At one point, way back when, you were told you have Type II diabetes.  You probably remember it very clearly.  Were you expecting the diagnosis, or were you blind-sided?  What happened next? I can bet it was one of those two things.  You were either put on oral medication at that point or you were told you have approximately three months to bring your sugars down or you will have to start with meds, from there the rest is history.  But was there ever a time where you took a step back and thought … what’s going on here…why do I have diabetes…what part of my “system” is failing me…why am I no longer able to control my blood sugar?  If you have asked yourself these questions, that’s great.  If you haven’t, why not?  You see, high blood sugar is only a symptom of the disease process; it’s not the disease.  There was a point in your life when your body regulated your blood sugar without any problems, what changed?  What’s gone wrong?  What is no longer functioning properly?  Aren’t these the questions we should be asking?  I bring up this because traditionally when patients are diagnosed by a simple blood test then they are put on meds to manage their sugar, or they are told to diet and exercise, which only helps manage sugars.  Managing sugars is important, but the disease can and will progress with this approach.  That’s why the typical patient I see has been on oral meds, has had them increased, has tried new ones, has had a statin drug or BP medication added.  They are managing sugars, but the disease is progressing.  At this point you should be wondering, “Well what can be driving my diabetes, my high sugar?” The answer is many things but there are four main organs that play a role in regulating blood sugar and therefore play a role in diabetes: your liver, pancrease, adrenal glands, and thyroid.  So the big question is when was the last time your doctor evaluated these organs or ran the appropriate tests to find out if they are impacting your disease? Well, until next time.

Dr. Anderson, DC

Thank you, and I encourage you to leave comments or questions below. And please fill out the form to the right for more information

Article by Dr. Dean Anderson, DC. Denver, Colorado’s Type 2 Diabetes Professional