Intensive Diabetes Reversal program
What is the root cause of diabetes?
Unlike type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition, where the body cannot produce insulin, type 2 diabetes is 100% caused by lifestyle where the consequence of poor nutrition is too much insulin circulating and the body reaches a point of insulin resistance and it stops responding to insulin. As a result glucose rises in the blood stream causing the disease we're familiar with. As you can see, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have the same symptoms, i.e. high blood glucose level, but the root cause is very different. While it makes perfect sense to treat type 1 diabetes with insulin to lower glucose, since the body cannot produce it, it does not make any sense to treat patients with type 2 diabetes, who already have too much insulin, with insulin or pills that increase insulin. Yet, this is the current standard of care. There is already an excessive amount of insulin in the body. Any person with common sense would agree that if the problem is too much insulin, then giving more insulin is asinine and will only exacerbate the situation. We've all seen patients with diabetes get worse over time and progressively increase medications and develop complications such as blindness, neuropathy, kidney failure, poor circulation, feet ulcers, heart disease, and dementia. Doctors have traditionally told patients that diabetes is a progressive disease. The sad truth is that type 2 diabetes is caused by lifestyle and can only be reversed with lifestyle. You just need the right advice.
If you read about obesity, you may notice that there are a lot of similarity with diabetes. In fact, the term diabesity was invented to describe both. We learned that obesity is primarily driven by chronic high insulin level causing persistent fat storage. Add insulin resistance to the picture and diabetes will develop. There is a lot of variability from person to person based on gender, race, other hormonal and genetic factors that determines the "fat threshold" before full blown diabetes develops. Some people develop diabetes after only a few pounds of weight gain around their belly, while others can gain 200 pounds and not develop diabetes. Obesity is the body's defense mechanism against diabetes. But once the body reaches its "fat threshold" and insulin resistance develops, the excess sugar and carbohydrates consumed cannot be dealt with and excess glucose spills into the blood stream leading to diabetes. Insulin resistance develops at the level of the liver and pancreas, primarily driven by fat accumulating in the abdomen and organs called visceral fat. The organs become congested with excess fat that was shoved in in a desperate move to remove toxic glucose from circulation. Eventually, the whole system fails.
This sounds scary and depressing, but the exciting thing is that the solution is simple. Applying the Pareto Principle, where 20% of the effort will lead to 80% of the effect, we only have to focus on lowering insulin, since this is the root cause. How do we lower insulin? We remove the food that is causing it to rise to begin with. Once the stimulus is removed, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia will reverse course. The body is amazing at healing itself and will take care of the rest. We just have to support it with the right nutrition.
Approach
There will be a lot of overlap with the treatment of obesity since they both share the same root cause. However, diabetes is more complicated because of the risk involved with glucose running too high or too low. Most patients are on multiple pills and/or insulin and starting this lifestyle approach, will quickly lead to a drop in glucose level and requires close monitoring and tapering off medications. Together we will address the physical, mental and emotional aspects of your health and give you the tools to conquer the obstacles as they arise. The goal is permanent lifestyle changes. This is not a diet you do for a month and stop. It is a lifelong journey. The below program will be tailored to each individual based on their disease complexity. I will not be selling you any supplements or products. There will be NO calorie counting. By fixing your metabolism, hormonal signals, and satiety, you will put your diabetes in remission and lose unhealthy fat weight. Some of the dietary approaches we'll accommodate include low carb, paleo, Ketogenic, Carnivore, and fasting.
The Progam
Initial Visit - Comprehensive Evaluation and Diagnostics
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The initial visit is all about you. We will spend 90 minutes digging deep into your medical, social and family history from before you were born until now, then hone in on the main problems. We will do it remotely using encrypted and HIPAA compliant video-conferencing technology using your phone or computer from the comfort of your home. Prior to our virtual visit, you will receive electronic forms and questionnaires to complete, which will save us a lot of time gathering information and allow us to go in-depth quickly. We will discuss your diabetes extensively and set expectations. We will create a custom dietary plan for you and decide which blood work is needed. We will address the broad strokes about the dietary plan and set an action plan about how we will take you off your diabetes medications. You will be prescribed a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) if you don't already have one. We will give you "homework" to start your journey towards fixing your satiety and metabolism to allow the doctor inside of you to do the work of healing.
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Weeks 1-4 - Adaptation Phase
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Transitioning from a highly processed food diet where the body is bombarded with a huge about of sugar and refined carbohydrates to a whole foods diet where the body is adapted to burning fat takes 2 to 4 weeks. But, the effect of cutting sugar and carbs on diabetes will be immediate. We will stay in touch regularly and monitor your glucose very closely and start backing down on your medications, almost immediate. The adaption period is where most people give up because if not done correctly can lead to uncomfortable and serious side effects. As your body adapts, you will notice increased mental clarity, decreased hunger and initial rapid weight loss and also normalization of your glucose level. I will support you during this transition period with weekly online visits and unlimited email/text support.
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Weeks 5-8 - Consolidation Phase
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We will continue to meet weekly to monitor your progress and address any obstacles. By now you may be off most of your diabetes medications, but this is a fragile period since your metabolism is still broken and can easily slip back into it. We will focus on hunger and satiety. I will continue to track your metrics and you just focus on yourself. I will remain available with unlimited email/text access. This is the time where you learn more about yourself. You may experiment with different food groups and see what works for you more. During this time, habits start to form.
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Weeks 9-12 - Fine Tuning Phase
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We will repeat some blood work at this time in needed to confirm improved metabolic health. We start to focus on other aspects of your life that have a huge impact on your weight such as sleep hygiene, emotional well-being and stress management. If ready, we'll introduce intermittent fasting to your lifestyle and start addressing physical fitness.
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Weeks 13-16 Troubleshooting and Optimization Phase
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Inevitably you will encounter road blocks and your diabetes reversal or weight loss may stall despite your best efforts. This is normal. There is always a way to break through a plateau that might require more advanced methods that is highly personalized. The focus now is on optimization and building lifelong habits and self-accountability that you will take with you beyond this program. At this time, you would have gained enough experience, and sometimes, given how long you've had diabetes, your metabolism may be so damaged that it requires more aggressive measures, namely prolonged medically supervised fasting to break your insulin resistance. I will be coaching you and monitoring all the way.
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Simple Pricing
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16-Week Coaching Program
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$500/month x 4 payments
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Includes an initial 90-minute deep dive consultation followed by 16 weeks of 1-on-1 coaching and weekly check-ins with Dr. Jarrouge
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Option for extending intensive program
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Option to transition to maintenance program afterwards
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Discounted family plans available upon request
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