Type 2 Diabetes Solutions – The Available Approaches

The Conventional Medicine Approach

When you are first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it is undoubtedly a scary, stressful and uncomfortable experience. Most people are first told they have either pre-type 2 diabetes or they have full blown type 2 diabetes. Which one you have has to do with the measurement of blood glucose. How soon you know you have type 2 diabetes is usually dependent on how often a person goes to the doctor or how proactively they react to the symptoms and then see a doctor.

After you have been told you have type 2 diabetes is when the process starts to decide what approach to take in dealing with your newly diagnosed, serious health condition.

The conventional medicine or most common approach suggested by the majority of doctors is to focus on what the symptoms are and then match a drug to control the symptoms.

The conventional medicine approach is basically about addressing what is happening right now and then controlling the symptoms.

To a newly diagnosed person this can sound like the right approach, since they are feeling the symptoms and they are suffering and scared. The other parts of this approach are to do a lot of monitoring of things like blood pressure and blood glucose levels by basically doing your own blood test on yourself everyday.

You are also prescribed specific drugs to go along with the monitoring process. You may also be told to get some exercise and eat less fats and sugar.

You are told that your condition and symptoms will be safely monitored and maintained.

* You are set up with periodic doctors appointments to further monitor your symptoms.

* You are told that this approach and process will basically continue indefinitely or for

the rest of your life.

What you often are not told with this approach is that you also have the option to reverse your condition.

The idea that type 2 diabetes is inherited is often presented with this conventional medicine approach. While you might have a disposition based on genetic factors the genes are only activated when certain lifestyle behaviors and choices occur. The genetic risk factor is compelling, it makes it easier to believe that people therefore have no control over their condition.

The false up side to this symptom chasing approach is that you might get the false idea that you don’t really have to change a whole lot in your diet and lifestyle choices. Just keep taking the drugs and do all the monitoring and you will be alright.

What will most often happen when you go with the conventional medicine approach is:

* You will probably not lose much weight or regain the energy and vibrancy you once had.

* Your daily life will be dependent on the drugs and the periodic doctors visits.

* You will have to accept the daily chore of logging your food and testing your blood sugar three

times a day, indefinitely.

* You will be worrying about major health problems like heart disease, stroke, dementia, kidney

failure, blindness and neuropathy.

* Your ability to actually stay alive will be dependent upon the daily process of this conventional

medicine approach, otherwise you will be fine.

The Functional Medicine Approach:

While the conventional medicine approach is dominantly focused on what is happening now that you have diabetes and how to deal with the symptoms you are feeling. The functional medicine approach focuses on why you have this imbalance that has caused your condition in the first place and what you can do to reverse it altogether.

This is more the why do I have type 2 diabetes and how can I reverse it approach.

This approach is the one where you eventually stop needing the drugs, the monitoring, all the doctors visits and you take control over your own health. For many people it’s possible to actually reverse type 2 diabetes and the symptoms in a fairly short period of time.

When you use the functional medicine approach you are accepting the idea that the human body has the power to heal itself when cared for properly. Given the correct nutritional tools you can have normal bodily function, what’s know as homeostasis.

It often may seem easier to some people to just go with the endless drugs, monitoring and doctor visits etc. For most people it is hard work to change long held habits, especially eating habits. It may be that many people will not want to go through the process of changing their dietary habits and other lifestyle habits.

The Functional Medicine approach is an alternative for all of you who want to reverse your type 2 diabetes condition and be free of the drug dependence, daily procedures and the debilitating and potentially life threatening symptoms. My hope in writing this article is that people suffering from type 2 diabetes will better understand the alternatives that are available to them.