Reverse & Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Trending to a $450 Billion Dollar Problem

Did you know that in 1960 1 in 4000 people had Type 2 Diabetes in the United States—1 in 4000—there was very little Type 2 Diabetes in the United States back in 1960.  Today that number is 1 in 10, with 1 in 3 having prediabetes, what is wrong with this picture?  If we stay on this rapid pace, we may have over 100 million Type 2 Diabetics in the United States over the next 8-10 years, costing upwards of $450 billion dollars in healthcare costs and even more important, millions of lives! 

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease of the cell leading to elevated blood glucose levels.  When you consume food or beverages that contain calories, glucose is absorbed into your intestines and distributed into the blood stream to all cells in the body.  To maintain a constant blood glucose level, the pancreas produces two opposing hormones, insulin and glucagon.  The major role of insulin is to open up the cell for glucose to enter the cell. After a meal, blood glucose begins to rise, the pancreas releases insulin and insulin opens up the door of the cell allowing glucose to enter and feed the cell.  Without insulin, glucose cannot enter the cell.  Glucagon on the other hand is the opposite of insulin and is released by the pancreas when blood glucose begins to drop, almost as a safety net for maintaining a steady flow of glucose to your cells.  Glucagon does this by releasing stored reserves of glucose, called glycogen.

Stay with me just a little bit longer—this will all come together shortly!  There are two types of diabetes, Type 1, where your pancreas does not produce insulin and Type 2, where insulin is produced but has a difficult time opening up the cell.  With Type 1 Diabetes, you must take insulin due to the pancreas not producing insulin. For most Type 1 Diabetics this is something you are usually born with, but today we are also seeing major rise in Type 1 Diabetics due to an unhealthy lifestyle, leading to a vast increase in autoimmune diseases that may damage and breakdown the pancreas.  Type 2 Diabetes on the other, is a lifestyle disease in which the cells become stiff and rigid over time, making it extremely difficult for insulin to open up the cell for glucose to enter, in the medical community this is called insulin resistance.  It is like a rusty lock on a door—making the door extremely difficult to open up.  Today, approximately 90-95% of all diabetics around the world are Type 2 Diabetics!

How does Type 2 Diabetes damage the body?

Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes often occur together.  A person who is over the age of 35 and is overweight is a prime candidate for developing Type 2 Diabetes.  As the obesity epidemic continues to rise in the United States, it is as if we are purposefully cultivating the next generation of Type 2 Diabetics.  As the health of the United States along with the rest of the world continues to decline, Type 2 Diabetes will continue to explode around the globe!

When high levels of uncontrolled blood glucose begin to circulate throughout the body, the accumulation of blood glucose generates free-radical damage to the capillaries and blood vessels.  High levels of blood glucose create high levels of inflammation, and inflammation is the root cause of every disease known to the human body.  This may lead to several health complications, starting with the smallest vessels in the human body.  Type 2 Diabetes attacks the eyes, kidneys, extremities, impotency, heart, and the brain.  Type 2 Diabetes is a wrecking crew that slowly destroys the mind and the body!

How Do You Know?

Developing Type 2 Diabetes does not happen overnight, you don’t wake up one morning and there it is, Type 2 Diabetes takes time to develop.  Type 2 diabetes may show up in a variety of symptoms such as, increased urination, feeling extremely thirsty or hungry, fatigue, sleep apnea, eczema or psoriasis, blurred vision, cuts or bruises that are slow to heal, dry mouth, headaches, along with tingling, pain or numbness in hands or feet.

On a yearly basis it is always a good idea to get a blood test to give you, your doctor, or health professional a meaningful look into your health.  A blood test does not keep secrets, and this includes diabetes.  There are two screening measurements for diabetes:  Glucose and Hemoglobin A1c.  Blood glucose is an immediate measurement whereas A1c looks at an average of your blood glucose over a period of time, it’s like looking at the stock market, blood glucose is looking at the market for the day and A1c is looking at the market over a 6-12 week period, and is used in conjunction with blood glucose monitoring.  A normal blood glucose level should be less that 100 mg/dL.  If your blood glucose number starts to creep, closer to that 100 marker, make sure you are also getting your Hemoglobin A1c checked.

Hemoglobin A1c results are expressed as the percentage of hemoglobin molecules that have glucose molecules bound to them.  If there is not enough insulin for the amount of glucose, the person’s Hemoglobin A1c will rise.  A normal Hemoglobin A1c test is between 4 and 5.6 percent.  Hemoglobin A1c levels between 5.7 and 6.4 percent indicate increased risk of diabetes and levels 6.5 percent or higher indicate diabetes.

Why Is My Glucose or Hemoglobin A1c Too High?

CARBS, CARBS, CARBS...

Most people believe that Type 2 Diabetes is caused by eating carbohydrates, eating a banana or a piece of fruit is not what causes Type 2 Diabetes, we have not had an epidemic rise in the consumption of fruits, ancient grains, or potatoes---this is not the problem.  The problem is an unhealthy cell.  We teach three principles at On Target Living, Cellular Health, pH Balance, Source.  Type 2 Diabetes is a disease that begins at the cellular level.  As the outer rim of the cell—the cell membrane, becomes stiff and rigid, like an M&M candy shell, insulin has a difficult time opening up the cell.  Most Type 2 Diabetics have been told to cut back on the consumption of carbohydrates, but is the source of the carbohydrate’s real food, such as fruits, vegetables, ancient grains or starchy carbohydrates—close to the SOURCE?   Or are the carbohydrates coming from the processed type of carbohydrates?   The first step of getting a Type 2 Diabetic on the road to recovery is to educate them about the cell membrane. 

"Type-2 Diabetes is not a disease of carbohydrates and sugars, it is a disease of the cell"

What is causing the cell membrane to become stiff and rigid?  Processed foods, fast foods, soda pop, energy drinks, alcohol, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies especially omega 3 fats, medications, stress, poor breathing, and lack of sleep all contributing to our skyrocketing increase of Type 2 Diabetes around the world!

How Can We Prevent or Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

If you begin to research Type 2 Diabetes online nothing comes up about reversing Type 2 Diabetes.  In fact, when I was doing research for this blog, I googled Type 2 Diabetes, and what came up was comical but also very sad.  Advertisements for multiple pharmaceuticals, I expected that, but I did not expect was an advertisement for Culver's, seriously Culver's!

 For over 30 years I have been working hundreds of Type 2 Diabetics during my career and my first conversation always begins with their beliefs.  If I don’t tackle their beliefs, they are not going to get the outcome that most desire—improved health!  One of the first questions I ask, do you know that Type 2 Diabetes is preventable and most importantly reversable?  Almost 100% say that they have been told to cut out carbs, avoid all foods that contain sugar, including most fruits and ancient grains, along with increasing protein.  This is a disaster in the making leading to high levels of acid, inflammation, and an unhealthy cell to boot!  They have also been told that Type 2 Diabetes is not reversable, but manageable if they create a healthier lifestyle, eat better, move more, and their Type 2 Diabetes will become manageable.  I agree, Type 2 Diabetes can be improved and managed through an improved lifestyle, but what about reversable?  Is it possible to reverse this devasting disease that is running rampant around the world?  The answer is YES, you can reverse Type 2 Diabetes.

The human body has an incredible ability to heal and self-correct if given the proper tools.  The first step is getting the cell healthy begins by creating a soft and permeable cell membrane.  As the cell membrane becomes healthy this then allows insulin to easily open up the cell door for glucose to enter into the cell.  As the health of your cells improve so goes the improvement in your health and slowly blood glucose levels begin to come back into balance.

Preventing and reversing Type 2 Diabetes begins with the three foundational pillars for optimal health, how you REST, how your EAT, and how you MOVE!

Step 1: Breath!

• Breathe Awareness—stay in tune to how you are breathing
• Breath through your nose—the nose is the switchboard to calm the mind and relax the body 
• Use your diaphragm—the diaphragm is powerful muscle at the base of the lungs that needs to be exercised to maintain lung capacity, allowing your cells is have more oxygen
• Slow breathing—inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds, do this for 2-5 minutes/day

Step 2:  Sleep

• Do you value sleep?
• Plan your sleep
• Create a healthy sleep environment—dark—cool—quiet
• Magnesium (foods, epsom salts) helps to relax the body
• Movement
• Limit screen time

Step 3:  Water

• Staying properly hydrated is essential to keep your cells healthy, soft and permeable 
• 8 ounces of water first thing in the morning
• ? your body weight in ounces of water per day
• Add lemon, lime or ginger slices to your water

Step 4:  Omega-3 Fats

• Over 95% of the American population are deficient in omega-3 essential fatty acids
• Omega-3 fats are an essential nutrient to help make the cell soft and permeable
• Cod Liver Oil, Flaxseeds, Chia seeds are all high in Omega 3 fats
• Take 1-2 tablespoons of the On Target Living Cod Liver Oil each morning
• Take 1-2 tablespoons of Flaxseeds or Chia seeds 3-7 times per week
• 1500 mg of DHA and EPA per day

Step 5:  Superfoods

• Foods high in chlorophyll (green) are scrubbing bubbles for the cell membrane, cleaning off the gunk!
• Bring on the Superfoods—Spirulina/Chlorella and Frozen Wheatgrass—these are the two oldest and most powerful superfoods, highest in chlorophyll, nucleic acid and minerals, fantastic for cellular health
• Broccoli, kale, spinach, asparagus, any food that has a dark green color, is going to be extremely healthy for the cell. 

Step 6:  Magnesium

• Magnesium is the mineral of relaxation and is also increases cellular sensitivity!
• Avocados, oatmeal, coconut, cacao nibs, greens, dates, figs, raisins, prunes, bananas, mangos, ginger, walnuts, chia seeds, beans, and beets 
• Epsom Salt Bath—Epsom salts are high in magnesium, take 2 cups of Epsom salts throw into a warm bath for 15-minutes, 1-2 x week

Step 7: GUT Health

• Cellular health begins by having a healthy gut!
• Apples, strawberries, berries, cherries, celery, sauerkraut, pickles, mushrooms, onions, bok choy, garlic, apple cider vinegar, sea vegetables, root vegetables, potatoes, squash, teff, amaranth, buckwheat, salmon, beans, nuts and seeds, cinnamon, turmeric, all healthy nutrients for the gut and your cells!

Step 8:  Vitamin D

• Vitamin D is a powerful healer and improves cellular sensitivity
• Sunshine—get at least 30-minutes of sunshine daily
• On Target Living Cod Liver Oil—high in Vitamin D3—1-2 TBS/day

Step 9:  Cut out the Crap!

• Slowly begin to upgrade all your foods and beverages to give your cells a chance to heal and repair!
• Avoid transfats, fast food, processed foods and beverages—all gum up the cell, making the cell stiff and rigid—making it extremely difficult for insulin to open up the cell!
• Use the Food Target to make upgrades.

Step 10:  MOVE

• One of the greatest ways to improve the sensitivity of your cells is to move your body on a daily basis.
• Create a new mindset around moving your body everyday—10 minutes or more per day
• Find activities you enjoy
• Don’t forget the healing power of Play!

Now is the time to take greater control of your greatest asset—Your Health!

Chris Johnson is the founder and CEO of On Target Living, a global health and performance company. He is a highly sought after Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author and is on a mission to help everyone realize they have the Power to feel their best!