Why is glucose monitoring important?

Glucose is a very important blood marker. It affects most of your biological processes, yet symptoms of glucose issues are not always obvious. Understanding how your body controls glucose in response to certain foods is an important component of Front-Line Therapy. Therefore, I recommend you self-monitor your glucose levels until you have a good feel for assuring your glucose levels are in the healthy range.

How do I measure my glucose?

Glucose levels are critically important for your entire body. The only way I know to get your instant glucose levels is to test for them. This test does require some specialize equipment. You will need to get a Glucose Test Kit. The one I use is the Contour NEXT Blood Glucose Testing Kit. The price is $59.99 on Amazon. This one is a bit more expensive than average, but I have been using it for years. Their accuracy is good. Their tech support has been excellent during the few times I have called them. I suggest you follow their written directions.

When you test, write it down. Keep a journal of what you eat, when you eat relative to the test, and your corresponding blood sugar level.

Test Procedures

1. Wash your hands with soap and water. Be sure to rinse well.
2. Get your test strip out and insert it into the test strip port.
3. Give the lance tip a full twist to break the seal. Remove the lancer end cap.  Insert the lance into the lancer. Push the lance in until it clicks. The remove the round protective tip. Save it.
4. Replace the endcap.
5. Turn the lancer endcap to adjust the depth of the puncture. For me, I set it to go as deep as it can, and then I VERY LIGHTLY touch my finger to the tip of the lancer. I suggest you start at the shallowest setting and then keep setting it deeper until you have the right setting. Most people are afraid to prick themselves at first. You will feel it, but for most people the pain is gone in a second or two.
6. This step is not in their directions, but I find it helpful to puncture the side of my finger instead of the tip. First, the tip can be calloused and harder to puncture and second, there are less nerve endings on the side of the finger, so I feel it even less.
7. Wipe away the first drop and use the second drop. Your finger is not likely to keep bleeding for two drops, so you may need to milk the blood out by squeezing at the base of the finger and then pulling your hand toward the puncture. Do not squeeze the puncture as this can affect the accuracy of the reading. As soon as you have a small drop, touch the end of the test strip to the drop. You will see your blood travel up the test strip. The meter will beep once it’s complete. Then wait for the meter to read out your value.
8. When you’re done you can untwist the end of the lancet and push the lancing needle into the little round sealing cap that you saved from the earlier step.

What is a healthy glucose range?

The Functional Range (FR) is considerably smaller than the Standard Medical Tables (SMT). SMT represents everything that is not pathological.  FR is what is optimum for your body. FR fasting (8+ hours without eating or drinking anything except water) blood sugar levels should stay between 85 and 100 milligrams per deciliter. After eating, FR blood sugar levels stay below 120. There are many options you can employ to help control your blood sugar, but the first step is measuring your levels often enough to know how your body responds to certain lifestyle and eating habits.

When do I test?

• Test in the morning before eating or drinking anything other than water. This will be your fasting glucose level. FR levels are between 85 and 100.
• Test 60 minutes after eating or drinking anything except water. After you eat a meal, your blood sugar will go up rapidly, usually peaking around 60 minutes after the meal, and then come back down equally rapidly. Two hours after the meal, your blood sugar should be back near your fasting blood sugar level. FR peak levels should stay below 120.

How long do I need to continue testing?

Until you have a good idea how your foods affect your body.

What can I do to help control my blood sugar levels?

Your blood sugar levels depend on several factors

• The health and abilities of your body
• What you eat
• How long since your previous meal
• How much you eat
• Your physical activity level since eating

 

How do I change the way my body processes foods, glucose, and insulin?

Changing how your body responds to foods can take several months of feeding your deficiencies and detoxing your body. In the interim, you can control the other four factors immediately to keep your sugar levels in range. I can’t give you all the details to change your body in this pamphlet. I teach a six-week class on Aggressive Preventative Health that covers this in detail, and much of this is idiosyncratic to your body and requires personalized attention.

 

What do you eat?

Eat nutritious foods that feed your body. Most of us should eat a diet of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and a small amount of animal protein. Stay away from processed foods and most grains.  Try to eat a small bit of proteins or fats with every meal – two or three bites of a chicken breast, a small handful of almonds, etc.

 

How often do you eat?

Eat 5 or more meals or snacks per day.  You should be eating or snacking every 2 to 3 hours.

 

How much do you eat?

Eat small portions of your fats and proteins – roughly half the size of a normal meal portion of fats. If you are eating animal proteins, keep the size small. So, for example, cut a normal chicken breast into 5 equal pieces and eat one piece with each meal. It’s okay to eat larger quantitates of veggies and fruits.

 

What if my levels go too low (below 85)?

Eat a piece of fruit, wait 30 minutes, test again. High glycemic fruits (high in sugar content) include dates, raisins, watermelon, pineapple, and bananas. Carrots are also a good way to raise your blood sugar.

 

What if my levels go too high (over 120)?

Exercise for six minutes, wait 15 minutes, test again. If you blood sugar level is very high, vigorous exercise may be necessary. I saw a person with 172 blood sugar exercise very vigorously for 6 minutes.  Fifteen minutes after his exercise his glucose level dropped to 92. See your doctor to make sure you can partake in physical exercise.