Diabetes

Posted on August 3rd, 2023

Diabetes mellitus is an insulin deficiency that results in a high blood-sugar level. This deficiency affects the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates, protein and fat, which often leads to an increase in the incidence of infections. It is important that a health-care practitioner monitor a patient with diabetes. If diabetes is not controlled, changes in the blood vessels can lead to high blood pressure and deterioration of circulation, causing kidney, nerve and eye problems.
Type I diabetes begins in childhood. The pancreas is unable to produce an adequate supply of insulin, so the disease is controlled with daily insulin injections.
Type II diabetes usually occurs in adulthood, and obesity is a major risk factor. The pancreas often produces sufficient insulin, but the body is unable to use it efficiently. High blood sugar can be reversed by diet and weight loss. In type Il diabetes, diet and herbs can help regulate blood sugar, improve digestion and intestinal absorption of nutrients, support blood circulation and improve immunity.

Diabetic Emergencies:
People with diabetes may experience one or more of several different emergencies characteristic of their disorder. Among them are the insulin reaction, coma caused by ketoaci-dosis, and hyperosmolar coma.
For a detailed discussion of diabetes mellitus.
Insulin Reaction:
An insulin reaction is sometimes known as insulin shock or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). An insulin reaction is most likely to occur in a middle aged or younger person who is taking insulin for his or her diabetes. Some older persons with diabetes also take insulin and are vulnerable to this problem. Rarely, an individual who is not known to have diabetes also may experience an insulin reaction.
An insulin reaction is most likely to occur several hours after eating. Exercise also can cause an insulin reaction unless the person with diabetes takes less insulin or extra food before exercising.
Symptoms vary, but they usually consist of nervousness, feelings of hunger or apprehension, confusion, cold and clammy skin with sometimes profuse perspiration, loss of consciousness, or a seizure. This progression of symptoms may take place rather quickly, usually in less than an hour. The individual may be wearing a bracelet that identifies him or her as a person who takes insulin. It is also possible for the person taking one of the oral hypoglycemic tablets to have a mild reaction, but this is unusual and the symptoms are often less severe.
Once you recognize the problem, give the person some kind of carbohydrate or sugar.
He or she may stubbornly resist taking the food because the thinking process has become affected by the low blood sugar. Fruit juices, candy, or sugar-containing carbonated drinks are effective. If the person vomits, wait a few minutes and then give small amounts of the carbohydrate cautious. If the person is unable to cooperate in swallowing, a teaspoonful of a syrup can be placed in the cheek at intervals of a few minutes. There often will be a period of 15 to 30 minutes from the time the sugar is administered until symptoms abate. Call a physician if recovery is not prompt. Administration of glucose in a vein or glucagon given just under the skin (subcu taneously) may be needed to reverse the symptoms. Someone responsible should remain with the person for an hour or so after apparent recovery because full mental function sometimes does not promptly return.

How to help yourself:
Maximize
• A mainly vegetarian diet of fresh organic fruits, vegetables, legumes and unrefined grains, which helps regulate blood sugar and boosts the immune system's ability to resist infection
• Omega-3 fatty acids (found in oily fish and fish oils, hemp oil, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and soybean products), which are beneficial to blood circulation
Minimize
• Animal fats in meat and dairy products (replace some meat meals with fish and vegetable protein; replace dairy products with soy alternatives)
Eliminate
• Food allergies and intolerances
• Dairy products
• Potatoes
• Dried fruits, sugar and sweeteners (except stevia and small amounts of raw honey)
• Fats and oils (except extra virgin olive oil)
• Processed foods
• Refined foods
• Caffeine (found in coffee, black and green tea, and soft drinks)

Acupuncture For Diabetes

Acupuncture is a technique that uses extremely fine, sterile needles to activate specific points of the body. Once inserted, these needles may be subjected to movement, electricity, or heat to further stimulate the body and help relieve certain types of pain. In treating diabetes-related symptoms, practitioners may focus on acupuncture points for diabetes.

These acupuncture points are typically chosen based on their associations with the endocrine system, digestive system, and other relevant organs or systems. By stimulating these specific points, acupuncture aims to restore the body's natural balance, potentially improving blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity, and overall metabolic function. Additionally, targeting these acupuncture points for diabetes may help alleviate pain and discomfort related to diabetic complications, such as neuropathy, and enhance the patient's overall well-being.

In 1997, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a consensus statement discussing acupuncture as a safe and effective method for treating certain conditions. In the years since this statement, further research has been conducted regarding the efficacy of acupuncture.