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