“For years, I lived in a prediabetic state, but things changed after an annual blood test showed A1C levels that were too close for comfort. I knew I needed to take action. With a few simple lifestyle adjustments – cutting out sugary energy drinks, going for regular walks (even if it was for just 25 minutes when I didn’t have a lot of extra time), and cooking healthier, lower-carb dinners – I saw a real difference. I also embraced new stress-relieving habits like meditation, yoga, and reading for pleasure. I didn’t need to completely give up carbs or become a gym regular to feel healthier and more balanced. Best of all, I achieved this without relying on medications and the results have been truly rewarding. Now I maintain a healthy blood sugar and the rest is history!” ~Whole Health Naturopathy Staff member.
Type 2 diabetes causes the body to become resistant to insulin, causing elevated blood sugar levels. At Whole Health Naturopathy, we take a holistic approach as naturopathic doctors, focusing on diet, lifestyle, and exercise, prescribing helpful supplements and discussing possible forms of pharmaceutical medication that may help our patients achieve optimum health. Above all, our goal is to create a personalized plan that addresses each patient’s unique needs and equips them with the knowledge and resources to manage their diabetes effectively.
While we have this conversation about managing type 2 diabetes with naturopathy, it’s incredibly important to spell out the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes so there is no room for confusion:
- Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the pancreas produces little to no insulin. While we don’t specialize in assisting patients with Type 1 diabetes and aren’t often the ones to diagnose it, some of our tips laid out in this article may support those managing this condition as there are many common themes.
- Type 2 Diabetes is often related to insulin resistance, and is commonly managed by way of overall lifestyle changes, helpful supplements, and/or medications. Early symptoms that are often ignored include skin tags, patches of hyperpigmentation, and recurring yeast infections.
Managing Type 2 Diabetes with Naturopathy
Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body becomes resistant to insulin, because your body has secreted too much over time, and your cells stop recognizing it’s signaling. Therefore, there is a build up of sugar in your bloodstream (as it is not getting into your cells ). At Whole Health Naturopathy, we take a holistic approach, focusing on diet, lifestyle, and exercise before turning to medication. Our goal is to create personalized plans that address your unique needs and help you manage diabetes effectively. When we go to create these personalized plans, we consider a number of factors:
Diet & Lifestyle
We believe in starting with the basics. This includes diet management, exercise and movement, sleep and water intake optimization, and stress reduction strategies. For the diet, we recommend a whole foods or mediterranean type diet that emphasizes balance rather than restriction (this is key!). We find it helpful when our patients begin a food log/journal to track their eating habits – and this will help guide our plans. Apps like MyFitnessPal can be useful for tracking your meals and macros and being referred to a dietician or nutritionist to help meal plan. Some patients like a 30 day meal plan cookbook, as they can really take out all the thinking involved in what to eat!
As far as exercise goes, regular physical activity greatly improves your insulin sensitivity and can help you manage blood sugar levels, so helping you to find movement that you truly enjoy is one of our goals.
Here’s a few quick tips to get you started:
- Eat 3-4 balanced meals per day. A balanced meal has 30% fat, 35% carbs, and 35% protein. The most important meal is breakfast, which should contain 20 grams of protein for women, 30g for men.
- Eat with consistency. Eat at the same times daily and about the same proportions of proteins/carbs/fats.
- Eat in moderation. Overeating to the point that your stomach is over-extended causes your liver to release even more glucose into your body.
- Eat fiber. Eat at least 14 grams of fiber per 1000 calories. This equals about 26 grams a day.
- Avoid snacking. Snacking a lot between meals increases insulin response, taxing your insulin stores and pancreas (the organ that produces insulin).
- Quit these foods. There are some foods and drinks that you should simply quit, including soda pop & sugary beverages, trans & hydrogenated fats, and highly processed and refined foods.
- Exercise at least 150 minutes per week. That is just 22 minutes a day! Exercise improves many aspects of glucose metabolism.
- Make movement a part of your life. Choose activities you enjoy doing and find a way to make these activities part of your normal routine.
- Move every half hour. Set a timer on your watch, phone, or computer to remind you to stand up and walk around or stretch every half hour to reduce the amount of time you spend being sedentary.
- Participate in strength training. Anaerobic exercise burns 19 times more glucose than aerobic exercise, so we encourage strength/resistance training as a significant part of your exercise routine.
Sleep & Stress Management
There are a number of hormones in our body that are affected by poor sleep (see this article). Cortisol, insulin, ghrelin and leptin, to name some, affect our hunger signaling and sugar balancing in our body. Poor sleep, particularly conditions such as sleep apnea, can elevate blood sugar and slow metabolism. Therefore, sleeping 8-10 hours per night is essential for weight management and reducing risks for multiple chronic diseases. Improving sleep quality and addressing/minimizing life stressors are both super key to managing diabetes (we can help with this too!).
Supplements
Alongside lifestyle changes, we will often suggest some natural supplementation for blood sugar control to support these lifestyle changes.
- Chromium (500 mg 2x/day): Reduces sugar cravings and helps lower blood sugar levels.
- Berberine (1000-1500 mg 1x/day): Known for its blood sugar-regulating effects.
- Fish Oil: Provides essential omega-3 fatty acids that help you get the quality fat and as an anti inflammatory.
- Gymnema Sylvestre is often found in supplements for diabetes as it may help control blood sugar and insulin secretion.
- Mucuna Pruriens: can be helpful to reduce sugar cravings and stress eating.
Medications
For some patients, lifestyle changes may not be enough, and that’s where medications like metformin or Ozempic may be helpful.
Metformin is a common medication prescribed in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes to lower blood sugar. In the process of using Metformin, many other benefits were found in different diseases and aging in general. These diseases include cancer, liver and kidney disease, obesity and cardiovascular disease. We recommend pairing this medication with a digestive enzyme to reduce potential side effects like digestive upset, diarrhea, etc.
Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications have gained recent popularity in the weight loss conversation, but it can be difficult to be covered by insurance when prescribed for diabetes if other medications have not been tried. While we can obtain the medication through compounding pharmacies at more affordable rates, it’s important to note that you should be combining this medication with lifestyle changes to avoid weight regain after stopping (the drug is not designed to be used for a short time period). We will work with you to explore this option as part of your treatment plan for obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol.
Monitoring & Ongoing Support
Once you’ve nailed the above components, we recommend tracking your blood sugar regularly, either via continuous glucose monitors or traditional methods. Additionally, you should check your hemoglobin A1C at least yearly, if not more frequently, to assess long-term blood sugar control.
At Whole Health Naturopathy, we treat each of our patients on a case-by-case basis. Whether you’re seeking supplement assistance, lasting lifestyle changes, or are looking to explore more traditional medication options, we are here to help and discuss a custom plan just for you! We are here to help, and not judge.
If you’re looking for a partner to help along your journey of preventing or managing your type 2 diabetes with naturopathy in Olympia, Washington, give us a call and set up your first appointment – (360) 943-9519.