Author Archive
Type 2 Diabetes Case Study and Testimonial – Part 2 of 2
Posted by: | CommentsThis is part two in the series of videos covering the case for Ruth Crowley. Visit the previous post to refresh where she was when she started, and then listen to where she is at now. Her blood sugar has dropped over 100 points as of this video. Enjoy!
Dr. Stafford
If you are suffering from Type 2 Diabetes and need help getting it and keeping it under control, please fill out the form to the right and we can help get you the information you need.
Article by Dr. Charles Stafford, Type 2 Diabetes Professional, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Type 2 Diabetes Case Study and Testimonial – Part 1 of 2
Posted by: | CommentsThis is part 1 in the journey of Ruth Crowley as she enters our Diabetes program. Follow along with us monthly as she updates her status. Part 2, which is after just three weeks will be posted next week. Listen to her frustration in this video and then watch future episodes as she moves through the program.
Dr. Stafford
If you are suffering from Type 2 Diabetes and need help getting it and keeping it under control, please fill out the form to the right and we can help get you the information you need.
Article by Dr. Charles Stafford, Type 2 Diabetes Professional, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
What is Adrenal Stress Syndrome?
Posted by: | CommentsWhen the body goes through the stress response, which starts with alarm, goes to resistance and ultimately lands in exhaustion, it can ultimately cause an adrenal stress syndrome. This is characterized by several signs and symptoms:
Fatigue
Headaches
Weak immune system
Gastric Ulcer
Bloated feeling
Blurred vision
Irritable before meals
Cannot fall asleep
Cannot stay asleep
Slow starter
Crave sweets, caffeine, nicotine
This list is not complete by any means but does illustrate just how common some of these are and how we likely are experiencing them right now.
So we have let the stress response go on unchecked, now we have created this syndrome, what does that affect?
Primarily, at least where we are concerned, blood sugar, it creates insulin resistance if the cortisol is elevated and it creates hyperinsulinemia, which creates a cascade effect with the blood sugar levels. Also it can be decreased and impair the body’s ability to stabilize blood sugar levels and can create hypoglycemia.
It also has effects on the thyroid gland, pituitary gland, liver detoxification, intestinal tract, the immune system, gastric and duodenal disorders, bone density, depression, insomnia, neurodegenerative disease and cardiovascular disease.
The adrenals are just one area that we evaluate in our office, but as you can tell, they are very important to what is going on in the diabetic condition.
Dr. Charles Stafford
If you are suffering from Type 2 Diabetes and need help getting it and keeping it under control, please fill out the form to the right and we can help get you the information you need.
Article by Dr. Charles Stafford, Type 2 Diabetes Professional, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Cortisol, What Is It And Why Do I Care?
Posted by: | CommentsCortisol is a steroid hormone released by the adrenal glands. It is a glucocorticoid and is secreted specifically by the adrenal cortex, or the outer portion of the adrenal gland. It is very important to blood glucose concentration in two ways.
First it increases the liver production of glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis. This is important in the body during times of stress or between meals for the body to have energy. The second method is by impairing the utilization of glucose by the peripheral tissues. In other words cortisol has an anti-insulin effect on tissues and impairs the uptake of glucose for energy.
Cortisol is diabetogenic since it raises blood glucose concentrations.
This is why the stress response and the circadian release of cortisol are so very important to diabetics or borderline diabetics. This process if left uncontrolled drives the blood glucose problem in the body. It is one way in which to address diabetes from a functional problem or stand point instead of just addressing the blood sugar.
Dr. Charles Stafford
If you are suffering from Type 2 Diabetes and need help getting it and keeping it under control, please fill out the form to the right and we can help get you the information you need.
Article by Dr. Charles Stafford, Type 2 Diabetes Professional, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Does Eating Healthy Cost More?
Posted by: | CommentsSeveral times in the last couple of weeks the topic of eating healthy and costing more has come up with patients. I wanted to examine this with all of you so we have an understanding on a very important part of our overall health picture.
Lets break this discussion down to two types of cost: Time and Money.
Time. This is the hardest for us to handle. Eating a healthy diet requires more time than money. We have to plan meals, grocery shop, prepare meals, clean-up, etc. This is a lot of time. Do we have this time? Can we make this time? The answer to both questions is yes. We cannot put a price on how important our health is to us. By trying to shave time off of this we are killing ourselves, then looking for the miracle drug to lower our cholesterol, blood sugar, increase our thyroid production, and on and on.
You have to determine where you want to spend your time. Do you want to spend the extra 30 to 40 minutes a week making a menu and planning for meals or do you want to spend the tail end of your life at the doctor and in the hospital?
Money. As I counsel patients on healthy eating I have determined that most patients are really unaware of what that means. Theses are people that supposedly were told by their physicians what to eat. One of the key components of this is portion size. Do some foods cost more than others, absolutely. But the key here is, are you eating the right amount? Once you balance out what you are supposed to be eating and in the appropriate portions the cost works itself out.
Again we have to determine where we want to spend our money. Do you want to spend the extra $30 eating healthier foods or do want to spend your retirement savings on multiple medications and hospital bills just to live the extra year.
Is this really what we want? I would have to answer this emphatically, NO. And, yet we seem to keep spiraling this way. The only way to make this change is to be conscious in what you are doing on a daily basis.
Dr. Charles Stafford
If you are suffering from Type 2 Diabetes and need help getting it and keeping it under control, please fill out the form to the right and we can help get you the information you need.
Article by Dr. Charles Stafford, Type 2 Diabetes Professional, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
