Is there anything that you can take for diabetes?

[wenjing*girl]

I wonder if anyone knows of any Chinese medicine that can be taken to help people with type 2 diabetes. Particularly to help out with the foot pain. Thanks :-)

[Ken]

There are many things which can be done to address Type II (adult on-set diabetes).

Here is a link which may be helpful in understanding and addressing the problem:

http://www.reversediabetes.com

Other approaches:

Cinnamon tea...Simmer cinnamon stick 10 minutes and drink the tea. Consumption: approx. 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon/day. Example: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in 1 1/2 cups water. Then, drink 1/2 cup of the tea with or just after three meals. This amount of cinnamon increases the efficiency of insulin approximately 12 times.

Consuming this amount of cinnamon directly is not advised because there are also harmful substances in the cinnamon which are removed when it is made into a tea. Accordingly, do not use powdered cinnamon unless you have a really fine filter.

Green tea is also said to have similar effect.

I copy another suggestion from holistic physician Jonathan V.Wright:

"Alpha-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that can help

prevent and treat a common complication of diabetes called

diabetic neuropathy. This painful condition may be caused in

part by free-radical damage to nerves resulting from poorly

regulated blood sugar (glucose).

"Alpha-lipoic acid also improves the glucose-lowering action

of insulin. I include it as part of my recommendations for

diabetes prevention as well as for people who already have

diabetes. For diabetes prevention a dose of 100 milligrams

daily should be fine. To prevent complications of diabetes I

recommend 200 milligrams daily. And if you already have

diabetic neuropathy, increase dose to 200 milligrams three

times daily. "

BE AWARE that alpha-lipoic acid also thins the blood. Avoid takng too much and remember to start any treatment slowly to determine tolerance and gradually increase as appropriate.

I would also suggest the following site which has a "forum" with an "options" search engine which can provide insights from other people who have faced the problem and what they did about it.

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/hsi/hsiindexie.shtml

Many diabetics have been cured by simply reducing carbohydrate intake. This reduces glucose in the blood which results in less need for insulin. The goal is to keep the insulin curve as flat as possible. Eating bran cereal in the morning helps in this regard as does incorporating low glycemic-index foods into the diet. I regard a low carb diet as the best first step anyone should try.

Hao yun,

Ken