Dr. Jacoby shares how a diabetic patient can improve blood flow to lower extremities.
Blood flow to the feet is one of diet and exercise, and control the sugar, and both of those conditions control the sugar. If the sugar is elevated, the sugar gets inside the nerve, causes the nerve to swell, and it gets caught in anatomic tunnels. That’s the basis for neuropathy.
The blood flow is dependent on weight and exercise. The more we exercise and the less we weigh the better our blood flow – it’s a simple equation. Now what we eat is also important as to how much we eat. The more protein we eat, the better off we are going to be. The more carbohydrates and sugars and fats, and fats are trans fatty acids, they clog up the arteries and they clog up the cells that exchanges the nutrients from the blood.
So, if I was just telling you, if you were diabetic or you weren’t a diabetic, you would need a diet that’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, not omega-6 and the difference is, and I get asked this question all the time – what’s the difference? The difference is whatever the animals eat, if they eat good things you are going to be fine. If they eat bad things, you’re not. And the difference is, if they eat grains, that’s omega-6. It’s cheaper; it’s easier to fatten up cattle.
If you eat omega-3s or the animal eats omega-3s – grass, natural products, then your lipid profile is going to be good and your arteries are going to stay healthy and your cells are going to stay healthy. It’s really a very, very simple equation.
But, there’s an interesting study. I was looking back in the 1940s and the farmers in United States were having trouble fattening up their cattle. They tried everything because the more fat they can get, the more money they can make. They had fed them all kinds of different things. They even made them thyroid dependent but they were getting thyroid cancer.
Once they discovered that they were feeding them natural substances and the cattle were staying thin they realized they had to change their diet. So they started feeding them heavy amounts of grain. Once they started giving them grain, the cattle got fat and that’s what we do it to ourselves – more grain, the fatter we get. The more cows we eat that are fat and fatten up with grain, the worse we are. It’s a real simple equation.
About Dr. Richard Jacoby, D.P.M.:
Dr. Richard Jacoby, D.P.M., graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine. He completed his residency at Parkview Hospital, Philadelphia, specializing in foot and ankle surgery. Board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Foot and Ankle Surgeons, he is currently president of Valley Foot Surgeons in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition, Dr. Jacoby is chairman of the board of Healthcare Networks of America.
Dr. Jacoby has been named the 2010 President of The Association of Extremity Nerve Surgeons.
Visit Dr. Jacoby at Valley Foot Surgeons