There are two types of diabetes:
Type 1 or insulin dependent or juvenile.
diabetes mellitus (IDDM).
Type 2 or non-insulin dependent or adult or maturity onset diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).
Hypertension is seen in 50% of the patients with the second type of diabetes mellitus. The insulin dependent diabetes usually begins in childhood and requires regular intake of insulin, whereas the non-insulin dependent diabetes begins later in life. Heredity and stress are some of the most common causes of diabetes.
Other causes include some kind of pancreatic diseases (like pancreatitis, haemochromatosis, malignancy, cystic fibrosis, etc.), some hormonal imbalance and certain medications (like corticosteroids, thiazide diuretics, phenytoin, etc.).
Symptoms of diabetes mellitus include frequent urination, increased thirst and appetite, recurrent infections, itching, fatigue, numbness in certain parts, pain and muscle weakness in the legs, drowsiness, rapid weight loss, delayed healing of the wounds and in later stages deterioration of vision from cataract or retinopathy.
Common complications of diabetes include coma, diabetic ketoacidosis, ischaemic heart disease, diabetic nephropathy, eye complications, trophic ulcers and increased susceptibility to infections.
Testing the urine for glucose is the usual procedure for detecting diabetes mellitus in the initial stages. Another test done for this condition is the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
The normal level of fasting blood glucose is 60 - 100 mg/100 ml of plasma and two hours after meals (Postprandial Blood sugar) it is 100 - 140 mg/100 ml of plasma. When the level of glucose in the blood rises above 140 mg/100 ml, it is termed as "hyperglycemia".
Regular fresh air exercises, brisk walking, swimming and aerobics are useful for treating diabetic patients. It is important that the person loses weight, maintains his daily energy intake, stops drinking alcohol and stops smoking. Maintaining the levels of blood sugar through proper diet is the best and the most effective means of treatment.
How to Control Diabetes Mellitus?
There are 3 methods of treatment
1. Nutritional Therapy.
2. Nutritional Therapy and Homoeopathic Drugs.
3. Nutritional Therapy and Insulin (essential for those patients whose pancreas do not produce any insulin).
Nutritional Therapy / Diet, which is basically a change in food habits, works by reducing the rate at which glucose and lipids enter the bloodstream from the intestine. Since obesity is one of the main causes of insulin resistance, maintaining an ideal body weight with nutritional therapy will help diabetic patients.
Regular exercise and yoga will reduce insulin resistance.
In some cases, insulin action may be increased or expedited by the administration of homoeopathic drugs.
Guidelines for Diabetics
1. Adhere strictly to the prescribed diet. Remember that diet is a nutritional therapy, i.e. treatment by adjusting food habits. It is not possible to make up for dietary errors by an additional tablet or more insulin.
2. Do not miss a meal after insulin or oral antidiabetic drugs. This may result in „hypoglycemia? (too low blood glucose).
3. Do not change the dose of anti-diabetic drugs except under medical advice.
4. If hypoglycemic symptoms develop (hunger, sweating, trembling, dizziness, palpitation, weakness, headache, restlessness), immediately eat some sugar or jaggery. Follow it with a snack.
5. Exercise regularly. This keeps one fit and helps in controlling diabetes. Do not overdo with the exercises as this may cause hypoglycemia.
6. Test urine regularly to monitor and control the sugar level. Since the test of urine sugar does not give sufficient information, blood test must be done on a regular basis (at least once every 3 months.)
7. Avoid alcoholic drinks including beer. Alcohol worsens diabetes as it affects the liver and pancreas.
8. Do not smoke or use tobacco. Tobacco is particularly dangerous in diabetes.
9. Avoid people with infections as the fortifing mechanisms of diabetic patients is usually poor.
10. Do not open blisters with a pin or needle - diabetics are prone to get infected.
11. Do not walk bare-foot as reduced sensation (numbness) can result in injury. Any injury (big or small), should be medically treated immediately and the wound must be covered as negligence can cause gangrene.
12. Do not wear tight or ill-fitting shoes or tight bandages in order to avoid hampering the already poor blood circulation of the diabetic feet.
Ways to Maintain Blood Sugar Levels
Cottage cheese (paneer), curd and buttermilk provide the necessary proteins.
Include high-fiber such as whole-grain complex carbohydrates (like whole-grain bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, bran and other unrefined cereals), pulses, soybeans, string beans, avocados, fish and chicken (instead of red meat) and raw vegetables like broccoli tops, brussel sprouts, carrots, cucumber, garlic, onion, peas, potatoes and fruits like peaches, pears, strawberries in your daily diet.
In cereals, whole wheat is better than rice as it contains an enzyme called "acarbose" that allows carbohydrates to be absorbed slowly, thus preventing the blood sugar from rising rapidly.
Wheat sprouts keep the blood sugar level under control.
Chapattis made from oat flour consumed daily will keep the sugar level under control in diabetic patients.
Chapattis made from gram flour consumed regularly will stop the sugar in urine.
In each meal, have only one source of protein like either curd or low-fat milk. Buttermilk also should be diluted to reduce the intake of fat.
Reduce the consumption of fat in your daily diet. Instead of full fat dairy products, have low fat dairy products. Low fat milk is as good as full fat milk or whole milk except that it does not contain any fat which is one of the main causes for many ailments.
Start incorporating olive oil or rice husk oil in your diet as much as possible.
Reduce oil intake and avoid fried food. In order to reduce the intake of oil, always bake, steam or sauté the food instead of deep-frying or shallow frying.
Honey contains fructose and so is allowed to some extent for the diabetic patient.
Eat as much cooked and raw garlic as possible.
Include raw onions daily in your diet as they are useful in lowering the blood sugar levels.
Lemon juice diluted in water (without sugar) is the best drink to quench the thirst of a diabetic patient.
Exercise or go for walks for about 30 minutes daily. Exercising will help utilize the sugar present in blood and will help the insulin to work better.
Weight control is a must for all diabetics and also for healthy people as obesity is one of the main causes for diabetes.
Practice yoga. Do pranayam, asanas and meditation daily. Among the various asanas, do at least the following few asanas: padmasana, pavanmuktasana, parvatasana, paschimottanasana, dhanurasana and matsyasana.
Try to remain stress free and without any anxiety as stress impairs the production of insulin.
Home Remedies to Cure Diabetes
Anti-oxidant foods - All the diabetes patients should have anti-oxidant foods or foods rich in vitamins C, E and beta-carotene. This is because there are more chances of arteries getting blocked in a diabetes patient thus putting him at a greater risk of developing heart disease. This risk is due to high level of sugar in the blood. This risk can be eliminated by regular intake of antioxidants.
The chief sources of vitamin C are - broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, citrus fruits, Indian gooseberry, red and green sweet peppers, spinach, strawberries and tomatoes.
Sources of vitamin E are - almonds, avocados, soybeans, spinach, sunflower seeds and vegetable oils.
Main sources of beta-carotene are - carrots, dark orange vegetables, dark green leafy vegetables, dried apricots, pumpkin, spinach and sweet potatoes.
Asafoetida - This helps the diabetics when taken in the following manner
Mix ¼ teaspoonful of powdered hing with two teaspoonfuls of bitter gourd juice. Take this twice a day. It is highly beneficial.
Bitter gourd - Research has proved that karela contains insulin-like properties and thus is called "plant-insulin", which is highly beneficial in lowering the sugar levels in blood and urine. Drink one cup of fresh juice daily in the morning. This is highly beneficial for diabetics and helps bring the sugar level to normal after a couple of months.
One can also mix equal quantities of Indian Gooseberry juice and bitter gourd juice and have it every morning. This will reduce the blood sugar level.
One can also prepare a decoction by boiling some bitter gourd pieces in water and then drinking this water. Do this at least three times a day. It will control the sugar level.
Powder the seeds of bitter gourd and add them to your meals regularly.
Black berry - The fruit, juice and seeds of black berry are very useful in treating diabetes. The inner bark of black berry tree is also used in treating diabetes. The bark is dried and burnt. This produces white ash which should be processed in a mortar. Then it should be strained or sieved and stored in a bottle. The diabetic patient should have 66 centigrams of this ash on an empty stomach in the morning with water.
The seeds should be dried and powdered. Mix one teaspoonful of this powder in one cup of water or in one cup of lowfat milk or in one cup of curd and have it twice or thrice a day. It reduces the sugar in urine.
Mixed juice of black berry, Indian gooseberry and bitter gourd in equal quantities, along with one
teaspoonful of powdered seeds of black berries, is very useful in treating diabetes.
Black gram - This pulse is an anti-diabetic food. It is highly beneficial for those diabetics who are undernourished.
For milder form of diabetes, two tablespoonfuls of germinated or sprouted black gram taken daily with half a cup of fresh bitter gourd and a teaspoonful of honey makes an effective remedy for treating diabetes. This also prevents various complications, which may arise due to malnutrition in diabetes patients.Milk prepared by grinding sprouted whole black gram is also good for diabetics.
Broad bean - Cook broad beans as vegetable and have them regularly in the diet. This will maintain the blood sugar level.
Broccoli - Broccoli is an effective anti-diabetic food that is rich in chromium - a trace mineral that helps lower the blood sugar level. A person with mild diabetes can prevent himself from developing full-fledged diabetes by consuming broccoli regularly. Broccoli also improves the glucose tolerance of a person. The diabetes patient should consume broccoli regularly. Some other sources of chromium besides broccoli are - Bengal gram, betel leaves, black gram, bottle gourd, kidney beans, mushrooms, nuts, pineapples, pomegranates, rhubarb, whole grain cereals and soya beans.
Carrot - Eating a raw carrot occasionally will lower the blood sugar level as carrot is rich in fibre and fibre helps in maintaining the blood sugar level. Do not eat in excess as carrots can also increase the blood sugar.
Cinnamon - This is a popular spice and is a strong stimulator of insulin activity and thus extremely useful in treating diabetes. Besides cinnamon, cloves, turmeric and bay leaves also help in stimulating insulin activity, but cinnamon is the most powerful of these.
Powdered cinnamon sprinkled over any food item will help stimulate insulin activity thus keeping blood sugar level under control. One can also use whole cinnamon stick while cooking and
powdered cinnamon can also be used in milk, tea or coffee.
One can also take ¼ teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon with water daily. This will keep the blood sugar level under control.
Cluster bean - Cook these as vegetable and have them regularly in the diet. This will prevent diabetes in the future.
Cumin seeds - Take ½ teaspoonful of crushed or powdered cumin seeds with one glass of water twice a day. Do this daily as it greatly benefits the diabetes patients.
Curry leaves - Eat about ten fresh curry leaves every morning or extract the juice of curry leaves (about one-fourth cup) and drink it every morning. Do this for a few months. This will help in controlling the diabetes, which is due to hereditary factors or due to obesity (curry leaves have weight-reducing properties). As the weight reduces, the diabetics will stop passing sugar in urine. The juice extracted from curry leaves can be mixed with buttermilk or lassi. Avoid alcohol, fats, fried food and sweets.
Drumstick - Fruits and leaves of drumstick are very useful for the diabetic patient.
Fenugreek seeds - Best cleansers of the body. They are mucous-solvents and are very soothing.
Fenugreek seeds, when given in varying doses of 25 gm to 100 gm daily, diminish reactive hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. Soak 10 -12 seeds in one-fourth cup of water overnight and have both - the water and the seeds, next day in the morning along with a glass of water. Do this daily. This will reduce the sugar level in blood as well as in urine within a few months.
One can also mix one teaspoonful of powdered seeds in one cup of lowfat milk and have it daily for two months. This will help control the sugar level in diabetics.
Fenugreek seeds, when given in varying doses of 25 grams to 100 grams daily, diminish reactive hyperglycemia in diabetic patients.
Fibre - Fibre-rich foods are very beneficial for the diabetics. Whole grain cereals are the best sources of fibre. It is proved that diabetes has reduced in many people who had fibre rich food or who followed whole food diet. It is found that soluble fibre contained in barley, carrots, dried beans, fruits, oatmeal, wheat bran, helps in reducing blood sugar level. Thus, high-fibre diets will benefit the diabetes patients and will gradually reduce or eliminate their need to take insulin or other anti-diabetic drugs.
Fig - Separate the seeds of fig from the pulp. Crush the seeds and eat one teaspoonful of these seeds mixed with one teaspoonful of honey daily for a few weeks. This helps in maintaining
the sugar level, as the seeds are known to have anti-diabetic properties.
French bean - The diabetics should take two raw French beans (string beans / runner beans) daily in the morning before breakfast.
Garlic - Have 2-3 cloves of raw garlic every morning. It is highly beneficial for diabetics and lowers the blood sugar level. It also prevents atherosclerosis, which is a common complication of diabetes. Garlic can be taken in cooked form (in food) and also in capsule form if one does not like the taste of garlic. But raw garlic chewed first thing in the morning is most effective. Garlic is a must for
all diabetic patients.
Grapefruit - This is a citrus fruit, which has anti-diabetic properties. A person with diabetes must eat two of these fruits at least three times a day to lower the blood sugar level.
Green peas - Green peas are rich in fibre and help control blood sugar level.
Guava - High fibre content of guava helps to control the blood sugar level.
High complex carbohydrates - Foods rich in high complex carbohydrates must be consumed in plenty by the diabetics. Sources rich in high complex carbohydrates are - whole grains, bread and pastas made from whole grains and vegetables.
Indian gooseberry - This fruit is the richest source of anti-oxidant vitamin C and is best for diabetics. Mix about 10 ml of fresh amla juice with 2 gms of turmeric (haldi) powder. Take this twice day. This will maintain the sugar level.
One can also mix equal quantities of Indian gooseberry juice and bitter gourd juice and have it every morning. This will reduce the blood sugar level and will prevent complications of the eyes in diabetics. Prepare a 20 ml decoction of fresh fruit of amla and add half teaspoonful of turmeric powder to it. Have this daily in the morning. It is highly beneficial for diabetics.
Kidney beans - Beans are high in soluble fibre and carbohydrates thus making them very useful in treating diabetes. Cooked beans should be eaten liberally by the diabetics.
Prepare a decoction of rajma by boiling 50 grams of fresh kidney beans in about three litres of water on a slow flame for about 3 to 3 ½ hours. It should then be strained through a muslin cloth and allowed to stand for eight hours. Drink one glass of this decoction every two hours throughout the day. The next day fresh decoction should be prepared as it loses its medicinal value after 24 hours. Do this for a period of two months.
Juice extracted from kidney beans mixed with brussel sprout juice is also beneficial in treating diabetes.But all this should be followed along with the prescribed diet for diabetes.
Mango leaves - Tender leaves of mango tree are known to be anti-diabetic. Wash the fresh leaves and prepare an infusion of these leaves by soaking them overnight and then squeezing them well in water in the morning. Then filter this water and drink it every morning. This will control the sugar level.
One can also dry the leaves in shade, powder them and bottle this powder. Take half a teaspoonful of this powder in water or buttermilk twice a day for a few months. This will control the sugar level.
Margosa - Margosa leaves are highly beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. The juice of these leaves control blood sugar in diabetics. One cup of juice of margosa leaves mixed with a pinch of black pepper powder must be taken in the morning on an empty stomach. Do this for three months. This helps reduce blood sugar and helps control diabetes.
One can also chew about 10 - 12 leaves every morning.Leaves can also be dried in shade and powdered. Preserve this powder in a bottle and have about one gram daily in the morning with some water. This will control the diabetes.
Oats - Have chapattis made from oat flour regularly. This will control the sugar level in diabetics.
Onion - Have raw onions daily as salad. It helps lowering the sugar level in diabetic patients. One can also have onions in cooked form. It is found that onions affect liver's metabolism of glucose, or release of insulin, or they prevent destruction of insulin. The more onions one has, the more is the reduction of blood sugar level.
Paprika - Paprika is useful for eye complications resulting from diabetes.
Potassium-rich foods - Foods rich in potassium are highly beneficial for the diabetics as it invigorates pancreas. Sources of potassium are - dried peas, melons, potatoes, raw peanuts, skimmed milk powder and wheat (all in limited quantity). People with diabetic nephropathy should avoid potassium supplements as they cause ulcers.
Pumpkin - Juice of pumpkin fruit is an efficacious remedy for diabetes.
Rice - Rice comes in four different forms such as brown rice, parboiled, regular milled and pre-cooked. Brown rice is high in all the B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron and protein. It keeps the blood sugar stabilized and is easy to digest. Even though brown rice is healthy and good for diabetics, it should be eaten in moderation as per the diet prescribed by the dietician.
Spinach - Have half a cup of fresh spinach juice daily five to ten minutes before each meal, i.e. before lunch and before dinner. This will help in diabetes by lowering the blood sugar level.
Turmeric - Mix half a teaspoonful of turmeric powder with equal quantity of honey. Lick this. It helps keep diabetes under control.
Diabetics should take 15 - 20 ml of extracted juice of fresh turmeric daily.
Diabetics should also take half teaspoonful of turmeric powder mixed with half teaspoonful of Indian gooseberry powder daily in the morning.
Vegetables low in carbohydrates - Vegetables low in carbohydrates are - cucumber, lettuce, radish leaves and spinach. These should be consumed liberally by the diabetes patients, as they are highly beneficial in treating and preventing diabetes.
Watercress - This is also very effective in treating diabetes.
Wheatgrass juice - Have one glass of wheatgrass juice daily in the morning. This will help maintain the sugar level in the body.
Include high-fiber - whole-grain complex carbohydrates (like whole-grain bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, bran, and other unrefined cereals), string beans, fish and chicken (instead of red meat) and raw vegetables (like cucumbers, onions, garlic, soybeans, peas, avocados and Brussel sprouts) in your daily diet. Cottage cheese (paneer), curds and buttermilk provide the necessary proteins. Start incorporating olive oil in your diet as much as possible. Honey contains fructose and so is allowed to some extent for the diabetic patient.
Exercise - Diabetics must exercise daily or go for a 45-minute walk. Weight control is of utmost importance.
What to avoid - Diabetics should avoid as far as possible alcohol, almonds, bananas, butter, canned food, cereals, which contain a high percentage of carbohydrates, cheese, chocolates,confectionery, cream, creamy salad dressings, custard apples, desserts, dried fruits and nuts (including peanuts), fatty food, fried food, fruits and fruit juices, full fat dairy products, grapes, groundnuts, honey, jaggery (gur), jam, mithai, oil capsules, oily food, pastas, pastries, pickles, polished rice, potatoes, preservatives, processed food, preserved food, puddings, refined food, rice, roots and tubers, sago, sapotas, soft drinks, sugar, sugar cane, sweets, sweet potato and any other food that is rich in carbohydrates.
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