| Maybe your doctor recently broke the news | | | | levels |
| that you have diabetes. Or you have learnt | | | | |
| that you are at risk of getting diabetes. And | | | | *Those that help in weight loss and thus |
| so now you are worried scared of what | | | | indirectly control diabetes. |
| diabetes will do to you. Worried about the | | | | |
| drugs you have to take and their side | | | | To control blood sugar levels |
| effects. Its not just you who alone is | | | | |
| worrying. There are about 21 million American | | | | Vitamin and mineral supplements help the body |
| adults and children who suffer from some form | | | | to secrete insulin well that helps in |
| of diabetes. Though insulin and other anti | | | | controlling diabetes. It is said that |
| diabetic drugs are available, many are now | | | | minerals like chromium, magnesium, vanadium |
| resorting to alternative medicine. | | | | and zinc help control the blood sugar levels. |
| | | | |
| What exactly is diabetes? | | | | Many plant foods decrease the blood sugar |
| | | | levels by virtue of their fiber content among |
| Diabetes is condition in which the glucose in | | | | other mechanisms. Some of the popular plant |
| your blood is higher than normal either | | | | foods that are used to control blood sugar |
| because the hormone insulin is not secreted | | | | are fenugreek seeds, peas, brewer's yeast, |
| at all or whatever insulin is secreted does | | | | buckwheat, broccoli, garlic, ginger, ginseng, |
| not work properly. This increased blood | | | | hawthorn, nettle and okra. |
| glucose affects almost all the important | | | | |
| organs in our body including the heart and | | | | To control weight |
| kidney. It is said that diabetes is the sixth | | | | |
| leading cause of death. Insulin and oral anti | | | | Type II diabetes is associated with obesity. |
| diabetic drugs are routinely prescribed to | | | | It is said that maintaining optimum weight is |
| treat diabetes. | | | | the single most important factor in |
| | | | controlling blood sugar in Type II diabetes. |
| Alternative medicine the new trend | | | | People use many substances as part of |
| | | | alternative treatment to bring down their |
| The faith in alternative medicine is rising | | | | weight and thus indirectly control diabetes. |
| very steeply and it is estimated that as much | | | | Some of the popular substances used to |
| as 50% of the American people are using some | | | | control weight are extract of Hoodia |
| form of alternative treatment. One of the | | | | gordonii, chitosan, camsogia garcinia, |
| surveys conducted on alternative medicine | | | | pyruvate, germander, Momordica charanta, |
| concluded that people felt there were added | | | | Sauropus androgynus and aristolochic acid. |
| benefits from alternative medicine use, lower | | | | |
| cost, and perceived fewer side effects. | | | | The other alternative therapies being used to |
| | | | treat diabetes are - faith healing, |
| The alternative medicine for treating | | | | reflexology, macrobiosis, astrotherapy (tying |
| diabetes is basically divided in to two | | | | pieces of coral around the arms), pearl |
| categories: | | | | therapy (oyster pearls boiled in milk and |
| | | | then drinking the liquid), meditation, |
| *Those that can control the blood sugar | | | | ayurveda and homeopathy. |