By Rick Mautz

The mid-October 2016 health summit in Breckenridge, Colorado, was aimed toward making a difference in our communities by addressing the growing epidemic of diabetes. Something must be done and we, as believers, can make a positive impact on this devastating condition that plagues too many unnecessarily.

Many summit participants were surprised to learn that Alzheimer’s disease is closely related to diabetes. Both have as their main culprit insulin resistance. We see Alzheimer’s disease as a feared condition that we can do nothing about except wait and pray that it doesn’t happen to us. However, recent research shows that there is something we can do to improve our chances of warding off both conditions.

The main presenter at the Breckenridge event was Wes Youngberg, author of Goodbye Diabetes, Hello Healthy and his most recent diabetes reversal program Diabetes Undone. The main take-home message was hope! Whether you have type II diabetes (T2D) or you want to prevent it, there is much you can do. When you address the insulin resistance for T2D, and Alzheimer’s, you will be reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, and many other degenerative diseases as well.

So how do you get started? One of the simplest habits to add to your lifestyle is a short walk after each meal. All participants did that at the summit. For every minute that you walk, your blood sugar drops 1-3 points, a very positive action to control your blood sugar levels. After a 20-minute walk, you will have cut your blood sugars by between 20 and 60 points. This works best if done immediately after eating a meal. This simple lifestyle choice can often bring you back to a safe blood sugar level. If you are resistant to making a change in your diet, consider adding a regular walk. This will give you a big boost toward better health. You may start feeling so much better that other positive habits will be ignited and bring about better health.

Research is beginning to show that just controlling blood sugar levels with medication may not reduce the health risks that come with diabetes. Simply treating the symptom (the blood sugar levels) does nothing to treat the disease itself. Addressing the cause of the disease, the insulin resistance, can only be achieved by lifestyle changes.

Another presenter in the field of dietetics was Brenda Davis, RD, recognized as one of the top dietitians in the field of plant-based nutrition. She explained how to avoid inflammation and oxidative stress through proper diet. Refining of foods can turn normally nutritious foods into disease producers. Her recommendation was to choose foods as close to their original form as possible.

Simply receiving information on the topic will probably not bring about the desired results. We need a helper to pull off an effective lifestyle change. The second focus of the summit, therefore, was teaching how to provide personal ongoing support or coaching for those wanting to make lifestyle changes.

Summit participants caught on to this need and reacted with enthusiasm about learning through the online coaching programs available through the RMC health ministry office. The training aims to provide health partners to people who attend future health programs in local churches and in the community.

For more information you can check our website: rmcsda.org/health.

Rick Mautz is RMC health director.