Diabetes Natural Approaches Can Help Manage High Blood Sugar Epidemic

By Rosemarie D. Rose, MD

Diabetes, defined as high, uncontrolled blood sugar levels, is linked to heart disease, kidney disease, vision loss, nerve damage, cancer and Alzheimer's disease over time. Diabetes is a growing epidemic. While type 2 diabetes in children and young adults was almost unheard of a quarter century ago, the disease is on the rise in alarming proportions. According to the American Diabetes Association, about one in every 400 children and adolescents has diabetes, and in 2010, 1.9 million new cases were diagnosed in people 20 years and older.
What's causing this rapid increase? No one knows for sure, but medical experts believe that lack of exercise, diets high in refined carbohydrates, the direct exposure to pesticides on our crops, the indirect exposure to pesticides in our food and water, and lack of enough fruits and vegetables in our diet may all play a role.
Most people can “cure” themselves of diabetes (not have to take insulin), or at the very least, decrease their medication risk of the other diseases associated with diabetes.
While regular monitoring of blood sugar and keeping up with doctor visits are important, the gold standard for treating most diseases starts with adhering to a healthy diet. Follow these guidelines to improve your health
Foods with low glycemic index are best. High glycemic index foods raise your blood sugar very quickly. Favor foods that affect blood sugar more slowly, so your body will be able to better process sugar(s). There are many books and informative websites (www.ada.org) listing the glycemic index of specific foods.
Exercise is essential. Regular exercise helps you to burn up extra sugar and lose weight. Studies show that excess weight actually makes us resistant to the insulin we are making so we can't process the sugar in our blood. You do not need to be a “hero” walking just 30 minutes daily is considered effective.
Try “medical foods”. Scientifically developed foods now contain optimized nutrition and supplements that can help manage blood sugar. Beneficial supplements for diabetics that I recommend, depending on the patient, are chromium, vitamin C, biotin, B6, B12, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, manganese and alpha lipoic acid. Many herbs can also have a positive effect on blood sugar and have been used by many cultures for hundreds of years. The most commonly used are bitter melon, Gymnema sylvestre, fenugreek, and cinnamon.
Experienced nutritional counselors not only offer patients a strong source of encouragement and guidance, but can expertly guide a patient through new patterns of diet and exercise helping patients navigate and manage former “lifestyle pitfalls” that have previously tripped up a diabetics best efforts, such as eating on the road or effective in-between meal snacking. Most patients find that a nutritional counselor's advice is more affordable than you think and may save your life.