diabetes and natural alternatives

Diabetes is a serious disease.  Nine percent of people worldwide are affected.  Symptoms include excessive thirst or urination, fatigue, weight loss, and blurred vision.  If left unchecked, it can lead to complications such as cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye deterioration, hearing impairment, and alzheimer's disease.

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What is Diabetes?

There are 4 common types of Diabetes.  

• Type I Diabetes:

When the beta cells of the pancreas are damaged and there is a faulty insulin or insufficient insulin.  This is the hardest one to treat.  It is believed to be an autoimmune disorder and usually sufferers have to depend on synthetic insulin.

• Type 2 Diabetes: 

The most common form of Diabetes.  The muscle and fat cells become insulin resistant and the sugar levels in blood increase.  Insulin acts like a key that opens the cells to receive glucose.  In this form, the insulin does not penetrate the cells, and the sugar stays in the blood.  This is due to a variety of factors.

• Gestational Diabetes

Happens during pregnancy due to elevated hormones.  Usually goes away after pregnancy.

• Drug induced Diabetes

Some drugs increase blood sugar levels as a side effect.

We will focus on Diabetes Type II, as it is the most common form and the easiest to manage.

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What Causes Insulin Resistance?

- High amounts of free fatty acids in the blood cause cells to stop responding well to insulin
- Increased visceral fat, the dangerous belly fat that builds up around the organs, release lots of free fatty acids into the blood, and can even release inflammatory hormones that drive insulin resistance
- High intake of fructose from added sugar
- Inflammation (oxidative stress)
- Lack of physical activity
- Genetics

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The Road Back To Health

With discipline and perseverance we can reverse this deadly condition.  You will need a map of the terrain and a skillful guide.

Nutrition

By following the principles of Ayurveda nutrition, sugar metabolism can be fixed.  Needing to get rid of extra fat, a Kapha reducing diet is recommended.  Since Ayurveda is individualized, other food regimens can be implemented.  

Here are just a few tips that will help a great deal:

- small dinners
- proper food combinations
- no fruits past 5pm
- no ice water
- avoid excess water with food
- Diet should be 80% alkaline and 20% acid
- Buy organic whenever possible


Foods to avoid:

- starchy foods ( pasta, potatoes, bread, rice )
- fried foods
-white sugar
- Sodas
- alcohol
- Trans Fats (cakes, pies, donuts)
- Sweet fruits ( figs, dates, bananas)

Increase these foods:

- Green leafy veggies like dandelion and kale
- String beans contain natural insulin
- Bitter gourd has been proven to reduce sugar levels in many trials
- Okra is alkalinizing and contains many enzymes
- Oatmeal contains trigonelline which increases insulin secretion and adds digestive enzymes
- Nuts and seeds  

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Culinary spices to use:

- Turmeric (anti inflammatory)
- Ginger ( helps food absorption)
- Fenugreek seeds ( contains trigonelline )
- Cinnamon ( initiates insulin and increases glucose transport to cells )
- Celtic Sea Salt ( has extra magnesium molecules making it helpful for cell permeability)
- Black Pepper ( helps absorb other herbs)


Herbs to consider:

Gentian  (drops sugar levels and stimulates digestive enzymes)
Dandelion Root  ( oxygenates blood, stimulates digestion, and helps with liver, spleen, and pancreas function )
Barberry Root or Goldenseal ( contains berberine, which has been shown to regulate glucose and fat metabolism )
Gynmena Sylvestre  ( contains substances that decrease the absorption of sugar in the intestines and helps regenerate cells in the pancreas )
Shilajit  ( Contains fulvic acid which aids in the absorption of glucose and is also a potent antioxidant)
Triphala  ( Digestive tonic )
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Supplements you should know about:

- Chromium Piccolinate  ( an essential mineral which helps regulate the metabolism of very important macromolecules in your body.  It reduces insulin resistance and it also helps with weight loss )
- Magnesium Threonate  ( Elevated blood glucose levels increase the loss of magnesium in the urine.  Magnesium helps muscle cell relax, so insulin resistance goes down.  Cells allow more sugar in. )
- Zinc ( helps protect the pancreatic beta cells ( cells that produce insulin ) from destruction )
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