Diabetes affects millions of people each year, and some of the complications are fatal. There are many natural remedies, as well as dietary interventions. Traditional medications include those that attempt to correct blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, beta cell function or inflammatory compounds. They only go so far, and they cause serious nutrient-depletions (i.e., drug mugging).
Lately, there has been a lot in the news about diabetes, and I keep up with it since I have a best-selling book on the topic, Diabetes Without Drugs.
One quick side note. A long time ago, probably 10 years ago, I wrote publicly about how statins could lead to hyperglycemia. Unfortunately, some more research today proves I had every right to warn you this past decade. The March 2019 issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology just published an article that shows how statins increase risk of developing diabetes by up to 38 percent.
Statin cholesterol medications can easily predispose a person to developing diabetes. After a few months or years, you suddenly need to take medications for diabetes, in addition to your original statin med. The offending agents are not just statins, there are dozens of prescription and over-the-counter medications which negatively impact your blood glucose levels, glycation end products and overall insulin sensitivity.
Here is more news and research that came out recently:
- Antivirals. Weird but true, people treated with antivirals slashed their risk of diabetes by half. The treatment used was a combination of Interferon and Ribavirin and the patient population studied had Hepatitis C infection. Those people who were not medicated had higher risk of diabetes development, equating to about 20 percent of the participants. Those treated with the medication exhibited an incidence of just 10 percent.
- Cinnamon. A new meta-analysis which reviews many pieces of scientific literature has concluded that supplementation with cinnamon reduces blood sugar levels by approximately 19 mg/dL. It may not impact A1C or insulin levels.
- Pomegranate. New research shows that pomegranate seeds (and peel) can protect against diabetic nephropathy. Your kidneys are the filtration system for your body. When they don’t work well, toxins build up in your body and make you itch and lead to swollen feet and ankles, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, fatigue, confusion and poor appetite. You can eat pomegranate seeds easily, and maybe that’s all you need. As for pomegranate peel, this is commercially available as a purified, powdered item, however be careful because there are sometimes allergic reactions, similar to any fruit peel.
- Nutrients. People with diabetes often experience painful neuropathy all over their body, especially in their hands and feet. The pins and needles, and burning sensations are very difficult to treat. B vitamins help to form myelin, the protective coating on your nerves. New research was published in the February 2019 issue of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. This animal study suggests that Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is helpful in reducing visceral pain and painful limb sensations caused by neuropathy.
A licensed pharmacist for over 22 years Suzy Cohen shares the pros and cons of medication use as well as natural substitutions for most any of your health concerns. Send questions to her at www.dearpharmacist.com.