Your Own Blood Sugar Busters

Traditional doctors treat diabetes with drugs and insulin. It’s pretty much all they were taught in medical school.

But as you know my approach is very different. I treat diabetes — and other chronic diseases — at their source…

So when it comes to treating type 2 diabetes, taking care of your mitochondria is just as important as balancing your blood sugar.

But most people never even think about their mitochondria. That’s because mainstream medicine doesn’t recognize how important your mitochondrial health is.

Dozens of chronic diseases are now linked to mitochondrial decline, including:

  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Parkinson’s
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Blindness
  • Migraines
  • Mental illness

It doesn’t surprise me at all, because mitochondria are the power generators in every single cell in your body.

In a new study published in the journal Redox Biology, it was found that malfunctioning mitochondria directly contribute to the development of insulin resistance condition and type 2 diabetes.1

When you have type 2 diabetes, you either don’t have enough insulin, or your cells have become resistant to it. When that happens, your body can’t control your blood sugar levels and can’t turn food into energy.

Mitochondrial damage sets the stage for diabetes. Let me explain…

Mitochondria are responsible for the way your body burns stored fat. So if your mitochondria aren’t running at full capacity, you end up with a vicious cycle of fat build-up, increasing levels of cellular “junk” and the inability to accept insulin.2

Mitochondrial waste contributes to insulin resistance, which is another cause of high blood sugar and obesity.3

And the mitochondria in your brain trigger a spike in blood sugar after you eat. Damaged mitochondria mean unreliable signals and dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels.4

I help my patients change the way they think about their mitochondria. They are critical for keeping you healthy and active.

And there are plenty of ways for you to support your mitochondria so you can prevent and treat both Syndrome Zero and type 2 diabetes.

The first thing I tell my patients to do is switch to a high-fat, moderate protein, zero-carb eating plan. Then I help them stimulate their mitochondria with laser light therapy.

Your mitochondria produce a special kind of chemical energy called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. It does this by synthesizing nutrients from your diet and the oxygen carried by your red blood cells. ATP is fuel for your cells.

If your mitochondria stop generating ATP, your cells simply run out of gas. This causes organs and tissues to malfunction, and chronic diseases like diabetes are bound to follow. That’s because ATP produced from mitochondria is the key factor that couples the blood glucose level with insulin secretion.

But your mitochondria act as photoreceptors for laser light. As soon as your mitochondria are hit with the soft laser, they immediately switch into a higher gear and begin to produce more ATP.5

That’s because your mitochondria are also the power generators of your eukaryotic cells, which convert oxygen and nutrients into ATP.6

I recommend IV laser therapy to all my patients to help them rev up their energy cells. This is anti-aging technology at its most powerful — and it’s painless and fast. The Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine is one of the only places in the country where you can experience the healing benefits of IV laser therapy. If you are interested in learning more about IV laser therapy, just call my staff at 561-784-7852.

Protect Your Mitochondria to Prevent Diabetes

Laser therapy is just one of the things you can do to protect your mitochondria and prevent diabetes. Here are a few more.

  1. Supplement with N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). This amino acid helps make glutathione. This powerful antioxidant is your body’s main line of defense for mitochondria. It helps prevent and repair oxidative damage, thus protecting your mitochondria. And recent studies show that NAC may stabilize blood sugar by improving insulin resistance.7 I advise supplementing with 500 mg per day.
  2. Add in Rhodiola rosea. This hardy yellow flower native to the arctic mountains of Eastern Siberia is a great herb for enhancing mitochondrial energy production. I’ve seen it energize my patients. In just a few months, they are visibly younger and stronger.

    And the latest research shows that Rhodiola also lowers blood sugar by increasing the number of glucose transporters in the blood. These transporters lower blood sugar by transporting glucose into the cells.8

    You can take it as a tea or a supplement. Look for an extract standardized to contain at least 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside. It is sometimes called golden root. I recommend taking 250 mg a day on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning because rhodiola stimulates your brain.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

Al Sears, MD, CNS

References
1. Rovira-Llopis S, et al. “Mitochondrial dynamics in type 2 diabetes: Pathophysiological implications.” Redox Biol. 2017;11:637-645.
2. Noland RC, “Carnitine insufficiency caused by aging and overnutrition compromises mitochondrial performance and metabolic control. J Biol Chem. 2009;284(34):22840-22852.
3. Terman A, et al. “Mitochondrial turnover and aging of long-lived postmitotic cells: the mitochondrial-lysosomal axis theory of aging.” Antioxid Redox Signal. 2010;12(4):503-535.
4. Toda C, et al. “UCP2 regulates mitochondrial fission and ventromedial nucleus control of glucose responsiveness.” Cell. 2016;164(5):872.
5. Hashmi T, et al. “Role of low-level laser therapy in neurorehabilitation.” PM R. 2010;2(12 Suppl 2): S292–S305.
6. Ibid.
7. Ma Y, et al. “N-acetylcysteine protects mice from high fat diet-induced metabolic disorders.” Pharm Res. 2016;33(8):2033-2042.
8. Niu C, et al. “Antihyperglycemic action of rhodiola-aqeous extract in type1-like diabetic rats.” BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014;14:20.