Insulin Resistance

Insulin Resistance services offered in Portland, OR

Insulin resistance is one of the most common - and commonly overlooked - drivers of
fatigue, weight changes, brain fog, and metabolic dysfunction. Naturopathic physicians
Rebecca Sand ND and Elizabeth Emrick ND at Open Wellness PDX use a root-cause
approach to identify and address insulin resistance before it progresses to pre-diabetes
or type 2 diabetes. Their treatment plans combine individualized advanced lab testing,
clinical nutrition, evidence-based botanicals and supplements, nutrient optimization, and
pharmaceutical support including GLP-1 medications when appropriate. To find out how
naturopathic medicine can support your metabolic health, call the office in Portland,
Oregon, request a telehealth visit, or book an appointment online.

Insulin Resistance Q&A

What is insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance occurs when your cells stop responding efficiently to insulin - the hormone your pancreas produces to move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells for energy. When cells become resistant, your pancreas compensates by producing more and more insulin. Over time, this cycle strains the pancreas and keeps blood sugar and insulin levels chronically elevated.

Many people with insulin resistance have no idea they have it. Lab work may come back normal even when the underlying pattern is already well established. Common signs include fatigue especially after meals, difficulty losing weight despite consistent effort, intense carbohydrate or sugar cravings, blood sugar spikes and crashes, belly fat that is difficult to shift, brain fog or difficulty concentrating, elevated triglycerides or low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and skin changes such as darkened patches (acanthosis nigricans) or skin tags.

Left unaddressed, insulin resistance is a significant risk factor for pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and cognitive decline.

What causes insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance rarely has a single cause. It typically develops from a combination of factors that accumulate over time: excess refined carbohydrates and sugar in the diet, chronic inflammation including gut-driven inflammation, elevated cortisol from chronic stress or poor sleep, sedentary lifestyle and loss of muscle mass, environmental toxin exposure including endocrine disruptors, hormonal imbalances such as elevated androgens in PCOS or thyroid dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies particularly magnesium, chromium, vitamin D, and B vitamins, genetic predisposition, and disrupted sleep and circadian rhythm dysregulation.

Treatment is individualized and may include clinical nutrition and therapeutic diet planning tailored to your glucose patterns, food preferences, and lifestyle; targeted nutrients and botanicals with strong evidence for improving insulin sensitivity including berberine, inositol, magnesium, chromium, alpha-lipoic acid, green tea extract, and amino acids such as taurine and glycine; nutrient optimization to address deficiencies that directly impair metabolic function; lifestyle medicine including movement prescription, sleep support, and stress physiology tools; GLP-1 receptor agonists and other metabolic pharmaceuticals when clinically appropriate; gut health support since microbiome dysbiosis and intestinal permeability are increasingly recognized as upstream drivers of metabolic disease; and hormone balancing particularly when insulin resistance is occurring alongside PCOS, perimenopause, thyroid dysfunction, or elevated cortisol.

The goal is not just to move a lab number. It is to understand why insulin resistance developed in the first place, address those root causes, and build a sustainable foundation for metabolic health.

To get started, call Open Wellness PDX at 503-770-0670, request a telehealth appointment, or book online.