Reversing Type 2 Diabetes With Natural Therapies. November 2. 01. 2 Issue. Reversing Type 2 Diabetes With Natural Therapies.
By Constance Brown- Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDNToday’s Dietitian. Vol. 2. 8Experts examine whether alternative approaches can cure the disease or at least send it into remission. John couldn’t seem to quench his thirst no matter how much water he drank. With his wife’s encouragement, he scheduled an appointment with his primary care doctor. A few days later, his doctor called him back into the office and told him, “You have severe type 2 diabetes.” Like many people who receive an unexpected diabetes diagnosis, John was frightened. He started surfing the Internet and reading as much as he could about the disease. Unfortunately, the information only left him reeling with more questions than answers.
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To make matters worse, his doctor prescribed medication that made him hypoglycemic. John spoke to several friends who had different health problems that had been either cured or treated by a doctor of naturopathy.
Professor Christofer Toumazou. Eating and Diabetes What I need to know about U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. Current Issue Highlights. Learn about how to manage a diabetic diet, or diabetes diet. Learn the types and amounts of foods you should be eating on a diabetic diet. Exercise, medication, and.
The so-called diabetes diet consists of avoiding sugar or is a strict way of eating that controls glucose. Learn more & get the real facts on the diabetes diet. DAILY DIABETES MEAL PLANNING GUIDE A daily meal plan is an important part of your diabetes management, along with physical activity, blood sugar (glucose) checks, and. A healthy type 2 diabetes diet plan includes low glycemic load foods like vegetables, beans, brown and brown rice. Sample diets (Paleo, Mediterranean, ADA Diet.
For managing type 2 diabetes, or prevention of diabetes, look no further than these 14 healthy foods, including salmon, flaxseed, oats, dates, and even dark chocolate. Read our article and learn more on MedlinePlus: Diabetes type 2 - meal planning Skip navigation. Type 2 diabetes diet; Diet - diabetes - type 2. Do Low-Carb Diets Help Diabetes? Small Study Shows Restricting Carbohydrates Reduces Need for Medications.
He decided to schedule an appointment with the same doctor. At his first visit, the naturopathic doctor told John he’d be “off medication and free of diabetes in three months.” John left the doctor’s office with instructions to eat a low- carb diet. He’d been on a low- fat diet for years because of heart problems, but while he’d cut the fat, his meals included many highly processed foods. His new diet included “a lot of salads and healthful, organic foods.” He was given several whole food supplements that he says were “simple to mix and tasted good.”After two months under the care of the naturopath, John returned to his primary care doctor to discover that his hemoglobin A1c had dropped from 8. For eight months and counting, he’s been off all his diabetes medication. His last A1c reading was 5. With the help of his naturopath, John seems to have reversed his diabetes.
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Rising Epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 1. American adults aged 1. Moreover, the diabetes epidemic shows no signs of slowing down, affecting 2.
Another 7. 9 million adults have prediabetes, putting them at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes down the road, according to the CDC. Diabetes is a costly disease, placing a high financial burden on the patient and the healthcare system. If poorly managed or left untreated, it can cause blindness, loss of kidney function, and conditions that require the amputation of digits or limbs. The CDC reports that it’s also a major cause of heart disease and stroke and the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. The bottom line is that diabetes can be bad news—but this doesn’t have to be the case.
Interventions can prevent or delay the disease in people with prediabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a large study of people at high risk of diabetes, has established a prevention plan that’s both feasible and cost- effective. The DPP showed that weight loss and increased physical activity reduced the development of type 2 diabetes by 5. But what about people who’ve already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes? Can their diabetes be reversed?
Is it possible to cure diabetes with natural therapies? And moreover, what actually constitutes a reversal of the disease?
The key to answering these questions begins with the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes. What Is Type 2 Diabetes?
Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by elevated blood glucose levels due to defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), type 2 diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance.
For those people whose bodies resist insulin, the pancreas secretes extra insulin to maintain normal glucose levels. But how type 2 diabetes presents and progresses can vary considerably, as noted by the ADA, and methods of treatment can vary from patient to patient. This modality can be contrasted with the emphasis of conventional medicine, which is to cure or mitigate disease, as reported by the American Holistic Health Association. For example, a conventional practitioner will follow an established algorithm for diabetes management that includes a medically established protocol centered on monitoring blood sugar and prescribing medications to balance it. An alternative medicine provider takes a personalized, whole- person approach that may include a prescription for changes in diet and exercise habits, stress reduction, and other lifestyle considerations.
Informed by scientific evidence, this group of RDs provides integrative and functional medical nutrition therapy (IFMNT) based on two principles: Each client has a unique genetic make up, and each client functions in an environment with internal and external factors that influence interactions between the mind, body, and spirit. Conventional medical nutrition therapy (MNT), an intervention within the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) and Model, is defined by the Academy as “nutritional diagnostic, therapy, and counseling services for the purpose of disease management, which are furnished by a registered dietitian or a nutrition professional.” The NCP is a systematic approach to providing high- quality nutrition care.
It’s used in MNT and is at the core of IFMNT. The NCP consists of four distinct, interrelated steps: nutrition assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring/evaluation. Using the NCP provides a framework for the RD to individualize care, taking into account the patient’s needs and values and using the best evidence available to make decisions.
Diabetes Management. Practitioners agree that nutrition is the cornerstone of diabetes management, and that a range of nutrition intervention strategies can be used to meet the metabolic goals and individual preferences of the person with diabetes. However, there are significant differences in the approach and methodologies used by alternative and conventional practitioners to manage the disease. One difference is in terminology. When is remission really remission?
John’s naturopath, Susan De. Laney, ND, RN, from The Wellness Alliance in Carrboro, North Carolina, considers diabetes to be reversed when an individual is no longer dependent on medication to maintain blood glucose levels within a fairly normal range. Kathie Madonna Swift, MS, RD, LDN, owner of Swift Nutrition and author of The Inside Tract: Your Good Gut Guide to Great Digestive Health, describes reversal of diabetes as “restoring function and bringing the body back into glycemic balance.” The goal of MNT is to achieve and maintain blood glucose levels in the normal range or as close to normal as is safely possible. Carbohydrate intake should be monitored using carbohydrate counting or experienced- based estimation.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance for digestible carbohydrates is 1. Using foods with a low glycemic index that are rich in fiber and other important nutrients is encouraged. Alternative: De. Laney encourages her patients to avoid all wheat products “due to the increased glycemic response.” She says wheat products contain “irritating phytochemicals such as lectins and glutens.” Sheila Dean, DSc, RD, LD, CCN, CDE, owner of Palm Harbor Center for Health & Healing in Palm Harbor, Florida, places her patients on a carbohydrate- controlled meal plan with minimally processed carbohydrates, which she refers to as “clean carbs.” Protein. Conventional: For individuals with diabetes and normal renal function, protein recommendations are the same as healthy individuals: 1. Alternative: De. Laney’s meal plan calls for protein and fat at each meal to “slow the glycemic response.” She encourages wild fish but permits hamburger and pork chops.
Swift, a member of the DIFM dietetic practice group, encourages her patients to follow a “plant- centric, gluten- free” diet, and she includes wild fish on the menu. Fiber. Conventional: People with diabetes are encouraged to consume a variety of fiber- containing foods, such as legumes, fiber- rich cereals, fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products. Alternative: De. Laney instructs her patients to consume eight to 1. Before making any fiber recommendations, Dean has her patients tested for “pancreatic insufficiency.” She believes people with pancreatic insufficiency should be given digestive enzymes along with fiber, “otherwise the fiber will just bloat them up, and they’ll be quite unhappy,” she says. Dean uses a glucomannan fiber supplement for her patients with type 2 diabetes. Fat. Conventional: People with diabetes are asked to limit saturated fat to no more than 7% of total calories, minimize trans fat intake, and limit dietary cholesterol to 2. Two or more servings of fish per week are recommended for their cardiovascular health.
Alternative: “I’m a fat- atarian,” says De. Laney, who tells her patients to avoid low- fat foods.
Extra- virgin olive oil, nuts, and seeds are prominent sources of healthful fat on the Swift menu. Vitamins and Minerals. Conventional: Vitamin and mineral supplements are provided only when deficiencies have been identified. Routine supplementation with antioxidants, such as vitamins E and C and beta- carotene, isn’t advised because of lack of evidence of their effects and concerns related to long- term safety. Alternative: “The reason I use food- based supplements is because they most closely help correct what I see as the problem: The food we’re eating is lacking in nutrients,” De.
Laney says. Dean recommends her patients supplement with vitamin D “to help strengthen the cellular signals and replete the body.” She believes her patients respond to carb counting much better with nutrient supplementation. Dean uses a more traditional approach.
She encourages her patients to purchase a pedometer and track their daily steps, adding 5. De. Laney encourages 3. Can We Reverse/Cure Diabetes?
There’s much media hype about reversing or curing diabetes, and patients are confused regarding these terms.
Facts about What, How Much, When to Eat & Exercise. Insulin resistance is the diminished ability of cells to respond to the action of insulin in transporting glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into muscle and other tissues. Causes of insulin can include conditions such as stress, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and steroid use. Some of the risk factors for insulin resistance include fatty liver, heart disease, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, high cholesterol, and smoking.
Treatment for insulin resistance are lifestyle changes and if necessary, medication.