After 6 years of advancing through the ranks in the Army, including a tour in Iraq, Captain Ryan Attar didn’t know his most important mission was around the corner. At the age of 26, while stationed in Germany, Ryan was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. His commitment to service and a military career came to an unexpected end when he was told he would be insulin dependent for life. He had no choice but to retire from the Army medically.
Following his doctor’s advice, Ryan tried to manage his new condition and maintain good health. However, he still saw erratic blood sugar levels. His doctors had little guidance or protocols to properly handle his diabetes. He began to research and thus started his new journey to wellness. When he started to mindfully include nutrition and exercise into his treatment, Ryan started to see improved results. “I knew I could help diabetics and others with persistent and lingering ailments because I knew they weren’t getting the care they deserved.” With his GI Bill, Captain Ryan Attar decided to go back to school to get a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine.
Conventional medicine often aims to treat and suppress symptoms through prescription medications without ever finding the root cause of the issue or illness. For diabetic patients, oral meds are the usual regimen. Traditionally, visits are short and rarely do physicians discuss the impact of diet and habits.
Dr. Attar sees patients with various chronic conditions including hypertension, IBS, reflux, thyroid disease, fatigue and of course, diabetes. With all new patients, Dr. Attar takes the time to discuss nutrition and lifestyle. Along with lab work he can then assess health concerns and set goals for an effective treatment plan for healing. Aside from diet and exercise, sleep is often the most neglected. Poor sleep habits contribute to most diagnoses. Educating his patients is of utmost importance. “I find when my patients are educated they have the best long-term outcomes.” Some of his diabetic patients can even come off their medications and attain normal blood sugars. But Ryan urges, “It’s important to note that I’m not against pharmaceutical drugs or MD’s. I work and collaborate with a medical doctor in my office.” In many patients, medications are crucial and lifesaving. “My patients are getting a science-based approach that combines the best of holistic and conventional medicine."
To learn more about Dr. Ryan Attar and his practice visit drattar.com
Meet Truffle
Truffle is Ryan’s diabetes-alert dog. She is trained to detect changes in blood sugar which she can determine through breath. Truffle’s accuracy is oftentimes even faster than Ryan’s continuous glucose monitor, a device he wears that reads his levels throughout the day. Alert dogs not only offer companionship to diabetic patients, but they also provide potential life-saving support by exposing and preventing dangerous blood sugars.