Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 is not a disease that develops overnight.
It doesn’t even develop in just weeks or months. It is a disease that develops insidiously…slowly over the years.
Consider having the disease as turning on 2 very important switches inside your body. The first switch is found in your GENES. If your parents, grandparents or first degree blood relative are positive for this disease, then it is more likely that you are predisposed to it.
Yes, Genes are only a predisposition. Alone, they do not determine if you will develop this or not.
You do need to turn on the second switch — this switch is embedded in your LIFESTYLE.
Between the two switches, it is the LIFESTYLE SWITCH that plays the more important role, to up to 80% of the reason why you will develop this disease.
In fact, even if you do not have a genetic component, and the first switch is not present, you can still develop this disease solely on the power of turning on the second switch. However, having the genetic component switched on means the story just develops and progresses MUCH FASTER.
In a nutshell, this is the story of how Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 develops as a disease.
The story begins in ANYONE with POOR LIFESTYLE.
There are 6 very important lifestyle factors that contribute to development of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
All of these factors can cause spikes in your blood sugar level or hormonal imbalances followed by spikes in blood insulin levels, which leads to 2 grave processes inside the body: INSULIN RESISTANCE AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION.
LIFESTYLE FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS:
- POOR NUTRITION. Intake of a lot of added sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed food and inflammatory types of fats and oils.
- LACK OF EXERCISE. Sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular exercise
- LACK OF QUALITY SLEEP. Lack of good quality sleep and not just the number of hours.
- EXPOSURE TO TOXINS & POLLUTION. From the food, drinks, products used in the home or applied to the body, air we breathe in.
- UNMANAGED STRESS & ANXIETY. Stress and anxiety cannot be totally avoided and can be healthy. It is the chronic and unmanaged stress and anxiety that disrupts the blood sugar regulation function of both the pancreas and the liver.
Any of these factors whether high intake of glucose sources or hormonal imbalances lead to spikes and frequent elevation of blood sugar and then to spikes of blood insulin level.
The pancreas, secrete high levels of insulin, resulting to hyperinsulinemia. Eventually, the cells of the body starts to resist the effects of insulin levels, driving the the pancreas to keep secreting more. At this level, there is already INSULIN RESISTANCE.
The pancreas can only keep increasing INSULIN production so much. Eventually, production of insulin slows down or even ceases due to failure of the pancreas. This then results to permanently elevated blood sugar levels and a diagnosis of full blown Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
It is very important to note that the story of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus can actually reverse itself. As long as none of the major organs in the body such as the heart, liver of kidneys have failed, anyone can potentially reverse their disease and be disease-free!
Catch it at the Insulin Resistance phase, and you can reverse it by simply correcting lifestyle factors.
Catch it at full-blown Diabetes Mellitus type 2 phase, depending on the fasting blood glucose level, you can reverse it with both medications and lifestyle changes.
Whatever phase of the disease you are in:
You can Start healing by correcting your LIFESTYLE FACTORS, and turning off this second switch.
Pretty simple strategy but of course, is not easy to implement.
WHY?
Because LIFESTYLE constitutes all the HABITS one has developed over the years. Most habits have been imprinted in our minds and hearts, that is why the action is very automatic. Undoing habits can be tricky especially if you do not believe they are responsible for your disease.
It takes a lot of WILLPOWER, and DETERMINATION to be able to CHANGE HABITS.
BUT….it can be done!!!
In my personal experience, as a former type 2 diabetic myself (more about my story here) and as a WELLNESS COACH thereafter, what helped many of us address our POOR LIFESTYLE HABITS, was to accept ownership of the disease. This means not blaming other people or circumstances for the disease but taking full responsibility for having switched on the disease, and taking responsibility for switching it off.
Here are the other steps that can make the change much more doable for anyone:
Some experts say Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is chronic progressive disease that one will have until death. Many people, including myself, have disproved this.
Once upon a time, we were given this diagnosis but nowadays are totally free from this disease. So now we say, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic BUT REVERSIBLE DISEASE, it’s possible to be free of it.
You too can disprove this and write a new chapter in your story, one that does not contain Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus anymore.
Be safe and well,
