Fighting Diabetes and Foot Problems Unless you just crawled out from under a rock, you are aware of how large of a problem diabetes and obesity have become. Why is this so? Food has always had two purposes: survival and reward. We eat our favorite foods when we want to feel good or just want to cheer ourselves up. We share special meals with those we love to celebrate special occasions, or just the joy of living. There is no point in dieting on your birthday, right? However, it’s all the other days that really count. According to Dr. William Meller in his book “Evolution Rx,” our bodies are designed to handle the conditions of the Stone Age, that period long ago when we were huddling around campfires and hunting for our needs. At that time, we did not eat many carbohydrates because there were no Doritos growing on the trees; there was no bread, mashed potatoes, or French fries. Tubers needed to be dug up and ground down and chewed and chewed to get any food value—lots of energy for little reward. Instead, hunting for meat in any form was more efficient. The problem is, there are lots of carbohydrates available everywhere today. If you can avoid carbohydrates and refined sugar, or limit them, there is a good chance of avoiding obesity and adult-onset diabetes, according to Dr. Meller’s compelling book. His plan for a healthy diet involves the following: Get 50% of calories from meat and fish, 40% from vegetables, and 10% or less from fruits and grains Forget a low fat diet—go low carb instead. Avoid or limit bread, cereal, white potatoes, pasta, and rice Maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity by limiting the number of calories you’re ingesting to what you actually burn. Try to limit fruit juice and soda Exercise because it’s enjoyable and healthy Try to satisfy hunger more with proteins rather than starchy, sugary foods My patients have many complaints of health problems related to diabetes; two of them are numb or painful feet, and difficulty walking and exercising. Why is this? How does diabetes cause these problems, and what can be done to help? The arteries have a lining of living cells called the endothelium. Studies show high sugar and insulin levels can seriously damage this lining of the arteries. The small microvascular system is affected first; later, the larger arteries including those to the heart and brain can be affected. The key to reducing sugar and insulin is to reduce carbohydrates and get active to burn some calories. From my experience, the feet are the first to be affected. Unfortunately, tiny pressure receptors on the bottom of the feet are affected, and people develop poor balance and may have problems with falling. We use Anodyne Infrared Light Therapy to cause the release of nitric oxide in the blood, which opens the arteries in the feet. We also use light exercises and stretching, and now with the Neurocom Balance Master System, we have a way to measure and improve balance. If you have peripheral neuropathy and numbness or pain in your feet, weakness in your legs, difficulty getting out of a chair or going up and down steps, consider giving us a call. If you have diabetes and feel like giving up, think again! We have programs for all levels of abilities. We work with you step-by-step, one-on-one, to help you successfully complete your program. If you would like to feel confident about walking and get back in the swing of things, ask your doctor for a referral or give us a call at (301) 759-4263 for more information.. Take your first step back to a fuller life and call TriState Hand & Occupational Therapy today. Try therapy first at TriState! |
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