Revivelife Clinic I Naturopath in Ottawa

DIABETES TESTING

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DIABETES 1
BLOOD SUGAR PANEL
BLOOD TEST

This basic panel tests for fasting sugar (glucose), fasting insulin and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test, which measures the proportion of haemoglobin protein affected by glucose in circulation in the body.
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Best suited to those who want a screening of blood sugar health.

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DIABETES 2
DIABETES AUTOIMMUNE REACTIVITY SCREEN™
BLOOD TEST
ARRAY 6 – CYREX

Assesses markers of the autoimmune components of diabetes. Can be used as a tool to identify reactivity prior to the onset of diabetes, and to monitor. Those who have diabetes to see how well treatment protocols are working.
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Recommended for those with a family history or have Type 1 Diabetes, or severe/atypical Type I Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and or gluten, dairy and or cerebellar ataxia

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faqs

Balanced blood sugar is vital for overall health. Chronically elevated fasting blood glucose levels or recurrent excessive spikes in glucose levels after meals is linked to heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, liver disease, thyroid or hormone concerns, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease (also referred to as type 3 diabetes). 1-8

Advanced testing helps to outline the best treatment strategies in optimizing your blood sugar.

The most common signs and symptoms of blood sugar imbalances include:

High Blood Sugar (Hyperglycemia)

Increased thirst
Frequent urination
Fatigue
Nausea and vomiting
Shortness of breath
Stomach pain
Fruity breath odor
A very dry mouth
A rapid heartbeat
Extra belly fat

Low Blood Sugar (hypoglycemia)

Shakiness or nervousness
Anxiety
Fatigue
Weakness
Sweating
Hunger
Nausea
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Difficulty speaking
Confusion

The principal risks of increasing your risk of blood sugar imbalances include:

Age
Poor Lifestyle – Diet, Lack of Sleep, Stress, Smoking
Chronic Inflammation
Excess Exposure: alcohol, chemicals, drugs, medications
Hormone Imbalance
Low Nutrients
Microbiome Imbalance
Obesity

Your Naturopath or Nurse Practitioner will help assess which test is right for you, including an analysis of the most cost-efficient path of testing. We recommend a New Patient Visit with one of our Naturopathic Doctors for the most comprehensive approach to your health or a Pre-Lab Visit for a quick snapshot prior to lab testing as there are many tests available.  Lab testing alone is a one-dimensional picture of your health. The expertise of a health professional is required to create a three-dimensional picture for proper selection, and interpretation of lab testing. To complete your care, we recommend booking your Post-Lab consult 2 weeks after testing to review your results and receive your tailored health plan.

Most of the advanced blood sugar testing is not ordered by your General Practitioner under OHIP-based services on routine screening tests. Our goal is to assess your health by evaluating high-risk factors and then work in prevention.

Third-party insurance companies may cover all or a portion of your consultations. Most of other integrative testing is not currently covered by private insurance companies. Please check with your individual provider for details and how to submit claims.

Your Revivelife clinician will review all findings and create a tailored plan to you based on what are the root causes of your blood sugar imbalances. The Revivelife team will work with you to review your menu, lifestyle practices, current health, medications and blood sugar status to define ways to promote balanced blood sugar. Strategies may include nutraceuticals like:

Benfotiamine: Research shows that when participants ate a high-AGE (advanced glycation end product) processed meal, those that used benfotiamine a fat-soluble derivative of vitamin B1 with greater bioavailability had reduced vascular dysfunction, inflammation and oxidative stress. 9-14
Brown Seaweed Extract: In a randomized controlled trial, brown seaweed extract caused a 48.3% decrease in post-meal blood sugar spikes and improved insulin sensitivity.15
White Mulberry: has also been found to decrease post-meal blood sugar spikes.16,17

Advanced diagnostic testing which is often not found at your traditional medical doctor’s office helps address your baseline, and approach that is right for you. We target action to improve glycemic control if you are beginning to fall outside of optimal for the following markers:

Fasting glucose 70-85 mg/Dl18, HbA1C <5.5%19 or fasting insulin <5 μIU/Ml as the effects of high glucose take their effects long before the diagnosis of prediabetes in conventional medicine. 20-22 For Type 3 Diabetes (Alzheimer’s) and Metabolic Syndrome refer to Brain, Memory & ADD and Integrative Cardiology.

We recommend a New Patient Visit for the most comprehensive approach to your health or a Pre-Lab Visit for a quick snapshot before lab testing and a Post-Lab consult to review your results and receive your tailored health plan. To book an appointment, click here.

Ahmed S, Mahmood Z, Zahid S. Linking insulin with Alzheimer’s disease: emergence as type III diabetes. Neurological sciences: official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. Oct 2015;36(10):1763-1769.
Kim B, Backus C, Oh S, et al. Hyperglycemia-induced tau cleavage in vitro and in vivo: a possible link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;34(3):727-39.
Halmos T, Suba I. [Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes – the common pathogenesis]. Neuropsychopharmacology Hungarica: a Magyar Pszichofarmakologiai Egyesulet lapja = official journal of the Hungarian Association of Psychopharmacology. Mar 2016;18(1):5-19.
Ahmadieh H, Azar ST. Liver disease and diabetes: association, pathophysiology, and management. Diabetes research and clinical practice. Apr 2014;104(1):53-62.
Kishore P. Merck Manual. Professional Version. Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Available at: http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-metabolic-disorders/diabetes-mellitus-and-disorders-of-carbohydrate-metabolism/diabetes-mellitus-dm. last update: 6/2014. Accessed 12,7,2019
Fowler MJ. Microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes. Clinical Diabetes. 2008;26(2):77-82.Szablewski L. Diabetes mellitus: influences on cancer risk. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2014;30(7):543-53.
Del Bene A, Ciolli L, Borgheresi L, et al. Is type 2 diabetes-related to leukoaraiosis? an updated review. Acta Neurol Scand. 2015; Mar 16. Doi:10.1111/ane.12398.Szablewski L. Diabetes mellitus: influences on cancer risk. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2014;30(7):543-53.
Huang, Y, Cai X, Qiu M, et al. Prediabetes and the risk of cancer: a meta-analysis. Diabetologia. 2014;57(11):2261-9.
Shahbazian H. World diabetes day; 2013. Journal of renal injury prevention. 2013;2(4):123-124.
Via M. The Malnutrition of Obesity: Micronutrient Deficiencies That Promote Diabetes. ISRN Endocrinology. 2012;2012:103472.
Hammes HP, Du X, Edelstein D, et al. Benfotiamine blocks three major pathways of hyperglycemic damage and prevents experimental diabetic retinopathy. Nat Med. 2003;9(3):294-9.
Du X, Edelstein D, Brownlee M. Oral benfotiamine plus alpha-lipoic acid normalizes complication-causing pathways in type 1 diabetes. Diabetologia. Oct 2008;51(10):1930-1932.
Balakumar P, Rohilla A, Krishan P, et al. The multifaceted therapeutic potential of benfotiamine. Pharmacol Res. 2010;61(6):482-8.
Shoeb M, Ramana KV. Anti-inflammatory effects of benfotiamine are mediated through the regulation of the arachidonic acid pathway in macrophages. Free radical biology & medicine. Jan 1 2012;52(1):182-190.
Paradis ME, Couture P, Lamarche B. A randomized crossover placebo-controlled trial investigating the effect of brown seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus) on post-challenge plasma glucose and insulin levels in men and women. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2011;36(6):913-9.
Mudra M, Ercan-Fang N, Zhong L, Furne J, Levitt M. Influence of Mulberry Leaf Extract on the Blood Glucose and Breath Hydrogen Response to Ingestion of 75 g Sucrose by Type 2 Diabetic and Control Subjects. Diabetes Care. 2007;30(5):1272-1274.
Kim JY, Ok HM, Kim J, Park SW, Kwon SW, Kwon O. Mulberry leaf extract improves postprandial glucose response in prediabetic subjects: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Journal of medicinal food. Mar 2015;18(3):306-313.
Nichols GA, Hillier TA, Brown JB. Normal fasting plasma glucose and risk of type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Am J Med. 2008;121:519-524.
Adams RJ, Appleton SL, Hill CL, et al. Independent association of HbA1C and incident cardiovascular disease in people without diabetes. Obesity. 2009;17:559-563.
Muti P, Quattrin T, Grant BJ, et al. Fasting glucose is a risk factor for breast cancer: a prospective study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2002;11(11):1361-8.
Lin H-J, Lee B-C, Ho Y-L, et al. Postprandial glucose improves the risk prediction of cardiovascular death beyond the metabolic syndrome in the nondiabetic population. Diabetes Care. 2009;32:1721-1726.
Pai JK, Cahill LE, Hu FB, et al. Hemoglobin A1C is associated with increased risk of incident coronary heart disease among apparently healthy, nondiabetic men and women. J Am Heart Assoc. 2013;2:e000077.

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