Diabetes is a metabolic, autoimmune disease that must be managed for a lifetime. Some people find help with managing symptoms and balancing blood sugar using Diabetes alternative medicine, while others combine alternative and conventional methods to find a program that works.
There are a few things that both the Diabetes alternative medicine approach
and the conventional paradigm have in common. Both advocate exercise and a diabetic-specific
low fat, low sugar diet as a foundation of any treatment program.
But the type of supplements, exercise, body work and mind/body practices the
patient chooses to do depends on what works best for them. It is important before
embarking on a treatment program to educate oneself about all the treatment
options out there. Here are just a few Diabetes alternative medicine and conventional
treatment options.
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List of oral diabetes conventional medications
The following chart was excerpted from the diabetes section of Holisticonline.com. "If meal planning, better eating habits, weight loss and regular exercise do not keep blood sugar in your target range, then medication to lower blood glucose is generally prescribed. These medications are called oral hypoglycemic agents, oral hypoglycemics or oral agents. The use of these medications is called oral therapy. Oral hypoglycemics lower blood-sugar levels by increasing the amount of insulin the pancreas secretes and by helping the body use that insulin more effectively."
| Drug Category |
Brand and Generic Name |
How it works |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
|---|
| Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors |
Glyset, Precose |
Blocks the absorption of some carbohyd-rates in the intestine |
Lowers blood glucose after meals, does not cause low blood glucose |
May cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. |
| Biguanides |
Glucophage |
Helps the body use it's own insulin better: muscles use more glucose and the liver makes less glucose. |
Does not cause low blood glucose, may help with weight loss and can improve blood lipids (fats). |
Can't take if you drink alcohol excessively. Can cause nausea and diarrhea when started. |
| Meglitinides |
Prandin |
Reduces blood glucose levels by stimulating insulin release form the pancreas. |
Rapidly absorbed by the body. Can be used alone or with metformin. |
Can cause blood glucose to get too low. |
| Thiazolidinediones |
Actos, Avandia |
Works to decrease insulin resistance and improves the muscle's ability to use insulin. Does not make more insulin. |
Cannot cause blood glucose to get too low if it is the only diabetes pill taken. |
Can cause liver problems. Some birth control pills may not work. |
| Sulfonylureas |
Diabeta, Glucotrol XL
Amaryl, Micronase, Glynase
Generic: Glyburide, Glipizide |
Lowers blood glucose by helping the pancreas produce more insulin. |
These are 2nd generation drugs with fewer side effects than older sulfonylureas |
Can cause blood glucose to get too low. |
The following treatment descriptions have been excerpted from the Holisticonline.com Web site from the diabetes section.
Traditional Chinese medicine
"Chinese doctors treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics with acupuncture and a combination of herbs such as astragalus, wild yam, and rehmannia. With Type 1 diabetes, treatment must begin in the early stages of the disease for Traditional Chinese Medicine to be of any help. But it is quite effective, according to TCM practitioners, especially at the beginning and intermediate stages of Type 2."
"Traditional Chinese Medicine can improve circulatory problems and slow down the process of neuropathy. The inflammation, pain, and swelling associated with neuropathy are reduced as a result of TCM treatment. TCM may also help to stabilize blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics by restoring balance to the endocrine system."
"Many TCM practitioners report success in treating diabetes with acupuncture. They suggest that the treatment of the spleen/pancreas point has effects which reduce the autoimmune component of diabetes. Acupuncture is also found to be helpful in reversing the neuropathy commonly found in long-term diabetics. Many diabetics find that they need substantially less insulin if they use acupuncture as a complementary therapy."
"Ear acupuncture is beneficial for Type 2 diabetes. It stimulates the sympathetic and autonomic nervous systems. Acupuncture alone is not sufficient treatment for diabetes. It is useful as a complementary therapy with concurrent nutritional and conventional medical care."
Biofeedback
"Biofeedback is a technique which helps a person become more aware of and learn to deal with the body's response to pain. It emphasizes relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. Guided imagery is a relaxation technique that some professionals who use biofeedback do. With guided imagery, a person thinks of peaceful mental images, such as ocean waves. A person may also include the images of controlling or curing a chronic disease, such as diabetes. People using this technique believe their condition can be eased with these positive images."
Chelation therapy
"Proponents of chelation therapy suggest that it is effective in preventing complications of diabetes. Chelation therapy uses chelating agents such as EDTA administered intravenously to restore proper circulation by removing the plaque from arterial walls. Therapists claim that people with diabetes who receive intravenous EDTA chelation therapy have less amputations, less blindness, less renal dialysis, and other complications of diabetes, than those on conventional treatments. Furthermore, oral chelators such as vitamin C, garlic, zinc, and certain amino acids like cysteine and methionine, are also useful in protecting the cardiovascular system."
Eating raw onions and garlic
"Onions and garlic have significant blood sugar lowering action. The principal active ingredients are believed to be allyl propyl disulphide (APDS) and diallyl disulphide oxide (allicin), although other constituents such as flavonoids may play a role as well. Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that APDS lowers glucose levels by competing with insulin for insulin-inactivating sites in the liver. This results in an increase of free insulin. APDS administered in doses of 125 mg/ kg to fasting humans was found to cause a marked fall in blood glucose levels and an increase in serum insulin. Allicin doses of 100 mg/kg produced a similar effect."
"Onion extract was found to reduce blood sugar levels during oral and intravenous glucose tolerance. The effect improved as the dosage was increased; however, beneficial effects were observed even for low levels that used in the diet (eg., 25 to 200 grams). The effects were similar in both raw and boiled onion extracts. Onions affect the hepatic metabolism of glucose and/or increases the release of insulin, and/or prevent insulin's destruction." http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Diabetes/diabetes_home.htm
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