Herbs for Diabetics!

Diabetes has been around for centuries. There are presently sixteen millions diabetics in America, but eight million do not know that they have the disease. Today, diabetes is in third place as the cause of mortality, behind cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Diabetes is caused by a disruption in insulin production in the body. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas when the level of blood sugar, glucose, increases – after a meal, most commonly.

With the help of insulin, glucose moves from the blood into the cells. The cellular components turn the glucose into energy. When glucose does not enter cells, it stays in the blood and is filtered by kidneys which later eliminate it from the bloodstream.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when insulin in the body does not work as it should. Main symptoms of diabetes include excessive thirst, excessive urination, excessive appetite, fatigue, blurred vision, frequent and slow-healing infections including bladder, vaginal and skin.

In men, diabetes may be accompanied by such symptoms as erectile dysfunction. In order to timely recognize diabetes, everyone should be familiar with the different types of diabetes as well as with main symptoms of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a life-threatening condition which is less common. Those suffering with this type of diabetes need complete insulin replacement because the body does not make sufficient amounts of this essential hormone.

The most common type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. 90% of all diabetes cases in the US are diagnosed as Type 2.

There is also gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy due to specific hormonal changes in the body of the expectant mother. Diabetes is often accompanied by obesity and high cholesterol and is a disease that often runs in families, so if one of your family members has it, you have a higher risk of developing diabetes too.

Lack of activity, a diet rich in fats and processed products and obesity significantly increase your risk for diabetes.

Diabetes can be prevented and controlled by amending your diet. When we eat a product that is rich in sugar, the pancreas starts to produce more insulin to turn the sugar into energy.

Saturated fat is transformed by the liver into sugar, which triggers the same response of pancreas – more insulin, more energy. When the body doesn’t use this energy, it stores it as fat in the liver, on the stomach and hips. The more sugar and fat we eat, the more “storage space” our body requires.

However, when you switch to eating vegetables, cereals and other fiber-rich products cooked or seasoned with olive or grape seed oil, the pancreas does not need to produce any extra insulin.

As a result, fat is not deposited in the body and the blood sugar levels remain stable. By avoiding sweet and fat-rich foods, blood sugar levels remains balanced which can delay the onset of diabetes and for those already diagnosed as diabetic can help them manage the condition.

Garlic reduces blood sugar levels, and is an excellent herbal treatment for late-set diabetes. Garlic has many other medicinal benefits as well. Tablets are available for those who don’t like the ‘side-effects’!

French beans, or haricot beans, have been used since ancient times as a remedy for diabetes. That’s why many naturopaths recommend baked beans as healthy food for diabetics, haricot beans are used in baked beans.

Goats rue is another anti-diabetic, used as an infusion, but it is recommended to be only used under the direction of a naturopath.

Gymnema is a native to India and Asian forests. It has many benefits for diabetics. Not only does it reduce blood sugar levels, it can block sweet tastes, and reduce the cravings for sugar. If taken early in late-onset diabetes, it can help to regenerate cells in the pancreas which secrete insulin.

Holy basil also has the ability to reduce blood sugar levels, and is believed to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It's also easy to grow, just about anywhere!

Kerala, or cerasee is another Asian native, and a very useful medicinal herb. One of it’s characteristics is that the unripe fruit are used to lower blood sugar levels.

Drinking lots of water is also very helpful.

Remember that diabetes is a serious disease, and in all cases, the advice of a registered health practitioner should be sought. Some drugs prescribed for diabetes can have serious side effects, so the use of herbal remedies is a preferred option to drugs, if your naturopath supports their use.

In my own late-onset diabetes, I used drugs for a very short period, until herbal remedies brought the disease totally under control. Thanks to the herbs, I no longer have diabetes, but still live with the side effects of the drug I unfortunately took for a few months.

Patrick O'Brien, HH(Dip)MH