Type 2 Diabetes and Hypoglycemia
The fundamental fuel for your body is glucose, a simple sugar that provides all your cells with the energy they need to function, heal, grow, and thrive.
Glucose keeps us going—and keeps us alive. The central nervous system runs on it, as does every organ in the body, including the heart. Glucose is what we use to build and sustain muscle, and it performs vital functions such as repairing damaged tissue and cells.
When you eat food, your body breaks it down into glucose and places it in your bloodstream so it can travel to all your cells. However, your cells can’t access the glucose directly. They need some help from your pancreas, which is a large endocrine gland located behind your stomach.
Your pancreas is constantly monitoring your bloodstream. When it detects a rise in glucose levels, it responds by producing a hormone called insulin. Insulin attaches to your cells and signals them to open up and absorb the glucose from your blood. Insulin therefore both allows your cells to get the energy they need and ensures your blood glucose levels remain stable.
If your bloodstream has more glucose than your cells can consume—for example, if you’ve eaten a particularly heavy meal (maybe pork ribs slathered in syrupy barbecue sauce; in other words, a lot of fat combined with sugar)—your insulin directs the extra glucose to be stored in your liver. At some later point when your glucose levels run low—for example, in between meals, or during periods of intense physical activity—your liver will release stored glucose for use by your cells. That is, if your liver is strong and functions well.
This is normally an effective system for optimal glucose use. However, it starts to go wrong if your pancreas fails to produce enough insulin when it’s needed. It also goes wrong if some of your cells start refusing to let the insulin attach and open the cells up to receive glucose; this is called insulin resistance.
When either or both of these problems occur, not enough glucose is removed from your blood by your cells. Your body will expel some of the excess glucose in your urine, which may cause you to urinate more frequently, and also dehydrate you and make you feel thirsty.
If your pancreas isn’t creating enough insulin when your body needs it, and/or if you’re experiencing insulin resistance, and if these issues lead to exceptionally high blood glucose levels, you’re at risk for type 2 diabetes. Around 35 million people have this disease in the U.S. alone. And another 95 million have prediabetes, with blood glucose levels higher than normal but not yet at diabetes levels. As many as 35 percent of those with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within six years.
Medical professionals don’t know why type 2 diabetes happens. This is evident in the diets that physicians and dieticians recommend to diabetics; if they knew what was really happening in these patients’ bodies, they’d offer completely different food advice. While doctors get some elements of treatment right, they aren’t able to offer an understanding of how or why this disease starts.
This chapter will tell you precisely what causes type 2 diabetes. It’ll also truly explain how insulin resistance occurs, as well as what hypoglycemia is and how to get your system back in balance enough so your body can have the chance to heal.
TYPE 2 DIABETES SYMPTOMS
If you have type 2 diabetes, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms. (Note that it’s possible to be in the early stages of diabetes and not experience any symptoms.)
WHAT REALLY CAUSES TYPE 2 DIABETES AND HYPOGLYCEMIA
While medical communities are unaware of this, the causes of both type 2 diabetes and hypoglycemia typically begin with the adrenal glands.
When you’re up against continual stress and experiencing difficult and unavoidable trials in life, it sets your adrenal glands to flood your body with adrenaline, a hormone that charges you with emergency energy. While this is a helpful response for dire straits, if you’re continually operating in crisis mode and aren’t able to physically burn off the corrosive adrenaline saturating the tissues of your organs and glands, the adrenaline can eventually do serious damage.
Your pancreas is normally as smooth as a baby’s bottom. But chronic scorching by fear-based or other negative-emotion-based adrenaline will wear away at the pancreas, creating calluses that turn it thick and hard.
It’s like this: When you’re born, your pancreas is like a brand-new credit card. Some come into the world with a sweet deal—a high spending limit, a generous cash credit line, and a cache of frequent flyer miles just for signing up. Others come into the world with lower credit limits, higher interest rates, and fewer bonuses. Either way, you can use that thing up if you’re not careful. When people go through life wearing themselves down and taming the stress with fried or high-fat foods, ice cream, cookies . . . they run up the balance on the pancreas and use up those frequent flyer miles.
Over time, this damages the pancreas’s ability to produce enough insulin to remove all the glucose it should from your bloodstream. And this underperformance alone is enough to create type 2 diabetes.
That’s not the end of it. Your entire body is damaged by chronic floods of negative-emotion-based adrenaline. Especially if you eat when you’re emotional, your pancreas will produce insulin that mixes with the adrenaline in your bloodstream, leading your body to associate the insulin with the fear-based adrenaline that’s hurting it. Over time, this can make many of your cells “allergic” to your adrenaline/insulin blend and cause them to shun both hormones. Medical research hasn’t yet uncovered this “Franken-sulin” hybrid (as I call it), nor has it understood that the physical body revolts in this way. It’s one of the primary causes of pancreatic weakness, which leads to lowered insulin production and nonacceptance of glucose in the body’s cells.
Heavy, rich meals can trigger excess adrenaline production, too. That’s because the adrenals are like a fire station, and fat triggers the alarm bell. When the adrenals get the signal that high levels of fat are in the bloodstream—and therefore have the potential to put the pancreas and liver in immediate danger—the firehouse (the adrenals) sends out the fire trucks (adrenaline) to address the situation. That rush of adrenaline increases digestive strength to help move the fat through your system and protect you, but you pay a price, as this process can weaken the pancreas over time.
On the flip side, your adrenal glands may be underperforming—that is, producing too little adrenaline. This makes your pancreas work overtime to try to compensate. If this condition is chronic, your pancreas will become inflamed or enlarged, and may eventually start underperforming as well.
Then again, you can have adrenal fatigue, in which your unstable adrenals are sometimes producing too little adrenaline and sometimes producing way too much. This can batter your pancreas as it becomes inflamed to compensate for dry spells of adrenaline and then gets scorched by floods of it.
Once your pancreas becomes dysfunctional, it can suffer damage from itself. That’s because in addition to insulin, your pancreas produces enzymes that aid with digestion. Your pancreas also makes inhibitors that prevent these powerful enzymes from turning on itself as if it were a food to be dissolved. But if your pancreas grows sufficiently defective, it’ll start underproducing its inhibitors, at which point the enzymes it produces will create even more damage. (On top of that, you’ll start experiencing digestive problems . . . )
A precursor to type 2 diabetes is a fluctuating but low glucose level—called hypoglycemia—which indicates a major issue with your body’s ability to manage glucose properly. This can occur if your liver becomes impaired in its ability to store and release glucose. It can also happen if you’re failing to eat at least a light, balanced snack—e.g., a fruit (for sugar and potassium) and a vegetable (for sodium)—every two hours. Regularly skipping meals forces your body to use up the liver’s precious glucose storage, driving the body to run on adrenaline; and as previously mentioned, this can damage your pancreas, create insulin resistance, and lead to adrenal fatigue and weight gain over time.
One other major factor is the type of food you eat. There’s a common misconception that diabetes is caused by eating a lot of foods with sugar in them. However, it’s not actually the sugar that’s the problem. It’s sugar and fat combined—mainly fat. For example, you could eat fruit all day and every day for the rest of your life and never get diabetes. (In fact, eating a lot of fruit is the most effective way to add years to your life, as I’ll explain in Chapter 20, “Fruit Fear.”)
The problem is fat. Most people who consume processed foods and junk foods such as cakes, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, and so on—or people who have a seemingly healthy main dish like chicken but follow it up with dessert—typically eat a lot of fat and a lot of sugar at the same time. While sugar that’s not attached to nutrients (e.g., that isn’t coming from fruit or vegetables) is definitely unhealthy, it’s the fat that strains your liver and pancreas.
The first thing that will happen is that instant insulin resistance from the high levels of blood fat that result from an animal protein meal—whether lean versions of pork, steak, or chicken, or fast food battered and fried in oil—will stop the body’s ability to allow the insulin produced by your pancreas to drive sugar into your cells. This will mean there’s a whole lot of sugar floating around the bloodstream that can’t go anywhere. A strong liver will help gather up as much glucose as it can to store for a rainy day. Over time, a diet high in animal fat, protein, and processed oils can burden the liver, though. Your liver can reach a vulnerable state from the constant responsibility to clean up the excess glucose in the bloodstream, and from waiting too many hours between meals to be refueled. When the liver becomes overburdened in this way, it dumps all of its glucose storage back into the bloodstream. This can prompt the birthing stage of hypoglycemia.
Since your liver has to take the burden of processing the fat you eat, a diet high in animal fat (which hides in even the lean animal protein people tend to think of as healthy) can make the organ sluggish and unable to store and release glucose the way it should. Large, heavy meals plus glucose dry spells caused by not eating in between can eventually result in type 2 diabetes.
At the same time, your pancreas has to produce enzymes to break down the fat so you can digest it. A lot of fat makes your pancreas work extra hard; and if you’ve already got other factors straining your pancreas, such as severe negative emotions and/or adrenal glands flooding it with corrosive adrenaline, a diet high in fat may be all that’s needed to push your pancreas over the edge and create type 2 diabetes.
The good news is that all the damage described above is absolutely reversible. Next we’ll cover how to heal your pancreas, your liver, and your insulin-traumatized cells so you can bring your hypoglycemia or type 2 diabetes to an end.
ADDRESSING TYPE 2 DIABETES AND HYPOGLYCEMIA
Since medical communities don’t know the real story of what causes type 2 diabetes and hypoglycemia, they don’t provide the proper diet guidance. Typically, they recommend a diet with little to no sugar in it, advising patients to avoid fruit altogether and focus on eating animal protein and vegetables.
Heeding this advice will probably keep you diabetic forever—and not just diabetic and functional, but diabetic and ailing—since the fat in meat is only going to make your condition worse, while eating fruit is critical for healing diabetes. It’s imperative to understand that animal fats are what weakened the pancreas and liver to begin with.
Sugar was just the messenger. And in this case, health professionals shoot the messenger. That sugar was showcasing the insulin resistance that had cropped up from a pancreas overburdened by fat.
It’s easy to eat a diet high in animal fat without realizing it. Even a lean-cut four-ounce piece of meat will contain a tablespoon of concentrated fat that can burden the pancreas and liver. So when a person is insulin resistant (even from a diet that seems traditionally “healthy”) and puts sugar into her or his system, that sugar is going to prompt insulin problems—and suddenly sugar is going to get all the attention, when it’s not the real instigator.
Think of it like the teenager who throws a party when her parents are out of town. Say her younger brother drinks some punch he didn’t realize was spiked, gets sick, and calls Mom and Dad. Then say when they return home to a trashed house and drunk visitors, the big sister (fat) tries to blame the whole thing on her little brother (sugar). But he didn’t do anything wrong!
Now of course table sugar and many other sweeteners aren’t good for you—I’m not recommending you eat these. Yet to address type 2 diabetes and hypoglycemia, it is critical to lower fat consumption and increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption. I recommend the cleanse in Chapter 21 to help heal the liver, pancreas, and adrenal glands and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Your doctor may prescribe insulin. While insulin lowers your blood glucose level, it does nothing to address core problems such as damaged adrenal glands, a damaged pancreas, a dysfunctional liver, chronic negative emotions, and/or insulin resistance.
What follows is a more targeted daily approach that focuses on healing every likely cause of your type 2 diabetes or hypoglycemia. You’ll also find guidance in Part IV, “How to Finally Heal.” How long you’ll need to stick with this program depends on how much damage has to be undone. You should notice improvements within a few months, and the complete process typically requires six months to two-and-a-half years.
Bolster Your Adrenal Glands
The fact that you have type 2 diabetes means it’s likely you have an issue with your adrenal glands. Therefore, one step toward healing is to read Chapter 8, “Adrenal Fatigue.” You can follow its advice to make your adrenal glands stable and strong.
Healing Foods
Wild blueberries, spinach, celery, papayas, sprouts, kale, raspberries, and asparagus are top foods to eat if you have type 2 diabetes or hypoglycemia. These perform functions such as detoxing the liver, strengthening glucose levels, supporting the pancreas, boosting the adrenal glands, and stabilizing insulin.
Take care to avoid certain foods as well, most specifically cheese, milk, cream, butter, eggs, processed oils, and all sugars except for raw honey and fruit.
Healing Herbs and Supplements
Getting a New Perspective on Sugar
Starting in her teens, Morgan battled what she called emotional highs and lows. Her mother, Kim, learned that if Morgan went too long without eating, she’d start to act out with a burst of frustration or fall into tears out of nowhere.
Kim repeatedly took Morgan to the family doctor to have her blood sugar levels evaluated, but Morgan’s A1C and other tests would always come back normal. The doctor passed off Morgan’s inconsistent behavior as an aspect of being a sensitive—or maybe even bipolar—girl.
When Morgan was in her early 20s, Kim found an alternative doctor who said Morgan was hypoglycemic. The practitioner instructed Morgan to stay away completely from sugars and other carbohydrates, and to eat a diet of strictly protein and vegetables, with small meals every few hours to stabilize her blood sugar.
At first, Morgan felt an improvement. She and Kim took this as an indication that the diet was helpful, so all through her early adult life, Morgan stayed clear of most carbs and all processed sugars. She focused on eating doctor-recommended proteins such as eggs, chicken, turkey, cheese, fish, and nuts every few hours, as well as salads with tomatoes and cucumbers, which were allowed because they were low-carb. This gave Morgan the blood sugar and energy stability to function.
As she got into her late 20s, though, her energy levels became inconsistent again. She started to develop digestive gas and bloating, along with weight gain and fatigue. After exercising, she’d get a huge energy crash and intensely crave sugar.
Morgan had her blood drawn at the alternative doctor’s office, and the A1C test showed evidence that she now had type 2 diabetes. She could barely process the information. She’d hardly eaten any sugar over the last seven years. She read every food package, every label, and she studiously sought out protein and avoided carbohydrates. This had once seemed to be saving her.
Kim vented about the predicament to her hairdresser, who was a client of mine. She told Kim I’d be able to get to the bottom of Morgan’s health problem.
Within the first minute of my phone call with Morgan and Kim, Spirit confirmed that Morgan was hypoglycemic and now technically had type 2 diabetes.
“How could this happen?” Morgan asked. “I strictly avoid sugar and carbs, and I eat protein every three hours.”
“Sugar isn’t the issue,” I said. “It’s fat. Unfortunately, Morgan, you were prescribed a high-fat diet under the guise of a high-protein one.”
“I was told this was all protein I’ve been eating,” Morgan said. “Where was the fat?”
“It was in the animal protein,” I told her. “For seven years, fat has been your main calorie source, since you weren’t living off sugar or carbohydrate calories.”
“And why don’t doctors know about this?”
“They haven’t learned yet,” I said. “They’re wrapped up in the high-protein trend.”
Kim cut in. “Why are these foods just called high-protein? Why isn’t the fat mentioned?”
“Because that’s how it was first marketed back in the 1930s. If all these animal products were marketed as high-fat, they wouldn’t have been as appealing.”
I explained that the animal fat had burdened Morgan’s liver and pancreas. “You felt stabilized for the first few years because you weren’t going so long between meals, and because the high-protein/high-fat combo had forced your adrenal glands to work harder, pumping out their energy hormones.” Now, as she was getting older, she was exhibiting all the symptoms of adrenal fatigue and digestive distress, because her liver and pancreas had become sluggish. This was behind the weight gain, too.
“Your liver can’t store glucose anymore to provide you with energy, and your adrenals are running low on adrenaline. We need to change your diet—lower your animal proteins to one serving at dinnertime, eliminate all dairy and eggs, and start bringing in natural sugars from fruit. And you need to let go of the carbohydrate fear that’s been drilled into you. Bananas, apples, dates, grapes, melons, mangoes, pears, and berries are going to make every difference in your health. You can keep some nuts and seeds in rotation, just don’t eat more than a handful once or twice daily.”
Kim hesitated. “You’re telling a diabetic that what she needs in her life is more sugar?”
I hear this all the time. “Only the natural sugar in fruit,” I said. I assured them both that if Morgan used the grazing technique and ate every two hours, using food combining to balance potassium, sodium, and sugar (as I describe in Chapter 8, “Adrenal Fatigue”), she would do great. Any and all fruits and vegetables were wonderful components of those snacks and meals. Suggested healing food combos for Morgan were celery or cucumbers with dates, apples, walnuts, or seeds.
Within the first month, Morgan felt more energy and emotional stability than she had in the last ten years. Her weight was going down, and she could finally exercise without collapsing afterward. Smoothies with dates, bananas, and celery became her favorite post-workout meal. And even though it seemed counterintuitive to all advice on the diabetes front, she decided she was feeling so great with the change in diet that she only wanted one serving of animal protein a week.
Within four months, Morgan had reversed her type 2 diabetes. Her doctor was baffled as he presented the results of her A1C test—that it was back to normal. In the months that followed, Morgan continued to restore her pancreas, liver, and adrenal glands—and get her life back on track.