An Expert Shares Diabetes Reversal Strategies

Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common in the United States, and experts believe it has reached epidemic proportions. This is extremely worrying since the disorder can damage blood vessels and essential organs, raising the risk of devastating health issues such as blindness, heart disease, amputation, and dementia. 

The good news is that you may reverse type 2 diabetes—and even come off diabetic medication—by adopting certain specific and persistent lifestyle adjustments, according to Delane Vaughn, MD, a board-certified family medicine physician in Wichita, Kansas, and host of a diabetes-reversal podcast. On two recent episodes of her podcast, she revealed the most important actions to take. Continue reading to learn more, and don't miss these definite signs you've already had to safeguard your health and the health of others.

According to Vaughn, the particular method of curing type 2 diabetes is never as essential as your dedication to doing so. "Having that perspective on curing your diabetes will get you there: I'm going to do whatever it takes, invest in whatever I need to make this happen. Something is the most crucial 'how to' in your life if you want to get that done. If that's what you want in 2022, I strongly advise you to spend some time establishing and remembering that promise to yourself."

Concentrate on lowering your insulin levels rather than your sugar intake if you have insulin resistance.

According to Vaughn, the foundations of type 2 diabetes are "not that you eat too much sugar." "You have type 2 diabetes because you have so much insulin in your system that your cells are no longer reacting to it. They become overwhelmed by it, which indicates that they are not properly controlling your blood sugar in your body."

"What we do to treat type 2 diabetes is reduce the insulin level, not the blood sugar," Vaughn explains. "In order to reduce insulin levels, we cease consuming meals high in sugar and carbs."

"What qualifies as glucose is not what many people believe it is," Vaughn adds. It's not simply sugar; several of them use glucose as a building element. Foods such as wheat, maize, oats, and potatoes degrade into glucose. "Even proteins may be turned to glucose in the liver," she explains. "It's not just the sweets, after all. It's the breads, tortillas, crackers, cookies, potato chips, and French fries. Even Bac-O bacon pieces degrade into glucose—they're made of wheat, sugar, and who knows what else."

Processed foods should be avoided.

On a wooden table, a hamburger or cheeseburger, deep-fried squid rings, french fries, a drink, and ketchup are served.

"The method for cleaning up your diet is to eliminate any processed foods," Vaughn explains. "All food that is not natural to a human being must be removed from your diet for at least 12 weeks in order to reverse your diabetes."

"When we stop eating these highly processed foods, we stop consuming all of these carbohydrates and sugars, and our insulin level drops," Vaughn explains. "Our pancreas no longer sees all of the insulin or sugar in our bloodstream. And when our pancreas doesn't see sugar, it doesn't produce the hormone insulin. This permits your insulin level to decline and your cells... to begin hearing the message of insulin again and correctly responding to blood sugar in your system."

If you're diabetic—especially if you're on diabetes medication—critical it's to keep in continual communication with your doctor when changing your diet, she says.

It's critical to give your body a vacation from insulin manufacturing if you want to reverse diabetes. This entails intermittent fasting, or restricting your eating hours. "Most Americans start eating when they wake up and stop eating when they go to bed," Vaughn adds. Constantly exposing your body to carbs stimulates the pancreas to create insulin on a continuous basis. As a result, insulin resistance and diabetes develop. "Intermittent fasting causes your pancreas to cease producing insulin, allowing your insulin levels to decline and your cells to resensitize, allowing them to receive the message of the insulin."

"If you start modifying your diet, make sure you're working with a physician to keep yourself safe," she says again. And, to stay healthy during the pandemic, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.