Mastering Blood Sugar

Dr. Elena Zinkov has a background as a competitive athlete – that introduced her to the world of sports medicine and how nutrition impacts performance. From there Dr. Elena grew passionate about finding the most innovative and evidence-based techniques for pain management.

Now, she is best known for helping busy men and women regain their vibrant lifestyle after years of doctor’s appointments and testing with no results. Through her signature program, Dr. Elena helps her clients reach their full potential through optimal health.

In this episode, Dr. Elena explains how she looks at type 2 diabetes from a naturopathic perspective. First, she looks at the cardiovascular system and the hosts of issues contributing to blood sugar regulation. Next, a naturopath looks at lifestyle, stress levels, and dietary habits. It's essential to look at the whole person, including their family, work, and living environment.

When someone does have type 2 diabetes, it's time to figure out how to intervene. Some of the ways you can intervene are through diet, exercise, lifestyle, supplements, and hormone replacement therapy. It's essential to treat from the whole person's perspective because it is a lifestyle disease. There are so many things you can do from a natural perspective before seeking insulin.

At a naturopathic clinic, Dr. Elena collects a basic set of labs. Anytime there is a blood dysregulation, Dr. Elena includes a thyroid panel, sex hormone panel, nutrient analysis, and cortisol. Then, Dr. Elena has an in-depth conversation, and she comes up with a grand master plan for her patients. After following the plan, Dr. Elena will make adjustments as necessary after the first few months.

When Dr. Elena sees patients who have tried loads of different diets to lose weight, she sees a problem with the metabolism. Sometimes, these patients need to utilize time-restrictive eating and exercising. With these minor changes, people can start seeing metabolic change. If that's not working, then the patient may need thyroid medication. Again, if that doesn't work, then patients should look at it as a hypothalamic problem.

Later, Dr. Elena explains the mindset shift that needs to happen on a health journey. It can take years to cultivate specific skills. Faith is a massive component of wellness. In the past few years, Dr. Elena brings a lot more faith-based conversations to her practice. She likes to talk about what is keeping her patients going - wellness is a journey.

Stay tuned as we talk about navigating the health journey during COVID. Plus, Dr. Elena gives her advice to patients with type 2 diabetes.

Key Takeaways:

[ 1:10 ] Looking at type 2 diabetes from a naturopathic perspective
[ 5:30 ] Level of intervention for type 2 diabetes
[ 12:25 ] Assessing patients at a naturopathic clinic
[ 16:15 ] The complexities behind blood sugar dysfunction
[ 19:20 ] Strategies for weight-loss resistance patients

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In this episode, Jeff Cyr dives deep into his story. In 1977, Jeff was rushed to the emergency room for back surgery. He ended up getting a diagnosis of severe lumbar spinal stenosis. Jeff had a hard time walking because of his permanent nerve damage. Most of the day, Jeff would sit in his La-Z-Boy. At 330 pounds, Jeff would need to use his cane to get out of the chair.

In 2005, Jeff went to the doctor for hernia surgery. After routine blood work, the doctor said his fasting blood sugar was 300, and he had an A1C of 12.0. Officially, Jeff was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. They gave Jeff a nutritionist who told him to eat a high-carb diet of whole grains and fruits.

In 2008, Jeff finally stopped feeling sorry for himself, and he knew something had to change. So, Jeff stopped smoking cold turkey. After a few months, Jeff quit oral morphine cold turkey. Again, a few months later, Jeff started exercising at Planet Fitness. On the first day of exercising, Jeff rode the bike for two minutes. Each day, Jeff would increase the time on his bike. Over the course of sixteen months, Jeff lost 163 pounds.

In 2011, Jeff went to the hospital for a liver biopsy. The doctor called Jeff in for some news. He was diagnosed with an auto-immune fatal liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis. Basically, it attacks the bile ducts of the liver. What ends up happening is the bile ducts become large and inflamed. Eventually, it will cause cirrhosis of the liver. When that happens, you need a liver transplant.

In 2012, Jeff started his low carbohydrate diet. It took eighteen months, and Jeff’s liver enzymes began to ratchet downwards. Eventually, the liver enzymes were almost healthy. Jeff’s doctor didn’t know what to say.

Later, we talk about adiponectin – a protein hormone that is extremely important in regard to type 2 diabetes. It’s an anti-inflammatory hormone, and it reduces cardiovascular risks. Here is a shortlist of what adiponectin does in the human body:

• Increases fatty acid oxidation.
• Adiponectin is what makes you insulin sensitive.
• It preserves pancreatic beta cells.
• Prevents beta cell death.
• Promotes uptakes of fatty acids.
• Increases glucose uptake and fat storage.

Jeff explains how to protect your adiponectin levels:

1. Lose weight.
2. Omega 3 fish oil.
3. Any form of exercise.
4. Grapeseed extract in high doses.
5. Normal glucose and normal insulin levels.

Stay tuned as we talk about the difference between eating fat and producing fat. Plus, Jeff explains why butter and eggs are not the saturated fats that will cause i

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Dr. Ethan J. Weiss has been passionate about health since a young child, growing up around a cardiologist father. He eventually went on to attend Vassar College before moving on to medical school and residency at John Hopkins. He came to UCSF in 1998 to complete his clinical and research fellowships in cardiology and has remained on the faculty since then. Dr. Weiss has maintained an active clinical practice with expertise in the emerging intersection between endocrine and metabolic disease and cardiovascular diseases. He is a leading authority on novel tools to predict and prevent cardiovascular disease and has special interest in using technology as a tool to enable lifestyle changes.

When you look at the role of nutrition in cardiovascular health, you’ll find that there is imperfect information. So, we need to review the information that we have and take the best approach going forward. Dr. Ethan believes that cholesterol is causative in cardiovascular disease. In the past ten years, there has been an abundant amount of information that LDL is a massive risk factor.

Dr. Ethan explains the effects of cholesterol. If you look at plaque in human arteries, there is definitely LDL cholesterol. How LDL contributes to the growth of plaque is still something we are learning about. We are hindered in this field because it is difficult to get ahold of the tissue. We don’t have the best or most refined understanding of how this happens. However, the latest theory is that cholesterol will cause problems by inducing an inflammatory response.

Diet relates closely to lipid health. In the seventies, we told people to eat low fat; therefore, people started eating high carbs. However, Dr. Ethan doesn’t want to say that he has the answers prematurely. No one has the answers; there is still a lot to learn about nutrition. If you take a low carb and high-fat diet, the impact is an increase in LDL cholesterol. After digging deeper, Dr. Ethan felt more comfortable with the rise in LDL because it didn’t increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Some individuals will have a much more significant change to their LDL when they start eating low carb. Dr. Ethan says people have five choices:

Ignore it.

Keep an eye on things by measuring calcium.

Try a different diet by adding more carbs.

Start taking a statin.

Replace saturated fats with plant-based fats.

Dr. Ethan is most excited about the last choice, replacing saturated fats with plant-based fats. When people have heart attacks, it’s important to treat things differently. So, Dr. Ethan does not recommend using diet to treat heart attacks alone. However, food should be part of the recovery.

Then, Dr. Ethan explains the relationship between keto and diabetes. You don’t often see people coming into the doctor’s office with fewer and fewer drugs. However, people with diabetes are coming off of their diabetes medications and blood pressure medications once trying the ketogenic diet. Dr. Ethan has found publications on low carb diets and diabetes in 1795. So, the relationship between keto and diabetes is not a new phenomenon.

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Dr. Brad Gorski has a passion for helping others eliminate autoimmunity. People with autoimmune disease suffer from symptoms for years before they get answers. Eliminating his own autoimmune disease led him to a system of customized health coaching that is impacting those with autoimmune problems.

We are in the infancy of understanding autoimmunity. As far as the ties between autoimmunity and diabetes, Dr. Brad says that once you develop type 2 diabetes, you have a high chance of developing a thyroid issue. Our nutrition is terrible, and it’s damaging our gut. In order to get well, we need to have our nutrition in place.

To help decipher your inflammation, look at your blood test and check your C-Reactive Protein (CRP) numbers. These protein levels should be under one, according to Dr. Brad. If you have high levels of CRP, that means there are toxin issues. Also, understand your omega-6 and omega-3 ratio – it should be about 4:1 depending on your risk factors. Fat is necessary to buffer inflammation.

Food is not always the best medicine. We all do not need the same nutrition plan. Our immunity is based on our gut bacteria, and all of our gut bacteria is unique. So, it doesn’t make sense that one nutrition plan would work for everyone equally. You can be eating foods that are “good,” yet they are making you sick.

To heal his body, Dr. Brad used fasting. To help heal the gut, you can start with little types of fasting. Within four days of fasting, you can regenerate your entire immune system. Fasting will change gut bacteria and immunity. Plus, our body needs that energy to heal. Dr. Brad uses fasting with almost all of his patients.

When you’re autoimmune, you want to rule out toxins first. For Dr. Brad, mold pushed him over the edge. Heavy metals are another thing that your body can be sensitive to; they will continuously stress the system and build up over time. Toxins will bioaccumulate and eventually wreak havoc on the body.

Stay tuned as Dr. Brad gives his advice for someone with type 2 diabetes.

Key Takeaways:

[ 0:40 ] About Dr. Brad Gorski
[ 7:50 ] Autoimmune components of diabetes
[ 11:00 ] How to decrease inflammation
[ 15:40 ] Testing omega levels
[ 18:00 ] Food is not always the best medicine
[ 19:50 ] How to heal the gut
[ 23:20 ] Healing autoimmune conditions
[ 31:30 ] Advice for someone with type 2 diabetes

Mentioned in this Episode:

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In this episode, Dr. Brian interviews dietitian Michelle Hurn, author of "The Dietitian's Dilemma," who shares her story of recovering from anorexia nervosa at the age of 12 and how it led her to become a low-carb advocate. Michelle discusses the importance of metabolic health and how diet and lifestyle can improve it. Through her own experience and working with clients, she emphasizes the benefits of a low-carb, high-fat diet and debunks some common nutrition myths. Listen to this insightful episode to gain valuable insights into improving your metabolic health.
Avoid Processed Carbs and Oils

Processed carbs and oils are some of the worst things you can put in your body. Not only are they unhealthy, but they can also contribute to serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. That's why it's so important to avoid processed carbs and oils whenever possible.

One of the primary sources of processed carbs and oils is processed food. Processed food is often loaded with unhealthy ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, corn syrup, canola oil, and soy protein. These ingredients make food taste better but can also lead to various health issues. That's why it's so important to read the labels on food before you buy it and avoid any food that contains these ingredients.

Question Conventional Approaches To Health

In today's world, it is all too easy to accept conventional approaches to health without questioning them. We often take the advice of doctors, nutritionists, and other health professionals without considering the potential consequences. However, it is essential to remember that conventional approaches are not always the best or most effective.

Take nutrition, for example. For years, the dietary guidelines have recommended a diet high in carbohydrates, low in fat, and low in protein. This approach has been accepted by many as the only way to eat for optimal health. But recent research has shown that this approach may not be the best for everyone.

Heal With Real Food

It is vital to keep it simple and to focus on quality, nutrient-dense foods. When transitioning to a real food diet, focusing on nutrient-dense foods such as beef, butter, liver, and salmon is crucial. It is also essential to avoid processed foods and sugary drinks. Coffee can be consumed with heavy cream, and having carrots a few nights a week is okay.

Key Takeaways
[00:02:29] Low bone density in athletes.
[00:03:19] Carbs and diabetes.
[00:13:24] Low-carb diet and anxiety.
[00:18:01] Ethics in dietetics.
[00:21:17] Extreme diets and eating disorders.
[00:23:48] Refeeding the brain with fat.
[00:31:02] Carnivore diet for blood sugar.
[00:47:51] Lifestyle changes for better health.
Resources
Website: https://thedietitiansdilemma.net/
Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TYVDGS4/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runeatmeatrepeat/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleHurnRD
Coaching Programs: https://ketogeniclifestylecoaching.com/get-coaching/coaching-programs/

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