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Understanding Diabetes Symptoms

Beyond the general diabetes symptoms, men with diabetes may experience a decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction (ED), and oftentimes poor muscle strength.

For women with diabetes, urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and dry, itchy skin are common symptoms.

Diabetes Symptoms

Conventional Treatments for Diabetes

Each type of diabetes has its own root causes, but the conventional approach to treatment for all the types aims at modifying blood sugar levels with medications such as Metformin, Avandia, Actos, Januvia or Onglyza and exogenous insulin.

Yet there is little to no attention paid to the root causes leading to insulin imbalances in the first place – such as compromised gut health, unmanaged hormonal issues, being overweight or obese, or eating a diet rich in sugar and other inflammatory foods.

With type 1 diabetes (which is an autoimmune condition), conventional practitioners mostly focus on insulin and adjunctive medications to deal with blood pressure and cholesterol – without exploring ways to address the underlying autoimmune disorder that destroys the pancreatic cells.

Types Of Diabetes

There are a few different types of diabetes, with each type featuring its own unique symptoms, causes, and treatments.

  • Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, in which the immune system attacks and destroys pancreatic cells that produce insulin. About 10% of people with diabetes have this type.
  • Type 2 diabetes happens when the body becomes resistant to the insulin hormone, and as a result causing elevated blood sugar levels.
  • Prediabetes occurs when your blood sugar (measured as A1c) is higher than normal, but not yet high enough for an official type-2 diabetes diagnosis.

The Functional Medicine Approach To Diabetes

In Functional Medicine, our approach to diabetes (or any chronic illness for that matter), is to restore your body’s innate healing potential rather than merely managing symptoms with expensive prescription drugs.

We believe that the best way to address a lifestyle-induced disease is by making sensible lifestyle changes – supported by our capable and caring team.

That’s why with diabetes, we have a unique “food protocol” to help you manage your blood sugar, your weight, decrease your general inflammation while avoiding foods that may cause an allergic reaction.

Apart from food, we also examine the interplay between different systems and organs in your body – like your gut, your endocrine system, and your brain. Because for true holistic health, we need to get all your systems to play together.

For example, if you are dealing with other hormone imbalances, this can have a huge impact on how well you can manage your diabetes.

That’s why at Shine Functional Health, we run advanced lab testing beyond your standard blood tests so we can recommend  a protocol that brings all your hormones back in balance – from insulin, to cortisol, thyroid and more.

Diagnosing Diabetes

If you suspect diabetes, ask your primary care provider for FPG and A1C blood tests. Early diagnosis helps you take action sooner.