Gestational Diabetes: The Overlooked Form Of Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes: The Overlooked Form of Diabetes

Did you know you could have diabetes and not realize it? Out of the almost 30 million Americans suffering from diabetes, over eight million cases are undiagnosed, and almost 1.5 million new cases of diabetes appear every year. As the onset of type 2 diabetes reaches epic proportions in American families, health experts continue to build awareness of the risks and rally for prevention. But what about gestational diabetes? Although it’s easy to shrug off this form of diabetes that targets a specific portion of the community—and often remedies itself after giving birth—the temporary condition, if left untreated, can produce permanent damage.
What is Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?
This form of diabetes occurs exclusively in women—pregnant women, to be exact. Women can be diagnosed with gestational diabetes having no history of diabetes at all. Doctors don’t understand why it occurs in some women, but they know it’s affected by the hormones that support the unborn baby in the placenta. These essential hormones help in the baby’s development, but they also contribute to insulin resistance in the mother. Without regular access to insulin, the mother’s glucose cannot be converted to energy, so it builds up in the blood to dangerous levels. This is called hyperglycemia.
What are common symptoms and factors that may increase the risk of developing GDM?
You’ll need to examine both your family and personal medical history. Some factors that increase your chances of developing GDM include a family history of diabetes and high blood pressure, obesity prior to pregnancy, Continue reading

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Use these 17 herbs and spices to fight diabetes

(NaturalNews) According to the most recent American Diabetes Association report, 29.1 million Americans are diabetic. Additionally, the disease still held the rank of being the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Over 8 million of that 29.1 are undiagnosed, unaware that they have the condition.(1)
Therefore, it's wise for everyone to take a closer look at their dietary lifestyle and eat foods that help fight diabetes.
Fight diabetes with these 17 herbs and spices
Several kinds of herbs and spices exist that keep the disease at bay. Here's a look at what Dr. Alexa Fleckenstein, author of The Diabetes Cure, swears by.(2)
The list of herbs, spices and information below are derived from her
book. Supporting details and their sources are noted, if used.
1. Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
In a small study involving 40 type 2 diabetics, it was found that those consuming this herb were able to reduce their fasting blood glucose levels by approximately 17.6 percent. Additionally, their blood glucose levels after eating a meal were lowered by 7.3 percent.
Why not add their earthy yet semi-sweet leaves to more meals?
2. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Bilberries' blue color, which exists on the inside as well as the outside, has antioxidants called anthocyanins. They're known to help fight diabetes and lower inflammation. In fact, an Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition study found that regular ingestion of them led to improvements in glucose tolerance.
3. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Chamomile has the ability to help lower blood sugar levels and properly re Continue reading

Why GPs should prescribe a low-carb diet for type 2 diabetes

It seems every week brings a new headline about the catastrophic epidemic of type 2 diabetes that is threatening to overwhelm our health service. But in my view we are largely ignoring the root cause of the problem and taking completely the wrong approach to tackling it – failing our patients and costing the NHS a fortune in the process.
Instead of giving patients unhelpful instructions to eat less – on a diet based on starchy carbohydrate – and exercise more, and then putting them on to more and more drugs, we should be listening to their experience and observing the growing body of evidence that cutting down on carbohydrate intake is the key.
I am seeing astonishing results in patients with type 2 diabetes who themselves chose to reduce their dietary carbohydrate intakes. Having seen the results, and after many hours of research to understand the physiology better, I believe it would be unacceptable for me not to offer advice on using a ‘low-carb’ diet to patients with type 2 diabetes.
At medical school 20 years ago I was taught that type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. This is not true – turn off the ‘sugar tap’ and the disease begins to reverse. Type 2 diabetes is a problem of homeostasis. Our body uses its various hormones, including insulin, to maintain blood glucose homeostasis of 4–6 mmol/L, which is about 5g in an average adult. But when we constantly consume food that challenges our blood glucose level, the body takes the hit and shifts the excess glucose to fat storage. Eventually, probably as a homeostatic mechanism to prevent ever-increas Continue reading

13 Foods to Balance Blood Sugar & Help Prevent Diabetes

Good-For-You Ingredients
Kale, spinach, chard and other leafy greens are high in antioxidants and magnesium, and eating one-and-a-half extra servings a day can reduce the risk of diabetes by 14%.
Try this: Sauté chard and spinach with garlic and olive oil then purée with coconut milk for a creamy soup; finely chop kale, olives and tomatoes and use as an omelette filling; shred collards into long, thin strips, sauté until tender then toss with cooked pasta and cheese.
Garlic & onions contain sulfur compounds that lower blood sugar and reduce the risk of diabetes; garlic can also lower blood pressure and triglycerides in people with diabetes.
Try this: Cut the top off whole heads of garlic, drizzle with oil and roast until soft; mash minced garlic, minced parsley and coarse salt into a paste and use as a pungent condiment for bread or vegetables.
Lentils are loaded with fiber and protein, which digest slowly and help balance blood sugar, and frequent consumption of lentils protects against diabetes. Other legumes have also been shown to improve glycemic control and reduce heart disease risk in people with diabetes.
Try this: Cook red lentils and onions in coconut milk and red curry paste then stir in frozen peas; toss chickpeas, shredded spinach, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives and feta cheese with olive oil.
Cinnamon contains compounds that reduce blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity, and cinnamon may also lower triglyceride levels – a risk factor in diabetes. But don’t overdo it: Cinnamon contains coumarin, which may cause problems at high doses. Studies have Continue reading

Could the TB vaccine cure type 1 diabetes? Scientists ‘discover BCG jab can reverse the disease’

REPEAT doses of the TB vaccine could reverse type 1 diabetes, scientists believe - raising hopes of a potential cure.
The BCG jab could reset the immune system, to stop the underlying cause of the disease, new findings suggest.
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Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, that prevents the body from producing insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that helps the body break down glucose in the blood, to give you energy.
It's often described as the key that unlocks the door to the body's cells.
Once that door is unlocked and glucose can enter, the body's cells can use it as fuel.
Without insulin there's no key to unlock the door, and glucose builds up in the blood.
Type 1 diabetes develops when the insulin-producing cells in the body have been destroyed, when the immune system mistakes those cells as an infection and destroys them.
Now, a team of experts at Massachusetts General Hospital, believe the BCG jab could reverse that damage caused to the insulin-producing cells.
In a study carried out in mice, scientists were able to successfully reverse the condition in rodents who had advanced type 1 diabetes.
The jab is currently given to children aged 13 at school as part of the NHS immunisation programme.
But, scientists now believe repeat doses could be the key to curing type 1 diabetes.
Dr Denise Faustman, who led the trial, said the vaccine could trigger a permanent change to the genes in the body that restores immune cells, called Tregs.
Tregs are known as the immune system's "brakes", and normally work to stop the body mistakenly attacking itself.
By "turning on" the brak Continue reading