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 …
GERD and ACID REFLUX
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Next to constipation and diarrhea, one of the most common concerns that people have is stomach acid. This includes GERD or gastroesophageal re-flux disease. Other common concerns that relate to stomach acid include Peptic ulcers, gastritis, and ironically, too little stomach acid. In this blog we will be focusing on GERD and an Invite product called Min Acid. Min Acid is one of my favorite recommendations for GERD. There is much to cover so let us get into it, shall we?
So, what exactly is GERD or gastroesophageal re-flux disease? GERD is known as acid re-flux or heartburn. The lower esophageal sphincter or “doorway” between the stomach and esophagus does not close properly allowing the acid and other stomach contents to leave the stomach and enter the esophagus. Normally the stomach has protection, so it can manage the acid without being damaged or causing pain. In contrast, the esophagus does not have these protections and thus when the acid rises it causes complications and pain. (1)
Most people know the symptoms of GERD include heartburn or burning in the chest, it can have quite a few other symptoms or be asymptomatic. In addition to heartburn, there can be a metallic or acidic taste in the mouth. Acid can cause bad breath and even an increase in saliva. As acid causes damage, pain with swallowing or even just a chronic sore throat is common. Some people with GERD never have any pain, but do develop symptoms such as a chronic cough, trouble breathing, an increase in asthma attacks and even chest pain that can be confused as coming from the heart. This is typically known as silent GERD since the classic heartburn is absent. While GERD can cause nausea or vomiting, this is less common in adults and is seen more in children and infants. (3) Children and infants can get GERD, but the symptoms are different than in adults. They can include vomiting, spitting up, coughing, wheezing, and food refusal that leads to weight loss. There can also be excessive burping and bad breath. (4) Over time acid can damage the enamel of teeth as well as the gums and dry mouth or burning mouth. (5)†
The number one risk factor for GERD is H. Pylori. In fact, up to 40% of GERD cases are associated with an H. Pylori infection. (6) Other risk factors include gallstones, obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity. 13% of changes in esophageal acid exposure is attributable to an increase in body mass index (BMI). (7) A hiatal hernia can also increase the risk of GERD. Holistically, food allergies/sensitivities can also increase the risk of GERD. Pathogens can also increase the risk of GERD. Stress is a significant risk factor for GERD. Certain medications and smoking are also risk factors for GERD. Lastly pregnancy can trigger GERD. (8)
Long term complications caused by an increase in stomach acids but are not limited to cancer. Other complications for GERD can include Esophagitis, esophageal strictures, and barrettes esophagus. (9)
What can you do if you have GERD? Well in addition to your medications one of my favorite suggestions is Min Acid! It hits all the markers for helping GERD.
Min Acid is an excellent formula for helping heal our digestive tract. However, the most common question I have gotten thus far about this product is “I have high blood pressure is this product safe to use?” Licorice extracts normally contain a compound called glycyrrhizin. This is the part of licorice that affects blood pressure. DGL, or deglycyrrhizinated licorice does not contain glycyrrhizin and thus should not affect potassium levels. According to Mount Sinai DGL “does not seem to have the undesired side effects of licorice”. (11) By removing the glycyrrhizin, it makes the DGL form different in that it “does not alter blood pressure”. (12) Therefore YES, it is safe to use!
What does Min Acid do for us?
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