The first time I ever heard the term “high blood sugar” was when I was a young mother pregnant with my third child. After looking at my chart and seeing that my second child weighed 9 pounds and 15 ounces when he was born, my doctor was concerned that I might have “high blood sugar”. I wasn’t sure what that meant at the time, but it didn’t sound good.
As I later learned, “high blood sugar” meant that there was too much glucose circulating in my blood. Each time we eat a meal, our body breaks down the carbohydrates into smaller sugars that are easily absorbed into the bloodstream through the small intestines. As these sugars circulate, our pancreas releases insulin. Insulin binds to our cell membranes and acts as a key, opening the cell and allowing it to utilize glucose, amino acids (from protein), lipids (from fats) and other nutrients. Once the nutrients are cleared from the blood, insulin is no longer secreted from the pancreas. This entire cycle usually takes about 3 hours.
How would there be too much glucose circulating?
There are several factors that can lead to high levels of glucose lingering in the blood. Our bodies require the mineral chromium in order for insulin to bind to its receptors on the cell. If we are deplete of chromium, the insulin cannot open the cell to allow nutrient utilization.
Another factor leading to abnormal function is insulin resistance. This occurs when our body requires greater and greater amounts of insulin to accomplish the work of binding to our cells and getting nutrients into the cells. Insulin resistance has many causes, mostly related to poor diet, insufficient exercise, and high levels of stress.
In order to keep our bodies functioning properly, they must receive adequate amounts of proper nutrients. Specifically, omega-3 fatty acids (DHA) play a key role in our cell membrane function. Deficiencies in chromium, magnesium, zinc, and B-vitamins all reduce cell sensitivity to insulin. Last, and probably most important, is the amount of high glycemic foods we eat each day. Sugar, fruit juice, white breads, and other simple carbohydrates all break down into glucose and act to raise our blood sugar levels. This puts a burden on the pancreas to produce enough insulin to constantly bring these levels down again.
Another factor leading to insulin resistance is insufficient exercise. Our bodies are made to move. This doesn’t have to be a specific exercise regimen. For most of us, this means that we need to make the effort to work in the garden, play a game with the children, and incorporate more movement into our daily lives. If you find that as you get older it becomes harder and harder to “move”, take time each morning stretch. Go through each part of your body, slowly moving it around, stretching and warming up your muscles for the day. This often helps to make movement more enjoyable.
Last, take a look at the things in your life that are causing you stress. Are there things in your life that are out of your control? Do they need to be handed over to the Lord so that you are not physically carrying the burden? Sometimes we don’t realize the serious physical implications stress has on our bodies. We hang on to burdens that we aren’t meant to carry and in doing so we cause our bodies not to function properly.
Why is high blood sugar a problem?
One of the biggest issues is that our cells are not receiving the nutrients they need to function properly because they no longer respond to the “key” and open up freely. Ironically, the excess insulin also causes the cell to switch from fat burning to fat storing. So a person can be nutritionally “starving” and yet at the same time become overweight.
Insulin resistance eventually leads to diabetes, the point where a person can no longer regulate their blood sugar on their own and must rely on medications to attempt to do so. Insulin resistance has also been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and many types of cancer.
How to maintain a balanced blood sugar level?
I have mentioned several causes of imbalance. Many people see great results in just reversing their habits. We should be taking a look at what we are eating and asking if it is serving us well. Sometimes we realize that we need to make changes, but the changes are difficult to make. A couple of tips to help facilitate change:
- Supplement with chromium – Most Americans are deficient in chromium. Supplementing with chromium will often help curb the carbohydrate cravings.
- Protein for breakfast – Eating a breakfast high in protein helps us avoid the blood sugar rollercoaster (high blood sugar in the morning, crashing mid-morning needing a snack to keep going).
- Movement after meals – Moving our muscles after a meal causes our bodies to burn more of the glucose we have taken in. This is a natural way to lower blood sugar levels.
- Supplement with herbs – There are many nourishing herbs that support normal pancreatic function and healthy blood sugar levels. When deciding which herbs to take, we should look at the person as a whole and see what herbs would best serve the person, their constitution, and other factors affecting their health. Some herbs that have been useful in working with clients to help them balance their blood sugar levels are: cinnamon, bitter melon, devil’s club, Holy basil, juniper, fenugreek, and dandelion.
When it comes to change, we often feel the need to give it our all or simply not make the change. Change is never easy, but taking small daily steps adds up over time. I would encourage you to make those daily changes and once you have one area mastered, move on to another change. And when you feel you have “messed up”, start again new the next day. Don’t give up! We are only given one body to do the work we are called to do. Let’s take the best care of it we can.