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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
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