Anyone have/had impaired glucose tolerance

[citylover]

I have had this for about three years now and of course am concerned that it could develop into Type 2 diabetes.

Have had the talk for the nurse at hospital again today but would welcome any other tips/supplements - anyone tried chromium or cinnamom.

I am loath to start a strict diet because I really believe that diets don't work - I spent years yo yo dieting and now just try to eat healthily.

[3andnomore]

is weight a problem for you....I know, one of the ladies at the Slimming World club had diabetis problems but since she has started loosing weight it has become less of a problem for her...and Slimming world is not restrictive at all...you can eat so much....

[citylover]

Thanks yes weight is a problem for me (prob about 2-3 stone overweight) but I have been to Weightwatchers etc over the years and have always ended up putting on more weight.

Since 2006 have been following Paul McKenna and although haven't lost haven't gained either.

Have also managed to develop a positive body image despite the extra pounds and I know that if I get back into that 'diet mentality' my mood will plummet along with my body image and I really can't go back there.

So I have to find another way.

[citylover]

PS Am not in denial about being overweight but I seriously don't believe that diets work.

I spent from age 15 being on and off diets, thought I was fat when I weighed 8 and half stone so really can't go there again.

Am getting a new bike soon so would rather approach it that way.

[citylover]

PS Am not in denial about being overweight but I seriously don't believe that diets work.

I spent from age 15 being on and off diets, thought I was fat when I weighed 8 and half stone so really can't go there again.

Am getting a new bike soon so would rather approach it that way.

[3andnomore]

Exercise is definately a good way to go

I know what you mean about body issues....I thought I was fat when I was about 8 1/2 stone, too....well, my darling sister told me I was getting fat and I believed her and it's been with me since then....and I have never since been able to be happy with my body, no matter what weight I have been....but at the moment I have to do something, and for me SW is the way forward, because I love my food and I can eat so much and still loose weight

And you are right diets don't work, you have to make changes in your lifestyle that you can persevere with, if you want to make long lasting changes

Anyway, hope maybe someone else is replying, who has some knowledge to share about your original questions

[misi]

citylover,
can you tell me what the nape of your neck is like please?

do you get ''clumsy'' moments?

have yopu put on weight slowly over the last few years

[citylover]

Hi Misi

You sound as though you might have an idea asking that type of question!! |Are you an alternative practitioner?

I have a hard large lump at nape of neck which I thought was something else. I don't really have clumsy moments as such but do have moments/hours of complete fog which I put down to either peri menopause/thyroid/stress

I also have/had a lump on right side of neck which I believe is to do with thyroid.

Not really my weight has remained stable (yet overweight) over last few years. Since I went to Paul McKenna seminar in 2006 have not lost but have not gained but my body shape has changed 16 top (the same) and 14 bottom.

Have got apple fat which is combo of pregnancy weight not lost, overweight, fibroids and middle age.

Tho am overweight I do have a shape , hourglass front on, apple fat shows side on.

In fact I now quite like my body after years of hating it. Somehow don't think weight has anything to do with it because as I said when I weighed 8.5 stone I thought I was fat and felt very self critical.

[Inquisitive]

Oooh - may I threadjack?

Misi - can I ask why you asked about the nape of the neck? Because I have a kind of... well, hump, basically, which I hate - is it a symptom of something? Am also apple shaped (pregnant at the mo, but I carry all my weight on my belly even when I'm not!)

[rebelmum1]

Don't you just need to cut out sugar and reduce carbs? The doc should give you a list of foods to avoid.

[misi]

the nape can be an indicator of a condition where the cells become less sensitive to insulin, insulin resistance. sometimes a black ''smudge''or lump on the nape can be a sign of this. insulin bound with its glucose molecule will only attach itself to a cell with the aid of a chromium molecule, without the chrome, the cell will reject this.

an example. 3 years ago, a 17 year old boy came to me. he was sent by the senior sister at the old oldchurch hosp A+E. he had been in romford on a shopping trip with his dad when he fell over. she noticed the lump/smudge on his neck and noted his large frame. (the sister was a regular customer of mine so she knew me) after I explained the situation, I put him on 200mcg of chromium picolinate for 2 weeks then 400mcg for another 2 weeks then told him to reduce back to 200mcg for about a year. I saw him a couple of months later, having lost quite a lot of weight and looking so much healthier. he told me he had taken 800mcg from day 1 (a bit foolish and I refused to sell him more chrome till he promised he would reduce the dose).
basically what was happening was that the glucose laden insulin wasn't being used so the natural thing for the body to do is to store this as fat. by increasing the amounts of chrome, it made his cells more sensitive to insulin and enable them to accept the glucose to be used as fuel. the clumsiness is because the brain has first dibs on energy and when the limited amount runs dry, the brain fogs over and clumsiness is the most common effect.

insulin resistance can turn into type 2 diabetes if not corrected but it does take time, so unless there are definate signs of diabetes, do not worry at this point. insulin resistance is also linked to PCOS and other oestrogenic conditions. chrome is a hard substance to test the blood for and I think that there is no current test available in this country to do so. there are no conclusive clinical trials (as yet, there are two ongoing at the mo) that will confirm what I have said above. In the natural medicine world, I have seen this work many many times, my own mum had to reduce her insulin injections after a course of chrome treatment, and there are many many cases of this working. it would be a good idea to go see a qualified herbalist to check your overall health situation as I cannot diagnose or treat you online and as I do not know your full med history, I cannot reccommend you take this supp, just tell you about other people. if after what I have said, you suspect this, you can google insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and chromium deficiency.
hope that helps???

[Inquisitive]

Gosh, that's very interesting, thank you! Am off to google now...

[citylover]

Thanks Misi very much.

I have thought of taking chromium before and actually bought some ages ago (but didn't take it) but will definitely be taking it now.

I do see a homeopath so am cared for in a holistic way.

Thanks again most interesting. I would give anything to clear the brain fog.

[citylover]

Thanks Misi very much.

I have thought of taking chromium before and actually bought some ages ago (but didn't take it) but will definitely be taking it now.

I do see a homeopath so am cared for in a holistic way.

Thanks again most interesting. I would give anything to clear the brain fog.

[misi]

take chrome as a polynicotinate or picolinate as some products out there are elemental chrome which is highly unabsorbable whereas the two I mention are bound to molecules that are more easily absorbed by the gut.

[AuntieMaggie]

i just googled chromium and pcos and found loads of stuff - thanks misi

i have pcos and have really been struggling to manage my blood sugar when cutting down on eating unhealhty food. someone recommended flax seed oil or cinnamon which i haven't yet tried but nobody has yet suggested chromium.

been feeling even worse after a virus earlier in the year which left me feeling exhausted all the time and it turned out my B12 was low.

[madcol]

Sorry to rain on your parade but weightloss will be important in reversing IGT and regaining insulin senstitivty. It is really good that your weight doesn't affect you body image or esteem but it takes on a different importannce with IGT or diabetes . Exercise in it's own right regardless of the weight loss factor will also improve your response to insulin.

How old are you? Have you completed your family?

[misi]

cinnamon is good for glucose control as it helps to mop up residues (techy term is that ) but chrome will help the cause rather than treat the symptoms. madcol you are correct, but any major physical activity whilst chromiun deficient will have a bad effect on the body as it will cause a great amount of stress, like trying to drive up a steep hill in fifth gear, your car engine will scream at you and you can damage the engine. exercise will improve insulin sensitivity in those that are not chromium deficient but if you are deficient, exercise should be minimal for the first week or so then a gradual build up after that. when you feel improvements in your health, then you can take regular exercise to loose weight etc and this exercise will have a exponential effect, as once chrome is built up, exercise helps keep the new found insulin sensitivity meaning you don't have to supp anymore with chrome!!

B12 is one of the ingredients that release and produce energy in the cells and will be depleted after a viral infection.
flax seed will help control blood sugar in that it is its lignan content primarily that slows digestion down (and so sugar absorbtion) and the conversion of its alpha lineoleic acid into omega 3 (if you have the specific enzyme to do this) for hormone health. the oil only will have little lignan content but is still good for overall hormone health

[madcol]

The OP said that she aimed to have a balanced healthy diet and didn't diet. What is the basis for the chrome-deficiency? What are the casues of chrome-deficiency?
How would one knwo if one was chrome-deficient?

[AuntieMaggie]

thanks misi

although i just read that chromium shouldn't be taken with metformin

[misi]

chrome deficiency is caused by the over farming or intensive farming of land that has occurred since WW2. in the western world, chrome levels in the diet are at an all time low and diabetes is on the massive increase. in ohio, chrome in the soil has all but disappeared so does not get passed into the food chain via crops. this is repeated in most intensive farming areas of the world as chemical fertilisers that are used do not have this trace element in them eitherand so the chrome is not naturally rep[lenished either.
I suggested chrome deficiency due to the response to my question above about the nape of the neck, not scientific but used for many many years as a good diagnostic tool by natural med people like me and by modern doctors alike. to know if you are chrome deficient is subjective as no modern test can test for chrome in the blood to any great degree. it is the other signs we look for, brain fogginess and or bouts of clumsiness in mid afternoon, weight gain over a period of time, inability to concentrate, other problems (this is easier in women as chrome and female hormones are more closely linked than male hormones in men) things like low blood sugar but poor energy levels, PCOS, other oestrogenic conditions and so on.
is that helpful madcol?
as I have said above, if you suspect a chrome deficiency go see a qualified herbalist with a nutritional background.
one thing I did forget to say before, chrome and zinc have some interchangable characteristics and can be used by the body for a while in place of chrome, so after an illness when your zinc levels will be lower the effects of chrome deficiency if you have it will be more pronounced, another good indicator.

[misi]

thats right auntiemaggie because thay have similar effects, metformin is a scavenger but also makes the cells more sensitive to the insulin by other methods. that is why you shoulkd see a qualified person and not self med, as without the whole picture and a breakdown of what meds you are on, it can be tricky to get what is right for you. personally, I got my mum off metformin by using chrome but I was there to supervise and know what to look out for!

[madcol]

So with the chrome thing do you take it and see if you fel better?

[misi]

yes, but the idea is to work out if you need it first as although chrome is a relatively cheap supp to buy, I don't like taking supps unless you have a need for them, that is why I would suggest you go see someone. If I still had my shop, you could come see me in the shop for a quick look at your health etc unless you wanted a full consultation or I was unhappy about recommending anything if I felt I needed to know more if that makes sense. you will often find in independant health shops that there are qualified people there able to give advice ad hoc and can reccommend more qualified people in the arera if need be (lucky for me, I had my own clinic above the shop that my ex practised in)

a copy of aprt of the data file in my pharmacopia of natural meds;

''there is no evidence that chromium is toxic even in high doses since any excess is excreted. however it is suggested that you do not take more than 200mcg daily unless supervised by a registered practitioner''

[citylover]

Madcol I do accept that I need to lose weight,of course I do, but just don't want to step back on the diet cycle I was on for most of my life.

[citylover]

I am mid 40s and yes have completed my family.