What is insulin resistance?
– insulin is excreted from the pancreas and attaches to cell receptors to communicate to the glucose transporters to transfer glucose from the blood into the liver and muscle cells so that it can be used for energy. Insulin is like the key to let glucose into the liver and muscle cells. When there is insulin resistance, the key stops working. This usually happens because too much fat in the diet plugs up the keyhole and insulin can no longer communicate. Therefore the cells are unable to use the glucose and it is left in the bloodstream, leading to high blood sugar levels and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which happens when the pancreas gets tired from producing excess insulin to try and compensate.
This begins to occur well and truly before a diagnosis of diabetes 10-20 years before and as a Naturopath I begin to work in this area before your pathology tests go out of reference range. Because It can be reversed!!!
What is not talked about is that insulin resistance is a direct result of diet choices, predominately choosing unhealthy fats from a young age. Over time changes occur in your muscle, liver and fat cells where fat deposits from food build up and then the fat blocks the cells instructions from insulin to let glucose into these cells. The end result = insulin resistance. Too much insulin creates havoc in the body.
There are many signs and symptoms of insulin resistance, one of which is:
Acidosis
Acidosis occurs when the kidneys and lungs are unable to keep up with balancing the pH in your blood.
What is blood pH?
– part of our day to day functioning in the body is to maintain a balance between acid and alkaline in our blood and tissues. If the body is too acidic it can increase your chances of developing many conditions which will make you feel unwell. When your pH is balanced then your body can be protected both inside and out.
How does the pH become unbalanced?
– the kidneys are responsible for maintaining a balance of electrolytes but when the body is continuously exposed to acidity (mainly through food) then it becomes a hard battle to fight and your body becomes minerally depleted. You become unable to absorb essential vitamins and minerals and there is a takeover of toxins and pathogens in the body.
– the major reason behind this is having a digestive system that struggles to breakdown and digest food. It is the role of the pancreas to decode the food and give instructions to the body on how to use this food. Enzymes are released and the breakdown begins. If the signal is missing to tell the pancreas to begin then it loses its ability to decode the food and conditions such as bloating, indigestion, nausea, reflux, irritable bowel, constipation begin to appear.
In addition to acidosis affecting the digestive system it also affects many other areas of the body, including
– an impact on cardiac health leading to increase deposits of plaques and increased risk of heart attack
– immune system and respiratory system as it prevents to the transportation of oxygen around the body often leading to shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. You will also experience an increase in mucous in the lungs, increase in viral infections.
– skeletal system is impacted through an increase in pain due to inflammation of the joints and stiffness. Arthritis is connected to an imbalance in pH.
– skin is also affected often seen as an increase in pimples and rashes.
– lack of energy in the nervous system mainly due to decrease in oxygen but also the acidity weakens the nervous system impacting on mental, physical and emotional health.
– when the body is acidic the major impact is on the kidneys as it is their job to excrete the acid from the body and filter acid from the blood. To compensate for the acidity minerals are pulled from the bones and then need to be excreted which can lead to kidney stone formation.
– the reproductive system is also affected with an increase in infertility as well as miscarriages and a decrease in interest in the bedroom activities.
What causes the acidity?
It is a long long list. Some causes include medications such as antibiotic use, stress is a big one, the food that you eat has a major impact, chemicals in food and products used. These are some areas but by no means an exhaustive list.
What can be done?
As a Naturopath I assess your levels of acidity through blood tests and urine tests as well as your presenting signs and symptoms.
The main difference between natural medicine and pharmaceutical medicine is natural medicine focuses on repair rather than symptomatic relief. I will usually begin with repairing the digestive system and often supplementation will be needed to begin bringing the pH back to balance.
We will also focus on which areas of the body have been affected by high acidity.
Many diseases thrive in an acidic body. Book in to see if your acidity is the underlying cause of your concerns.
Insulin Resistance is a driving factor of many health conditions and diseases states. The most common cause of insulin resistance comes from our food choices. And NO it’s not the carbs that cause insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.
Another symptoms of insulin resistance is acanthosis nigricans and you can read about this by clicking on the photo.

You can also read more about insulin resistance here

Who am I?
I am a Bachelor qualified Naturopath who specialises in improving metabolic processes in the body. Major areas for improvement include gut, thyroid, kidney, skin and liver health. Conditions such as hypothyroidism, fatty liver, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, & irritable bowel conditions. I help my patients by giving them symptomatic relief while working on repairing the underlying causes of metabolic stress and waste accumulation. Patients experience amazing results which are seen in their blood tests with improved thyroid markers, cholesterol, and liver markers. As well as lower blood pressure and see relief from improved gastrointestinal symptoms like the ones that mean you need to know where every single toilet is before you leave the house.
Melissa Callaghan ND, BHSc, BTeach
Clinical Naturopath
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