Diabetes is a disease a lifelong disease whose cure has not been found yet. It is one of the serious illnesses presently plaguing the society and burdening people, their loved ones, and governments. It has not been fully discovered yet what exactly causes the disease but genetics, environmental factors, and lifestyle play a vital role in the development of this disease.
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas malfunctions and not enough insulin is produced or when insulin is not used properly. Insulin is the essential hormone that breaks down glucose into essential energy that the systems in the body need to carry out their functions. As a result a condition called hyperglycemia occurs because of the abnormal level of glucose. This eventually damages the nerves and blood vessels and fatal complications like heart disease and stroke, kidney malfunction and blindness occur.
This illness currently afflicts close to 250 million around the world and is now fast becoming a pandemic. This figure only represents those who have been diagnosed with the disease. In the US there are now and estimated 17 million diabetics.
Nature
Type 1 Diabetes, formerly known juvenile diabetes is one of two types of diabetes. In this type of the disease, the pancreas is unable to produce the hormone insulin thus glucose and starches are not converted to the needed energy form compared to type 2 diabetes where the body can still produce insulin however, it is not used properly. Type is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. It is usually found occurring among children, teenagers, and young adults but it can occur at any age. Symptoms of this type include increased thirst because of frequent urination weight loss even if appetite is normal, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, and in women, the absence of menstruation. If these signs become marked, one should seek medical consultation so that proper tests are administered.
Tests are then done to diagnose the disease. Two initial tests are, urinalysis and blood tests, are done to check glucose and ketone bodies. Fasting blood glucose test shows normal blood sure level at not higher done 126 mg/dL. Insulin test is also administered. In C-peptide test, diabetes is diagnosed when the there is low or undetectable level of protein C-peptide, a by-product of insulin production.
Treatment
Initial treatment for newly diagnosed people with diabetes might require them to be hospitalized due to the sudden and severe symptoms at the onset of the disease. Proper care and treatment is needed if diagnosed patients wants to prolong his life, reduce the symptoms, and avoid the severe complications such as cardio-vascular diseases, blindness, kidney failure, and amputation of limbs due to wounds that would not heal.
Regular Insulin Intake: Because in this type of diabetes the body cannot produce its own needed insulin, insulin needs to taken in one to four times a day. Commonly it is entered through the body by injection it under the skin. In other cases, it is also inhaled.
Diet and Diet Plan: A healthy and balanced diet for patients is extremely important since the food taken in must work properly with the insulin intake to properly regulate glucose levels.
Physical Exercise: Equally important is regular exercise because it helps in burning excess calories and fat. It also boosts the other parts of the treatment in regulating blood sugar level to achieve a healthy weight.
Another thing recommended for patients would be self-blood glucose monitoring to check if diet, medications, and exercise programs are going well with each other in controlling the sugar level in the body. Regular simple self-administered tests will provide information to the patient and help him adjust the diet plan, medication, and exercise programs. Since diabetes destroys the nerves and blood vessels, it could make the patient numb to injury and wounds might go unnoticed especially in the feet until the infection could lead to amputation of the affected area that is why a foot care program is also recommended.
The regular monitoring program includes of course regular visit medical professionals that specialize in the disease: diabetes educator, ophthalmologist to check signs of diabetic retinopathy or eye complications, dentist (who is informed of the disease) for dental cleaning and exam, feet inspection by the diabetic health care provider.
With all these plans religiously done by the person afflicted with the disease, he can still manage to live a healthy and happy life and enjoy it to its fullest with his loved-ones.
When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, initial treatments would include managing nutrition and diet, regular physical exercise, and in extreme cases, medication and regular insulin treatments. Along with medications, it is vital that a patient follows a strict regimen on managing weight and sticking to a recommended dietary plan. Over the years though, natural remedies or diabetes herbal remedies have become most popularly recommended as alternative treatment to diabetes even by the medical world. Among these natural alternative methods is the use of herbal plants.
Since ancient times, long before patented drugs were invented out of clinical studies funded by pharmaceutical companies, medical practitioners have already sought the intrinsic power of herbal remedy plants. Most documented are ancient Chinese and the Ayurvedic (Sri Lankan monks and Indian doctors) medical treatment. Modern medicine also includes herbal remedies as natural alternatives and supplements to the treatment and management of diabetes and its complications.
The following are the most common diabetes herbal remedies recommended by diabetes specialists: Cinnamon, Bitter Gourd or Bitter Melon, Fenugreek, seeds of the Jamun, Gulair, Coriander Lettuce, Red Rose & Fennel plants, Milk Thistle or Sylimarin, Ginko Biloba, European Blueberry, Gymnema Sylvestre, and Banaba.
· Cinnamon. Methylhydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP) is the active ingredient found in this herbal plant. Science found that an intake of half a teaspoon of cinnamon twice a day helps improve the efficiency of insulin and according to experts it might even triple the body’s sensitivity to the role of insulin in converting glucose into energy. It also contains antioxidants that help fight the damaging effects of diabetes to the body.
· Bitter Gourd or Bitter Melon. This herbal plant has been the most commonly used traditional treatment for diabetes especially in countries in the tropics where this plant abounds. It was discovered to have blood sugar lowering ingredients. There are two active ingredients in this herbal plant. They are Charantin and Momordica. Charantin works potently like hypoglycemic drugs. Momordica on the other hand possesses capabilities that decrease blood glucose levels, the role that insulin does in the body. Homemade preparations and intake include crushing the leaves to extract the juice and an ounce of it twice a day is enough for the therapy.
· Fenugreek. Like Bitter Melon, the juice of this plant is extracted and taken most recommended in the morning. This has been found effective to treat the early stages of diabetes.
· Seeds of Jamun, Gulair, Coriander Lettuce, Red Rose & Fennel Plants. Powder is extracted from the seeds of these plants and then mixed altogether to form the formulation, which is taken twice a day.
· Milk Thistle or Sylimarin. This plant usually grows wild and the seeds from its flower are extracted and manufactured into either tablet or capsule form. Aside from its potency in cases of liver cirrhosis, tumors, prostate and lung cancer, it has also found to have capabilities of lowering down blood sugar levels in diabetic conditions. Its normal dosage is one capsule or tablet, ranging from 200-800 mg, per day.
· Ginkgo Biloba. The use of this plant as an herbal remedy traces its roots to traditional Chinese medicine. The medice is extracted from its leaf and it is administered in standard dosage of 40-80 mg, three times a day. It has found to have effects on the prevention and early treatment of diabetes aside from its potency in improving the flow of blood in the peripheral tissues of the nerves in the arms, legs, hands, and feet.
· Blueberry. The leaves of this plant have also found to have active ingredients that are powerful in getting rid of excessive sugar in the blood aside from its power to relieve inflammation of the bladder, kidney, and prostate. To extract the juice, leaves are boiled. Three cups a day is recommended to have its power in full blast. This is one of the herbal remedies that are found effective, non-toxic, and have tremendous cases of efficiency.
· Banaba. The leaves of this crepe myrtle variety are also effective in handling glucose and lowering down blood sugar. It has also become a popular ingredient in weight-loss products. This plant grows wild in the
· Gymnema Sylvestre. Called the “sugar destroyer”, this plant is native to the tropics of
Indeed, nature always provides countless cures and remedies to various diseases and herbal remedy have been in use for countless years. In the treatment of diabetes, it has become undoubtedly one effective part of relieving the damaging effects but a holistic approach should always be considered. This includes proper awareness of the disease, strict nutrition regimen, adequate physical exercise, and religious monitoring of blood glucose level with the guidance of a medical professional.
We all know bitter melon as a vegetable but it is also known as a traditional Chinese medicine. Scientists recently discovered that the therapeutic properties in bitter melon can be a powerful treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Researchers pulped about a ton of fresh bitter melon and extracted four very promising bioactive components. All of these four compounds appear to activate the enzyme AMPK, a protein that is well known for regulating the fuel metabolism and enabling glucose uptake.
Type 2 diabetics have impaired ability to convert the sugar in their blood into energy in their muscles. This is partly due to not producing enough insulin, and partly because of their fat and muscle cells not using insulin effectively, a condition known as ‘insulin resistance’.
Exercise can activate AMPK in muscle, which then mediates the movement of glucose transporters to the cell surface, a very important step in the uptake of glucose from the circulation into tissues in the body. This is the single biggest reason for which exercise is recommended as part of the normal treatment program for someone with Type 2 diabetes. Four compounds extracted from bitter melon perform a very similar action to that of exercise, in that they activate AMPK.
There are diabetes drugs on the market that can activate AMPK but can have side effects. The advantage of this traditional Chinese medicine bitter melon is that there are no known side effects. Practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine have used it for hundreds of years to good effect.
In a Message to Canadians, Health Canada, the Competition Bureau, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Diabetes Association warns Canadians about the scams floating around regarding so called miracle cures for diabetes.
No. Today, diabetes can be managed, but there is no cure for diabetes yet. Any product that claims to be a miracle cure for diabetes is a fraud that could cheat you of time, money and most importantly, your health.
There are many scams designed to prey on consumers with diabetes who are hoping to find solutions to living with this chronic disease.
Until researchers find a cure, the only safe way to manage diabetes is to follow the treatment program designed by your health care practitioner.
Approximately two million Canadians have diabetes. Diabetes occurs when the body can’t produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that ensures your body gets the energy it needs to work. Over time, diabetes can lead to complications such as blindness, heart disease, kidney failure, limb amputations, nerve damage and erectile dysfunction. The risk of longterm complications can be reduced through effective health care, education and selfmanagement.
There are three types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in chi?dren and adolescents, occurs when the body makes little or no insulin. Type 2 diabetes, the most common form, occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin produced. Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood, although increasing numbers of children in highrisk populations (i.e. Aboriginal, Asian, Hispanic and African) are being diagnosed.
The third type of diabetes, known as gestational diabetes, is a temporary condition that develops during pregnancy but disappears after the baby is born. Both mother and child have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Lifestyle changes can help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Healthy eating, weight control and physical activity are important prevention steps. Type 1 diabetes is always treated with insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is managed through physical activity and meal planning and may require medications and/or insulin to help your body make or use insulin more effectively.
Be skeptical: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is! There is no pill, herb or “all natural” health product that will miraculously cure diabetes.
Here are some tips on spotting scams:
Consult your health care practitioner before trying any new treatment. A doctor, nurse, or health care professional who knows your medical condition is your best source of information.
Consumers should be aware that, before a health product can be advertised or sold in Canada, the manufacturer must first provide Health Canada with evidence that the product is safe and of high quality. The product must also perform as claimed. Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada will have either an eightdigit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DINHM) on the label. These numbers indicate that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality.
Under the Food and Drugs Act, no person is permitted to package, treat, process, sell or advertise any drug in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quantity, composition, merit or safety.
The Competition Bureau is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Competition Act as well as three labelling statutes that ensure Canadians are provided with acc?rate and meaningful information to make informed purchasing decisions. Under the Competition Act, all advertisers must ensure that their claims are true and accurate prior to putting their products on the market. In particular, performance claims made for the promotion of a product must be true and must be based on adequate and proper tests, such as those undertaken by an accredited scientific facility or recognized expert.
The mission of the Public Health Agency of Canada is to promote and protect the health of Canadians through leadership, partnership, innovation and action in public health. The Agency focusses on effective efforts to prevent chronic diseases, like diabetes, cancer and heart disease, to prevent injuries and to respond to public health emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks. The Public Health Agency of Canada works closely with the provinces and territories to keep Canadians healthy and help reduce pressures on the health care system.
If you have questions or would like file a complaint relating to a diabetes product or scam, contact:
Information Centre Competition Bureau
50 Victoria Street
Gatineau QC K1A 0C9
Toll-free: 1-800-348-5358
National Capital Region: 819-997-4282
TDD (for hearing impaired):
1-800-642-3844
Diabetics have traditionally had to inject themselves with insulin on a daily basis to manage their illness.
Current studies show that a fear of, or reluctance to use needles makes sufferers delay treatment of diabetes for an average of four years, leading to devastating and costly complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, or even blindness.
Now, with the arrival of Exubera, manufactured by Pfizer, diabetics in the UAE will be able to use the insulin inhalation dry powder and avoid the inconvenience of regular and often painful daily injections.
Pfizer has also welcomed the timely approval of the new medication, which has been hailed as one of the biggest steps forward since the discovery of insulin in 1922 by doctors who treat diabetes.
‘Many diabetics have to make the procedure of self-administering insulin by injection a major part of their daily routine, out of necessity rather than convenience or choice. The approval of an insulin inhaler which can be administered in a matter of seconds will undoubtedly impact the lives of diabetics,’ said Dr. Ahmed Al Hakim, external affairs and policy director for Pfizer Middle East.
The registration of Exubera was approved in January 2007 after it was examined by the Ministry’s Higher Drugs Registration Committee.
The approval is a major development in the fight against diabetes in the UAE, where 19.5 per cent of the population aged between 20 and 70 are diabetic. Studies predict the number of diabetes cases in the UAE will increase to approximately 22 per cent by the year 2025.
Exubera is expected to be available for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among adults later this year. The inhalation powder was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use at the beginning of 2006.
Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. said it received tentative approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration for the company’s Abbreviated New Drug Application for Repaglinide Tablets USP.
The Detroit-based generic drug company said Repaglinide works by lowering the blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes whose hyperglycemia can’t be controlled properly by diet and exercise alone.
Caraco, whose majority owner is Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. of Mumbai, India, said doses that were approved the by FDA were 0.5 mg, 1 mg and 2 mg tablets. The tentative approval is the bioequivalent to Prandin ®, registered trademark of Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Inc.
“We are extremely pleased to receive this tentative approval,” said Daniel Movens, Caraco’s Chief Executive Officer in a statement. “We believe we have a first to file position on Repaglinide, which could result in 180-day marketing exclusivity. The product was filed with a Paragraph IV certification that we do not infringe and or that the Novo Nordisk patent is invalid. We are under current litigation with Novo Nordisk and expect a favorable conclusion.”
A new drug for people with a certain type of diabetes will treat the condition without some of the common side-effects of existing drugs, a pharmaceutical firm said today.
Merck Sharp & Dohme Ireland today launched its drug Januvia, which it said was the first new class of medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in more than five years.
In this type of diabetes, the pancreas still produces some insulin, but not enough to meet the body’s needs, or the insulin that is produced is not working very well.
The hormone insulin is vital to help the liver process glucose and fats. Diabetes, if untreated or improperly treated, can cause serious problems such as kidney disease and blindness and may result in the sufferer having limbs amputated.
It tends to occur in older people. According to Merck, about 85 to 90 per cent of all those with diabetes have type 2. The remainder have type I, where the pancreas completely stops producing insulin.
The once-a-day prescription drug, known as a DPP-4 inhibitor, enhances the body’s own natural mechanisms to significantly lower blood sugar, the company claims.
“It also has a far lower incidence of the side effects commonly associated with some of the other existing therapies.”
“DPP-4 inhibitors are an important breakthrough and offer an innovative approach to treating type 2 diabetes, a disease that is rapidly increasing in prevalence in Ireland and across the world,” said Dr Graham Roberts, consultant endocrinologist, Waterford Regional Hospital.
“Almost two out of three adults being treated for type 2 diabetes are not reaching their target blood sugar levels, which can then lead to serious complications, such as heart disease, kidney problems and diabetes-related blindness.3 These complications can be completely avoided if the glucose is treated to correct target levels.”
Dr Roberts said Januvia is “a welcome new treatment option which effectively lowers blood sugar when it is too high, without unwanted side effects such as low blood sugar and weight gain”.
A survey by Ipsos MORI of 100 people with type 2 diabetes, published with Merck’s announcement today, said nearly one in four people (24 per cent) surveyed felt their disease was not properly controlled.
One in six (16 per cent) said they found it difficult to live with their medication’s side effects, with one in three (31 per cent) feeling their medication had made them gain weight when they were trying to lose it.
Just over a fifth (22 per cent) said that diabetes was taking over their life.
“In Ireland 200,000 adults have diabetes - enough to fill Croke Park more than twice over,” said Anna Clarke, diabetes nurse specialist with the Diabetes Federation of Ireland.
“Many people can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For those who have developed it, they need to take a proactive role in managing their condition in order to prevent associated complications which can heavily impact on their quality of life.”
Using a simple portion control dinner plate can help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and decrease reliance on medication, research shows.
Canadian researchers put people with type 2 diabetes on a calorie-controlled diet for six months.
They found 17% of those who used a calibrated diet plate lost more than 5% of their body weight, compared with just 4.5% who did not.
The study appears in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
In the majority of cases type 2 diabetes is linked to carrying excess weight - 80% of people are overweight at diagnosis, and doctors recognise that weight loss can greatly improve the condition.
However, many people with diabetes find it hard to stick to a weight loss regime.
The researchers tested the effect of using a calibrated dinner plate and breakfast bowl that helps people to eat healthy sized portions.
On average those who used the diet plates lost 1.75% of their body weight, compared with just 0.05% in the group who had to rely on will power alone.
As a result, they were also much more likely to be able to decrease their reliance on diabetes-controlling medication, including shots of insulin.
As good as drugs
Lead researcher Dr Sue Pederson said the results were comparable to those achieved by taking expensive weight loss drugs.
She said: “The weight loss results are all the more impressive considering that diabetics in general do not respond well to weight loss programmes.”
Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: “Losing weight is never easy and even harder for diabetics.
“To achieve these results over a six month period is excellent and with no more side effects than an occasional decrease in blood glucose, easily corrected by a reduction in medication, is very impressive indeed.”
Tracy Kelly, of the charity Diabetes UK, said eating a healthy balanced diet and taking regular physical activity were the best ways of controlling weight and effectively managing diabetes.
“Cutting down on portion sizes and eating balanced meals will help people control their weight, therefore some people may find this plate useful.
“However, controlling weight can be achieved effectively without spending extra money.
“A healthy balanced diet should be based on carbohydrates and be low in fat, sugar and salt with plenty of fruit and vegetables.”
Giving children with type 1 diabetes an infusion of blood saved from their own umbilical cords helped reduce the severity of their disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
They said the blood — which is rich in immune regulatory cells — may re-start the children’s immune systems, but the effect likely will not last and will need more study.
“They are getting back their own cells and nothing else. We knew it would be very safe and the fact that we are seeing any benefit is a big bonus,” said Dr. Michael Haller of the University of Florida College of Medicine, who presented the study at the American Diabetes Association meeting in Chicago.
Haller said the study is one of the first to look at the use of cord blood to treat diabetes in children, which affects an estimated 176,500, or about 0.2 percent, of U.S. children.
“There’s a lot of promise but it’s cautious optimism at this point,” he said.
Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in children and young adults, occurs when the immune system goes haywire and starts attacking itself, destroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas needed to control blood sugar.
Haller said so far his team had studied 11 diabetic children aged 2 to 10 who were treated with their own cord blood. They were followed for between three months and 31 months.
Children given the cord blood had lower blood glucose levels and needed much less daily insulin therapy to control their diabetes than children with the disease who did not get the therapy.
Haller said the cord blood may be helping the kids by providing a type of immune cell that can keep the immune system from attacking the pancreas, holding the diabetes in check.
While cord blood also contains stem cells, which can differentiate into insulin-producing cells, Dr. Desmond Schatz, also of the University of Florida, said the researchers suspect the effect is related to the regulatory T cells in the cord blood.
The children who got cord blood had measurable increases in this type of immune-regulating cell.
While the findings are promising, the doctors do not believe they have found a lasting cure.
“Whatever caused that immune process to begin with didn’t go away, so the diabetes should come back,” Schatz said at a news briefing.
“We expect this effect will be transient but we will be able to use it in other combinations of therapies,” he said.
All the children in the study had the benefit of having their own umbilical cord blood stored, which some parents do in case it is needed for later therapy. It can be used to treat leukemia and some genetic diseases.
Haller said storage costs between $1,200 to $2,500 up front and then between $75 and $250 per year and that he is not ready to recommend cord blood storage based on his study. “It’s clearly worth expanded study to figure out what is going on and why,? he said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said this year that parents should only bank cord blood if they have an older child with a condition that could benefit.
A diet rich in fiber from cereals and in magnesium may help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, German researchers report.
Ann Albright, president-elect for health care and education at the American Diabetes Association, said the suggestion that fiber from cereal might be better than fiber from fruits and vegetables in preventing type 2 diabetes “warrants further investigation. But I don’t think we should take away the idea that fruits and vegetables are not important,” she added.
As for the nutrient magnesium, “there are a whole lot of challenges around the study of micronutrients,” Albright said. “They are difficult to study. I don’t think the public health message is that we should go out and up our intake of magnesium.”
The mechanism by which magnesium intake might affect the risk of diabetes “is unclear,” she said.
Type 2 diabetes, which generally occurs in the adult years as the body loses it ability to metabolize sugar adequately, is a growing problem, due largely to growing obesity rates, the German researchers noted. Estimates suggest that the ?umber of people worldwide with type 2 diabetes may rise from 171 million in 2000 to 370 million by 2030, according to background information in the article. The associated illnesses, death and health-care costs linked to the disease underscore the need for effective preventive measures, the study authors noted.
For the study, conducted by researchers at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, more than 9,700 men and 15,365 women, 35 to 65 years old, who completed a food questionnaire were then followed for an average of seven years.
The researchers also did a meta-analysis — or review — of previous studies about the relationship between fiber or magnesium intake and risk of diabetes.
Dividing people in the study into five groups based on their intake of fiber from cereals, the researchers found that those who ate the most had a 27 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate the least. Greater fiber intake from fruits and vegetables was not associated with diabetes risk, the study found.
Participants who consumed the most magnesium had a 23 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consumed the least. Green vegetables such as spinach are good sources of magnesium, as are nuts like almonds and cashews.
The research did not touch directly on one important lifestyle issue, physical activity, Albright said. Many other studies have shown “strong evidence of physical activity, as it relates to weight loss, in preventing or delaying development of diabetes,” she said.
“So, the take-home messages are that people do need to keep their weight in a healthy range,” she said. “And fiber intake is a major component of a healthy diet.”
The source of the fiber — fruits, vegetables or cereals — does not seem to be of major importance, Albright said. “Unfortunately, many people do not get a lot of fiber in their diet,” she said.
And many people do not get enough physical activity — 30 minutes a day, most days of the week, is recommended, Albright said.
The findings were published in the May 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.