Metabolic Syndrome is defined by its four hallmark symptoms of central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia or high cholesterol, and hyperglycemia or high blood sugar. All four of these symptoms have something in common, the patient cells no longer respond to normal amounts of insulin.
The medical model for treating Metabolic Syndrome is to treat each symptom as separate, unrelated disease. Patients are given drugs, usually six to nine of them, to treat each symptom without trying to fix the underline cause.
An increase in insulin or hyper-insulinemia is the cause and has many detrimental effects on the body.
-First in response to hyper-insulinemia the pancreas secretes an exaggerated amount of insulin in response to rise in blood glucose, which can lead to insulin resistance. Most practitioners do not focus on this. They see a rise in blood glucose and prescribe drugs to lower it, which only furthers the problem of hyper-insulimia by signaling the pancreas to produce more insulin.
-Secondly, the patient now has hypertension due to the increase in insulin and is put on an ACE inhibitor to lower blood pressure. This signals the pancreas to secrete more insulin and as a result the patient gains more weight.
-Thirdly an excess of insulin causes an increase in the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase which tells the body to produce more Cholesterol and now the patient needs a stating drug to lower cholesterol.
Hyperinsulinemia eventually may lead Diabetic symptoms. Many experts agree that by 2050 1 in every 3 Americans will have diabetes, this includes children. They also agree this will potentially bankrupt our health care budget.
Diabetes is the number one cause of blindness, amputations and kidney failure in this country. The current healthcare system spends 174,000,000 dollars per year on patients with diabetes and this 174 billion does not include one dollar spent on prevention.
`It has been long known that diet and exercise can reduce the onset of Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes. Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes is a life style change and here are tips to help:
Tip 1: Get up and move, Exercise can help you:
-Lose weight
-Lower your blood sugar
-Boosts your sensitivity to insulin - which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range
Research shows that both aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes, but the greatest benefit comes from a fitness program that includes both.
Tip 2: Increase your fiber intake
Increase in fiber may help you:
Reduce your risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control
Lower your risk of heart disease
Promote weight loss by helping you feel full
Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
Tip 3: Lose extra weight
If you're overweight, diabetes prevention may hinge on weight loss. Every pound you lose can improve your health. And you may be surprised by how much. In one study, overweight adults reduced their diabetes risk by 16 percent for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of weight lost. Also, those who lost a modest amount of weight - at least 5 to 10 percent of initial body weight - and exercised regularly reduced the risk of developing diabetes by almost 60 percent over three years.
Tip 4: Do not waste time and money on fad diets.
Low-crab diets, the glycemic index diet or other fad diets may help you lose weight at first, but their effectiveness at preventing diabetes isn't known nor are their long-term effects. And by excluding or strictly limiting a particular food group, you may be giving up essential nutrients. Instead, think variety and portion control as part of an overall healthy-eating plan.
Tip 5- Receive Regular Chiropractic Care.
Spinal nerve interference has been acknowledged in scientific literature to be a contributing factor of endocrine and metabolic disorders including diabetes. Studies have shown that Chiropractic care reduces blood pressure and reduces the overall impact that lifestyle stressors have on the body. Chiropractic health care is founded on the principle that a good working nervous system is vital to the general well-being and function of the human body.