Diabetes / Natural Blood Sugar Regulation

 

Index of Diseases / Health Conditions ... Medicinal Foods, Herbs, Spices & Household Items

The below provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner ... Please refer to: Medical & Legal Disclaimer.

Nutrition: Holistic Treatment Options through Nutrition

Exercise: The Benefits of Exercise in the Control of Blood Sugar

High Glucose Levels

 

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In diabetics, the body is unable to maintain a normal level of sugar in the blood. Insulin (the hormone that regulates the level of sugar) is either not used properly by the body or produced in inadequate amounts. As a result, the amount of sugar in the blood becomes and stays high - sometimes very high When this occurs, diabetes is the result. It must be understood that diabetes is not just a blood sugar level problem. Many other problems develop as a result of this uncontrolled blood sugar level.

A wholesome eating pattern that focuses on a plant-based diet that is high in fiber and nutrients, along with helathy fats and seafood may reduce the risk of developing diabetes by as much as 83%.

 

Types of Diabetes:

• • • • Approximately 90% of diabetics are adult-onset diabetics (Type II) typically over 35 years of age, often overweight, and can be treated with diet, exercise, oral anti-diabetic medication, and/or insulin.
      • Juvenile-onset diabetes (Type I) respond to treatment with daily insulin injection and represent 10% of the diabetic population.

 

Warning Signs of Diabetes

• • • • Chronic Fatigue
      • increased thirst
      • frequent urination
      • rapid unexplained weight loss
      • slowly healing sores and cuts
      • frequent infection
      • blurred vision
      • sweating from the waist up with dry skin from the waist down
      • tingling and numbness in the hands and feet

 

Skin Health:

The American Diabetes Association offers these suggestions to help diabetics keep their skin in good health:

• Always keep your skin clean and dry, and apply talcum powder in areas in contact with other skin.
• Don't take baths or showers with very hot water, and don't take bubble baths if you have dry skin.
• Use mild shampoos, and moisturizing soaps and body lotions.
• Don't apply lotions between the toes, as this may encourage fungus to grow.
• Treat any cuts or abrasions promptly to prevent infection.
• Talk to your doctor about the best antiseptic solutions to use.
• During the cold winter months, keep your home more humid, keep your skin well-moisturized, and try to bathe less frequently.
• Check your feet regularly for problems

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Diabetes is a serious preventable and CONTROLLABLE condition ...

• Diabetics are 2-4 times more likely to die of a heart attack or suffer a stroke
• Diabetes is the primary cause of blindness
• Diabetes also increases your risk of amputation, kidney failure, impotence, nerve damage, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.
• Impaired insulin response appears to be involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease, according to a long-term population-based study. Researchers analyzed data for more than 2,200 men who underwent glucose tolerance testing at the age of 50. After a follow-up at an average age of 32 years, 394 men developed dementia or mental impairments, including 102 with confirmed Alzheimer's disease and 57 with confirmed vascular dementia. A low insulin response at the beginning of the study was associated with a 30 percent higher risk of Alzheimer's disease. Overall dementia and cognitive risks were associated with high fasting serum insulin, insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion, and glucose intolerance. Sources: Reuters April 9, 2008 Neurology April 9, 2008




 
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• In the early 1990s, only 3% of new diabetes cases in children were Type-2. Now, 45% of new cases in children are Type-2 diabetes.

 

How to avoid and/or control diabetes

First of all, you need to eat healthily, exercise and avoid stress, chemical food additives and vaccines.

“Bart Classen, a Maryland physician, has published data showing that diabetes rates rose significantly in New Zealand following a massive hepatitis B vaccine campaign in young children, and that diabetes rates also went up sharply in Finland after three new childhood vaccines were introduced.

• Click here for information on organic foods -- a listing of the most and the least contaminated food items, as well as handling tips.

Is your drinking water causing your diabetes?

In one recent study, scientists found that arsenic was related to the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. An estimated 8% of public water supplies in the US have levels of inorganic arsenic higher than the safety standard established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Dr. Navas-Acien and her team analyzed data from 788 adults age 20 and older whose urine was tested for traces of this toxin. The findings where:

• Participants with type 2 diabetes had a 26% higher arsenic level than people who did not have the disease.
• Those with the highest levels of arsenic were more than three times as likely to have diabetes than those with the lowest levels.
• Drinking water can be contaminated with arsenic in some mining areas and in areas with inappropriate arsenic waste disposal
• Air pollution can be an additional source of arsenic exposure in certain areas.

These findings were published in the August 20, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Did you know that bottled water can also contain arsenic and other contaminants? Click here to find out what is in your favorite brand

Pesticides:

Scientists at the US National Institutes of Health looked into the incidence of diabetes in workers who applied pesticides on farms and in other agricultural settings. They found that workers who used chlorinated pesticides for more than 100 days over the course of their lifetimes faced a significantly higher risk of diabetes. The associations between particular pesticides and diabetes ranged from a 20% to 200% jump in risk. While researchers continue to study what role environmental toxins may play in susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, it is important to limit exposure.

 

Avoid Caffeine:

A new study conducted by researchers from Duke University Medical School and published in the journal Diabetes Care indicated that diabetics who consume caffeine may experience a significant increase in blood sugar. Scientists placed tiny blood sugar monitors under the skin of 10 people with Type 2 diabetes, which allowed the participants' glucose levels to be tracked over the course of a normal 72-hour period. Participants were given a caffeine pill one day, and a placebo pill the next. When given the caffeine pill, the participants experienced an 8 percent rise in blood sugar levels. The increase was even stronger after meals, with blood sugar increasing 9 percent after breakfast, 15 percent after lunch and 26 percent after dinner. The increase in blood sugar was not observed in those taking a placebo pill. The amount of caffeine contained in the pill was roughly equivalent to the caffeine contained in four cups of coffee.

Previous studies have shown that caffeine could increase the body's insulin resistance, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels. Any increase in insulin resistance can have serious consequences for diabetics.

Type 1 Diabetes Causes and Symptoms – Are You at the Risk - Article by Dr John Anne

Type II diabetes is a tremendous problem in our overfed and indolent society, striking primarily overweight, middle-aged people.

Ninety-five percent of all diabetics suffer from this form of the disease, while only five percent have Type I diabetes. In this book, Dr. Leigh Broadhurst puts the cause of Type II diabetes squarely on diet, nutrition and exercise—all factors within your control. Simply stated, due to our overeating of sugars, simple carbohydrates, fats and oils coupled with too little exercise, millions of Americans are afflicted with Type II diabetes. Sufferers of Type II diabetes experience the discomforts of fatigue, extreme thirst and hunger, food cravings, frequent urination, polyuria, mood swings, araility, restless leg syndrome, heart palpitations; they are prone to developing blindness, high blood pressure, heart and kidney disease, non-healing ulcers and gangrene. The degenerative Type II diabetes disease epidemic that wracks the nation came upon us with the introduction of man-made engineered fats and oils. It is these type of fats and oils that we now consume that Thomas Smith, author of "Insulin: Our Silent Killer", believes are directly related to the ever-increasing epidemic rise of Type II diabetes. It is not the amount of fats and oils that we eat that causes the problem; it is by chronically consuming these man-made fats and oils that causes degenerative diseases that we impair our ability to consume carbohydrates and thus become diabetic and obese.

Type II diabetes fundamentally is the failure of the body to properly metabolize fats and oils.

This failure results in a loss of effectiveness of insulin and in the consequent failure to metabolize carbohydrates and thus the basic cellular failure to metabolize glucose. The cells of our bodies now find themselves unable to transport glucose from the bloodstream to the interior. The glucose then either remains stored as body fat or glycogen and/or urinated out of the body.

The goal of any effective alternative/complementary health program should be to repair and restore the body’s own blood sugar control apparatus.

It is the malfunctioning of this apparatus that eventually causes all of the debilitating symptoms that make orthodox treatment so financially profitable for the diabetes industry.; For Type II diabetes, the steps ;in an effective restoration program are: Repair the faulty blood sugar control system. Start by substituting clean, natural, health and beneficial fats and oils in your diet instead of the toxic, 1653 trans-isomer mixes that are stored at room temperatures in your grocery store. One fatty acid, gamma linolenic acid (GLA) is found in nature’s most concentrated form as borage seed oil (24% GLA). The results of simple GLA supplementation in Type II diabetes cases is simply amazing. The British Journal of Nutrition noted that refrigerated flax seed oil is very beneficial in helping to regulate blood glucose levels in diabetics.So, you should start consuming only borage oil, flax oil, fish oil and occasionally cod liver oil until your blood sugar starts to stabilize. Then add back healthy oils, e.g., butter, coconut oil, olive and clean animal fat. Read labels, Stop eating toxic man-made oils and margarine when they are being used in processed foods and/or restaurants.

Type II diabetes sufferers are chronically short of vitamins and minerals

It's important to add good quality supplements to your diet. Magnesium deficiency is a predictor of Type II diabetes; diabetics need more and lose more magnesium than most people. In the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Diabetes Care it was noted that both men and women who supplemented more magnesium in their diets were less likely to develop Type II diabetes.

Aspartame not only triggers diabetes in its users ...

It triggers gross obesity, suicide, behavioral problems, learning disorders and many other diseases and symptoms.

Finally, it is very important to control stress.

The word disease tells you this, “you are not at ease.” Avoid fatigue, worry and emotional upsets. Stress creates anxiety that sends damaging hormones coursing throughout your system. Exercise can be used to control stress. Exercise is truly one of the most effective ways to prevent Type II diabetes and control your blood sugar levels.

Holistic Treatments (to be discussed with your holistic practitioner)

The following food items help regulate blood sugar and have been used to treat diabetes:

Even people who already need medication to manage their blood sugar and insulin levels can improve their diabetes and overall health by eating the right foods -- ones that successfully control blood sugar and weight -- to ward off common and dangerous complications such as heart disease, nerve damage and illnesses of the eye. The following are excellent food choices:

• Cinnamon's role as an insulin substitute in type II diabetes

  Don Graves - an adjunct professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at UCSB (University of California Santa Barbara) - and colleagues from Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, report that their ongoing study of diabetic mice indicates that cinnamon may protect against type-2 diabetes symptoms by acting as an insulin substitute. The researchers identified a bio-active component in cinnamon that exhibits insulin-like activity on a cellular and molecular level and also facilitates insulin function. These findings support the theory that cinnamon may be a natural way to block diabetes.

  Richard Anderson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the discoverer of the insulin-like activity, recently completed a human study with associates in Pakistan using cinnamon. Promising results were obtained by 30 test subjects with type II diabetes after only 40 days of taking cinnamon. They had a significant decrease in blood glucose, triglycerides, LDL, and cholesterol. The researchers hope that a human trial may begin in the US, possibly in Santa Barbara, using cinnamon and its water-soluble extract to treat type II diabetes. Source: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=518

  • Just one-half teaspoon of cinnamon a day may significantly reduce sugar levels in diabetics.

  This effect can be produced by soaking a cinnamon stick in your hot tea and will benefit millions of non-diabetics who have blood sugar problems but are not even aware of them yet.

• Calcium (1,000 - 1,200 mg)
  • Found in dairy foods, canned salmon (with bones), sardines, dark-green and leafy vegetables, almongs, asparagus, figs





 
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• Vitamin B12 (30 - 100 mcg)
  • Found in meat, dairy foods, liver, shellfish, fish





 
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• Ginseng: A review of the research on supplements for managing blood glucose in people with prediabetes or diabetes (Ref.: Diabetes Care, April 2003) found the strongest evidence for American ginseng. Research to date suggest that this herb may help lower blood glucose levels after meals and reduce average glucose levels over a three-month period. But larger, longer-controlled studies are still needed.





 
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• Almonds: Research published in The Journal of Nutrition shows that eating almonds may play a role in avoiding blood sugar spikes after eating a carbohydrate-rich meal that would raise blood sugar levels.





 
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• Red Wine Vinegar: To control your blood sugar levels after eating, add three teaspoons of red wine vinegar on your salad at every meal or squeeze some fresh lemon juice in your drinking water. Research has shown that this simple trick can lower your blood sugar by up to 30 percent after meals by slowing your digestion.





 
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• Apple Cider Vinegar: Dr. Mehmet Oz, who appeared several times on Oprah and now host of his own new national TV show, recommends this effective blood sugar control trick in his daily newspaper column. The best way to balance your blood sugar day-in/day-out is to eat portion-controlled, healthy meals and exercise regularly. But for those special situations, where high-carb foods can't be avoided, ingesting just 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before this high-carb meal helps improve insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.





 
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• Pistachio Nuts & Sunflower Seeds: Researchers discovered that pistachio nuts and sunflower seeds contain unique phytosterols that can block cholesterol from being absorbed into your bloodstream. These phytosterols could also help prevent cancer and heart disease, treat enlarged prostate, and control blood sugar in diabetics.





 
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• Barley: An Ancient Super Food Rediscovered - Please keep in mind that barley contains gluten and must be avoided if you are celiac or allergic to barley.





 
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• Flax Seeds: Flaxseed contains a high percentage of soluble fiber, a component of plant cell walls that slows the absorption of glucose from food in the stomach, reduces the glycemic index and keeps blood sugar on an even keel. Other excellent sources of soluble fiber are beans (kidney, lima, black, navy, pinto), legumes (peas, lentils), oatmeal and vegetables. A good way to eat flaxseed is to mix a handful ground flaxseeds in with your yoghurt or beverage.





 
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• Broccoli, peppers and cauliflower. These high-quality, low-glycemic index foods contain many vitamins, minerals and fiber. This attribute is particularly important for diabetics, because it means these foods raise blood sugar slowly. Other healthful carbs include not just fiber-rich veggies but also unsweetened oatmeal, chickpeas, lentils, strawberries, apples, etc., all of which are better than high-glycemic snacks like soft drinks, candy, cakes and "white" carbs such as white bread, pretzels, donuts, etc. Empty carbohydrates will not only make you fat, they also raise blood sugar quickly, leading to spikes and crashes in energy that aggravate diabetes.
  • One study found that eating just four servings of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli or cauliflower, a week slashed the risk of dying from ANY medical cause by 26%! (From "The Doctors Book of Food Remedies," page 149).
  • Blueberries have an oxygen radical absorption capacity value of 2,400 per 100 grams of antioxidant power and they are rich in anthocyanins, ellagic acid and phenolic acids. They help fight bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections, and blueberry extract may combat pain. Fresh and frozen (without added sugar) are comparable from a nutritional standpoint, but dried blueberries contain lower amounts of antioxidant anthocyanins.





 
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• Garlic





 
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• Figs





 
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• Tomatoes (leaves and stem are toxic to birds)





 
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• Whole Grains





 
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• Cod Liver Oil





 
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• Meat, seafood and fish: For optimal blood sugar control, eat high-quality protein with those high-quality carbs as it slows their absorption, Bauer explains. Good choices include organically raised poultry and wild salmon, herring or mackerel -- but not king mackerel, which like other large ocean fish is prone to mercury contamination.
  • Click here to find the best and the worst fish to eat
  • Also refer to health benefits of Cod Liver Oil (don't worry - some lemon-flavored products taste fine!)





 
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• Liquid Chlorophyll: Another excellent detoxifier and antiseptic for the internal organs, especially the digestive tract and bloodstream. Use it internally for any illness, especially a digestive problem -- generally 1/2 tsp. three times a day is recommended (discuss with your doctor). It combines very well with aloe vera.





 
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• Aloe vera has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties as well as lowering high cholesterol, and boosting oxygenation of the blood.

 

• Beans: High in fiber, reduces cholesterol and regulates blood sugar levels. Bean consumption has been linked to lower cancer rates.





 
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• Barley is often used to improve athletic endurance, help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, control hunger, boost the immune system, and detoxify the blood. It has a very low glycemic index, allowing it be used in low-carbohydrate diets. This super food is rich in soluble fiber and beta-glucans, which explains its healthy effects on cholesterol, blood sugar balance, and the immune system. However, barley contains gluten and must be avoided if you are celiac or allergic to barley.





 
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• Other good food choices: Apples ... Carrots ... Liquid Chlorophyll ... Kiwifruits ... Leeks ... Olive Oil (instead of other oils) ... Onions ... Potatoes ... Prunes ... Yams

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Information contained on this website is provided as general reference only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought.

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