The ONE Thing Chronic Diseases Have in Common

It’s that time again. I’ve been thinking about topics that have come up in the clinic lately and how I could pass along some potentially useful insight to you all. Certain chronic diseases came to mind, and these are in no particular order. Here’s a list to consider:

• Type 2 Diabetes

• Obesity

• Cardiovascular Disease

• Cancer

• Alzheimer’s (Type 3 Diabetes)

• Inflammation of the SPINE and JOINTS

Think about all of these conditions just for a few seconds. What is the one thing they all have in common?

(Insert crickets here?)

The answer is they are all conditions of EXCESS growth and proliferation. Think about the list again.

• Type 2 Diabetes: defined excess blood sugar

• Obesity: excess fat storage

• Cardiovascular Disease: excess plaque and arterial wall thickening, high triglycerides

• Cancer: uninhibited excess cell growth

• Alzheimer’s (Type 3 Diabetes): excess protein and plaque buildup in brain

• Inflammation of the SPINE and JOINTS: excessive immune factors to damaged areas

So what’s one prominent hormone you can CONTROL that can have a dramatic shift on the above conditions? INSULIN.

Yes, that hormone that diabetics “need” to lower their blood glucose. In reality, insulin really does a whole lot more than just lower blood sugar. It’s actually a very powerful anabolic or GROWTH agent in the body. In general, unless you’re a child, growth is not a great thing as an adult. So when insulin is high, your body is signaled to grow and store nutrients. When insulin is low, the opposite occurs. Obviously, there’s more to it than this from a biochemical and physiological perspective.

You should be able to see a link, therefore, between chronically high insulin levels and the above chronic diseases. If one were to take proper steps to lower insulin levels, the beneficial impact could be very broad.

If this topic peaks your curiosity, ask for some simple strategies at your next visit. The above would best be discussed during a functional medicine consultation. To discuss your general pain and movement needs, then chiropractic is for you!

As always, we are here to provide you and your family with the best possible health advice we can give. Drop us a comment if you enjoyed this article or have any suggestions for future topics of discussion!