stress and type II
Stress Treatments Helps Control Type 2 Diabetes
Patients with type 2 diabetes who incorporate stress
management techniques into their routine care can
significantly reduce their average blood glucose
levels.
Stress can increase glucose levels in people with
diabetes, making them more susceptible to long-term
physical complications such as eye, kidney or nerve
disorders.
This is the first large study to show that a simple,
cost-effective treatment can have a meaningful
therapeutic effect on the control of blood sugar, said
the researchers. Such stress management techniques
include instructions on how to identify everyday life
stressors and how to respond to them with such
techniques as progressive muscle relaxation and
breathing exercises.
Patients in the stress management group showed, on
average, a 0.5 percent reduction on the hemoglobin A1c
(HbA1c) test - a standard laboratory test used to
determine average blood glucose levels in people with
diabetes.
However, 32 percent of the patients in that group
showed an even greater improvement by lowering their
glucose level by 1 percent or more.
That amount of glucose level reduction is what the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers
sufficient when reviewing drugs seeking approval for
diabetes control.
The patients were randomly enrolled in the educational
sessions either with or without stress management
training. Stress-management techniques were taught by
nurses or graduate students specifically trained for
the study.
The training included progressive muscle relaxation,
mental imagery, breathing techniques and instructions
on how to modify one’s physiologic, cognitive and
behavioral responses to stress.
At the beginning of the study, and at subsequent times
throughout the year-long tracking period, patients
were tested using the HbA1c test to evaluate their
blood sugar control and with various questionnaires to
assess their trait anxiety. Such trait anxiety
included perceived levels of stress, anxiety and
psychological health. All participants were at least
30 years old and currently managing their diabetes
with diet, exercise and/or non-insulin medications.
Experiencing stress is associated with the release of
hormones that lead to energy mobilization - known as
the ‘fight or flight’ response. Key to this energy
mobilization is the transport of glucose into the
bloodstream, resulting in elevated glucose levels,
which is a health threat for people with diabetes.
Stress also can disrupt diabetes control indirectly
through its effects on diet and exercise.
After six months, the control group began to show
deterioration in their glucose levels, while the
stress management group continued to improve.
By the end of one year, 32 percent of the patients
randomized to stress management had HbA1c levels that
were lower by 1 percent or more. In contrast, only 12
percent of the control subjects had levels that were
this much lower. The effect cannot be explained by
changes in body mass index, diet or exercise because
the two groups did not differ on these variables
during the year they were followed.
The HbA1c test has been shown to be effective in
predicting coronary disease and other risks to people
with diabetes, including the development of
microvascular complications in the kidneys or eyes.
Diabetes Care January 2002
——————————————————————————–
DR. MERCOLA’S COMMENT:
Quite impressive to see that managing one’s stress can
be such an effective solution to controlling one’s
blood sugar.
The hemoglobin A1C test used in this study is one of
the best indicators of long-term diabetic control. A
one percent improvement does not sound like much, but
an average reading should be about 5. Readings over 10
indicate terrible diabetic control and the higher the
number is the worse the patient’s diabetes is. I have
only seen a HbA1c over 20 once.
So if a person improved it by one point that would be
a 20% overall improvement in the control of their
diabetes, which is quite impressive, and nearly one
third of the patients were able to do that.
It is also impressive that these results were achieved
with relatively ineffective tools compared to EFT.
EFT, and other energy psychology techniques, are like
performing stress management at the speed of light, as
the results are generally instant and permanent.
Last month I held a workshop that provides a basic
framework to teach you how to perform EFT. The ten
hours of video have a one year full refund guarantee.
Unlike the other stress management tools, EFT can also
be used to instill positive goals like exercise, which
is critical in the management of diabetes.
In my experience over 95% of people are able to put
their diabetes into remission by following the proper
eating plan and exercise. I have helped many patients
successfully get off of their diabetic medications,
including improperly prescribed insulin for type two
diabetes.