't work because of high sugar and insulin levels, which can go on for about five years before any symptoms of Diabetes start to appear as problems. During this phase, you can reverse Insulin Resistance through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. But, eventually, the pancreas won't be able to deliver anymore insulin, and you'll need medication. Will this fix things? Usually, once you're on medication, it will take a lifestyle overhaul to get off the drugs and go back to normal. Is it possible? It depends on how much damage has been done. 

The liver absorbs as much sugar (glucose) as possible and turns it into bad cholesterol (LDL). It develops an insulin resistant state, which causes fatty liver (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver). Fatty liver causes inflammation, and inflammation causes scarring. There are different stages of fatty liver. Some are treatable. However, suppose you continue to eat a poor diet high in sugar and saturated fats. In that case, you can develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which happens when your liver is so fatty it's toxic and terribly inflamed, and your liver cells begin to die. NASH can lead to cirrhosis, which ends in liver failure, needing a transplant, or death.

Other Possible Causes of Insulin Resistance

• Thyroid problems
• Imblances in the gut microbiome and Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Never getting enough sleep
• Stress (and high cortisol levels)
• Estrogen dominance (even if it's low)
• Excess body fat

Symptoms of Insulin Resistance & Sugar Disease (Diabetes)

• Thirst
• Sugar cravings
• Being overfat
• High blood pressure
• High triglycerides (fats in blood cells)
• High cholesterol
• Water retention
• Dry skin
• Decreased memory
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Muscular weakness
• Mitochondrial Dysfunction
• Nerve pain (Diabetes destroys the myelin sheath that protects nerves)
• Nausea (due to dehydration)
• Muscle cramps and spasms
• Roving aches and pain
• Reactive Hypoglycemia (blood sugar drops too low)
• Mood swings and disturbing thoughts
• Sleep disturbances
• Restless Leg Syndrome

Symptoms might also include headache, dizziness, irritability, fatigue, depression, numbness of hands or feet, nervousness, shakiness, heart palpitations or pounding heart, sweating, and problems concentrating. These symptoms are due to adrenaline being released to compensate for the excess insulin produced from eating too many carbohydrates, which continues when blood sugar and insulin levels are left uncontrolled, which causes Diabetes. Diabetes is when the pancreas can no longer produce the insulin necessary to manage blood sugar levels.

NOTE: Reactive Hypoglycemia (RHG) differs from hypoglycemia caused by not eating for long periods. Symptoms of RHG are much the same as Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and sugar cravings start to occur about 2-3 hours after eating a high-carbohydrate meal. RHG can also happen if you take your medication and forget to eat. 

When to See Your Doctor

If you are constantly thirsty and urinating often, please see your doctor for a glucose test or buy glucose testing strips from your neighborhood pharmacy to check your glucose levels. Normal glucose levels read between 80 and 120. However, anything above 130 shows too much sugar in your blood and possible Diabetes, leading to blindness, neuropathy (pain and numbness in the extremities, especially the hands and feet), heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

Holistic Alternatives for Sugr Disease

Here's how to curb blood sugar fluctuations in about ten days. 

• Increase protein servings (6-7 oz) and healthy fats (4-5) throughout the day. Meat should be lean and organic (no hormones or antibiotics added), and dairy should be organic and low-fat. It would help if you ate some fish at least thrice weekly (Albacoretuna, wild-caught salmon).

• Eat a healthy protein, fat (polyunsaturated), or organic dairy with every carbohydrate you consume (cheese, nuts, or healthy oils with salads and vegetables)

• Lower your intake of carbohydrates. Eat only complex carbohydrates (whole grains and vegetables containing more fiber). Fiber Onecereal contains half the recommended daily fiber amount (and tastes good). 

• Limit really sweet fruit servings. Some fruits are better than others (berries, apples, and pears) are good choices because of thier fiber content.

• Eat regularly (3-4 meals daily)

• Drink pure water (4-8 cups each day)

• Avoid fast, fried, processed, and sugary foods.

• Eliminate all regular sodas from your diet.

• Avoid monosodium glutamate (MSG).

• Take prebiotics and probiotics to balance the bacteria in your gut microbiome. However, if you have problems with mast cells or Histamine Intolerance there are certain ones you should avoid. I reveal them under Vitamins & Supplements.

• Do all you can to balance your cortisol level. 

• Fake sweeteners can promote health problems. Sugar-free doesn't always mean carbohydrate-free. Counterfeit sweeteners can harm your health. If you struggle with your sweet tooth, you can have occasional sugar-free gelatins or puddings, but read your labels. In my opinion, avoiding fake sweets is just a good idea. Occasional sparkling water is fine. However, carbonated water can cause digestive upset and gastric issues.

Diabetes, Honey & Cinnamon

One study showed that when raw honey is used instead of table sugar, insulin sensitivity increases, and blood sugar decreases in those who cut it out of their diets in exchange for honey. Honey elevates blood sugar much less than refined sugar. The study used 8.5 ounces of water plus 3.5 tablespoons of honey for 15 days.

Even though honey increases blood sugar levels less than sugar does, it still increases it, and that's a huge concern when you have diabetes, so it makes sense to want to avoid using honey. However, there may be a way around this. Cinnamon is known to reduce blood sugar levels. Studies show that 3 grams (2.8 grams = one teaspoon) of cinnamon are taken daily, decreasing blood sugar. So, when taken together, cinnamon may negate some of the effects of honey on blood sugar. Of course, if you have diabetes, you will want to consult your care provider before using honey or cinnamon in your diet. Otherwise, combine them in your tea, as a spread, or as food glazes.

Rather than mixing honey and cinnamon at every use, it can be easier to make a small infusion ahead of time, which allows the cinnamon to infuse into the honey. Find a jar with a tight-fitting lid. A mason jar will do nicely. For every teaspoon of honey, add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Use one teaspoon per serving, not exceeding 3-4 servings daily. This infusion also works well for coughs and irritated throats.

NOTE: Children under the age of 1 year old should never have honey. Honey contains spores of clostridium botulinum bacteria, which can cause botulism in infants. These spores, found in dirt and dust, can contaminate honey. These bacteria are harmless to more mature digestive systems, but the digestive system hasn't developed the ability to handle the spores in young babies. In infants, the bacteria multiply and produce a toxin that is poisonous to the infant. Giving a child under 18 months of age, unless the child is over one year old and already has a healthy diet of various foods, is never suggested.

Lifestyle Changes to Consider

• Make sure you have good gut health. An unhealthy gut microbiome is the basis of most diseases. Why? Because it causes inflammation. If you regularly suffer from digestive upsets or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, your gut microbes need help through your diet. There's all of these little "bugs" that live in your gut. None are good or bad. It only becomes "bad" for you when you have too little of some and too many of others. It's up to you to feed them and keep their populations balanced. You'll also want to eat a variety of plant-based foods. Why? For their vitamin, mineral, and fiber content. You can also take supplements to help improve microbial balance and digestion, such as dietary enzymes, L-glutamine, prebiotics, and probiotics. 

• Besides dietary changes, movement is extremely helpful in managing blood sugar levels. Why? Because good muscle mass and tone add up to your body needing less insulin to manage your blood sugar levels, which doesn't mean you should work out and then eat a donut. 

• Get a good night's sleep. You'll have temporary Insulin Resistance the next day when you don't sleep well overnight. When you never sleep well, you develop chronic Insulin Resistance.

Metformin

Metformin, the most commonly prescribed medication for Diabetes, stimulates your pancreas to produce a steady supply of insulin. However, it's crucial to note that Metformin can lead to various side effects, including ulcers in the digestive tract. To mitigate this, never take Metformin on an empty stomach.

So you know, extended-release Metformin is often more effective in maintaining stable blood sugar levels. By understanding and following these guidelines, you can better manage the potential side effects of Metformin.

Berberine

Berberine is an herbal remedy reported to work better than Metformin in reversing Diabetes with very few side effects. However, Dihydroberberine Berberine is best due to its bioavailability. Some products contain cinnamon, which helps maintain blood sugar and fight inflammation but can upset the stomach (it's considered a "HOT" herb). It isn't necessary to choose a brand with cinnamon to reap the benefits of berberine.