The most effective treatment for chronic conditions is diet and lifestyle intervention, which help restore normal hormonal and metabolic function. Even mildly abnormal glucose levels are an early warning sign for many chronic conditions, such as insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, mitochondrial health, blood vessel damage, heart disease, strokes, and brain health. Blood glucose measurements are one of the best ways to assess metabolic function and overall health. A fasting blood glucose test and the hemoglobin A1c level are two of the most common measurements doctors look at to evaluate your metabolism. Both of these measurements have limitations. Because they are one-time measurements, they fail to consider the bigger picture, miss fundamental problems, and are unreliable (specifically a1c). A better way to understand the dynamic nature of our blood glucose is a continuous glucose monitor, also called a CGM. In this post, I will l talk about the many benefits to using one.
Read MoreInsulin promotes the uptake of glucose by cells and its storage as glycogen. The insulin and glucose tend to balance out in healthy individuals. In healthy individuals, our cells readily respond to insulin and quickly take up glucose. In many people the body produces insulin, but it is not enough to effectively keep up, and blood sugar rises. Most doctors focus on reading blood sugar levels to diagnose health problems. It turns out that high insulin levels precede high sugar levels, making it an excellent predictive test for disease.
Read MoreAre there people who just don’t chew enough to absorb enough nutrients to be healthy, even though they could if they wanted to? How do we know when we have safely masticated food enough to safely swallow? Are all of the recommendations to chew more based on legitimate science? Let’s find out…
Read MorePrevalence of metabolic health in American adults is alarmingly low, even in normal weight individuals. The large number of people not achieving optimal levels of risk factors, even in low-risk groups, has serious implications for public health. In this post I discuss the poor state of our health, why it is so bad, and what to do about it.
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