Diabetes Doctor Kansas City
Many people who have diabetes will first ask their primary care physician to help them to manage the condition. However, primary care physicians typically treat a broad range of issues and do not specialize in one specific thing or another. Although they have a lot of general experience, they may not have in-depth experience in just one condition. As a result, you might be limited in terms of treatment options. This is one reason it is common for a primary care physician to refer their patients to a specialist. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you may want to ask a diabetes doctor that Kansas City trusts to help you from In2great Functional Medicine and Integrative Health.
As the rates of diabetes continue to soar, your diabetes care matters now more than ever, which is why you need the diabetes doctor Kansas City knows can get the job done. Whether you are able to control your blood sugar with diet and exercise or if you rely on medications to maintain normal blood glucose levels, we can help you get to the next level of health. Although diabetes is a well understood disease with a variety of treatment options, there are still far too many people with blood sugar levels out of optimal range. This is because the disease is often reduced to carbohydrate intake and medication levels with little regard for how inflammation affects the whole body.
Diabetes as Inflammation
A diabetes doctor that Kansas City can rely on refuses to treat diabetes as anything but a disease of inflammation. Diabetes is more than eating fewer carbs and taking medication. Without considering other aspects of inflammation, you are at high risk for heart disease and autoimmune conditions, even if your blood sugars are relatively well managed. Diabetes is a symptom of inflammation, therefore the root causes of inflammation differ from one person to the next and need to be addressed. Managing blood glucose levels through diet, exercise and medications are imperative, of course, but it is only part of the diabetes picture. The diabetes doctor Kansas City patients trust treats your diabetes as an inflammatory based disease using comprehensive lab data, your health history, and a variety of treatment modalities to reduce inflammation. Diabetes is more than simply carbohydrates raising blood sugar, and therefore causing inflammation. This does occur, but it is also true that inflammation from any source raises blood sugar. It is even becoming more widely considered that diabetes, even type 2 diabetes, is an autoimmune condition. This means your body is creating antibodies to your pancreas causing your body to mount an immune/attack response to itself. Standard, conventional diabetes care does not address this element of diabetes which is one reason people come to In2great Functional Medicine and Integrative Health. for their diabetes care. The diabetes doctor Kansas City needs is one who not only understands all the reasons diabetes develops, but also the variety of ways it can be successfully managed without medications.
The Diabetes Care You Need
A high stress job, stressful relationships, poor sleep, and even over exercising can all contribute to inflammation in the body making it difficult to have optimal blood glucose levels. This is why In2great Functional Medicine and Integrative Health. considers the whole you when treating your diabetes. The diabetes care you need is more in depth, more comprehensive and more personalized than most of the standard options provided. In addition, many diabetes medications create additional health problems. A diabetes doctor Kansas City residents can trust knows that having controlled blood sugar, but new detrimental health issues is not improving your health or reducing your health risk. It is simply trading one risk factor for another. By the time you get to the level of needing insulin to control blood sugars, a serious look at your diabetes care needs to happen. The need for insulin puts extra stress on the body and contributes to weight gain. Weight gain is generally associated with poor blood glucose levels, so you may end up in a dangerous cycle of needing more insulin, insulin causing weight gain, weight gain causing higher blood sugar levels, needing more insulin… and so on. The diabetes doctor Kansas City counts on will aim for this cycle to never start.
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Up to 30 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, a medical condition in which the body is unable to produce or adequately use insulin. In2great Functional Medicine and Integrative Health. and its diabetes doctor Kansas City relies on, has years of experience in helping people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to live healthy, enjoyable lives.
Understanding Insulin
Insulin is a type of hormone which allows your body to process the sugar in food into expendable energy. Any sugar that does not enter the cells stays in the blood. This can increase the risk of nerve, kidney, and eye damage as well as, stroke and cardiovascular problems.
There is no known cause of diabetes, but as an Kansas City diabetes doctor might explain, it is thought that the following may increase the chances of developing the condition:
- A family history of diabetes
- Obesity
- Diet
- Lack of exercise
It is estimated that up to 30 percent of the 30 million people with diabetes do not know that have the condition. The early symptoms are often subtle, and may seem harmless. This is why many people don’t realize they have it until the condition has worsened. When left untreated by a diabetes doctor in Kansas City, diabetes can cause organ damage, nerve damage, and other problems.
Type 1 Diabetes
When you have Type 1 diabetes, your body is not producing any insulin, or very little. About 5-10 percent of Americans have Type 1 diabetes. This is a chronic disease and requires daily insulin injections.
Having a diabetes doctor in Kansas City is very important as regular monitoring and tests are required.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is when your body is not using insulin in the way it should, does not produce enough, or has become resistant to the normal body levels of insulin. This for is very common and can be reversed, in some cases, with dietary and lifestyle changes.
The chances of developing Type 2 diabetes with age is high. Treatment for Type 2 diabetes includes oral medication and/or insulin injections. A Kansas City diabetes doctor may help you to create a custom treatment program that helps you to manage and control the condition.
Prediabetes
When your blood sugar levels are higher than the normal levels, but not enough to be diagnosed with diabetes, you are considered to be a prediabetic. Nearly 54 million people in the U.S. have prediabetes. Dietary changes, an increase in exercise, and weight loss can reduce the chances of the prediabetes turning into diabetes.
Tips for Managing Your Diabetes or Reducing Your Risk of Developing the Condition
- Participate in moderate to intense activity for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week
- Walk, bike ride, swim, dance, or weight lift 4 – 5 days a week
- Decrease your calorie consumption
- Manage your portion sizes
- Eat more vegetables
- Eat less sugar and iodized salt
- Limit your alcohol and carbonated beverage intake
There are other forms of diabetes, or similar conditions, including hypoglycemia, leptin deficiency, and MODY (maturity onset diabetes of the young). A diabetes doctor Kansas City relies on from In2great Functional Medicine and Integrative Health. can also help to diagnose, treat, and manage these conditions.
Why See a Diabetes Doctor for Your Diabetes?
Your primary care physician has recommended you see one. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, your primary care physician may recommend you see a diabetes doctor in Kansas City to confirm the diagnosis and help you to manage the condition.
Your primary care physician has limited experience or is not helping you. If your current doctor has not treated many people with diabetes or you feel he or she is not listening to your needs or symptoms, it may be a good idea to see a specialist.
You are struggling to manage your diabetes. Diabetes is not always easy to manage. Whether you don’t understand the condition or you are having a hard time managing it, a Kansas City diabetes doctor can help.
You’ve experienced complications. If, since your diagnosis, you have developed further complications, it is important you do not waste time. See a diabetes doctor as soon as possible. Examples of complications include vision problems, open sores on the feet, nerve or kidney problems, or uncontrollable blood sugar levels.
Conventional treatment is not working for you. Your primary care physician may be doing the very best he or she can; however, standard treatments don’t always work. An experienced Kansas City diabetes doctor can utilize a number of treatments, using allopathic and naturopathic methods, to help you get in control of your diabetes.
You take three or more insulin injections every day. The more challenging your diabetes is, the more likely your treatments will become. You might take multiple insulin injections throughout the day or be unable to control the condition. A diabetes doctor can ensure you are getting the best recommendations for your situation.
Primary care doctors can only do so much in terms of effectively treating diabetes. If you are feeling like diabetes is complicated or unmanageable, it may be a good time to speak with a diabetes doctor. If you’re ready to do so, call In2great Functional Medicine and Integrative Health. to schedule an appointment with a diabetes doctor in Kansas City
Our diabetes care takes inflammation seriously and works diligently to reduce inflammation. We monitor a variety of lab values beyond only glucose and Hgb A1C to be sure we are managing inflammation. We also help you find the eating plan that works best for you. Many people are surprised that the kinds of carbohydrates they eat are more important than only the number of carbohydrates. Too many people are led to believe that a slice of bread is the same as 3/4 cup of blueberries when it comes to blood sugar management. Yes, both have about 15g carbohydrates, but how your body processes and utilizes those carbohydrates is actually quite different and produced profoundly different health results. The diabetes doctor Kansas City residents rely on for optimal diabetes care is the team at In2great Functional Medicine and Integrative Health..
For an appointment with a diabetes doctor, call In2great Functional Medicine and Integrative Health today!