Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Summertime Blues Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND You may have heard of something called SAD or seasonal affective disorder. This is sometimes referred to as the “wintertime blues”. What you may not be aware of is that while SAD is typically associated with winter it can …
Extreme Heat and Joint Pain Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND While the warm, balmy weather of summer may help to reduce the joint pain of rheumatoid arthritis and even TMJ for some people for other people summer can leave them in MORE pain than the frigid …
Hot Weather and the Impact on Blood Sugar?
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Everyone knows hot weather can make you feel hot and sticky and just plain old yucky! But what most people do not realize is that hot weather can also lead to fluctuations in our blood sugar. This means that hot weather can make it more difficult for those with diabetes to regulate their blood sugar levels. Let us get into it, shall we?
One way that excessive heat can affect our blood sugar is by triggering an increase in how much we sweat. This increase in sweating can lead to dehydration which in turn leads to an increase in our blood sugar! Extreme heat can also trigger our body to produce cortisol, the stress hormone! Among its many functions in the body, this hormone helps to regulate blood sugar levels. When you make more cortisol your blood sugar will be higher. In addition to affecting cortisol levels the stress of extreme heat can stimulate the hypothalamus and influence the way it affects insulin, thus affecting how well insulin works in our body. Sunburn, a common concern during these hot days, can also trigger the hypothalamus to change how insulin works. This can lead to insulin resistance and as a result the blood sugar will be higher. (2) Extreme heat not only affects how well we respond to insulin but can also affect the ability of our body to absorb any injected insulin! As a result, you will have higher blood sugar levels than expected. (3) In my years of working for Invite I have seen an increase in blood sugar levels in people during the summer quite often! In fact, in my clinical experience it is common for people to notice a change in their A1c or morning blood sugar readings during the summer. I have had plenty of people say Dr. Claire my blood sugar reading has been much higher than normal, but I have not changed my diet! What is going on?? I tell them it is simply extremely hot weather! I tell them how to adjust their supplements and that it will go back to normal when the weather does. And sure, enough, it does normalize as the weather cools down! So, if your blood sugar seems higher during extreme heat waves do not get upset, it is not something that you are “doing wrong” but is a natural side effect of the weather.
Now I know I have focused on high blood sugar but in some case extreme heat can lower blood sugar levels. While heat stress can increase blood sugar if a person’s blood sugar is already low or at the lower end of normal the heat can cause “the blood sugar levels to plummet.” (4) Studies have also found that heat can increase glucose metabolism in those that are overweight. (5) What this can mean for a diabetic is that the glucose will be metabolized faster than expected and your blood sugar may drop to low levels. Now remember how I said that extreme heat and sweating can affect our ability to absorb insulin leading to less medicine being absorbed? (3) Well, it is true HOWEVER in some cases the hot weather can increase insulin absorption leading to tooo much medicine and lower blood sugar levels. (6)
I bet I know what you are thinking, high blood sugar, low blood sugar which one is it? And just what type of diabetes is most affected by heat? Simply put, extreme heat just overall makes blood sugar harder to control. It can trigger either high or low blood sugar. The reason I have not talked about which type of diabetes is most affected by heat is because in my experience anyone with any form of diabetes is at risk for blood sugar regulation issues when there is extreme heat!
What can you do to help regulate blood sugar when there is too much heat?
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Dehydration Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND One topic that seems to come up frequently is dehydration. This topic is important, especially in the summer weather because a common cause of dehydration is simply sweating. As we all know, the hot, humid weather that is typical of …
Humidity and our skin! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Summertime can be a time for beach going, Barbeques and just all kinds of outdoor fun! However, summer brings more than just fun outdoor activities. It also brings humidity. While most people know how high humidity affects …
Super Focus IQ
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
If you have been on the Invite health website, you may have noticed a formula called Super Focus IQ. If the nutrients inside this formula seem to ring a bell that’s because it is the same fantastic formula known as Cerebral Care. This is a great formula! To start with it’s a powder so it is easy to use. Super Focus IQ is also made up of some amazing nutrients that help our brain and memory. However, it is for much more than just memory! The nutrients in this formula can help with mood, concentration and even help improve attention. Let us review a few of these nutrients, shall we?
Let’s start with the first item, inositol. What in the heck is inositol? Inositol has been called vitamin B8 but that is not exactly accurate. It is a type of sugar produced by the body that is important for the functioning and development of our cells. Now I know what you are thinking, but Dr. Claire, I have diabetes! Inositol is perfectly safe for you to use and may even help you to better process insulin! Inositol has many health benefits. According to the Cleveland Clinic, inositol may be helpful for metabolic syndrome, PCOS, as well as both Gestational diabetes and even preterm birth. (1) In my clinical experience having high blood sugar can affect our ability to learn and our mood. Have you ever tried to study or focus when your blood sugar is too low or too high? If you have, you know it is not an easy task. Since the studies have found inositol to help with our blood sugar, I have found it to help in situations where blood sugar is affecting our ability to learn. But what does inositol directly do for our brain? Studies have found that using inositol leads to improved outcomes in depression, anxiety, panic disorders and OCD. (2) Studies have found that inositol can help with aspects of brain health such as brain development, memory and even improve our ability to learn. (3) What this means is that this is an excellent product for helping students who feel as though they need help with their ability to focus and pay attention in school.
The next nutrient is Acetyl- L Carnitine (Alcar). Studies have found that using Alcar after a brain injury leads to better outcomes, especially in terms of memory. (4) A study in the International Journal of Neurology and Neurotherapy found Alcar can help improve memory. (5) In another study it was found that Alcar can enhance cognitive function and even decrease the rate of cognitive decline in those with certain disorders. (6) Studies have also found that Alcar can help with symptoms of chemo brain including cognitive impairment and improve both our ability to learn and our memory. (7) As we learn more about the topic of ADD and ADHD, we learn that there are different subsets of these disorders. Studies have found that Alcar can help reduce the symptoms of certain subsets of ADHD! Those who suffer from the Inattention type of ADHD were found to benefit from Alcar. So, what does this mean in the real world? Well, if you are one of the people who would like to improve their attention span Alcar may be a way to do just that!
The next nutrient is choline. Choline is an essential nutrient. This means your body needs it to work properly but is unable to make it. It must come from your diet or supplement regime. (8) Studies have found a correlation between a higher choline intake and better cognitive performance. (9) This means that when parents call and ask about their children and how to help them in school, I usually recommend choline! In my experience this is a terrific addition to any student’s protocol! Studies also have found that choline can help improve our verbal memory. (10) So often I get people who call and say that they sometimes forget words. In my clinical experience increasing choline is a fantastic way to reduce the “search for the right word” game. For example, anyone who has migraines can tell you that they will sometimes forget names. Based on feedback that I have received, Choline is extremely helpful for this!
The next item is phosphatidylserine or PS as I like to call it. Studies have found that PS can help with verbal recall as well as improve our memory. (11) As more studies are done on PS the results are finding that supplementation with PS can improve cognitive impairment by improving the brain’s storage ability, our learning ability and even memory. (12) One of the things I find most interesting about PS is its ability to reduce cortisol! (16) What is Cortisol and why does it matter? Well Cortisol is the main stress hormone, and high cortisol can impact sleep. In my experience most people who wake up in the middle of the night do so because of high cortisol. Reducing cortisol helps improve sleep! As I always tell people, you cannot have great energy and great memory or focus if you do not have enough sleep! Having high cortisol can even reduce your memory over time! And that’s not just Dr. Claire saying that! Studies have found that high cortisol long term can decrease our memory and thus affect how we learn! (17) One of the most common concerns parents have is ADHD. Studies have found that PS can help improve focus and attention in those with ADHD. (18)
The last nutrient is Astaxanthin. To start with, what in the heck is astaxanthin? It’s a red pigment from algae that is a strong antioxidant. (13) Studies have found that it can help to improve our cognitive function. (14)
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