Diabetes in Paradise?

I was on the beach yesterday getting my hair braided by a sweet 41-year-old Carribean woman.  Sweet, but sad. 

Cassie told me that eating makes her so anxious that sometimes she just cries. Diabetes has taken the joy from her life: "sugar rushes" come over her unexpectedly and possess her to eat things that make her feel sick. Her anguish was palpable. She begged me to give her a map out of this hell.

She said she's taking 1000 mg of Metphormin. Can that be right? Maybe she meant 100 mg. In any case, she was never advised to supplement with B12, which may explain the extreme anxiety she is feeling since she began using this drug. (When offered prescription medications, patients are seldom advised that these will rob their bodies of important nutrients, thus causing the popular side effects).

I offered reassurance to Cassie that many people are able to heal by making changes to their diet and sticking to a style of eating that supports good health. I referred her to some resources including the Carb-Loaded documentary film and I offered to stay in touch. I suggested drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water before meals to help regulate her blood sugar and adding cinnamon to her diet for the same reason. Sucking on a cinnamon stick instead of candy while she works is a good idea too. In return, she gave me a head full of braids to keep my hair in order on the beach and the valuable reminder that food is killing people physically and emotionally. They need help to know what and how to eat for better health. 

There's an epidemic of diabetes here in these beautiful Carribean Islands, and not just among the fat Americans vacationing here. Pleasure foods and alcohol not only satisfy the demands of the tourists but also seem to be popular among the locals. I see uniformed children walking home from school with cans of soda in hand, many overweight and lumbering up the steep streets. Among a population genetically predisposed to diabetes, this is a recipe for disaster, tantamount to any past plague, pirate or hurricane that has swept through in the past.

The good news is that the casualties need not be random victims.

For Cassie and others motivated to change their habits, the joy of living can be recaptured and good health maintained.  Nutritional Therapy is designed to personalize your diet strategy to support you through the lifestyle changes you make to improve your health. I'm here for you.