of Reversing Diabetes. (type II) diabetes. Consequently, diabetes and its complications are as …
Diabetes
Reducing the Risk of Complication from Diabetes
Non-Traditional Treatment By Julian Whitaker, MD
This article is condensed from the newsletter, Health Healing Tomorrows Medicine Today Vol I No 4; Vol 5 No 9; Vol 6 No 7; Vol 8; Nos 2 3 Dr Whitaker is also the author of Reversing Diabetes
The diabetic condition is not simply a matter of one or two things having gone wrong It is a multitude of metabolic imbalances Consequently, the conventional medical approach of simply using insulin or oral drugs is irrational and incomplete What is needed is a broad-based therapeutic regimen that incorporates an appropriate diet, prescribed exercise and, most importantly, substantial amounts of specific nutritional supplements Only 10 of diabetics actually have reduced production of insulin They are called insulin-dependent type I diabetics, and likely will always need insulin replacement However, 90 of diabetics have non insulin-dependent type II diabetes Rather than an insulin deficiency, these patients produce two to three times the normal level, but the insulin simply doesnt work-a condition called insulin resistance We know that excess insulin brought on by insulin resistance is
not only associated with elevated blood sugar levels, but also with high blood pressure and increased rates of atherosclerosis Insulin therapy most often, is not the best way to treat insulin resistance Yet, physicians use insulin to treat patients with insulin resistance, which only worsens the problem Its a nutritional wasting disease, so supplementation is essential Supplementation is of paramount importance in the diabetic condition, because diabetes is first and foremost characterized by excessive urination In fact, the Greek root word for diabetes means passing through The excessive urination brought on by elevated blood sugar levels strips your body of all water-soluble vitamins and minerals Normally, glucose blood sugar and other water-soluble nutrients are reabsorbed by the body When glucose rises to levels above 160 to 170 [889 to 944 mmol/litre], as it does quite frequently in even well-controlled diabetic patients, it acts as an osmotic diuretic, overwhelming the system, causing substantial, even massive, losses of water-soluble nutrients that pass out along with the urine Consequently, diabetes and its complications are as much a result of nutritional wasting as of
elevated blood sugar Think of it like this If you gave a person a drug that acted as an osmotic diuretic and caused the same kind of nutrient losses, you would see the same complications that diabetics suffer: nerve degeneration, blood vessel deterioration leading to blindness and amputations, frequent heart attacks, and destruction of the kidneys,
Dietary Supplements
The biggest oversight of the current medical approach to diabetes is its failure to recognize that diabetes is a nutritional wasting disease The elevated blood sugar level acts as an osmotic diuretic by overwhelming the kidneys ability to reabsorb glucose and other water-soluble nutrients This is why diabetics experience increased urination Consequently, diabetes causes massive losses of nutrients such as vitamins B-l, B-6 and B-12, and the minerals magnesium, zinc and chromium Incredibly, because modern endocrinologists dont even see this most basic component of diabetes, no efforts are made to replace the large amounts of nutrients that are constantly being drained out of diabetics This loss of nutrients obviously contributes to, and could be the primary reason for, the deterioration of the eyes, kidneys,
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Diabetes
peripheral nerves, and vessels of diabetics These same complications would result from any condition that caused such nutrient depletion In 1978, Dr McNair published a study in an article, Hypomagnesemis, A Risk Factor in Diabetic Retinopathy This study demonstrated that diabetics have depressed levels of intracellular magnesium, and the lower the magnesium level, the higher their risk of diabetic retinopathy The article argued that simply elevating the magnesium concentration with supplements would protect the eyes The cellular concentration of magnesium has been found to be dangerously low in diabetics, primarily because excessive urination washes magnesium out of the body A low magnesium level is an independent and verifiable risk factor for both premature heart attack and diabetic retinopathy, which is a major cause of blindness in this country [Note: Diabetic Retinopathy is the major cause of blindness in the United Kingdom as well] Supplementing your diet with magnesium is safe, inexpensive, and addresses one of the basic problems of diabetes Yet today they are not given any nutritional supplements, not even magnesium In my opinion, this is not just
malpractice-its tragic I find it strange that these same physicians who worry about the potential toxicity of nutritional supplements and/or lack of sufficient scientific documentation for water-soluble nutrients have no qualms prescribing oral diabetic drugs, even though the Physician Desk Reference clearly states that the most common drug used for diabetes, an oral hypoglycemic agent, is associated with a 250 increase in cardiac death Since the diabetic patient wastes so much of the essential trace minerals and elements, they should be replaced by supplementing the diet It is foolish for the diabetic patient to trust that even a well balanced diet will provide adequate amounts of these minerals The most important elements and their daily dosages are magnesium 1000 mg, chromium picolinate 400-800 mcg, which is a trace mineral that facilitates the action of insulin glucose protein and fat metabolism Chromium picolinate enhances the bodys sensitivity to insulin and reduces complications from diabetes by lowering blood glucose levels Zinc30 mg and selenium 200 mcg Gamma linolenic acid also known as GLA 400-600 mg, from the essential fat linoleic acid, is integral to many functions in
the body, and diabetics are almost always low in the essential fatty acids, but even on an ideal diet, diabetics have problems converting dietary fats to GLA A study in England looked at the effects of480 mg of GLA, taken daily for one year, on 111 diabetics Improvements in several parameters were noted across the board, especially in peripheral neuropathy suggest that diabetics include in their regimen of GLA The best sources are borage, evening primrose oil, and black currant More recently, human studies have shown that daily doses of 100 to 150 mg of vanadyl sulfate effectively reversed the diabetic condition, and when the vanadyl sulfate was stopped, the diabetic condition did not return I strongly recommend you do this under the care of your physician, who will monitor its effects I do not suggest you do this on your own The diabetic should be taking therapeutic doses of vitamins starting with the anti-oxidant nutrients: vitamin C 2,000 mg, vitamin E 400 iu, and beta-carotene 15,000 iu The B-complex nutrients are particularly important for the diabetic as they are essential for both carbohydrate and fat metabolism, which are markedly deranged by diabetes They all should be
supplemented, but vitamins B-6 100 mg and B-12 40 mcg are particularly important Biotin is a B vitamin that works synergistically and independently in lowering blood sugar In a 1985 study, insulindependent diabetics were taken off insulin for one week, and half were given 16 mg biotin a day while the other half received a placebo As expected, blood sugar levels rose in the placebo group, yet they fell in the patients on biotin The recommended dose is 10-14 mg a day Lipoic acid 100-200 mg is also very helpful in diabetes as well as other conditions 1 would love to make a general recommendation for everyone to start taking lipoic acid, as it would be a reasonable and healthy thing to do However, until we learn more about its use, I recommend supplemental lipoic acid only for people who are under treatment for diabetes, heart disease AIDS, and, specifically, any form of serious liver disorder In these cases I strongly recommend that you take 50-200 mg of lipoic acid per day Diabetics taking lipoic acid should be monitored by their doctors, because lipoic acid will lower the blood sugar level and medications will likely need to be reduced
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Diabetes
Herbal Extract
An extract of the
leaves of the climbing plant Gymnema sylvestre, native to the forests of central and south India, have been used since the sixth century BC It lowers blood sugar, and may help repair damage to cells in the pancreas Animal studies done in 1990 on diabetic rats indicated that fasting blood glucose levels returned to normal after 20-60 days of treatment, and there was a rise toward normal in serum insulin Autopsies on the rats showed that the islet and beta cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin, had doubled in number, compared to those of the controls This is mind-boggling I was taught in medical school that destruction of beta cells was irreversible Human studies showed similar results-5 of 22 patients taking 400 mg per day for 18-20 months as a supplement of oral drugs could discontinue their drugs, and the rest reduced their doses There was a significant reduction in blood glucose and other parameters of insulin efficacy glycosolated hemoglobin and glycosolated plasma protein Researchers concluded, the beta cells may be regenerated in type II diabetic patients on GS4 Gymnema sylvestre supplementation I recommend that anyone with diabetes try Gymnema sylvestre [ Standardized
Gymnema Extract available from Vitacost] at doses of 400 mg daily If you are at high risk for developing diabetes, I recommend a maintenance dose of 200 mg daily Heres an aside for those of you with a sweet tooth -rumor has it that it cuts down cravings for sweets
Exercise
A powerful tool for all diabetics, particularly non insulin-dependent diabetics, is exercise The diabetic patient should have a prescription for exercise just as he has a prescription for any other medication When you exercise your skeletal muscles, they are able to take sugar up without the help of insulin Diabetics often report that their high blood sugar level drops-sometimes dramatically-as a result of a brisk walk Exercise not only lowers your blood sugar level at the time youre active; it also increases your bodys overall sensitivity to insulin However, I must caution that diabetics with blood sugar levels over 300 [16 mm/litre in UK]should not exercise Several studies have shown that exercise helps to thin the blood, which may prevent some of the diabetic complications, particularly diabetic retinopathy, the most common cause of blindness in this country The best forms of exercise are brisk walking slow
jogging, bicycling, or swimming It should be regular, at least four times a week, for at least a half hour at a time There is some evidence that a brisk 10 minute walk after a meal is beneficial in preventing elevation in the blood sugar that is so common for diabetics after eating However, diabetics who also have heart disease should not do this after-meal regime
Diet
Keep your blood sugar normal by maintaining your optimal weight, exercising regularly, eating a low-fat, moderate protein diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and few refined grains and sugars The diabetic should replace fat calories with complex carbohydrate calories because fat tends to block the effect of insulin, while carbohydrates enhance it However, the diabetic should avoid simple carbohydrates like sugar and honey You cannot reduce your fat intake and increase your carbohydrate intake without increasing your consumption of vegetables For the diabetic, the most beneficial foods appear to be beans, legumes, and grains, particularly oats and oat bran, and generous portions of vegetables Fruits should be used, but more sparingly because they are high in fruit sugars In 1976, Dr James Anderson from the
University of Kentucky USA demonstrated that the high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diet could eliminate the need for insulin and the oral drug in close to 70 of diabetic patients
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
There is no effective conventional treatment for diabetic peripheral neuropathy It is generally assumed to be prevented by good control of blood glucose levels, but it frequently occurs in patients who well maintain their 3
Diabetes
glucose levels There is some good news from Great Britain Nutritional supplements of gamma linolenic acid, an essential fat, effectively slows down, stops, and even reverses the progression of diabetic peripheral neuropathy Without questions it is the best treatment available for this condition Gamma linolenic acid GLA commonly found in seed oils such as corn oil and sesame oil However, in order for the body to use the linoleic acid, it must convert it into GLA by adding an additional double bond between two carbon atoms In diabetics, the enzyme systems necessary for this conversion are lost or hampered Consequently, the body cant convert linoleic acid into GLA, the active component However, as in so many other incidences, plants have come to the
rescue, converting linoleic acid into GLA As previously noted, In a British study, 111 patients with diabetic neuropathv were given either a placebo or 480 mg of GLA daily Sixteen measurements were made throughout the study, and at the end of a year, the group taking the GLA improved in all 16 measurements The researchers concluded that administration of GLA to patients with mild diabetic poly-neuropathy may prevent deterioration, and, in some cases, reverse the condition I suggest that all diabetics start GLA supplementation at about 400-600 mg a day
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Source:enterhisrest.org
