Dr. Teitelbaum: Optimizing Blood Sugar Control in CFS

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GREETINGS

July 7, 2011

Optimizing Blood Sugar Control in CFS

Dear Readers,

People with chronic fatigue syndrome often have difficulty regulating blood sugar (glucose), resulting in low levels in some CFS patients and elevated levels in others.

Low Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar levels are often caused by adrenal exhaustion. This is because when you're under stress your adrenal gland pumps out cortisol, triggering the pancreas to produce glucagon and, in turn, raising your blood sugar. If your adrenal gland is exhausted, cortisol production is reduced and your blood sugar can drop too low.

Symptoms of low blood sugar include:

Irritability when hungry ("Feed me NOW, or I'll kill you" feelings). Low blood pressure, dizziness on standing. Recurrent sore throats and infections are also common from the low adrenal.

High Blood Sugar

Several factors can trigger high blood sugar levels. These include:

Excessive sugar intake. CFS can drive sugar cravings, and excess sugar can aggravate CFS — leading to even more sugar cravings!

Low testosterone in men. 70% of men with CFS are in the lower third of the normal range for testosterone levels, and low testosterone in men increases the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.

Elevated testosterone in women. Paradoxically, elevated testosterone in women can cause the high blood sugar levels characteristic of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. A common cause for these high levels is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is a syndrome that can cause CFS/fibromyalgia. You should consider this possibility if you're a woman with elevated levels of testosterone and/or DHEA, facial hair growth, acne, and/or unexplained infertility. Treat PCOS with the safe, cheap and healthy anti-diabetes medication metformin and by avoiding excess sugar. Other treatments can also help, such as making sure your body is getting adequate levels of the glucose-regulating mineral chromium. Treating PCOS is not only effective for decreasing CFS/FMS symptoms, it can also resolve some cases of infertility.

With any of these three conditions optimizing blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity can improve CFS/FMS symptoms.

If you have low blood sugar, I recommend reading my article on Adrenal Exhaustion.

If you have elevated blood sugar (insulin resistance, diabetes), I recommend reading my article on Treating Diabetes Naturally.

In addition, the three research briefs below look at other natural therapies that can help in diabetes.

Love & blessings,

Dr. T

RESEARCH BRIEFS

Diabetics Cut Blood Sugar Levels by Nearly 50% — with Brewer's Yeast

The effect of brewer's yeast on blood sugar in this study is frankly astounding. Read more »

Extra Zinc Helps Lower Blood Sugar

In another study, taking a good multivitamin/mineral supplement along with zinc improved blood sugar levels better than just taking the supplement. Read more »

Ease Diabetic Nerve Pain with a High-Potency Multivitamin

Earlier studies show that taking 300 mg of lipoic acid twice a day and 2,000 to 3,000 mg of acetyl L-carnitine daily can help diabetic nerve pain — a lot! A new study shows that a high-potency multivitamin can work too. Read more »

ENERGY NUTRIENTS

Important Nutrients in Energy Production

In the last few issues, we have been focusing on research showing the importance of energy production in CFS and fibromyalgia, and we will be adding more on this critical area in upcoming newsletters, including discussion of the product NT Factor, and the nutrients magnesium, B complex and ribose — a nutrient that, in our newest study involving 257 CFS/FMS patients, showed a stunning average of 61% increase in energy after just three weeks of use!

To produce energy, your body needs a specific set of key nutrients that support its "energy equation" — a chemical process involving ATP turnover, production and concentration. This process depends on ribose, magnesium and B vitamins to create energy. Without a sufficient supply of these, your energy level will suffer — especially if you have CFS or fibromyalgia (because of the mitochondrial energy furnace dysfunction present in CFS/FMS).

Ribose is particularly critical to energy production. CoQ10 and acetyl L-carnitine will build your energy stores, but they will do so much more quickly when ribose is added.

Understanding how these nutrients contribute to energy is hugely important (as we talk about energy optimization in upcoming newsletters, I'll repeat this section as a reminder). The key nutrients are:

B vitamins and magnesium (available in the Energy Revitalization System vitamin powder)

Ribose (5 gm 3x day for 3 weeks, then 2x day — I like the Corvalen form)

Coenzyme Q10 (200-400 mg a day for 6 weeks, then 200 mg a day) Acetyl L-carnitine (1,500 mg a day)

Take these 4 together for 6 weeks (and then the dose can often be lowered) and most of you will be amazed!

FEATURED SUPPLEMENT

Acetyl L-Carnitine for Energy Production

Acetyl L-Carnitine

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Regular: $28.00

This week: $22.40

Valid through July 13, 2011

Acetyl L-carnitine is an amino acid the body uses to turn fat into energy. In repeated studies in CFS/FMS, muscle biopsies showed carnitine levels to be routinely low, and supplementation helped improve energy.

Particularly Helpful in CFS & FMS

The Key? Carnitine needs to be taken in the acetyl L-carnitine form to get into your mitochondrial "energy furnaces" to boost energy production. So it is important to take this form rather than other varieties of L-carnitine. In my experience, and that of other clinicians, taking supplemental L-carnitine itself has not been very helpful in CFS and fibromyalgia, and D-L-carnitine can actually worsen symptoms. Acetyl L-carnitine, however, can be very helpful. (Take 500 milligrams 2-3 times a day).

FEATURED QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Q: I've been on the sleep medication Xyrem for five years. But its effectiveness has dropped over the years, and I've steadily increased my dose in order to compensate. Is this safe? Read more »

Q: I've discovered that aloe vera not only helps my restless leg syndrome, but also my fibromyalgia. Have you heard of this? Read more »

COOL STUFF

Wacky Roads from Around the World

More great pictures — this time a collection of crazy-looking roads that twist into ridiculous shapes. Enjoy!

See the pics »

THIS WEEK'S JOKE

1st Joke

A man asks a trainer in the gym, "I want to impress that beautiful girl. Which machine can I use?"

The trainer replies, "Use the ATM outside the gym."

2nd One

A man is stopped by the police at 3 am on the way home from the pub and they ask where he's going.

"I'm on the way to a lecture about the effects of alcohol abuse on the human body," he says.

The policeman asks, "Oh Really? And who's going to give a lecture at this time of the morning?"

"My wife," he replies.

.........

We invite you to email us your favorite jokes or quotes. If we use yours, we'll send you a complimentary bottle of Corvalen or the Energy Revitalization System vitamin powder;-)

CONTACT US

We hope you've enjoyed this issue of our newsletter! If you have any comments or suggestions on how we might improve our service to you, please send us an email. Please also be sure to share what you've learned with your friends.