The Impact of Blood Sugar on Mental Health with Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Feb 16, 2022

Can untreated elevated blood sugar levels contribute to anxiety and depression? Which blood sugar-related symptoms can therapists look out for in their clients? What can you do to reduce insulin resistance?

MEET DR. RITAMARIE LOSCALZO

Dr. Ritamarie specializes in using the wisdom of nature to restore balance to hormones. She places a special emphasis on thyroid, adrenal, and insulin imbalances. Dr. Ritamarie founded the Institute of Nutritional Endocrinology to empower health and nutrition practitioners to get to the root cause of health concerns by using functional assessments and natural therapeutics to balance the endocrine system, the body’s master controller.

Dr. Ritamarie is trained and certified in the art of using whole, fresh plant foods in delicious ways to restore balance to hormones and body systems, and she’s trained and certified other health and wellness professionals – doctors, nurses, nutritionists, health coaches — in the art of using palate-pleasing, whole fresh food as medicine.

Visit her website, and connect with Dr. Ritamarie on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Listen to her Reinvent Healthcare podcast and read her books.

IN THIS PODCAST:

How does blood sugar impact mental health?
Which blood sugar-related symptoms therapists can therapists look out for?
How to treat and steady blood sugar levels

How does blood sugar impact mental health?

When the blood sugar is out of balance with symptoms [like] … cranky, irritable … are related not just to low blood sugar … but when I do the testing on people, most of them [actually have] high blood sugar but the sugar is not getting into the cells because of a condition called insulin resistance. (Dr. Ritamarie)

Insulin is a hormone that transports sugar into the cells for the body to have energy.

Cells can become insulin resistant over time if someone eats too much sugar too frequently. Therefore, they have high blood sugar, but low levels of cellular sugar.

Sporadic blood sugar levels impact your memory, mood, attention span, ability to focus, as well as your production of serotonin and dopamine – happy hormones – in the gut and brain.

Which blood sugar-related symptoms therapists can therapists look out for?

Therapists should lookout for some of the following symptoms in their clients that could relate to imbalanced blood sugar levels:

If a client cannot go for two hours between meals and snacks without feeling cranky, moody, or irritable.
If a client still feels hungry after eating a full meal.
If the client is prone to exhaustion in the afternoon.
If a client struggles to get up and start their day without a cup of coffee.
If a client is constantly craving sugar and carbohydrates.

You have to look at the possibility of blood sugar [imbalances]. It is so overlooked … you know, the most common cause of sudden death from health failure is insulin resistance. (Dr. Loscalzo)

How to treat and steady blood sugar levels

1 – Observe diet

Limit your intake of processed and highly refined food.

Blood sugar imbalance leads to immune imbalance. The folks that have dysregulated blood sugar are going to have more problems with infectious diseases. (Dr. Loscalzo)

2 – Be conscious of your vitamin and mineral intake.

Highly sugary and processed foods can block or minimize the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Eat raw, healthy, whole foods wherever possible to ensure a higher vitamin content and take a good supplement.

3 – Reduce stress

Cortisol, the stress hormone, seeks out glucose – sugar – in the body to put into the blood when the person is feeling stressed or anxious.

Stress hormones cause a spike in blood sugar to help you run away from the stressor, like a lion. However, we have no lions in our streets, but we do have emotional and mental stressors daily.