ComputerHunter.org

 

Fibromyalgia and Insulin Resistance


Do you have symptoms that relate to an insulin imbalance? If you have fibromyalgia, look and see if you also have hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, or diabetes symptoms. These types of blood sugar imbalances can cause fibromyalgia pain to get worse. Blood sugar imbalances cause insulin absorption problems that can affect your health especially if you have fibromyalgia.

Insulin has many roles in the body. It maintains sugar levels in our cells where we create energy. If we cannot get sugar into the cells we become tired more easily. Overtime this can lead to hypersensitivity to pain that is associated with fibromyalgia.

Insulin is a storage hormone. Insulin builds muscle and stores amino acids from protein. Insulin also stores magnesium for future energy production. Insulin also takes excess glucose from carbohydrates and stores them as fat. Many people with insulin imbalances have excess weight, especially in the upper abdomen area. Insulin also controls salt and water retention in the body, and may contribute to rising blood pressures and imbalances in the cholesterol profile. Excess insulin will cause adrenalin to be secreted even when you are not stressed.

Reactive hypoglycemia, the first stage of blood sugar imbalance, occurs two to three hours after eating a high carbohydrate breakfast or lunch. Symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia are shakiness or tingling, pounding heartbeats, perspiring, and concentration problems. These symptoms occur because excess insulin causes adrenalin to be released.

We crave carbohydrates because we need energy. Yet when we eat carbohydrates, we stimulate insulin production. Insulin is supposed to move blood sugar into our cells, where it is burned as fuel. When there is an excess of insulin as well as an excess of carbohydrates, the excess carbohydrates are stored as fat in fat cells. The excess insulin also prevents the carbohydrates from being used for energy. You not only gain weight, but you are also prevented from losing these excess fat deposits because of the excess carbohydrates.

If it progresses toward insulin resistance you will have symptoms of excess body fat, high blood pressure, high triglycerides/cholesterol, fluid retention, dry skin, decreased memory chronic fatigue, irritability, mood swings, and sleep disturbances. These symptoms are very similar to associated conditions of fibromyalgia.

Insulin balances affect other areas of our metabolism. It slows our thyroid hormone conversion from T4 to T3. It affects the calcium absorption rate into our bones, and it affects how our muscles store sugar to burn for energy. When we burn sugar stored in our muscles, before burning fat, we get more muscle weakness and fatigue. This is why it takes a long time to recover after exercise or exertion.

Then cholesterol and triglyceride levels become more out of balance. You can measure the level of insulin resistance by looking at the ratio of Triglycerides / HDL. If the ratio is greater than 4.0 then you probably have an insulin imbalance.

How Do We Balance Insulin Levels? All carbohydrate foods stimulate the secretion of insulin. Use a Glycemic Index / Glycemic Load Chart found at www.naturalchoicesforyou.com to alter your diet to include more foods that take longer to digest, thus maintaining sugar and insulin balances better.

Use good fats, from fish oils, flax oils, and or olive oil to lower the glycemic level of any carbohydrates you do eat. If you eat breads or rolls, it would be beneficial on your blood sugar to put butter or olive oil on it, than to eat it plain. Incorporating essential fatty acids (the good fats) into your diet will help provide the fuel for building new muscles and will stimulate energy production.

Remember, insulin triggers an adrenalin response. So taking in anything that further stimulates adrenalin like coffee, tea and colas will make insulin resistance worse. Gradually reduce the level of caffeinated drinks in your diet and change over to pure water. Also, regular exercise will decrease the amount of insulin in your blood improving both blood sugar and insulin levels.

It is important to prevent blood sugar fluctuations as much as possible to avoid insulin problems. By incorporating these ideas into your daily life, energy levels will increase, and if you have fibromyalgia, you will have a much better chance of reducing your chronic pain level.

Dr. Jane Oelke, N.D., Ph.D. is Naturopath and Doctor of Homeopathy in southwest Michigan. She is the author of "Natural Choices for Fibromyalgia" and "Natural Choices for Attention Deficit Disorder". She is a professional speaker on a variety of natural health topics, and can be reached at DoctorOelke@aol.com and http://www.NaturalChoicesforyou.com







Google News - Top Stories

Seattle Post Intelligencer

Two McCain offices evacuated after letter threat
Reuters - 1 hour ago
By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - Two offices of John McCain's US presidential campaign, in Colorado and New Hampshire, were evacuated on Thursday, and several staffers were hospitalized, after threatening or suspicious envelopes arrived in the mail, ...
McCain offices receive threatening letters, campaign says CNN
Officials: Threats sent to McCain offices The Associated Press
CBS News - Monsters and Critics.com - NECN - ABC News
all 449 news articles


Globe and Mail

Obama sharpens attack on McCain
Reuters - 1 hour ago
By Caren Bohan CHESTER, Virginia (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama attacked Republican John McCain on Thursday for not knowing how many houses he owns and said it proves his presidential rival is out of touch with the economic struggles of most ...
Obama casts McCain as rich, out of touch The Associated Press
Obama hits McCain on homes gaffe BBC News
Los Angeles Times - Christian Science Monitor - CNN International - ABC News
all 891 news articles


Voice of America

US getting aid to Georgia but not to South Ossetia
CNN - 55 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States has sent 25 planeloads of humanitarian assistance to Georgia even as aid experts try to determine the full extent of the crisis.
Russia promises to start Georgia pullback Reuters UK
Russia Sets Up Georgia Posts as It Pulls Out Troops (Update1) Bloomberg
BBC News - Washington Post - Voice of America - The Associated Press
all 6,455 news articles


CBS News

Reporter's Notebook: With Tubbs Jones' Death, Media Fumbles
FOXNews - 50 minutes ago
By Chad Pergram WASHINGTON - Nothing is worse in journalism than botching a story. Misspelling a name. Blowing a fact. Maybe muddling a story altogether based on inaccurate information or bad sources.
Tubbs Jones, 58, five-term congresswoman, dies Newsday
Tubbs Jones Memorial Expected Between Conventions Washington Post
FOXBusiness - Scientific American - Ironton Tribune
all 1,859 news articles


BBC News

Madrid crash: Survivors' stories
BBC News - 4 hours ago
There were only 19 survivors of Wednesday's air crash at Madrid's Barajas Airport which claimed the lives of 153 people. Here a survivor and others at the scene give their astonishing account of the last few minutes of the Spanair flight and the ...
Video: Spain Mourns Victims of Crash AssociatedPress
Spanair crash deepens airline’s woes Financial Times
International Herald Tribune - guardian.co.uk - United Press International - The Associated Press
all 3,946 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base