Insulin Resistance and Trapping Wild Pigs
Do you know how to catch wild pigs?
You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free food.
When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. At first they are scared, but when they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence.
They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with an open gate on the last side.
The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat that free corn again. And then one night, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.
So how does trapping wild pigs relate to your health and more specifically insulin resistance? Just as the pigs are lured for a tasty easy meal without having to work for it, we as a people are being lured by conspiring people who promote unhealthy highly processed foods (mostly loaded with sugar, fats, and chemicals) that rob us, literally poison us, slowly by degrees until we suffer from illness and disease that should and could have been avoided. The taste buds on the tongue designed to taste sweetness are wired directly to the pleasure centers in the brain. You put something sweet in your mouth and your brain says “mmmm yummy, I want more”. I get it, the taste of the junk many people eat can be euphoric. But there are consequences of every choice we make, for good or ill (literally).
This Story was shared to me by a friend. Years ago when her oldest child began school, she decided that she would get involved and began attending the school's PTA meetings. During one meeting, they were discussing an upcoming field day event and the subject of refreshments was discussed. It was stated that of course, they would have Coca Cola and Orange Crush to drink. Being the health conscious mother that she is, she suggested having bottled water, which would be a healthier and more hydrating choice, since they would be playing outside for hours. She was openly laughed at and was told that the school was not going to purchase bottled water when they were provided soda pop for free by the companies. A lightbulb went on in her mind, as she realized these companies were grooming these vulnerable young children to become addicted consumers to these sugary caffeinated products. They have been incredibly successful.
The pancreas is responsible for taking the sugar you’ve eaten out of the blood and bringing it into the cells. Insulin is the hormone produced by your pancreas that escorts the blood glucose (sugar) into the cells of the body - the muscles, the brain, all of it. If the body is habitually overwhelmed with the amount of sugar in the blood, at some point the cells in essence say “ENOUGH!”. The cells become resistant to the insulin’s attempt to deliver the sugar. As a result the cells in your body (muscles, brain and liver) don’t respond to insulin as they should. The excess blood sugar is converted to fat and is stored for later use.
Insulin resistance is also known as impaired insulin sensitivity. This happens when cells in your muscles, brain and liver don't respond as they should to insulin. Insulin resistance can be temporary or chronic and is treatable, if you are willing to take the appropriate action.
Signs and Symptoms of Insulin Resistance
Belly Fat - either a soft jiggly belly or a distended belly that can be tight with fat underneath the stretched out abdominal muscles.
Not satisfied after eating - You’re full but want more or find yourself snacking again before you are really hungry.
Craving Carbs - pasta, potatoes (french fries), bread, cakes, cold cereal, sweets and treats are what you want.
Frequent Urination, especially at night
Frequent Hunger - you need to snack
Tired and wanting to Nap after eating - That afternoon after lunch can’t hardly keep your eyes open at your desk scenario.
Fatigue - Low Endurance - adrenal glands are worn out. You get a second wind in the evening and stay up too late. Very tired getting up in the morning. Sound Familiar?
High Triglycerides - Low HDL - total cholesterol is high - Check your most recent blood/lab test.
High Blood Pressure - even if you exercise and are otherwise taking care of yourself
Fatty Liver - ⅓ of the American population has Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
PCOS - PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome - why many women can’t get pregnant, can’t lose weight, have facial hair, and hormones that are whacked out. This is actually insulin resistance of the ovaries.
Cysts - baker’s cysts behind the knee, ganglion cysts in the wrist. They don’t just happen for no reason.
Dark Folds - rough dark skin at the back of the neck and under the arms
Skin Tags - often around the neck but they can be anywhere on the body. You got skin tags - this is caused by sugar consumption and insulin resistance.
High Blood Glucose/ High Blood Insulin - fasting blood sugar is ideally 75-100 mg/dl
Inflammation - painful muscles and/or joint - often the pain shifts and migrates
Sleep Apnea - insulin resistance is almost always the cause. If you use a CPAP machine you are headed for more trouble than just your sleep and breathing issues at night. Treatments abound but the cause is rarely addressed.
Slow Metabolism - can’t lose weight. You diet, cut out soda and carbs and still can’t lose weight. You need to do something more to shock your body back onto a healthy track.
Memory Problems - Don’t go blaming this on getting older. In many medical circles Alzheimers or dementia is referred to as Type 3 Diabetes or insulin resistance in the brain.
Moody - your emotions can be like a rollercoaster - up and down.
Loss of Muscle Mass - muscles become flabby like under your arms (bat-wings)gynecomastia (man boobs)
Can’t absorb nutrients - leaky gut syndrome
Stress/ Anxiety - Increase Sympathetic Nervous System - Adrenal Fatigue
Acne - you thought you were too old for teenage acne - it’s likely a fatty liver and insulin resistance. If you have acne beyond your teenage adolescent year, it is most likely related to sugar consumption and insulin resistance.
Low Testosterone - This was hardly ever an issue years ago, now it is so common. With Low T can also come a lack of drive and ambition for life.
Erectile Dysfunction - we are all sick of the commercials boasting of great new treatments, but no one ever mentions what causes it. Well, here it is Insulin Resistance. It’s what men are eating - sugar, soda pop, lots of carbs.
PreDiabetes - you may start feeling off and on diabetic symptoms - numbness or tingling in the feet or hands, blurred vision, slow healing sores, weight gain. Fasting blood sugar is typically 100-125. Over 126 is suggestive of diabetes.
Fuzzy thinking/ Brain Fog - not a sign of aging, but of a bloodstream overloaded with sugar and insulin.
If you are experiencing more than a couple of these signs or symptoms, chances are you have or are flirting with insulin resistance.
So if you are at all serious about your health you may want to consider snapping yourself out of this downward spiral.
Subtle or gentle shifts and changes in the diet may not be enough to pull you out of your Insulin Resistance funk. What has worked fantastically for many is going on a “Healthy Keto” diet and intermittent fasting for a short time. This is a diet that is sharply restricted from refined carbs with an abundance of vegetables, fat and protein.
Explore the excellent YouTube videos of Dr Eric Berg. Search under Dr Berg and insulin resistance. Spend some time educating yourself.
So back to the pigs. Have we become so desensitized to what is going on that we accept what is being pushed upon us? Are there things that you regularly eat and drink that you know are not good for you, yet you continue to eat and drink? Have we been so seduced by the slick marketing and social trends, that we drink the caffeine-laced sugar and ultra-processed foods and believe that it is normal and acceptable for being healthy? Do you somehow think you will be the exception and not suffer the consequences of the overconsumption of these highly processed unhealthy foods?
The wise little piggy when offered free delicious tasting food would have seen it for what it was - a trap! And rather than partaking of what is easy and tastes amazing, the wise pig would forage and eat what and how he was designed to eat.
So where are you? Are you enjoying the high life of refined foods, sugary sweets and drinks? Do you squeal with delight when presented with refined sweets and carbs? Do you struggle with any of the signs or symptoms described herein?
And more importantly, do you have the desire, will and determination to turn it around? Our children will beg and cry for sugary and processed foods (ever experienced a picky eater - what are they crying and begging for?). As parents, it is not solely our fault alone, but the evil and conspiring people, who because of greed, are willfully striving to trap and addict us and our children for THEIR financial gain. In my opinion, it is immoral, wrong and evil. And people, like myself,who try to awaken and bring some awareness and sense to the awful state of health we as a people are in are too frequently ridiculed and treated as an enemy and threat of the sugary euphoria people crave.
I believe, as a modern Western culture we have been lulled into a very dangerous state on so many levels. Threaten to take away someone's sweets and you are likely to be met with hostility or tears. The medical evidence is clear and growing. We are losing the war to preserve our health. We knowingly give away our money and our health and that of our children to satisfy our addiction to the sweets and treats we love. While it may not be 100% your fault that you got tricked into this position, it is 100% your responsibility to get yourself and your family out of it now that you are aware of the problem, and to do it before the gate shuts closed around you and your herd.
Are you ready or willing to “awaken to a sense of your awful situation?”
Bytheway, what are you feeding your little piggies at home?
Post Script: So honestly, what’s your reaction to this message? Does it bring about feelings of frustration - someone telling you the sweets and treats you love may be the underlying cause of many of your symptoms? Is this message something you want to discard and cast aside because “you’re not ready” to buckle down and take significant steps to restore your body to health? Or has this brought to you some answers and perhaps some hope that you can actually turn things around - resolve chronic pain, stabilize your digestive issues, think clearer, lose weight, improve your memory, etc? What is your spirit and your heart telling you? If you are not ready yet, that’s okay. But hold this in your heart. Pray for hope, guidance and strength to cast off the shackles of increasingly poor health. Take courage. You can escape from the trap that we have all been surrounded by on all sides.
Blessings, Dr Christensen
