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Herbal and Alternative Remedies for Diabetes

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This article may be considered controversial to some people, because Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Many people suffer from this disease, and many more are being diagnosed with some variation or another of it on a daily basis. Despite popular belief though, Diabetes can be treated successfully using herbal and alternative remedies. It will take some time to see results though, just as it took time for your body to start having this problem to begin with.

To understand the preferred alternative treatments for diabetes, you must first understand that insulin is controlled in the body by an organ called the pancreas. When you eat food, carbohydrates enter into the body’s blood stream. The pancreas then releases insulin in response to the detected level of glucose in the blood. Eating too much sugar and starch will cause extra insulin to be released. The insulin quickly reduces the blood sugar levels, and this is what makes you start feeling hungry again, or having sugar cravings. There is excess insulin in your system and it needs something to go to work on.

Without going into too much detail, suffice it to say that this process creates a high and low swing cycle in your body. You eat large amounts of sugar which spikes your blood glucose levels, your body takes immediate action to neutralize and utilize that sugar, which drops your blood sugar levels quite low. When your blood sugar is low, the body screams at you that it needs food, and naturally the quickest way to raise your blood sugar is to eat more sugar. Over years of doing this however, you can actually wear out your pancreas, causing it to stop producing insulin, or stop producing enough. This is when full fledged Diabetes occurs.

By working to make your pancreas healthy again, you can potentially solve the majority of the Diabetes problems too. Again though, this will take time. And if you currently take insulin shots or pills, you will need to work closely with your during this healing process, because your medications may need to be adjusted regularly.

The first step to take in dealing with Diabetes problems is to change how you eat. If you haven’t done so already, you should eliminate simple carbohydrates and sugars from your diet. A low to moderate carb diet works quite well in regulating blood sugar levels, and many people have actually been able to completely go off insulin shots just by taking this one simple step.

The next natural step you’ll want to consider, is a mixture of herbs designed to help heal and strengthen the pancreas. Here’s a combination that works well: Goldenseal, Juniper Berries, Uva Ursi, Huckleberry Leaves, Mullein, Comfrey, Yarrow, Garlic, Capsicum, Dandelion, Marshmallow, Buchu, Bistort, and Licorice. Now you will not take one of each of these every day. Instead, you should find a local herbalist to mix up a combination formula for you.

If you are borderline diabetic, or you want to experiment slowly with natural remedies for the problem, try taking just Goldenseal by itself. This is a natural source of insulin, and should not be taken by hypoglycemics. Again, diabetics should talk to their doctors about this if they’re taking prescribed insulin, because the combination can be dangerous.

Since Diabetes is such a large topic, we’ll explore it in depth with future articles and series.

Statements made in this article may not be approved by the FDA, and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

(Sources)
http://www.endocrineweb.com/diabetes/2insulin.html
The How To Herb Book, Mayfield Publications