Most people with blood sugar imbalances don’t even know it and in fact twenty five percent of all diabetics are diagnosed accidentally during routine blood work. Aside from diabetes, blood sugar imbalances may also lead to hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, obesity, infertility and other detrimental affects on your health.

So what does it mean when your blood sugar is out of whack? Normally, when you eat carbohydrates your body breaks them down into sugar, which is why sometimes after a carbohydrate dense snack you get a sugar high. Insulin is a hormone that our pancreas produces to help bring blood sugar into the cells to be used for metabolism and energy. The following is a list of a few common disorders associated with blood sugar imbalances:

1. Type 1 Diabetes: In Type 1 Diabetes there is a failure of the pancreas to produce enough insulin. This leads to excess sugar in the blood and not enough sugar in the cells. This is why most type 1 diabetics need insulin therapy.
2. Type 2 Diabetes: This form of diabetes can be due to a deficiency of insulin secretion, insulin action (when insulin can’t do it’s job properly) or the combination of the two.
3. Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance: This is when our cells stop taking in insulin due to insulin resistance, which causes the pancreas to produce excess insulin to compensate.
4. Hypoglycemia: Hypoglycemia is when blood sugar drops below normal and causes symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, nausea, weakness and irritability, which improve with eating.

The good news is, most blood sugar issues can be either prevented, reversed or tightly controlled.  At Pacifica Naturopathic Medicine we offer several diagnostic tests to assess your blood sugar control and insulin function. We offer several food plans, recipes, nutrient and herbal support to help keep your blood sugar in check, manage diabetes and to help prevent blood sugar disorders in the future.