According to the American Diabetes Association, 8 percent, or 23.6 million Americans suffer from either type I or type II diabetes. Diabetes is a serious metabolic disease that can affect almost every major organ in your body. It can lead to kidney failure, heart disease, hypertension, blindness and loss of limb. Traditional treatment approaches have always included diet, exercise, insulin injections and medications but lately, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has focused on a number of complementary and alternative medical therapies (CAM).
Primer on Diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder that affects the way that the body uses blood glucose. There are two types. Type I diabetics fail to make enough insulin in the pancreas. Insulin is an important hormone that regulates the rate that body cells use glucose in the blood. Because they can't make enough insulin, their blood glucose rates remain high, even while their cells starve. Type II diabetics suffer from a different dilemma - their pancreas creates enough insulin, but their cells are resistant to it. So, like type I diabetics, blood glucose levels remain high while the body suffers from a shortage of glucose. The result can be a number of serious complications such as kidney failure, high blood pressure, heart disease, loss of sight and limb. Untreated diabetics complain of unexplained fatigue, frequent urination, excessive thirst and slow healing wounds that can ultimately lead to amputation of a limb.
Traditional Treatment
Traditional treatment of both types of diabetes have been diet, exercise and medications. Many diabetics also suffer from obesity and high blood pressure, so weight loss is critical before any improvement is seen. Diabetics are instructed to switch from high fat, commercially prepared fast foods to fruits, vegetables and whole grain products where they can control the sugar content of the foods. Regular exercise is important, especially in type II diabetics, because activity improves the cells' sensitivity to insulin, which is critical in managing healthy blood glucose levels. While type I diabetics almost always depend on daily insulin injections, type II diabetics typically take oral medications that increase the cells' sensitivity to blood glucose.
Dietary Supplements and CAM
A number of diabetics who have poor results in managing their disease using traditional methods of treatment elect on their own to experiment with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies without the guidance of their primary physician.
For a variety of reasons, including loss of faith with traditional medical approaches, not wanting to exercise or suffering from the side effects of insulin or oral medications, type I and type II diabetics are beginning to explore alternatives like alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), chromium, omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols. It's important to note, however, that few if any of these alternatives have sufficient research to prove that they can play an effective role in managing type I or type II diabetes and some may actually put the patient at higher risk.
Alpha-lipoic Acid
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is also known as lipoic acid or thioctic acid that is a potent antioxidant. Both type I and type II diabetics may take ALA for it's unproven merits of improving insulin sensitivity. Others take it in hopes of improving diabetic neuropathy. ALA is found in a number of popular foods like spinach, broccoli and potatoes.
Chromium
Chromium is a trace mineral that can be found in a wide variety of foods such as beef, eggs, chicken, green peppers, apples, bananas and spinach. While there has been some promising research on chromium's effectiveness on diabetes, so far the results are mixed largely due to poorly designed studies. So far, the worst side effects appear to be its risk for lowering blood glucose too low, so people who introduce chromium into their diet should check their blood glucose levels frequently.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are a form of polyunsaturated fatty acids that have been used for years to raise HDL cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol levels in heart patients. It can be found in certain types of cold water fish such as tuna, trout and mackerel, and can also be found in capsule form at your local supermarket or health food store. To date, there have been no studies validating the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids to lower blood glucose levels.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are antioxidants that are found in tea, dark chocolate, green tea and a number of fruits and vegetables. They've been studied for years for their ability to improve vascular health and improve the body's ability to use insulin, but to date, there are have been no conclusive studies indicating their effectiveness.
