Diabetes Herbal Remedies

A healthy diet and regular exercise are essential for your overall health. Many diseases, including diabetes, can be managed successfully with a healthy diet. Since each disease causes different symptoms and your body needs different nutrients to manage the disease, each disease may require a different type of diet. If your body does not properly absorb the sugars you are ingesting, you may need to avoid foods that are starchy and contain a lot of sugar.

Before you begin a diet that is aimed at managing a certain disease, it is important to consult your physician and get a true diagnosis. If your body is actually turning starches and sugars into energy properly, you could risk the chance of denying your body of the necessary foods by decreasing the amount of starch and sugars in your diet. So, be sure to check with your physician, who will go over your symptoms and perform tests to determine the correct diagnosis.

Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your diabetes diet will play an important role in the management of the disease. Your diabetes diet does not necessarily restrict the food that you are allowed to consume. Rather the diabetes diet will usually consist of consuming a variety of foods in the correct portions that will allow your body to use the nutrients properly. The two most important aspects of a healthy diet are eating regular meals as closely as possible to the same time each day and eating the right amounts of the healthiest foods. If you are already eating a healthy diet, there may not be many changes. But, if you are not eating a healthy diet or do not eat regular meals at around the same time each day, you may have to make more changes. The key is to become conscious of what your body’s needs are and plan accordingly.

Hints for a Successful Diabetes Diet

The following hints will give you some idea of what changes you will need to make in your diet to successfully manage diabetes:

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Winter is just around the corner so I thought I’ll put up an excerpt from a conversation that I had which would be helpful to diabetics during winter time.

Does climate in any way, direct or indirect, affect diabetes? Warm and Cold temperatures have no direct effect on diabetes control but can affect it indirectly. While your blood sugar doesn’t go up or down in response to hot or cold outdoor temperatures, it does have an impact on eating and exercise habits, which is a key factor in controlling your blood sugar levels. In warm temperatures, the body can be stressed due to heat and high humidity. And this can throw the blood sugar levels out of control. For those who are on insulin, storing it becomes a problem in warm climates as improper temperatures can destroy insulin and it won’t work effectively if it is not stored correctly. Winter season according to some studies is a cause for depression and anxiety, which is a stressful state for the body and stress can in turn, affect blood-sugar levels. Generally people tend to eat more during winter. They also snack more. In such circumstances should diabetics take special precautions? Only disciplined and responsible eating can help a diabetic control their blood sugar levels. There is no real harm with snacking when you are hungry but the key is to snack on healthy alternatives that only a good dietician can guide you on. During winter, it is sometimes difficult to exercise because of the cold. Diabetics are supposed to regularly exercise. What do they do? For those who find it difficult to exercise in the cold they can try other options such as: Heated pools: Swimming in a heated pool is a great way to stay active in cold weather. Swimming is an ideal full body exercise for those who have a lot of weight as they can exercise without risking damage to their joints. Working out at a Gym: Gyms offer many ways to keep moving indoors, from aerobics classes to weight machine circuits. Winter might also be a good time to test a trial membership. Studies have shown that weight training in diabetics helps tone muscles and keeps bones strong and healthy.Exercising at home: It’s easy to be active even without leaving home.Housework: Routine house work can be exercise, and you will end up with a neat and tidy house in the bargain. Playing fast-paced music may also help.Exercise videos: Videos can help people stay focused, teach new moves and provide good warm-up and cool-down periods. Exercise videos made especially for people with diabetes are available. Online videos are available which people can easily download and use. All people who exercise need to remember to drink clean water or electrolyte replenishing fluids and avoid sugary drinks. In places like Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu temperatures dip to near zero and in south in Hyderabad and Bangalore, the temperature goes below 10 degrees C. What are the precautions that diabetics should take in terms of skin care, diet, sleep, protection etc. Winter brings special challenges to people with diabetes. Keep yourself warm. Wear layers of clothes. Staying warm requires that you trap warm, dry air next to the body.Watch your weight. Winter can mean an extra 2-5 kilos for many people. This is risky as weight gain increases your risk of heart disease.Diabetes-related circulation and nerve problems can mean icy cold feet. Don’t use hot-water bottles, but rather just wear layers of socks to keep your toes warm.Drink lots of water as people who are dehydrated will send their sugar levels upStay relaxed as stress leads to high sugar levels. For those whom stress is a routine occurrence, they should learn and practice relaxation exercises to combat stress.Don’t ever guess your sugar levels. Sometimes we all feel lazy and guess our sugar levels instead of testing it on the glucometer. This is not the recommended option. Always test your blood sugar levels and then take your medicines. Every once a year show your doctor how you test your blood sugar and confirm that you are doing it correctly.When the weather gets cold, old aged individuals who have a decreased ability to control body temperature and a less body fat have more chance to face a drop in body temperature. Such people and their care takers should take more care to prevent this from happening. Are diabetics more vulnerable to extreme cold conditions? There is not much difference in terms of vulnerability to cold for a normal diabetic compared to a normal person. But those diabetics who have begun to lose sensation in their hands and feet need to be very careful as the cold can cause damage to the hands or feet areas and the person won’t even feel the damage at the time. This is also a season when people tend to consume alcohol more to ward off cold. Is alcohol harmful to diabetics even in limited quantity? Is there any threshold limit? Contrary to popular belief alcohol does not keep you warm. It actually makes you lose more heat than usual. This is because it dilates blood vessels and in winter dilated blood vessels allow more heat to escape from the body compared to normal. Another thing for diabetics to remember is that alcohol reduces your blood sugar levels quite quickly so always eat some healthy snacks along with your drinks. The safe threshold limit is one drink for a woman and two drinks for a man per day. Anything more will have cancel out any beneficial effects of alcohol on the body. In case people eat more and also occasionally drink, how often should they go for check ups? Normally the doctor who is supervising your diabetes treatment will decide who often you have to visit him. In addition to those normal visits that can be once in a week to once in a month or even once in 3 months, you have to visit other specialist doctors one in a year or in case you have any problems more often. What about juvenile diabetics and winter? Any special care or precautions to be taken?  Juvenile diabetic is an older term for Type 1 diabetic. There are clinical studies that have found that environmental triggers contribute to the onset of diabetes in people. More people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes during winter months as well as in colder climates in general, so cold weather is a suspected environmental trigger for developing type 1 diabetes. Therefore to sum it up Type 1 diabetics should follow all recommendations for the control of blood sugar levels that all diabetics should follow. Any other comments, suggestions for our readers? winterOnce in a month or even once in 3 months, you have to visit other specialist doctors one in a year or in case you have any problems more often.

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A patient recently came into my office for a consultation. She was in her early 50s, overweight, and was struggling with constant tiredness and a sense of being overwhelmed. She had tried multiple diets, with little to no success, and when she succeeded in dropping a couple of pounds, they came right back on. She was sick and tired of being sick and tired. She, like countless other baby boomers, is dealing with a physical condition that is nearly epidemic in proportion. If untreated, it has the potential to lead to full blown diabetes. This condition is called insulin resistance.
As I have treated numerous patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes, over and over again the thought occurs to me that the diagnosis of diabetes does not magically happen overnight. It is a process that the body goes through as it compensates for an unhealthy state.
Diabetes and Insulin Resistance
At the outset, we must differentiate between Diabetes Mellitus Type I and Type II. Diabetes Mellitus Type I occurs when the immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (beta cells) so that an inadequate amount of insulin is secreted and blood sugar rises, with subsequent life-threatening ketoacidosis. Type II Diabetes, on the other hand, is a product of our Western society’s habit of overeating carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates (sugar). It is preceded by the condition I described earlier, called insulin resistance.
Before moving on to what procedures I use in my practice to treat diabetes and insulin resistance, let’s look at where this whole problem with diabetes began. This requires us to do some elementary biochemistry. All carbohydrates eventually break down in the body into glucose. As the blood glucose, or sugar, rises, insulin is released from the beta cells in the pancreas. Insulin takes the glucose to insulin receptors on each cell in the body, so that glucose can enter the cell. On the average, 50% of this glucose will be burned as energy, 10% will be stored as glycogen, and 40% is stored as triglycerides. [ii] Glycogen is the storage form of glucose which can be immediately released when the body needs more sugar. Most of the glucose stored as glycogen is in muscle, and the rest is stored in the liver. Triglycerides are a specific type of fat (lipid) molecule that can be burned as energy in the body; however, they are not as easily accessible as glycogen.
When refined carbohydrates (sugar) are ingested (cookies, candies, cakes, Twinkies, PopTarts), especially when taken without fiber, blood glucose levels rise rapidly. This rapid rise in blood sugar is followed by an overshooting of the amount of insulin released from the pancreas, causing the blood sugar to drop or fall below normal. The body does not like the sugar levels to be low, so it triggers a stress response in the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland will release adrenalin, which stimulates the breakdown of glycogen in the liver, slowly causing the glucose levels to rise in the blood.
Another way to relieve the symptoms of hypoglycemia triggered by this overshooting is by the ingestion of another refined carbohydrate. These two corrective mechanisms may cause the blood sugar to overcorrect (that is, the blood sugar’s too high again), with another overcorrection by insulin, and the cycle repeats itself over and over and over … .
Effects of Diabetes on the Body
After years of these glucose swings, the cell wall thickens (there are approximately 30 trillion cells in our body), insulin receptors become less efficient at glucose delivery into cells, and insulin resistance results. By definition, insulin resistance is seen as high fasting levels of glucose and insulin. Normal healthy fasting level of glucose is between 75-80, although any number in the 80s is acceptable. A healthy level of insulin in the fasting state is 0-5, while 5-10 is borderline. Anything above 10 is cause for concern. A diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus Type II is made when the fasting glucose level is greater than 126 or 140 on two separate occasions.
To understand the effects of high glucose levels to the body, we need to understand a principle called glycosylation [iii] . This is a fancy term for the binding of glucose to proteins. Glycosylated LDL (”bad” cholesterol) molecules do not bind to LDL receptors, nor shut off cholesterol synthesis. Glycosylated red blood cells do not carry as much oxygen, are more sticky, and clump together more. Glycosylation of the lens of the eye may lead to cararacts. Glycosylation of the myelin sheath around nerves leads to loss of nerve function, tingling, pain, and numbness called neuropathy. Atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the blood vessels) is the single biggest complication of diabetes. It may be due to platelet stickiness, glycosylated LDL, glycosylated red blood cells, or glycosylation of proteins in the blood vessel wall.
Atherosclerosis causes a reduction in blood flow, with subsequent organ damage, hypertension, cyanotic feet (with possible gangrene and amputation), retinopathy, and even kidney dysfunction and failure. Poor healing of skin from infection or trauma leads to chronic ulcers or sepsis (bacteria spreading throughout the body through the blood stream). [iv]
High insulin levels affect the body differently. They increase fat formation and storage, while inhibiting fat breakdown to be used as energy. This makes it easy to gain weight, and VERY difficult to lose weight. High insulin also enhances sodium (salt) reabsorption from the kidney, thus promoting water retention and hypertension. High insulin levels also stimulate certain ovarian hormones that result in elevations in free testosterone, with subsequent androgen effects. [v]
Treatment for Insulin Resistance and Diabetes
Diet is the reason we got into this mess and diet is the key to getting out of it! Since all carbohydrates break down into sugar, we must decrease the total amount of carbohydrates coming into the body. This translates into no more than 60-100 grams of carbohydrates per day — the less, the better. We need to look at those foods that are high and low in carbohydrates. As a start, all sugar must be eliminated. The next highest source of carbohydrates comes from potatoes (look out, Idaho!) and grains such as wheat (bread and pasta) and rice. Fruits are the next highest source of carbohydrates; their mostly fructose sugar is converted in the body into glucose. Certainly, whole fruit, with its fiber, and whole grains (rather than refined flour or wheat) for breads and pasta, and whole brown rice are much better tolerated than the refined, processed white foods and low fiber juices.
The legumes, which include beans, peas and soy, have about 1/3 carbohydrates, 1/3 protein, and 1/3 fats. (This is a highly simplified version of these ratios.) Generally nuts and seeds have that same ratio. Vegetables have the least amount of carbohydrates, although corn, tomatoes and carrots (the ones we tend to like the most) are the highest of the vegetables in the carbohydrate category. There are no carbohydrates in meats, cheese, or eggs.
So, the recommendation is: eat less of the breads, potatoes, rice, pasta, and fruit categories, and eat more of the legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, eggs, cheese and meat (sparingly) categories.
Nutritional Options
There are nutritional substances that reduce insulin resistance in the body. These include chromium [vi] , vanadium, biotin and alpha-lipoic acid. There is mixed success in reducing carbohydrate cravings with Gymnema or L-Glutamine, but these are certainly worth a try if sugar cravings persist. Vitamin E at 900 IU/day improves insulin action and may prevent many long-term complications. It also plays a significant role in the prevention of diabetes [vii] (the recent vitamin E scare is incorrect). For more information, you may want to visit my blog site, www.drstangardner.com).
Magnesium plays an important role in glucose management, through its effect on insulin. Magnesium levels are lowest in those patients with diabetic complications. Vitamin C is needed for collagen formation, which is at the core of all repair in the body. It also improves insulin sensitivity and is a potent antioxidant. It inhibits glycosylation of proteins. [viii] Vitamin B6 protects against diabetic neuropathy, probably because it also inhibits glycosylation. Some studies indicate it may even resolve gestational diabetes. [ix] Omega 6 fatty acids offer protection against diabetic neuropathy, and omega 3 fatty acids protect against atherosclerosis and augment insulin secretion. Niacinamide may prevent development of Type I Diabetes Mellitus. If taken early enough after onset, it may help restore beta cell function, or slow down their destruction in Type I Diabetes Mellitus. [x]
Exercise enhances insulin sensitivity, perhaps through increasing levels of chromium. Lowered triglycerides and improved weight loss are other beneficial effects of exercise. The benefits of exercise are addressed in another article.
Summary
1 Low carbohydrate diet (no more than 60-100 grams per day).
2. Chromium (200-400 micrograms/day)
3. Vanadium (100-125 milligrams/day long term or 5-10 grams/day, short term)
4. General supplements include:
a) Vitamin C (2000 mg/day)
b) Vitamin B6 (150-200 mg/day)
c) Vitamin E (900 IU/day)
d) Magnesium ( 600-1000 mg/day)
5. If insulin resistance is still present with the above recommendations, add Biotin (9-16 mg/day), Glucophage (500-1700 mg/day). Glucophage needs a prescription.
6. For Type I Diabetes Mellitus, Niacinamide (1000-2000 mg/day) and insulin
This approach puts a much heavier emphasis on treating insulin resistance, the underlying cause of diabetes, rather than treating the symptoms of high blood sugar with medications like sulfonylureas that push the beta cells toward increasing insulin release, irrespective of the glucose level in the blood. More insulin is not what is needed. Less insulin resistance is needed. With this approach, we get away from the problems associated with high insulin levels. We also avoid the potential exhaustion of beta cells because of their chronic high production to handle insulin.
Diabetes is the end result of problems in the body that can be addressed with nutrition. The positive results I have seen in my practice are incredibly successful! It is critical to begin addressing our health issues at the cause level, rather than the end organ damage level.

________________________________________
[i] Cecil Textbook of Medicine 19th Edition pp. 1296-1302.
[ii] Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, Tortora, Grabowski. 10th Edition pp. 928-9
[iii] Textbook of Natural Medicine, Joseph E. Pizzoni Jr, Michael T Murray p. 1200.
[iv] Ibid pp. 1200-2.
[v] Lukaczer, Dan. “Nutritional Support for Insulin Resistance.” Applied Nutritional Science Reports, 2001.
[vi] Anderson R et al. “Beneficial effects of chromium for people with Type II Diabetes.” Diabetes 1996; 45: 124A/454.
[vii] Salonen JT, Jyyssonen K, Tuomainen TP. “Increased risk of non-insulin diabetes mellitus at low plasma Vitamin E concentrations. A four-year follow-up study in men.” Br Med J 1995; 311: 1124-27.
[viii] White JR, Campbell RK. “Magnesium and Diabetes. A Review.” Ann Pharmacother 1993; 27: 775-80.
[ix] Solomon LR, Cohen K. “Erythrocyte O2 transport and metabolism and effects of vitamin B6 therapy in Type II diabetes mellitus.” Diabetes 1989; 38: 881-886.
[x] Pocoit F, Reimers JI, Anderson HW. “Nicotinamide-biological actions and therapeutic potential in diabetes prevention.” Diabeto Logia 1993; 36: 574-76.

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One of the main targets for a diabetic diet is to help you lower weight and maintain it. In addition, the diet is a vital component in your diabetes control program and keeps blood sugar levels under control by striking a balance among the carbohydrates, fats, and protein you eat.

The diabetic diet essentially concerns controlling your carbohydrate intake so as to manage your glucose levels. The recommended diabetic diet for carbohydrate content is about 60%, and fat content 30-35%. Eating regularly and a consistent amount of calories each day is another important point of diabetic diet.

The main part of the diabetic diet is meal planning. A diabetic diet must be a well proportioned meal plan customized to your individual needs, tastes, activity level and life style. Its goal is to afford all the calories and nutrients the diabetic needs while maintaining blood sugars as close to normal as possible.

However, the benefits and support to your body from the diabetic diet will depend on what type of diabetes you are trying to treat. Each type has its own challenges and level of restriction on the diet. So, a diabetic diet will vary some from person to person.

If you have type 2 diabetes, your dietary limitations may not be fairly as high, the diabetic diet is really just a simple heart healthy diet. You will likely be advised to avoid excessive fat and to maintain a high fiber diet among other things, but it will be a rather easy diet to stay with.

But, if you have type 1 diabetes, you will likely have more restrictions, more individualized diabetic diet. Your diabetic diet will likely be custom designed by your physician or a nutritionist.

When you are living with diabetes, one of the best ways to fight this disease is with a diabetic diet plan. You should consult your dietician or doctor regularly to plan a diet personalized particularly for you. Make sure to ask them some questions, let them know your habits, and check in with your doctor to let him or her know your progress along with any problems you may be experiencing.

Be sure to be detailed because the more information you give to your doctor, the better they will be at helping you. It’s a great idea too if you meet with an herbalist or alternative care doctor. They will be able to notify you with herbal supplements and alternative treatments that may help assuage your diabetes.

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Diabetes is one of the common metabolic diseases that occur due to defects in the carbohydrate metabolism in the body. It affects approximately 17 million people (about 8% of the population) in the United States. In addition, an estimated additional 12 million people in the United States have diabetes and don’t even know it.

Causes of Diabetes

• Excess intake of oil and sugar

• Hereditary and genetics factors also leads to diabetes

• Increased cholesterol level

• Over weight

• Stress

• No physical activities

Symptoms of Diabetes

• Frequent urination

• Excessive hunger and thirst

• Problems of back and joint pain

• Tiredness or general weakness

• Loss of weight

• Long time for healing of wounds

Complications of Diabetes

• Diabetes may lead to blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage.

• It is also an important factor in accelerating the hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), leading to strokes, coronary heart disease, and other large blood vessel diseases.

• It is also the leading cause of blindness in United States. It can cause a number of eye problems, some of which can lead to blindness if not addressed

• It also increases the risk of gum disease and tooth loss

• Diabetic patients also suffer from impotence or erectile dysfunction.

Do’s and Don’t for Diabetes

• Avoid all kinds of sugary and sweet foods.

• Eat bitter melon herbs either in powdered form (powder of bitter melon seeds) or cooked vegetables. It is very beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. You can also drink it in the form of soup.

• Do not take starchy food products, as they are not easily digestible.

• Also avoid coffee, sugar, refined flour and alcohol.

• Include onion, sprouts, beans, garlic, tomatoes in the diet as it helps in lowering the sugar level in the blood.

• Do not eat junk food and oily food as this will control your level of cholesterol, lowers your blood pressure level, and diabetes

Home Treatments for Diabetes

• Gooseberry helps to cure diabetes and brings the blood sugar level to normal.

• Curry leaves also helps in controlling body weight and also diabetes. Chewing (8-10) curry leaves in an empty stomach to bring sugar level in urine and blood to normal.

• Dry the leaves of mango tree and make its powder in a grinder. Mix the dry powder (1 teaspoon) of mango leaves in a glass of water and drink it everyday to cure diabetes.

• Soak few fenugreek seeds in water and keep them overnight. Have these softened seeds in the morning.

• Garlic contains allicin, which works at reducing the sugar level in the blood. It also brings about the disintegration of cholesterol in the body.

• Jamun has also specific action on the pancreas, which controls the conversion of starch to sugar. The seeds of the fruit have better effects than the pulp.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.

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Herbal remedies for diabetes become an adorable treatment alternative since the world learns so many things about the effectiveness of herbal to cure illnesses. A good assumption about herbal is telling us that herbal is safe to consume and also affordable for most of people in around the world. Herbal remedies for diabetes is one of the prominent medication treatment alternative that often asked regarding its effectiveness. If you in the steps of taking action to use herbal remedies as your chosen method of medication then this article will be beneficial for you.

Most of herbal plantations found in Asian countries. It seems that people who live in Europe not so lucky like they who live in Asia. However, since herbal is easy to drained and easy to carry then the possibilities is endless. If you live in Europe or parts of the world where herbal plantation is hard to get then you can check to in the Internet where you can find a local store in your area to find the herbs that you looking for. Herbal remedies for diabetes is easy to get if you know where you can get it.
There is another option that will easier you in finding good herbal to fight your diabetes. You can search for natural herbal supplements that proven to work in relief people from diabetes and high blood sugar problem. One supplement that you can consider to use is called Glycogone. This is the first natural herbal supplement that made especially to control blood sugar level.

The benefit from taking herbal remedies in the right proportion is very relieving. You can free from unwanted side effects while the herbal strengthened your body to fight diabetes. Choosing herbal remedies for diabetes can be a wise and sensible decision. However, if you really not sure about this you can ask to your doctor and see what he recommended for you.

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My mother has osteoarthritis and she was prescribed with GLUCOSAMINE – but she also has diabetes. I am thinking that from the name itself, it sounds like sugar – GLUCOSE!
What can she take instead of GLUCOSAMINE?

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My mother has osteoarthritis and she was prescribed with GLUCOSAMINE – but she also has diabetes. I am thinking that from the name itself, it sounds like sugar – GLUCOSE!
What can she take instead of GLUCOSAMINE?

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He’s about 56 years old, and was diagnosed with diabetes about a year ago. I think he suffers some stress as well. He takes diabetic medication. For the past few weeks, he’s been having really bad night sweats.
I thought perhaps he could go see an alternative therapist but not sure who would be best for this problem?

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