Dr. Speaks Out- Weight Is A Symptom Of Diabetes, Not The Cause
“It’s one of the biggest myths in diabetes care right now,” says, Dr. Brian Mowll who practices functional medicine for diabetes. “I have patience come to me all the time that say their doctor says ‘the only way to cure diabetes is to lose weight,’ or ‘if you would just lose some weight you could potentially get off these medications. There is some truth to that but I think it’s looking at things backwards.”
Dr. Mowll doesn’t believe one precedes the other. In fact, he’s a firm believer that weight is a symptom not the cause. “Being overweight or even obese does not necessarily cause type 2 diabetes, it is associated but it’s not really the root cause.”
He believes the weight and the diabetes have a similar cause but not that one precedes the other. He says there are people who are over weight with normal blood sugar and there are people who are thin who have abnormal blood sugar.
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“Along the way of becoming diabetic people become overweight or obese many times. Your body becomes insulin resistant, sometimes that comes from over consumption of processed carbohydrates where you get surges of sugar and flour,” he says.
He points out that insulin resistance is showing to be connected to PBA plastics as well as other toxins and persistent organic pollutants and drugs like Corticosteroids that cause problems.
“Insulin is a growth hormone. One of its main purposes is to store any excess calories we have for later use. The preferred way to do that is to fill up the fat cells. So if you’re one of those people who’s a really good fat storer, before you become diabetic you’re going to become heavier and heavier and heavier until eventually the fat cells become insulin resistant. Then the blood sugar starts to rise,” Dr. Mowll says.
He further adds, “If you’re not one of those people who stores excess sugar in fat cells you become diabetic much sooner. In a way it’s a protective system.”
Dr. Mowll describes diabetes as a situation where things can get corrected. He says, “Blood sugar regulation is a metabolic process that you’ve lost control over.” It can be restored with the result of a higher quality of life. Reliance on drugs extends life or delays some aspects of diabetes but you’re still on the same road.
He goes on to say, “To me the approach is change your lifestyle. Change your quality of food. Think about what you’re eating. Change the relationship with food through mindfulness and awareness. With food we can be poisoning ourselves or nourishing ourselves,” he says.
For breakfast he recommends foods higher in protein, no processed foods, no bread products but things that sustain blood sugar like eggs, omelet, vegetables, Greek yogurt with fresh fruit or a smoothie. Keep the healthy fats in the meal while avoiding the processed carbohydrates.
For lunch and dinner he recommends the focus to be on real nutrient dense foods not processed chemical fats but instead use animal fats, coconut oil and grass-fed butter with vegetables. Half the plate should be vegetables with a quarter of the plate being a protein source and the other portion being low glycemic fruit like berries. Getting the calories from real food is the most important aspect.
Adding a quality probiotic, without fillers that feed pathogens in the gut, is a good choice. Click here for a list of therapeutic grade probiotics without pathogen feeding fillers. Click here to see if the probiotic you are taking is filled with pathogen feeding fillers.
Reducing stress, in all forms, as well as proactively practicing meditation and stress reduction techniques are highly beneficial. Low grade exercise should be done regularly as well as taking time to do joyful things that ease the mind and uplift your spirit.
“Typically prescriptions are written and the patients sent out the door and it’s just pure pharmaceutical management. The underlying causes are not addressed and that’s what I think is tragic,” Dr. Mowll says.
Other sources:
http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-2014-reversing-diabetes-knowledge.html
http://www.drmowll.com/blog
http://thediabetessummit.com/dr-brian-mowll/
http://eatingpsychologyconference.com/day-5/
