Can I Treat Diabetes Without Drugs?
If you have type 1 diabetes, you must take daily insulin injections to keep your blood glucose in a normal range. Your body produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a vital hormone that helps your body convert food into energy. Without insulin, you would die. If you have type 2 diabetes, the answer to this question is much less clear. Many people can keep their blood glucose in a healthy range without medications (either oral diabetes medications or insulin injections) if they lose weight and keep their weight down, are regularly physically active, and follow a meal plan that helps them keep portion sizes under control and helps them spread the amount of carbohydrate they eat at each meal throughout the day. Eventually, however, many people with type 2 diabetes find that despite their best efforts, weight control, exercise and diet aren't enough to keep their blood glucose in a healthy range. This is not unusual. One theory is that some people's insulin-producing cells just get tired out from having to produce more and more insulin because their cells are resistant to the effects of insulin. If your healthcare team tells you that you need to take oral diabetes medications or insulin injections to manage your blood glucose, it's important that you follow their instructions. Keeping your blood glucose in a healthy range is key to preventing long-term complications, such as eye disease, kidney disease, heart attacks, and other problems that poorly controlled blood glucose can cause over a period of years. Continue reading >>
Managing Type 2 Without Meds: 3 Stories
My goal is to be as healthy as I can. If something happens and one day I'm back on medication, my goal is still to be healthy. It had been about a year since Akua Jitahadi felt like herself. But she was 51 and expected menopause to kick in soon. Plus, she and her daughter had just moved to oppressively hot Arizona. So she brushed off the tired, sluggish feeling as a side effect of being a middle-aged woman adjusting to sweltering temps. And then, overnight, her vision dimmed. Something was most definitely wrong. The verdict from her doctor: type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. "Of course, I broke down in tears," Jitahadi, now 55, says. "I wasn't ready to hear this. I always associated diabetes with 'Oh no, it's really bad.' " After Jitahadi spent a few weeks on medication, her vision cleared and she began to feel better. It didn't last long. "I hated metformin . I had all the colon and digestive issues on it," she says. "I never knew if I would be OK on it or if I'd be nauseous. I'd question whether I wanted to go out with my friends." When she asked for an alternative medication, her doctor said metformin was the best drug for the job, so Jitahadi stuck it out for a year. After that, she decided to make major lifestyle changes in hopes of quitting her medications. That proved more difficult than she had imagined. She hadn't seen a diabetes educator. The only dietitian covered by her insurer was too far away. And her doctor's sole advice was for Jitahadi to watch what she ate. "I was scared in the beginning," says Jitahadi. "It was through friends and starting to read [about diabetes] that I knew I could do this. I could get through this." Jitahadi bought books on diabetes, nutrition, the glycemic index, and diabetes-friendly meals. Instead of slightly modifying he Continue reading >>
Control Or Reverse Diabetes Naturally
Can you control diabetes? Reverse it? Absolutely. We can beat diabetes. The disease process associated with diabetes (which leads to heart attacks, strokes, and other crippling illnesses) can be slowed and even partially reversed by controlling blood glucose and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce and/or properly use insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas. When there are troubles with insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. A fasting glucose level below 100 is considered normal. A fasting glucose between 100 and 125 signals pre-diabetes. A fasting glucose of 126 or higher means you have diabetes. Though “silent,” at least at first, diabetes can turn into a horrible disease. It can greatly increase our risk of heart attacks, strokes, peripheral arterial disease, erectile dysfunction, blindness, diabetes neuropathy, poor wound healing, and kidney failure. There are two main types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2. At least 90% of diabetics in America have Type 2 diabetes. Studying the evolution and lifestyle habits of humankind, we can confidently assert that Type 2 diabetes is virtually entirely preventable. Worldwide, many populations are now suffering epidemic rates of Type 2 diabetes because many populations live in a “food toxic” environment and exercise little or not at all. All this suffering, all this early death, is preventable. It is the direct result of the way we live – by our sedentary habits and our Western-style diets, bereft of whole, fiber-rich foods and full of fast foods and other calorie-dense junk. Type 2 diabetes usually starts after the age of 40. But because of America’s childhood obesity epidemic, more and more of our youth are being diagnosed with the disease, including Continue reading >>
Reversing Type 2 Diabetes With Natural Therapies
Today’s Dietitian Vol. 14 No. 11 P. 28 Experts examine whether alternative approaches can cure the disease or at least send it into remission. John couldn’t seem to quench his thirst no matter how much water he drank. With his wife’s encouragement, he scheduled an appointment with his primary care doctor. A few days later, his doctor called him back into the office and told him, “You have severe type 2 diabetes.” Like many people who receive an unexpected diabetes diagnosis, John was frightened. He started surfing the Internet and reading as much as he could about the disease. Unfortunately, the information only left him reeling with more questions than answers. To make matters worse, his doctor prescribed medication that made him hypoglycemic. John spoke to several friends who had different health problems that had been either cured or treated by a doctor of naturopathy. He decided to schedule an appointment with the same doctor. At his first visit, the naturopathic doctor told John he’d be “off medication and free of diabetes in three months.” John left the doctor’s office with instructions to eat a low-carb diet. He’d been on a low-fat diet for years because of heart problems, but while he’d cut the fat, his meals included many highly processed foods. His new diet included “a lot of salads and healthful, organic foods.” He was given several whole food supplements that he says were “simple to mix and tasted good.” After two months under the care of the naturopath, John returned to his primary care doctor to discover that his hemoglobin A1c had dropped from 8.9% to 4.9%—a nondiabetic range. For eight months and counting, he’s been off all his diabetes medication. His last A1c reading was 5.1%. With the help of his naturopath, John seem Continue reading >>
Managing My Type 2 Diabetes Without Medications
If you have type 2 diabetes, you can manage it well without any drugs — without any oral medications and without insulin. If you have type 1 diabetes, you will always have to take insulin injections, but you can likely use less than you do now. To manage diabetes well means keeping your blood sugar level down in the same range as that of people who don’t have diabetes. The way we check this level is the A1C (sometimes called glycated hemoglobin, hemoglobin A1c, or HbA1c). This test tells you what your average blood sugar level was during the previous two or three months by using a drop of blood about as small as that you use on your regular fingerstick tests that tells you what your level is right then. When you manage your diabetes well, it is well controlled. It is normal. We know that the normal A1C level is 6.0 or below. See “The Normal A1C Level.” An A1C level of 6.0 or below means that your diabetes is in remission. It does not mean that you have cured it. If you relax your vigilance, your A1C level will go above 6.0 again, and you will again put yourself at risk of the terrible complications of uncontrolled diabetes. You can use drugs to bring your A1C level down to normal. That’s a good thing. But this strategy does have its costs, and those costs aren’t just money out of your pocket or your checkbook. The worst of those costs are the potential side effects of the drugs. All drugs can have side effects. The systems and the organs of our bodies are so interconnected that no drug can target just one part of it without having some effect elsewhere. Sometimes we find that the side effects are helpful, but we can also find that they are harmful. Sometimes they are subtle and affect only a few people, but sometimes they are serious. All of the drugs that w Continue reading >>
Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?
If you have prediabetes, you can reverse that too! Sugar Spilling Over Put very simply, Type 2 Diabetes is a disorder where our body cannot adequately process the sugars we cram into it. Though some of us are more genetically predisposed to this condition, our heavily processed Standard American Diet, jam-packed with processed grains and sugars, places a massive strain on our pancreas and cells. Eventually, the sugar-processing systems of our body give up, resulting in high insulin resistance and high blood glucose. Then begins the lifelong struggle of “managing blood sugar levels” with medications. Unfortunately, these medications do little to fix the sugar overload problem – all they do is mask it. Type-2 Diabetes is an environmentally-driven condition – only diet and lifestyle will reverse it, not medications which only treat the symptoms. So, can you reverse type 2 diabetes? Yes, you sure can! Lets dig in to find out ways on how to reverse type 2 diabetes. Eliminate The Cause The might of the processed food lobby can be gauged from the fact that American Diabetes Association while promoting a careful watch on fats and the glycemic index of foods (the speed at which different foods turn to glucose in our body), does not have much to say about processed carbs. They advocate keeping blood sugar balanced, through regular carbohydrate intake, that is then dealt with by medications which have side effects when used over the long term. Why would we not just take away the cause, take the load off the pancreas, allow the body to heal itself back to balance and do away with the meds? 3 Steps to Freedom! If T2D is a disease where our body can’t eliminate the heavy load of sugars from our diet effectively it stands to reason that the way out should be simple enough. R Continue reading >>
Managing Diabetes Without Insulin – Is It Possible?
It is widely believed that those with Type 2 diabetes may eventually need insulin if they have diabetes for long enough. However, only about 20-30 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes end up needing insulin injections. In this article, we will explore whether it is possible to manage your diabetes without insulin. If so, how can one do so and when they may eventually need insulin if other treatments do not work out? 1 Type 1 Diabetes disclaimer This article is not for people with Type 1 diabetes because it is imperative that people with Type 1 diabetes require insulin every day without question. A person with Type 1 diabetes produces very little, or no insulin. Without insulin, you cannot convert food into usable energy. Simply put, without insulin, a person with Type 1 diabetes cannot survive. 2 When Robert contacted TheDiabetesCouncil, he was concerned that one day he would have to take insulin shots for his Type 2 diabetes. He had heard a few of his friends with diabetes at church talking about how they had to take insulin injections. Robert was “afraid of needles,” and the thought of giving himself a shot scared him. Is Robert going to need to start taking insulin, or is there any way he can avoid it at this point? If he avoids it, what effects would this have on his health? Will he develop long term complications of diabetes if he doesn’t start giving himself shots of insulin? I suggest also reading these: At TheDiabetesCouncil, we decided to take a look at this particular question in depth, for Robert and for others with diabetes who might benefit from reading this information. Insulin isn’t the “bad guy.” Naturally, the fear of giving oneself an injection or “shot,” can increase anxiety and stress. But what if I told you that once you get past t Continue reading >>
Controlling Type 2 Diabetes Without Insulin
Controlling Type 2 Diabetes Without Insulin When Cheryl Brensinger learned she had type 2 diabetes 18 months ago, she enrolled in classes at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Helwig Health and Diabetes Center. There she learned how to manage her condition through diet and exercise to avoid going on insulin. Today Brensinger, 58, of Slatington, has lost 30 pounds, and her hemoglobin A1C (a blood test that reflects your average blood sugar) has dropped from 13.7 percent (well above average) to 5.3 percent (below average for people with diabetes). And while she’s used an oral medication (metformin) to help control her diabetes, she doesn’t need insulin. Now she has a new outlook on life. “I’m proud of my accomplishments and new look,” Brensinger says. “It’s really changed my life.” Here are her six New Year’s resolutions for managing type 2 diabetes: 1. Read food labels religiously. “I thought I only had to watch my sugar intake, but sugar is just one type of carbohydrate. All carbs should be eaten in moderation. Once I learned how to count carbs and watch serving sizes by reading food labels, things started falling in place. I limit myself to 25 carbs per serving (usually a half-cup) and try to stay at 200 carbs or less per day.” 2. Shop the perimeter of the store. “That’s where you find fresh produce and unprocessed foods that are low in carbs and rich in nutrients. I avoid the aisles with canned and packaged foods that are high in carbs, sodium and fats. I shop at farmers markets for local and fresh foods whenever possible, and I can or freeze produce for winter.” 3. Eat several smaller meals a day. “To keep my blood sugar steady, I have five smaller meals instead of three large ones. I eat low-fat meats, including boneless white chicken, po Continue reading >>
6 Ways To Control Type 2 Diabetes
Last year during a physical, Lauren Crim of Richwood, TX, got a diagnosis she wasn’t expecting: type 2 diabetes. She had no symptoms, so the news threw her for a loop. “I was devastated,” she says. “My grandmother had diabetes, and I saw her go through major health struggles because of it.” After seeking support from loved ones -- and shedding a few tears -- Crim got to work. With help from her health care team, she changed the way she ate and started exercising. Now, a year later, she’s 22 pounds lighter, and her blood sugar is normal. “My advice to anyone else facing type 2 diabetes is to stick to a plan, stay positive, and put your health first,” she says. A diabetes diagnosis might feel overwhelming, but living well with the condition doesn’t have to be. If you’re ready to take control of your blood sugar levels and get on the path to better health, here’s how to start. “It takes a village to manage diabetes,” says Linda Siminerio, RN, PhD, chair of the National Diabetes Education Program. Along with your doctor or nurse practitioner, you can get help from: Diabetes educators Dietitians or nutritionists Pharmacists Endocrinologists Podiatrists Dentists Psychologists or Therapists Their services are often covered by insurance. Having a health care team is key, but you're the most important member of it. “We want you to be informed and empowered,” Siminerio says. Take an active role in your care. Ask questions. Learn what your medications do and how to take them properly. Practice any other healthy habits your doctor recommends. And know what your A1c levels are and what they mean. “Being overweight is one of the major drivers of the epidemic of diabetes,” says Vivian Fonseca, MD, a professor of medicine and pharmacology at Tulane Uni Continue reading >>
How To Cure Diabetes Without Medication | Men's Health
If you Google type 2 diabetes, reliable sourceslike the National Institutes of Health websitewill tell you that its a chronic condition. But Newcastle University researcher Roy Taylor, M.D., begs to differ. His research finds that some people are able to reverse their diabetes by going on an ultra low-calorie diet. For Dr. Taylors new study, 30 diabetic people ate just 700 calories daily for two months. They lost 31 pounds on average. Related: THE 21-DAY METASHREDOne Guy Lost 25 Pounds In Just 6 Weeks! Twelve of those subjects blood sugar levels fell below the threshold for diabetes, 126 milligrams per deciliter, as a result. Some of their levels were completely within the normal range, Dr. Taylor says, but the average fell within pre-diabetic parameters. Afterward, the researchers gave the study participants guidance on portion size to help them return to a normal diet while maintaining their new, lower weight. Six months later, all of those people were still diabetes-free. That means that as long as they keep their weight down, they no longer need to take insulin or constantly monitor their blood sugar. Theyre no longer at risk for premature heart attacks and strokes, or diabetes complications that can damage their eyes, kidneys, and feet, says Dr. Taylor. Plus, they just feel betterpoor blood sugar regulation can zap your energy. How does a diet cure type 2 diabetes? It comes down to weight loss, he says. Diabetes is caused by a buildup of fat in your pancreas, Dr. Taylor says. The extra fat screws with your organs ability to make insulin, the hormone that controls your blood sugar. Related: Does Sugar Really Cause Diabetes? But when you lose fat, the first bit to go is the fat in your organs, says Dr. Taylor. In the first 10 to 14 kilograms [22 to 31 pounds] of wei Continue reading >>
17 Ways To Lower Your Blood Sugar Without Medications
Type 2 diabetes has become a global epidemic. But did you know that it’s not just preventable but also reversible? If you have Diabetes Type 2, we have for you a bunch of helpful tips on how to bring down blood sugar. While some of us are genetically at a risk of diabetes Type 2, it is largely a lifestyle disorder today. By changing your lifestyle, you can learn how to lower blood sugar levels naturally — without the need for medication. Most diabetes medications are nothing more than a temporary-fix. They don’t address the underlying reason behind high blood sugar, which is driven by the environment. Diet and lifestyle changes can reverse diabetes, unlike medications which only treat the symptoms. The key: Make a positive change to the way you eat, sleep, stay active, and manage stress. So, let’s learn how to bring down blood sugar through 15 easy, natural ways. How To Lower Blood Sugar Naturally: 17 Actionable Tips 1. Cut Back On Carbohydrates A diet high in processed carbs adds to the sugar load in your diet. This is because all carbs get broken down into sugars upon digestion. This leads to increased blood sugar and weight gain. Avoid all carbs with a high glycemic index. We recommend a Low Carb-High Fat or LCHF diet to reverse diabetes. Ideally, only 10% of your daily caloric intake should come from carbs. The right carbs for any diabetic are fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth and millets are some whole grains that work. 2. You Need More Of The Good Fats Afraid how will you survive when cutting back on the belly-filling carbs? This is where the good fats step in. Healthy fats that provide Omega 3 fatty acids are your friends. Not only will they keep you full for longer, they will also improve your heart health Continue reading >>
Diabetes Without Drugs
All drugs have side effects, some worse than others. Yet one of the cornerstones of diabetes management along with diet, weight control, and exercise, is to take insulin or one of the many diabetes medications that our doctors routinely prescribe. People with type 1 diabetes have no choice. They have to take insulin. But the great majority of us have type 2 and mostly take one or two or even three different pills for our condition. Some of these pills are clearly safer than others. For example, none of us take Rezulin any more, now that it killed at least 63 people. That was a dozen years ago so I wouldn’t be surprised if you forgot about Rezulin or never heard of it, but half a million of us were using it when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled it. Six years later Avandia became even bigger than Rezulin, earning GlaxoSmithKline $2.5 billion that year. Not so many of us take Avandia now that studies show that it raises the risk of heart attack by 43 percent. Recently, yet another diabetes drug, Actos, seems to be life-threatening. Already banned in parts of Europe because it may cause bladder cancer, the FDA says that doctors should be cautious when telling us to take Actos. “The benefits of blood sugar control with pioglitazone,” it says, “should be weighed against the unknown risks for cancer recurrence.” Even the diabetes drug that the most people with type 2 diabetes use can’t be completely safe. Metformin carries what the FDA calls a “black box warning.” Named for the black box that usually surrounds the warning, it means that the drug may cause serious adverse effects. Metformin’s black box warning says that lactic acidosis is a rare result of taking metformin, but when it happens it can lead to death half of the time. I took my chanc Continue reading >>
How To Control Diabetes Without Medication - Lifestyle Changes You Can Start Today
It can be shocking and overwhelming to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Aside from the physical issues that come with the disease, diabetics have to adjust to lifestyle changes as well. The good news is that diabetics can learn how to control diabetes without medication by making these lifestyle changes. Diabetes treatment plans usually consist of four important components: A healthy, nutritious, diabetic-friendly diet. Regular exercise. Maintaining a healthy weight, or at least controlling weight gain. Medication, such as pills or insulin injections. Most people would probably prefer to avoid medication where possible. For many people, it is possible to control diabetes without resorting to medication. It takes commitment and consistency to the other three parts of the treatment plan: diet, exercise, and weight control. Controlling Diabetes through Diet Many tasty and delicious diabetic recipes and cookbooks are available to help ease one's way into dietary changes. Because the carbohydrates in foods quickly raise blood sugar levels, diabetics have to be especially careful about what they eat, how much they eat, and even when they eat. Complex carbohydrates provide a slower, steadier release of sugar, while refined carbohydrates, sweets, and processed foods tend to provide a quick release of sugar, or a blood sugar "spike" -- something that diabetics want to avoid. Ironically, a "diabetic-friendly diet" is basically a diet that's healthy for anyone: rich in fresh, whole vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and lean meats or proteins, while minimizing overly-processed or refined foods and sweets. Eating on a regular schedule also helps to control blood glucose levels. Rather than eating when you feel like it, or eating when you get around to it, a regular meal and sna Continue reading >>
How To Beat Type 2 Diabetes With Diet And Lifestyle Changes
It's no secret that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in the United States and around the world. But if you've been diagnosed with diabetes, there's a lot you can do to improve your health — and the best place to start is likely by making some changes to your lifestyle. “Basic principles of good health like eating right, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight can be as effective as medicine in the management of type 2 diabetes for most people,” says Sue McLaughlin, RD, CDE, lead medical nutrition therapist at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. That's backed up by the Look AHEAD study, a large clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The researchers found that over a four-year period, changes like eating a healthier diet and getting more exercise led to weight loss and improved diabetes control in 5,000 overweight or obese participants with type 2 diabetes. A December 2016 review in Diabetologia similarly found through 28 studies that participants who were able to achieve about 150 minutes per week of moderate activity lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent compared with nonactive participants. If you're ready to make positive changes to help control diabetes, here's how to get started. Improve Your Diet to Help You Treat Type 2 Diabetes Naturally Keeping close tabs on your diet is a major way to help manage type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet for people with type 2 diabetes includes fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free dairy. Focus on eating fruit and non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, carrots, and lettuce, and having smaller portions of starchy foods, meats, and dairy products. Be especially careful about loading Continue reading >>
10 Ways To Control Blood Sugar Without Medication
High amounts of sugar in the blood can eat away at your vital organs, causing them to degenerate over time and lead to serious illnesses (not to mention rotten teeth!). Thankfully, controlling blood sugar levels naturally, without the use of medications, is well within your reach. You can lower your blood sugar levels without drugs by using supplements and making a few simple, yet effective lifestyle changes. Ad Did you know that there is an ancient Chinese technique that is clinically proven to significantly reduce blood pressure without drugs? In this special report, you’ll get all the details on how you can use this technique yourself to lower your blood pressure and get many other health benefits as well. Click here to see now. What Is High Blood Sugar? Your blood sugar level can be determined by taking a blood sample, either in a fasted state, or two hours after eating. If your blood sugar is less than 100 mg/dL after an eight-hour fast or less than 140 mg/dL two hours after eating, you’re in the normal range. If you conduct a test in the morning, after sleeping for eight hours, and your blood sugar is at 126 mg/dL or higher, you’ve got high blood sugar. An estimated 29 million people in the U.S. have type 2 diabetes, which is the result of blood sugar levels being consistently high. Another 86 million have prediabetes, which can lead to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Prediabetes, however, can be reversed (and some evidence suggests type 2 diabetes can, too) by finding ways to naturally lower blood sugar. Natural Ways to Lower Blood Sugar Without Medications If you want to prevent serious illness without the use of medication, the following are a few proven ways you can lower your blood sugar naturally. 1. Eat less sugar/refined carbohydrates The Continue reading >>
