Herbal Remedies For Diabetes

  

Diabetes, more specifically type 2 or diabetes mellitus, afflicts over 8% of Americans. Diabetes results from inadequate insulation production where the body or more specifically the pancreas just isn't making enough insulin to reduce blood sugar levels to a normal level.

Insulin is responsible for getting sugar out of the blood stream and into body cells. In this article we will address type 2 because 95% of those struggling with treating their diabetes are type 2.

First things first. If you've been diagnosed with type 2 the good news it that it is very treatable naturally. This doesn't mean that you can ignore the condition as it can lead to a host of horrifying health problems like : blindness, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease and death.

Dietary Changes and Controlling Diabetes

According to the NDIC 16% of those with diabetes type 2 treat it without any medication!
How do they do it? Simple. Life style changes. If your typical breakfast consists of donuts and chocolate milk and you sit at a desk all day and are 40 pounds overweight, this is where you need to start treatment of your diabetes.

Most type 2 diabletics were found to be 40 to 60 pounds overweight. For many, just taking off the extra weight was enough to radically improve their diabetes. When you increase your muscle to fat ratio, 2 things happen. One, more muscle reduces insulin intake requirements and 2, the more muscle you have the more fat you have to burn to maintain the muscle mass. Thus weight loss from losing fat becomes easier.

  Daily exercise, elimination or radical reduction in sugar and simple carbohydrates (read white bread, potatoes, sweets french fries) works wonders in improving conditions. A diet that improves diabetic conditions will be a low carbohydrate diet similar to the Southwest diet.

Start small and move up. If you regularly drink soda with meals substitute tea. Going to have a burger out at a restaurant? Great have the burger but cut the fries. Replace them with vegetables.

Small steps like these add up quickly. Make the bulk of your diet foods that are high in fiber like vegetables and low in sugar. Cheese, eggs, nuts, meat and lots of green veggies. I think you get the picture. If these dietary changes in addition to exercise aren't quite enough you'll need to use some herbal remedies for diabetes.

Turning up the Heat: Herbal Remedies For Diabetes 

Before resorting to insulin it's best to try out herbal remedies for diabetes like:

Bitter melon
It has been used for ages in India for the regulation of blood sugar. It is also known as Karela and Bitter Gourd. In experimental studies it has been shown to suppress the neural response to eat sweet foods. Besides being effective in treating diabetes it is also rich in B-vitamins, C and A.

 A study at JIPMER India showed that bitter melon helps to increase insulin sensitivity. Also blood sugar levels were reduced by bitter melon in a recent study conducted byt he Philippine Department of Health. In this study, a 100 miligram per kilo dose given daily was comparable in its effect to using the commonly prescribed drug Glibenclamide when take two times per day. Bitter melon can be taken as juice preferably on an empty stomach or you can get it in capsule form.

Cinnamon
Other studies show that cinnamon is effective in lowering blood sugar levels and increasing insulin efficiency,so it's a great natural home remedy for diabetes. Some tests show it increases insulin production. Readily available and cheap as dirt it's can easily be added to cooked cereals, and unsweetened applesauce. It can also be taken directly at a half a teaspoon per day for a month or so or mixed into coffee and tea.

Other Herbal Remedies for Diabetes - Onions and Garlic. 
They're also an excellent and very nutritious way to combat diabetes. They contain APDS which was clinically shown to reduce blood sugar levels in doses as low as 125 mg. It is believed that garlic and onion stimulate the release of insulin and or prevent its destruction. Whether your adding them to flavor a soup or are simply chopping them up to ad to a salad, the point is to use as much of them as possible. Onions finely grated work great on tofu with a light sprinkle of soy sauce.

There are lots of foods that work well with a diabetic conscious diet like tofu, legumes, nuts (all kinds, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews etc.) spiniach, oysters, scallops , salmon and other sea food.

Zinc
Studies show that some with type 2 diabetes have trouble retaining an adequate level of zinc which is critical for storage and production of insulin. Foods very high in zinc also tend to be high in protein. Lobster, lamb, pork, crabmeat, turkey, chicken, lobster, clams and beef. Keep in mind that over consumption of zinc can be a problem. But also only about 15 to 40% of zinc consumed actually gets absorbed into the body. This is especially true of non-meat sources of zinc like wheat germ, split peas and nuts.

All of these foods should be incorporated into a diet that includes adequate water intake and most importantly a little daily exercise. Resorting to insulin should be your last resort if you're unable to control sugar levels with a smart diet, exercise and herbal supplements for diabetes.

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