Diabetes is all too common in the United States. The American diet is high in sugars, carbohydrates, and fats that cause or contribute to high blood sugar. Excess caffeine can, indirectly by way of the thyroid, contribute to hormonal imbalances that cause diabetes. Some of the symptoms include:

• Frequent urination

• Thirst

• Blurred vision

• Weight loss accompanied by increased appetite

• Fatigue

• Erectile dysfunction

• Headaches

What Causes Diabetes?

Simply put, diabetes is caused by high blood sugar, or “too much glucose in the blood.” This is a problem with insulin, whose job is to carry blood sugar into the cells of the body. A lack of insulin or faulty insulin response by the cells results in too much glucose in the blood. Another cause of diabetes is simply too much sugar intake— especially fructose. Here is a summary of the causes of diabetes:

• Diet: Too much sugar. Too much fat. Too much caffeine.

• Obesity: Often resulting from dietary problems, obesity can cause a loop of insulin and hormonal problems that can cause or worsen diabetes.

• Thyroid imbalance: Hormonal imbalances from thyroid and adrenal problems can affect insulin response and cause or contribute to diabetes.

• Poor liver health: If the liver cannot cleanse the blood and process excess blood sugar, the result is diabetes.

• Chronic use of steroids: These drugs can change your body chemistry and cause or worsen diabetes.

Treatments

A new set of dietary habits is the first line of defense against diabetes. Here is a summary of these dietary strategies, along with some other natural treatments:

• Avoid sugars: Sugars come in the form of sucrose (cane sugar), lactose (dairy products), fructose (fruit and corn syrup), corn starch, dextrose, glucose (usually glucose is converted by the body from other sugars), sorbitol, and malt.

• Reduce carbohydrates and starches: The body converts starches from carbohydrates into glucose. Avoid simple carbs, which include fruit, fruit juice, dairy products, honey, and sugars. Also avoid peanut butter, soybean oil, cheese, and processed meat. Keep complex carbohydrate consumption under control, including breads, pasta, beans, grains and fibrous vegetables (squash and eggplant, for example). Remember that whole wheat products are better than refined products. Better yet, replace wheat with other grains, such as oats, bran, rye, and barley.

• Eat more low¬glycemic food: Healthy foods for maintaining good blood sugar levels include green leafy vegetables, potatoes, yams, whole grain breads, nuts, legumes, chicken, and fish. Raw foods have a lower glycemic level than cooked foods.

• Take herbs to help control blood sugar: Herbs that help include fenugreek, garlic, bilberry, ginseng, and olive leaves (or extract). Other helpful supplements for diabetes include chromium, vanadium, cinnamon, and bitter melon.

• Strengthen your immune system: If you have diabetes, you should definitely take a multivitamin. Concentrate especially on getting enough antioxidants, as they help prevent free radical damage that causes many common diabetes complications (blindness and the necessity of limb amputation). Spirulina provides vitamins and minerals, while helping to balance blood sugar.

• Cleanse: If you crave sweets, you may be suffering from a lack of protein or you might have parasites in your system. Cleansing your liver and colon cannot only help with these cravings, but can help reduce your blood sugar levels by providing better nutrient absorption.

Months ago I did an iodine loading test which was, to put it lightly, not the highlight of that particular 24 hours but once it is over and done with it all seems pretty easy. The company I used made mailing it in a breeze as all you had to do was put a tiny amount of the 24 hour collection in a tube, place that in an envelope, call FedEx and leave it at your front door. So off it went and last week I finally had a doctor appointment and got to hear the results. A normal person who needs no supplemental iodine would excrete about 90% (+) of the ingested Iodoral which is all very precisely measured at the lab (I don’t know how and don’t care).

My test results showed an excretion of 74%, which simply put means I am not a total disaster but I do need supplemental iodine. As I have hypothyroidism any lack of iodine makes my thyroid work at less than full capacity, so I feel like finding out was well worthwhile. Lack of iodine in your system can contribute to dis-ease and many experts in the field of breast cancer feel low levels of iodine make women particularly vulnerable to breast cancer. When Iodine isn’t present we cannot detox such things as Bromide and Fluoride and they get stored in our bodies where they can feed wild little cells.

My functional medicine man and I have agreed that I will take 2 12.5 mg tablets of Iodoral per day for three months and then I will repeat (I so want to write re-pee, so there you go it is out there) the test and see how my levels are at that time. In addition to Iodoral I use one or two scoops of Boku Superfood every day in my morning smoothie. Boku Superfood has kelp in addition to all kinds of greens, cocoa powder, etc. My FMD felt that the kelp I was ingesting was indeed adding much needed iodine just not enough to get my excretion level to 90% or better. A person can add iodine to their diet by eating scrumptious things like sushi and shrimp in addition to Boku Superfood.

I am hopeful that getting more optimal levels of iodine in my body will assist my thyroid and I will share an update in two months. In the meantime I am also working at balancing all my hormones with bio-identical hormones and taking supplements that strengthen my thyroid because I feel that if I feed my body what it needs it will function at a higher level and dis-ease will be but a distant memory.

We’re so glad that Boku Super Food helps Kris!

You can check out Kris’ blog here: http://krisinsight.wordpress.com/