Do you feel constantly hungry and aren’t sure why?
Constantly feeling tired regardless of how much sleep you get?
Do you struggle with your weight?
If so, you may have a pancreatic disorder.
You might not think of it that way, but your pancreas is part of your digestive system. And it should come as no surprise that your digestive system is pretty important to your overall health.
But when something goes wrong with your pancreas, naturopathic treatment for hormonal conditions can help. This is because your pancreas produces some of the hormones your body needs to stay healthy.
Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, a naturopathic doctor in Ottawa, offers natural solutions for diabetes and other pancreatic disorders that can help maintain your overall health.
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, prediabetes, or another pancreatic disorder, book your appointment with Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, today.
Or read on to find out more about naturopathy treatment for diabetes and other pancreas disorders.
What Is Your Pancreas?
Your pancreas is a pear shaped organ that sits across your abdomen, from the middle of your abdomen to your left side.
It produces digestive enzymes, which enter your small intestines and help your body break down the food you eat.
Your pancreas also produces a few hormones: insulin, glucagon, gastrin, and amylin.
Insulin helps your body process sugar and use it for energy.
Glucagon tells your liver to release extra sugar if your blood sugar gets too low.
Gastrin tells your stomach to produce more stomach acids.
Amylin helps send signals about your appetite.
Because it produces hormones, this makes your pancreas part of your body’s endocrine system. And because it plays an important role in digestion, it’s also part of your digestive system. It turns out human anatomy isn’t as simple as we’d like it to be.
RELATED: Digestive Problems and Gut Health
There are currently several known pancreatic disorders that can affect us humans. Let’s take a closer look at them, and how naturopathy treatments for pancreas disorders can help.
Natural Remedies For Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic illness that happens when your pancreas produces little or no insulin.
Insulin helps your body use sugar for energy by allowing it to pass from your blood into your body’s cells, where the sugar gets used.
Without insulin, the sugar can’t leave your blood.
This causes high blood sugar, which can cause both long- and short-term problems.
Some of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes include:
- Excessive thirst
- Excessive hunger
- Blurry vision
- Chronic fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Losing a lot of weight in a short period of time
In some cases, type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune response where your body attacks the part of your pancreas that produces insulin. If you have your pancreas removed, as a result of pancreatic cancer for example, it also causes type 1 diabetes.
It usually shows up in children and young adults, but you can develop type 1 diabetes at any age. You might be more at risk for type 1 diabetes if you have a family history of it.
If left untreated, type 1 diabetes can result in hyperglycemia – high blood sugar – and diabetic ketoacidosis.
Symptoms of ketoacidosis include:
- Rapid breathing
- Dry skin and mouth
- Flushed face
- Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain
- Breath that smells fruity
High blood sugar levels can also damage other parts of your body, like increasing your risk for heart attacks, causing eye problems, causing nerve damage, causing skin infections, and kidney damage.
There is currently no known cure for type 1 diabetes, and the only effective known treatment is to supplement your body’s insulin for the rest of your life.
However, naturopathic medicine can still help.
Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, offers naturopathic treatments to help manage your type 1 diabetes and minimize its impact on your body.
Book your appointment with Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, today.
Natural Remedies for Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is also considered a chronic medical condition.
It happens when your body’s cells are unable to respond to insulin as it tries to move the sugar form your bloodstream to your cells.
Type 2 diabetes can occur slowly, and your early symptoms may be mild.
Some of the early symptoms include:
- Chronic fatigue
- Excessive thirst
- Constant hunger
- Frequent urination
- Blurry vision
- Pain, tingling, or numbness in your hands or feet
If your type 2 diabetes progresses without treatment, your symptoms will become more severe, including things like:
- Vision problems
- Numbness in your extremities
- Kidney disease
- Gum disease
- Heart attack
- Stroke
If you suspect you may have type 2 diabetes, it is important to seek treatment immediately, so your symptoms don’t progress.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by your body becoming resistant to the insulin your pancreas produces.
You might have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if you have a family history of type 2 diabetes or obesity, if you’re over 45 years old, or if you’re of Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Indigenous descent.
If you have type 2 diabetes, Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, can help.
Through naturopathic treatments, including naturopathic lifestyle counselling services, dietary modifications, and other approaches, you can manage your type 2 diabetes and continue your journey toward optimal health.
Book your appointment with Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, today.
Natural Remedies for Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is inflammation of your pancreas. It can be caused by things like gallstones, injury to your belly, chronic alcohol abuse, pancreatic cancer, and infections.
You might be more at risk for pancreatitis if you drink a lot, smoke cigarettes, or have a genetic history of obesity or pancreatitis.
There are two different types of pancreatitis – acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. Let’s take a look at each.
Acute Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis often starts suddenly and is usually caused by gallstones.
Severe acute pancreatitis can also cause necrotizing pancreatitis, which happens when cells in your pancreas begin to die due to digestive enzymes leaking out of your pancreas.
It can turn into chronic pancreatitis, and the risk of it turning into chronic pancreatitis is higher if you drink or smoke regularly.
If you have acute pancreatitis, you may show symptoms like:
- Pain in your upper abdomen that may spread to your back
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Swollen or tender abdomen
- Fast heart rate
- Fever
Chronic Pancreatitis
Chronic pancreatitis happens when your pancreas becomes inflamed repeatedly, or the inflammation occurs over a long period of time.
If you develop chronic pancreatitis, it can result in permanent damage to your pancreas.
Pancreatitis can also turn into diabetes, because pancreatitis can damage the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin.
You probably have a higher risk for pancreatitis if you are a long term heavy alcohol user, but you also may be more at risk if you have certain autoimmune or genetic conditions.
If you have chronic pancreatitis, you may notice symptoms such as:
- Pain in the upper abdomen that may spread to your back
- Pain that becomes worse after you eat
- Nausea, diarrhea, and/or vomiting
- Unexpected weight loss
As a naturopathic doctor in Ottawa, Dr Kimberly Dawdy can work with you to manage your pancreatitis and keep it from returning. If you’re at risk of pancreatitis, she can provide solutions to prevent it from developing using natural treatments.
Book your appointment with Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, today.
Naturopathic Treatment for Other Pancreas Disorders
There are other diseases that can affect your pancreas, such as pancreatic cysts and pancreatic cancer.
Disorders like these can feel frightening, but you aren’t alone.
There are naturopathic treatments that can help you manage your pancreas disorder and maintaining your highest level of health.
Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, can work with you to identify the needs of your body and develop natural treatments to restore your quality of life.
Book Your Appointment with Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, Today
Whether you’re experiencing a pancreatic disorder or simply looking to monitor your pancreas health to avoid getting one, Dr. Kimberly Dawdy can help.