Diabetes
When I worked at Vancouver General Hospital as a clinical dietitian, I saw a lot of people struggling with the consequences of diabetes. Kidney failure, amputations, nerve pain, blindness, fatty liver and the biggest killers, heart attack and stroke. I won’t spend time here detailing statistics and warnings about diabetes as that information is widely available. What I will tell you is that these complications are not inevitable.
Diabetes complications occur when blood sugar levels are too high because you don’t have enough of the hormone insulin or because your body is not using the insulin that is being made. Either way, my goal is to help you get those blood sugars are normal as possible.
Treatment Plans usually include:
- Type 2 Diabetes – linked with obesity and insulin resistance
- decrease the amount of carbohydrates your pancreas must deal with, while increasing fiber and good-quality fats and oils – a good summary of diet principles I follow can be seen in this TEDx talk.
- improve insulin sensitivity with diet, exercise, quality sleep, stress management and supplements
- herbs and supplements to protect against the damage caused by high blood sugars
- prescriptions for metformin or insulin if required
- Type 1 Diabetes – involves an autoimmune destruction of your pancreas
- if caught early we can use several nutrients to help to preserve pancreas function and use an anti-inflammatory, hypoallergenic diet to reduce the immune system over-reaction
- decrease the amount of carbohydrates your pancreas must deal with, while increasing fiber and good-quality fats and oils
- herbs and supplements to protect against the damage caused by high blood sugars
- insulin
- There are other types of diabetes including:
- Gestational (during pregnancy)
- LADA or Type 1.5 – Latent Auto-immune Diabetes in Adults
- Diabetes after pancreatic loss from surgery, infection or other chronic disease, MODY
Blood sugar control is the key goal in all types of diabetes.
Working together:
As we work together, I will ask you periodically to keep a diet diary and blood sugar records.
Blood tests – most of the time people with diabetes come in with standing order for HgA1C and cholesterol panels. These are helpful to review as we go. I will also make sure that you are having annual tests to screen for complications in the kidney, liver and eyes. For some people we may consider specialized testing, including vitamin D levels, thyroid or adrenal panels and other markers of cardiovascular disease risk.
I have prescription rights in BC if medication is required and have taken the fabulous Dr. Mona Morstein’s Insulin Intensive training course.