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Tag Archives: diabetes treatment virginia beach

Diabetes Prevention on Coast Live

Host: All right, welcome back to Coast Live guys, November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. And this is a disease that affects more than 34 million Americans. But lifestyle changes like diet and exercise can help manage and even prevent diabetes. So here to explain some more with us this morning is Dr. Erica Steele from the holistic Family Medicine in Virginia Beach. Good morning, Dr. Steele, it’s great to see you again.

Dr. Steele: Good morning, nice to see you as well.

Host: Well, we love all your stuff, you know, through through COVID. And everything you’ve been helping so many people out, but this is a disease that, you know, has been an ongoing battle for so many people. And it is there are ways to prevent it. So what are some of your top tips to really just help prevent diabetes from the start?

Dr. Steele: Yeah, so some of my top tips, common sense, obviously, limiting processed foods eating regularly. But sometimes people don’t realize it’s not so much of focus about your carbohydrates as much as it’s about your protein, because protein stabilizes your blood sugar. And so I really encourage people to increase their protein, increase their green vegetables, and also only really in consumed the lower glycemic fruits and vegetables.

Host: Yeah, and we’ve had this conversation many times of how important food is for your overall health, it truly is the foundation of a lot of what is wrong. And you know, this is something that I think people need to kind of be their own advocate for, right? Because we go to a doctor, we say we need bloodwork, and they’re like, Oh, you’re fine, you don’t need this. But what do you need to ask for? And what are some of the like lab markers that someone should really be looking for when they get that done?

Diabetes prevention

Dr. Steele: Yeah, so remember, I’m I’m also a functional medicine provider. So we look at reference ranges versus optimal range. So if you go to your traditional medical doctor, they’re going to see a wide range of glucose, right? We want an optimal range, we don’t want us to reference range. So we’re looking glucose between 80 and 85, we’re looking hemoglobin a one c less than five, right? A lot of times people will come in, they’re like, Oh, my lab work looks fine. Their glucose is a 90 their hemoglobin a one sees a 5.5. So those are really important markers, but also to your liver enzymes, your liver, metabolizes your nutrients, as well as detoxifies and that’s also a sign that your body is moving, your metabolic state is declining. And so that’s one Oregon, we really want to pay attention to optimal, you know, I like it in the teens, but you can go up as much as 26 for your liver enzymes, those your ASD and your al T markers on your CMP.

Host: Yeah, that’s why you need to go to someone who truly understands us to get you better overall, because you need to look at overall health, not just one number, and I love that you do that. But let’s shift to the people who are actually already struggling with diabetes, because you know, I mean, I have sent a lot of friends personally, what type of food tips would you give them as they move, especially into the holiday season?

Dr. Steele: Well, I think even aside from the food, we’ve got to get the mindset down, right. And you’ve talked about this a lot. I know I’ve gone to different workshops and stuff where you’re really big on mindset. And so mindset is number one, because a lot of times those lifestyle habits have been embedded and integrated for so long. And it’s so emotionally based, your first 20% of digestion is attached to the limbic system in your brain, your emotional body, right. So it’s not that a lot of times people don’t want to eat healthy, it’s that emotionally and mentally, they’re not ready. And so we look at Stages of Change. That’s why in our practice, we use education coaching, as well as accountability to help people achieve their results.

New mindset to prevent Diabetes

Host: And I know you have some really good high protein recipes to share. So these are the ones I’m actually curious about too, because everybody needs this in their life.

Dr. Steele: Everyone, including myself, I love I live for it. So we’re actually giving away we have an app that we use for food tracking in our practice. And if you text Our office number, high protein recipes, you can choose between lunch, dinner or breakfast, and we’ll deliver those they come in your email box, they come on your phone, and then you can utilize those to really incorporate more high protein into your lifestyle into your diet.

Host: Yeah, and protein is very, very important. So especially you know, I’ve been that’s, I know that’s that’s my my staple. And everything is my goal is to get a certain amount of protein in every day. So where can people get in touch with you because it’s better to really get this process started before we get to the end of the year.

Dr. Steele: Of course, you can call our office or even text our number to schedule a consultation. I do offer a 15 minute complimentary consult as well as a more extended one hour consultation that includes that comprehensive bloodwork review. So our office, website is staging6.holisticfamilypracticeva.com Lots of really yummy information on there. And then of course all of my socials even on clubhouse we do a lot of education through various different platforms. So it’s not it’s not difficult to find
no easy to find and thank you for being with us and have a wonderful holiday season ahead. It’s great to see you.

 

Diabetes Management | Diabetes Does Not Have to be Your Future

Diabetes BCND

Insulin resistance is a precursor to diabetes and also has been associated with the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Insulin resistance may be genetic however is largely contributed to lifestyle factors. Eating a diet high in refined sugars, processed foods, etc all contribute to the bodies development of insulin resistance.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the beta cells of the pancreas. These cells scatter around the pancreas in small groupings known as islets of Langerhans. Insulin is then produced and released into the bloodstream, throughout the body. The insulin is then used to metabolize carbohydrates within the body, lipids, and proteins. Insulin also can play a role in the bodies production of energy as well as growth and repair within the body.

Once the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin, high levels are needed in order to create the same action within the body causing the pancreas to overcompensate by generating more insulin. Eventually, the pancreas can no longer produce sufficient amounts of insulin and then the blood sugar rises creating risk factors for the body to develop diabetes as well as heart disease. Insulin resistance is considered a metabolic disorder because it affects the way the body metabolizes nutrients within the body, thus affecting the body’s overall ability to produce energy, detox, etc.

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Excess weight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and triglycerides are often symptoms seen along with insulin resistance, known as metabolic syndrome.

As a holistic doctor in family practice, we do not focus on the symptoms, but rather work with the individual step by step to restore the bodies ability to heal itself through creating lifestyle choices and behaviors to allow the body to heal itself. Working with someone on their diet, and the food to which they are eating is critical and the baseline to any health and wellness plan. Just working with someone on their food can easily bring up many suppressed, stored, avoided, and unhealthy relationships associated with foods and eating. Healing is more than just a physical job and someone looking to truly heal must be willing to address all aspects of their health for long lasting benefit and change. After uncovering those aspects, and exploring the hidden behaviors that are preventing healthy eating we then can look at what nutrients are lacking and needing support in order to support metabolic processes. B complexes, in addition to lipoic acid, often help support the body in digesting and assimilating both carbohydrates as well as proteins. Lipid oxidation can occur as a product of toxicity, but also carnitine deficiency. Many vegetarians, in fact, suffer from carnitine deficiencies which can affect the mitochondria of the cell. Once a person is further able to digest and assimilate the food they are eating combined with eating healthy foods, they are on their way to building greater health for years to come.

Currently, we offer a metabolic health class that teaches a person digestion, assimilation from the “top down”. If interested in learning more about your metabolism and how to heal it feel free to come to a class, or schedule an initial visit to discuss in person. Being a functional medicine provider, I am able to examine lab work on a deep level beyond highs and lows to uncover root causes of imbalances in health rather than fighting disease processes. I truly enjoy this work as it creates long-lasting impact for people by transforming their health.

Want to learn more? You can purchase tickets to our wellness classes here.
All information contained in this blog post is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and is neither intended nor suited to be a replacement or substitute for professional medical treatment nor for professional medical advice relative to a specific medical question or condition.