5 Things Your Doctor Never Told You About Diabetes But Should Have

1. The difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Everyone who has diabetes needs to know the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The reason this is essential knowledge is that most doctors are not aware of the difference. As a result, they often end up treating THE WRONG ILLNESS!

Type 1 is a deficiency of insulin. There are many possible reasons for this, such as:

• Autoimmune disease, where the body has an immune response to the cells in the pancreas that make insulin
• Toxins that affect the pancreas, such as titanium dioxide
• Or nervous system issues that cause the vagus nerve to stop insulin production.

If you don’t have insulin, you need it. There are no pills that replace insulin. There are injections, and in some cases, a nasal spray can be used. Insulin is required to get sugar and amino acids into the cells so they can function. If you don’t have insulin, THEY STARVE! And, if you don’t have insulin you could starve to death, no matter how much you eat. The treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus is insulin, that’s all.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is completely the opposite. In fact, there is no lack of insulin and most often there is too much. High levels of insulin push too much sugar into the cells, and they get bloated. At some point they block the insulin from the inside to stop the sugar from reaching toxic levels. We call this insulin resistance, meaning if you eat, your blood sugar goes up. The insulin from your pancreas just won’t work, and the blood sugar will keep rising. The rise in blood sugar is the reason this illness is called “diabetes” – just like when the pancreas doesn’t make insulin.

However, instead of starving, like with type 1, in this case the cells are overstuffed with sugar! They aren’t using it fast enough, and want to avoid toxicity. They make it into glycogen, a starch, to store it, and then block the insulin so no more can come in. This is why injecting insulin in type 2 diabetes is not helpful. In many ways, insulin injections become harmful, as we will discuss later.

Thus, the difference between these two illnesses should be on the list of explanations all doctors give to patients they diagnose with either of them. They have the same name, but are opposite problems.

2. Measure your insulin level

It is not yet part of a normal endocrinologist practice to test insulin levels. Mostly, the tests for insulin are used by functional doctors. As we have seen, there are two types of diabetes, and the only way to know which you have is to measure your insulin. There are many other reasons why this number is important. Insulin is a growth hormone that needs to be used intermittently, and not all the time. This is what excess insulin does to your body:[1]

• Causes cells to take in excess sugar
• Forces fat cells to make more fat from sugar, making you fatter
• Increases triglycerides
• Blocks the use of fat for energy, preventing weight loss and decreasing energy
• Causes glucose to be made into glycogen (a storage form of sugar), causing insulin resistance
• Prevents the body from getting rid of dead and abnormal cells, causing inflammation and cancer
• Increased acid in the stomach causing GERD and ulcers
• Increased potassium uptake swells the cells and lowers blood potassium
• Decreased renal sodium excretion increases blood volume, and blood pressure
• Causes Alzheimer’s Disease[2]

Edema, hypertension, elevated triglycerides, inflammation, pain, cancer, weight gain, and all the complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus are caused by too much insulin! This is important to know!

When you test, you should know how to interpret this test. A normal insulin level on a fasting specimen is about 3 to 9 uIU/mL, and is optimal around 5. Those who are resistant to insulin are mostly over 10 uIU/mL and I have seen people with numbers as high as 160 uIU/mL. High insulin levels tell you that your pancreas is making extra insulin, and you don’t need to inject more. Those doctors who don’t look don’t know if the insulin is high and you don’t need insulin, or if it’s low, and you need more insulin. Don’t take insulin injections unless your levels are low. If you have high insulin, use the Barton Publishing Diabetes Solution Kit to decrease insulin resistance before considering insulin therapy.

Aside from prescribing insulin, there are several medications that cause the pancreas to make more insulin. If you have type 2 with excess insulin, these probably wouldn’t be the best choice. Knowing your insulin levels can help guide the use of medications. Thus, it is essential to know your insulin levels before you start any therapy.

3. Know your C-peptide level

Along with insulin, the function of the pancreas is assessed by knowing the C-peptide level. C-peptide is the extra piece of protein left over after the insulin is made. It is mostly wasted, but it stays around longer than insulin. So, while insulin is like a snapshot, C-peptide is like a short video. The C-peptide can also tell:

• If your pancreas is putting out excess insulin
• Or if you are getting hypoglycemia from a tumor that secretes insulin which is not responsive to blood sugar like the pancreas

A normal C-peptide level is between 0.8 and 3 ng/mL Optimum is less than 2 ng/mL. If you have less than 0.5 ng/mL, then it may indicate you don’t make enough insulin.[3] You could have both types of diabetes mellitus – Type 1 and Type 2 at the same time – if you have low C-peptide and insulin resistance. This is difficult to treat, but is managed well with the Barton Publishing Diabetes Solution Kit.

4. Diabetes is a toxicity problem

Doctors and nutritionists tell people with diabetes that they can eat anything they want, then they can use extra insulin to bring the blood sugar down. We have discussed the effects of adding extra insulin and medications. Doctors need to tell their patients that they have too much…