Learn to protect yourself and loved ones from diabetes

Dr. Terry A. RondbergSpecial to the Village News

There’s an epidemic racing through America at an incredible rate: diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, it’s the fastest-growing disease in the country and the fifth leading cause of death. If the trend continues, one out of three Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

Each day, more than 4,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes, and more than 600 die from the disease. Since 1987, the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45 percent.

Even more disturbing is that type 2 diabetes – once called “adult onset diabetes,” and its most common form – is growing at alarming rates today in children as young as 8 years old!

Type 2 diabetes is caused by a shortage of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin allows glucose (sugar) from food to enter the body’s cells where it is converted into energy needed by muscles and tissues to function.

When there isn’t enough insulin, the cells can't get the sugar they need, and too much sugar builds up in the blood. Over time, this extra sugar can lead to heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system disease (neuropathy) and lower limb amputation.

The good news is that research has shown that more than 90 percent of all cases of diabetes can be prevented. The National Diabetes Education Program states emphatically: “Diabetes prevention is proven, possible, and powerful.”

Researcher Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health agrees. “We know how to prevent nearly all cases of type 2 diabetes,” he concluded in a landmark study published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine".

A low carb high fat diet, exercise, and a commitment to a wellness lifestyle are the keys to prevention and treatment.

A ketogenic lifestyle and exercise are critical in reducing weight, lowering blood sugar levels, and boosting sensitivity to insulin, which helps keep blood sugar within a normal range. Participants in one large study who lost a modest amount of weight – around seven percent of initial body weight – and exercised regularly reduced the risk of developing diabetes by nearly 60 percent.

Here are the top four dietary changes recommended by the Temecula Wellness Center:

1. Eliminate all whole grains and whole grain products or most carbohydrates.
2. Stop drinking sugary drinks, and choose water, coffee, or tea instead.
3. Choose healthy fats instead of bad fats and eat low or moderate amounts of protein.
4. Eat grass fed, non-processed meat high in fat; choose certain nuts, poultry, or fish instead, sour cream with fat, cheeses and whole eggs.

Getting sound nutritional advice from a wellness professional is the first step in any diabetes prevention or recovery program.

Yet, because there’s more to preventing diabetes than just losing weight, it’s equally important to raise your overall health, reduce physical and emotional stress, and increase brain function on a cellular level this will strengthen your immune system. If you don’t, any of these factors can sabotage your best efforts at stabilizing your weight and blood sugar levels.

To address stress I developed Bioenergy, a scientific method for correcting interference in muscles, fascia, nerve, and blood vessels in the sub-occipital muscles of the upper neck. Relieving brainstem tension from this area of the body will allow your body to function more efficiently and increase your total well-being and quality of life. It can also strengthen brain function and your immune system which can prevent many diseases and conditions, including heart disease, strokes and cancer.

The plain fact is that almost all diabetes can be prevented, and those with diabetes can be restored to full health often without drugs, surgery or other invasive medical procedures. You can protect yourself and your loved ones from this disease by choosing to follow a ketogenic lifestyle, incorporating the latest scientifically proven nutritional strategies into your lifestyle.

For more information on the Temecula Wellness Center's free healthy weight loss clinics every Saturday at noon or to reserve your seat, visit http://www.temeculawellnesscenter.com or call (951) 699-5000.