tinocallis wrote:Is what I've described enough to warrant the test? I know I feel ill and like my body is sending out distress signals, but I've but I've been burned too many times by doctors who shrug off my concerns like they're trivial and meaningless. Should I wait for something really obvious to happen? Hate to waste both my time and the doc's for a test that comes back normal (not to mention money).
In my opinion, your symptoms justify asking for the insulin test; I believe it will become routine in time, just as cholesterol testing is today. Even the vitamin D3 test has become more common lately. You have every right to ask for any blood test that you feel you need. And as for the cost/money (if insurance does not cover it)… the fasting blood insulin test is one of the least expensive blood tests. (I think the cost of my last one was $50 or less.)http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/index2.html
Factor #1: Your Insulin Level
Insulin and leptin are absolutely essential to staying alive, but the sad fact is that most of you reading this have too much, and it is pushing you towards chronic degenerative illness and increasing the rate at which you age.
Most adults have about one gallon of blood in their bodies and are quite surprised to learn that in that gallon, there is only one teaspoon of sugar! You only need one teaspoon of sugar at all times -- if that. If your blood sugar level were to rise to one tablespoon of sugar you would quickly go into a hyperglycemic coma and die.
Your body works very hard to prevent this by producing insulin to keep your blood sugar at the appropriate level. Any meal or snack high in grain and sugar carbohydrates typically generates a rapid rise in blood glucose. To compensate for this your pancreas secretes insulin into your bloodstream, which lowers your blood sugar to keep you from dying.
However, if you consume a diet consistently high in sugar and grains, over time your body becomes "sensitized" to insulin and requires more and more of it to get the job done. Eventually, you become insulin and leptin resistant, and then diabetic.
If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or are overweight, it is highly likely that you are eating too many grains -- yes, even unrefined whole grains -- as this is the most common culprit causing your insulin level to become abnormal.
Compounding the problem, when your insulin and leptin levels rise due to an excess of carbohydrates, they send your body a hormonal message telling it to
store fat while holding on to the fat that is already there. So not only will excess carbohydrates make you overweight, they will effectively hamper your weight loss efforts too.
Your Fasting Blood Insulin Test
To find out your insulin and leptin levels, you need to get tested by your doctor. The test you need to ask for is a fasting blood insulin and leptin test
, The tests are done by just about every commercial laboratory and the insulin test is relatively inexpensive.
Facts about Your Fasting Insulin Test:
o This test is profoundly useful. It's one of the least expensive tests in traditional medicine
, yet it is one of the most powerful. A normal fasting blood insulin level is below 5, but ideally you'll want to be below 3
o You can safely ignore the reference ranges from the lab as they are based on "normals" of a population that has highly-disturbed insulin levels.
o This is a great test to do BEFORE you start your program as you can use it to assess how well you are progressing in the program.
o If your level is above 5 you will want to consider significantly reducing most sugars and grains, even whole wheat grains, until you lower your level. Once you've normalized your insulin level you can reintroduce grains into your diet at a lower level to optimize your health.
o Exercise is of enormous benefit in improving the sensitivity of your insulin and leptin receptors, and to help normalize your insulin level far more quickly.
An elevated insulin level results in a weight problem ONLY if the person's diet is high in carbohydrates (sugar and starches). It is entirely possible to have elevated insulin levels AND be slender – I am an example of this; I suspect that you are too. I eat a very healthy diet, have never been overweight, have never smoked.
In type I diabetes, the pancreas is producing NO insulin; in type II diabetes, the pancreas is producing LOTS of insulin but the cells are resistant to it and won't let it "unlock the door" for glucose to get in. In either case, it should be known how much insulin the body is producing – insulin testing should be done!
My hypothesis: excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) plays a major role in MS, as developed in my initial post: http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-discussion-f1/topic1878.html "Insulin – Could This Be the Key?"