Only a few years ago type 2 diabetes was known as adult onset diabetes. This is because it typically set in when adults reached age 45 and up. Sadly, this is not the case anymore. When you compare the numbers of those less than 20 years of age with diabetes, in 2009 the total was around 24,000. Now the total number is around 208,000, and you can see that diabetes is a disease that is growing in epidemic proportions.
Why is type 2 diabetes so much more prevalent now? This is because type 2 diabetes is largely caused by nutrition and lifestyle habits. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (SAD) continues to promote blood sugar disorders and will for decades to come. Diabetes is on the rise and is the leading cause of blindness, amputations, kidney failure, and neuropathy in the United States.
Lack of activity is also playing a role in the rise of diabetes. Movement is a required part of life and many of us are becoming more sedentary. Did you know that our ancestors moved 5 times more than we do today? In fact, they would have walked enough to get to the moon and back 3 times in their lifetime. By contrast, people today would only get about 2/3 of the way to the moon.
The other problem we are facing in America today is that most physicians are not adequately trained to assess the underlying causes of complex, chronic disease and to apply strategies such as nutrition, diet, and exercise to both treat and prevent these illnesses in their patients. As a result, our society is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of people who suffer from complex, chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
The system of medicine practiced by most physicians is oriented toward acute care, which is the diagnosis and treatment of trauma or illness that is of short duration and in need of urgent care, such as appendicitis or a broken leg. Physicians apply specific, prescribed treatments such as drugs or surgery that aim to treat the immediate problem or symptom. Unfortunately, the acute-care approach to medicine lacks the proper methodology and tools for preventing and treating complex, chronic disease. Patients with diabetes are not given much medical direction to restore their health. Instead, every diabetic is given the same advice of diet, exercise and lose weight, which is ineffective, at reversing diabetes.
Functional wellness is offering patients a different approach that is effective, safe and is helping diabetic patients reclaim their health and their lives. A functional wellness practitioner takes into account the unique genetic makeup of each individual, and they investigate factors such as environmental exposures to toxins and the aspects of today’s lifestyle that have a direct influence on the rise in chronic disease. This is a provider who understands your unique needs and helps you develop an action plan towards restoring your health and vitality and make your diabetes a thing of the past.