This is information assembled from the ADA website, and a number of other sources, written as I understand it. Cross reference and double check the accuracy of what I am presenting.

There are thousands of diabetics who understand that their life is in their hands on a daily basis, who are dedicated to doing everything they have to in order to preserve their life in the best way that current technology allows them. There are others who are casual about the risks, sloppy about control, and who refuse to take responsibility for their own health.

To me though, the worst category of people are those who abuse their bodies year after year, and who are warned and warned that they are on a sure course to developing diabetes, who treat you like a reactionist if you even suggest that they might want to limit their simple carbohydrate intake.

Diabetes is no joke. It is now the leading cause of blindness in the US, and one of the most common diseases in older age. And the median ages for contracting Type II diabetes are dropping all the time. Doctors are now seeing Type II diabetes, Pre-diabetes, and Insulin resistance in very young children, and it is almost 100% due to dietetic abuse – too much simple carb, not enough natural trace elements that are only found in whole foods.

Risks of diabetes include heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, infertility, repeat miscarriage, pregnancy risks for mother and baby, nerve damage, infection, reduced immune response, intestinal disorders, and problems with virtually every other system in the body.

What diabetes does, simply put, is destroy the body cell-by-cell. It is similar to, but more destructive than the aging process, because while age slows down the rate at which cells can repair, and seems to do so in certain areas before it does in others, diabetes attacks the entire body piece by piece, and can cause both reversible and irreversible damage. The worse the blood sugar elevations, the faster the damage.

On a short term basis, a diabetic crisis can be immediately life threatening. But for most people, the greatest danger is one that they cannot see right away, so many tend to minimize the risks. A little elevation here, another problem there, and pretty soon their blood sugar is not just a bit high now and then, but a little high all the time, with very high spikes now and then. The difference between those two states can be calculated in years of your life, but you may not see the difference for 5 years or more.

I am determined to not have the major problems that are so common to diabetes, because those problems are not caused by the disease. They are caused primarily by poor control. Yes, someone who controls their blood sugar well WILL still have some of them, but not nearly as badly, and not nearly as soon. The closer one controls their blood sugar to normal, the less damage their body will suffer as a result of the disease.

One of the ironic aspects to diabetes is that the poorer it is controlled, the harder it becomes TO control it. And because it affects every system in the body, deterioration in the other systems will increase the rate at which systemic deterioration is occurring, including the progression of the diabetes. It creates a great sucking whirlpool of deterioration which feeds on itself, each condition worsening the others. Control the diabetes, and all of the other conditions associated with aging will progress a bit slower.

Bad diet is an epidemic in our nation. And it is not simply because parents and individuals are negligent, it is partly because of what is available to eat! Foods that are common and accepted, and considered healthy are actually not, so most people, even when they try hard, will still be getting sub-standard food, with most of the things they need removed, and too much of others put back in.

We also have an expectation of too many treats and snacks. Dessert after every dinner, a candy bar in the afternoon, a soda with every lunch. All of those things are unreasonable, and enough to set one up for problems later on.

I have emerged from my own bad habits with the firm conviction that there is a better way, and that choosing to live my life with my diet as a priority, no matter how inconvenient (and sometimes it REALLY is!), is necessary for me, and worth the price. If I want to achieve my goals, and live a life that allows me to perform meaningful contributions to the world, then my health is a responsibility I do not want to neglect.

The most common affects are blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure, and heart disease. But it harms more than that, because no part of the body is immune from the damage.

Diabetes is now the number one cause of blindness in the US. It causes a condition called Diabetic Retinopathy, which is a deterioration of the retina.

The relationship between kidney damage and diabetes is reciprocal. High blood sugar causes damage to the kidneys, and poor kidney function in turn causes further damage to the pancreas, and makes utilization of insulin more difficult. So once the process is started, it develops into a downward spiral that feeds itself and continues to worsen.

Diabetes is also often accompanied by severe depression. This may be partly because a diagnosis of diabetes can be traumatic, and certainly requires major adaptations, but it is also partly because diabetes causes chemical changes that perpetuate depression.

One of the first negative effects that is noticed in many diabetics is peripheral neuropathy. A deterioration in the peripheral nerves causes loss of sensation. Along with that, abnormal sensations sometimes develop, causing aching pain, prickly feelings, or sharp stabbing pains, even the sensation of bugs crawling on the skin or just under it. This set of symptoms are so common with diabetics that warnings to check feet for bruises, cuts, torn nails (which can cause bleeding), or other injuries, are everywhere in relation to diabetic care, because nerve damage means you may not feel small injuries to your feet. Doctors hand out mirrors for diabetics to use to monitor skin changes or injuries which are not in places where they can see. They advise wearing shoes that fit well, so that they neither slop enough to cause blisters, nor fit tightly enough to reduce circulation, because pressure sores can easily develop. Walking outside without shoes is also unwise, because you may step on small objects that injure your feet, without being aware of it.

The complicating factor to neuropathy is not just the fact that you don’t feel injuries as well anymore, but also that diabetes depresses the immune system, so infections can get out of hand very rapidly. And when you don’t feel the difference between a small cut, and an infected wound, the infection can spread without the individual being aware that it has.

This is not a disease that responds well to being neglected!

50 years ago, if you received a diagnosis of diabetes, it was a given that all of these things would catch up with you. Your life expectancy just dropped by 20 to 30 years, and you had no choice but to do the best you could, and prepare for the eventual deterioration in spite of your care.

Two sisters lived on the hill I grew up on. Both had diabetes. One had been diagnosed as a child, and was diligent in her care. The other was diagnosed in her later years and was negligent – she refused to give herself shots, or to follow dietetic counsel.

The one who refused to take responsibility for her disease became blind in her middle years, and died shortly after from heart failure. Her sister, who had done all she was asked, and was careful about her own care, did better, but not by much. She also became blind a few years after the other woman, and died as a result of diabetes.

In that age, the options for tight control simply were not there. Doctors often had to guess at the proper doses, based on blood sugar tests performed in the office rather than tests based on real life. They had to keep blood sugar levels higher than they should have been in order to keep the patient from being killed by hypoglycemia. Balance was more of a “by guess and buy gosh” activity than it is now.With the current simplicity and availability of home monitoring, your options for control are vastly different. While diabetics, even with tight control, still develop secondary conditions at a higher rate than people without diabetes, the differences are not as great as they used to be. People with diabetes now live normal life spans, and the deteriorative affects are much milder if they have controlled it well.

Now, to a greater extent than ever before, the affects of diabetes are a choice, not a requirement of the disease. How soon you develop problems has everything to do with how diligent you are in controlling your diet, medications, and activity levels.

I don’t intend to go blind. I don’t intend to lose my ability to feel and function. If those things come, I’ll deal with them if I must, but I don’t intend to invite them by any action of mine!

Diabetes destroys. But it can be controlled now, better than at any other time in history, and more and better options for control are coming all the time. You cannot control some aspects any more than you can avoid being hit on the road by another driver who is out of control, but you can get behind the wheel and at least determine where you direct the course of your own treatment.

This is information assembled from the ADA website, and a number of other sources, written as I understand it. Cross reference and double check the accuracy of what I am presenting.

New information about diabetes is appearing constantly, so the attitudes on different types of diabetes are changing, at least with the more informed physicians. Many doctors though, are still using older standards of diagnostics, and may mis-diagnose diabetes based on false assumptions.

Insulin insufficiency occurs because the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin. This usually occurs because of damage to the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin, but there are a few other causes as well. This damage may occur because of another disease process in the body, or because of chemical or other exposure that unintentionally kills pancreatic cells.

Insulin insufficiency may happen suddenly, or gradually. If it happens suddenly, it results in a medical crisis, and generally an immediate dependence on insulin injections. If it happens gradually it is more likely to be mis-diagnosed, mistaken for, or complicated by, insulin resistance.

Since your body does not make enough insulin, your goal has to be to get more. This only happens in two ways:

1. Using medications or herbs which increase the ability of the pancreas in one way or another, to produce more insulin. Normally, these have a limited effect, so they will usually only improve the control by a marginal amount, and will NOT replace injections unless you were originally using only a tiny amount.
2. Insulin supplementation, by injection or inhalant. This is a sure solution, but a complex one. Learning how to appropriately use insulin is a necessary skill, and will depend a great deal on your ability to observe your personal reactions to the factors that effect your blood sugar levels. Actually injecting the stuff is pretty easy, and is not a horrid, painful thing. The needles are small and easy to use. Learning how to keep your blood sugar carefully balanced will take some practice though. Allergies to insulin do occur, so be on the alert for unusual reactions, which must be reported to a doctor. If an allergy develops, there are methods to address the problem, but they are not necessarily pleasant or easy.

High blood sugar is no joke. It kills the cells in your body one by one. The higher the blood sugar level, the faster the damage. So avoiding insulin use if you need it is NOT a practical option. Believe me, living a life around a schedule of injections is nothing in comparison to dealing with the problems that high blood sugar will eventually cause. I have used insulin, and have had to check my blood sugar, carry glucose tabs, watch for unusual symptoms, and stick myself in the belly with every meal. It simply was not a big deal, even when pregnant, to do that, and I lived a normal life around it. It was fast to do, and easy.

If your high blood sugar is caused by insulin insufficiency, then it is a totally different matter than if it is caused by insulin resistance. Careful dietetic control is even more critical, both to avoid too much, and to insure that you get enough, and strict adherence to your insulin dosages is essential.

I have been coping with high blood sugar for months now, and most days, it seems like it would be SUCH a relief to just be able to use the insulin and not have to be quite so picky. But until we know what it is that is causing me to not be able to lose weight consistently, insulin would be more of a problem than a solution.

Many sources say that use of insulin injections can cause weight gain. It does not. Improper eating, and the belief that all you have to do is take a bit more insulin if you overeat is what causes the weight gain. Your diet must still be controlled! ]]> http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/insulin-insufficiency/feed/ 0 http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/hypoglycemia/ http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/hypoglycemia/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:07:40 +0000 adminnd http://natural.infotrustllc.com/?p=285

This is information assembled from the ADA website, and a number of other sources, written as I understand it. Cross reference and double check the accuracy of what I am presenting.

Hypoglycemia is a term that is bandied about by people, most of whom have no clue what it really is, or whether it is the problem. The truth of the matter is that only a tiny percentage of the people who say they have hypoglycemia really do. All the rest actually have HIGH blood sugar, not low, or some other unrelated problem! Hypoglycemia is most often a problem associated with the use of insulin injections, and rarely occurs otherwise (sometimes associated with specific systemic conditions).

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was told that the periods of fatigue and sleepiness, dizziness and weakness that I got after meals was most likely hypoglycemia. It was not. It was high blood sugar that caused those symptoms. I was told this by my OB though, and believed him. He had not tested me, he had just assumed. Even good doctors make this mistake, because they fail to realize how prevalent blood sugar spikes are.

High blood sugar spikes cause one to feel funky after eating. This response can occur as early as 1/2 hour after meals, and as long as 2-3 hours after meals. A true hypoglycemic response will generally occur 2-6 hours after meals, and has symptoms that are so similar to high blood sugar that unless you test, it is impossible to tell the difference!

It is critical that you understand one vital point:

Both HIGH, and LOW blood sugar cause one to feel hungry!

When blood sugar is low, the body signals the stomach to produce hunger symptoms, and demand fuel.

When blood sugar is high, there is plenty of fuel available, but no way for your body to use it, so your cells starve in spite of the banquet. Your body, in an effort to get fuel into the cells, again signals the stomach to produce hunger symptoms. So you’ll get really hungry when your blood sugar is high, as well as when it is low, and you’ll feel sleepy, dizzy, weak, fatigued, achy, moody, light headed, disoriented, or other symptoms of reduced function. In order to tell which it is, you MUST test!

If you assume that your blood sugar is low, then eating will make the problem worse, not better, and you can get into a cycle of high blood sugar that does not resolve. This pattern can be life-threatening if continued.

True hypoglycemia occurs when the blood sugar is extremely low. Some sources say below 50, some say below 60, a few say below 40. Below 40 is generally conceded to be in the danger zone, where readings below 60 are just uncomfortable and require food to make you feel better.

If your blood sugar is over 110, then your symptoms are not likely from low blood sugar, but have some other cause. If your blood sugar is over 140, then there is every chance that they are related to high blood sugar, though significant symptoms are generally indicative of readings much higher than that.

Some people do get symptomatic when their blood sugar drops rapidly. But again, it is not likely to do that unless it is below 110, and dropping at a very fast rate – test again in 5 minutes and see if it has dropped more than 10 points (with no significant activity or stress).

If your body has been used to very high blood sugar levels, it may react at a higher level, but if this is the case, then you almost certainly have true diabetes, and need a full screening by a physician, because shakiness, or light headedness do not generally occur in people with blood sugar readings of over 110 unless their body is used to very high levels of blood sugar, and unless the disease process is fairly advanced. Good control will then enable them to gradually ease those numbers back down into the normal range with consistent effort.

In a diabetic who is on insulin supplements, testing for hypoglycemia is very important. It is also important to inform people around you, and teach them how to test your blood sugar in an emergency. Since there is NO way to tell whether your symptoms are caused by high or low blood sugar, and since the treatments for both are contradictory, it is imperative that you know which one you are treating BEFORE you take action, and that people around you know how to test you also, and what to do.

Hypoglycemia in an insulin dependent person can be life threatening. But so can hyperglycemia. Either way, prompt action is required, and the RIGHT action is required. My kids all know how to test blood sugar, and what to do if it is high or low. Since we live in a very rural area with no emergency services, they have had to learn more than the average person would, but even they have been capable of doing so. The youngest one who is able to do this is 10.

The major thing I want people to know is to not assume. Because if they assume, and assume wrongly, then they will be making the problem worse instead of better, and can set themselves up for a life threatening emergency. A simple finger stick and blood sugar test can remove all doubt, and help you effectively treat the problem, if it is indeed blood sugar related.

As a last note, there are a number of other problems which can cause symptoms similar to blood sugar symptoms. They range from hormonal, to circulatory, to nervous system, to dietary or metabolic problems. And often, a doctor will tend to minimize the symptoms, or suggest blood sugar problems because it is simpler. I do not know ONE person in my acquaintance though, who has complained of hypoglycemia (and there have been many who have done that who were not on insulin), who turned out to actually HAVE hypoglycemic reactions when tested. Every time, it was something different.

The ADA defines tight diabetes control quite differently than I do. This is for two reasons:

1. I got my attitudes on diabetes control when I was pregnant. Many OBs have VERY strict control guidelines for diabetes during pregnancy.
2. They are approaching it from a different perspective, and one of dealing with the averages, and of targeting a wide range of needs. My philosophies are based on my personal goals, and the achievability of them.

They consider that tight control is maintaining a 2 hour post-prandial reading of less than 180. I consider that tight control is maintaining a post-prandial reading of less than 120 (which is actually normal). But I feel that way because this is what is achievable for me, since I am not on insulin.

If you are not using insulin, then your major control strategy is diet and exercise. And the biggest factor is diet. I have a yet undiagnosed muscular disorder which prevents me from exercising effectively, so I have to focus totally on diet. If I eat too much, my blood sugar goes out of control. If I control quantities, it stays tightly controlled.

Once you add insulin injections into the picture, it becomes more complex, but also more flexible in some ways. As long as you are not using your insulin as a justification for eating whatever you want, then you can adjust it to compensate for those times when you have a bit more.

Insulin also changes the expectation of how tightly you can control your blood sugar though. In previous decades, home monitoring was not possible, so doctors had to recommend a level of insulin that kept the blood sugar artificially high because that was the only way to keep people from having dangerously low blood sugar too often. They had to find a level that balanced the patient and kept them from dying either from astronomically high, or extremely low blood sugar. This meant that cellular deterioration from diabetes was a given, and tight control was not a possibility.

Home monitoring means that you can have better control, and the recommendation of 180 post-prandial was appropriate for the initial era of home monitoring. Tighter control was possible, but with the insulin types available, extremely tight control was still not practical. Insulin injections have an effectiveness span of several hours or more, so even timing them to coincide primarily with food consumption, if the insulin level is high enough to achieve a reading of 120 in two hours, the individual might have dangerously low levels in three to four hours. So a balance still had to be struck.

Newer insulin types and delivery options give more flexibility to control, and make it simpler to achieve tighter control. The ADA may or may not eventually adjust their recommendations, because they still realize that they are dealing with many people who simply do not want to take the extra effort to achieve tight control. And for some patients, it might be an unacceptable risk if they are prone to hypoglycemia.

Advances in insulin pump technology mean that for many insulin dependent diabetics, the ability to control blood sugar more and more naturally is becoming available. I have read of newer pumps which are being designed with the ability to monitor blood sugar levels and respond to them on an individual basis. While a machine will never quite be able to do what the body does naturally, such technology could change the long term risks associated with diabetes in a fundamental way.

Many diabetics who were diagnosed with diabetes several decades ago are struggling to change their attitudes along with the advances in technology. The entire world of injections and monitoring have changed radically in the last 20-25 years. While readings over 200 were common for a diabetic, and just part of the disease two decades or more ago, they are not now, and in most cases, need not be! The choices for tighter control mean that a diabetic is given more tools with which to delay the onset of common complications and secondary conditions associated with diabetes. But it also means that you have much more responsibility to actually USE the tools. A home monitor gives you the ability to be on top of your care, and to take an active role in limiting many of the potential risk factors, but in order for it to be of use, you must learn how to use it correctly, and then DO it. And I know so many people who are happy to be given the means to do just that, because it becomes the primary way in which they can keep their body healthy, and not let diabetes beat them.

The role of supplements in tight control is not the simple mathematical calculation that insulin and carb counting is. Each supplement produces a different result for each person, and they should be added one at a time so that effects can be observed, and so that negative effects can be adjusted for, or so the offender can be easily isolated and eliminated if necessary. I have found that an effective supplement may lower my post-prandial readings by as little as 5 points, or as much as 70 points. Since my diabetes seems to be progressing, the effect does not last more than a few weeks at most, and I end up needing to find another one, and will eventually need insulin supplementation. Many supplements though, will enhance blood sugar control whether you take insulin or not. A few will even help lower highs AND eliminate dangerous lows, because they do not just lower blood sugar, they improve body functions in other ways.

Any supplement should be discussed with your doctor, and you should monitor your sugar levels very closely while testing one, and be ready to adjust your diet or insulin in response to any changes that the supplement causes.

In order to control diabetes, you MUST understand carb counting. So read the page on that if you don’t already understand it, before you dive into other diet topics.

Knowing how to do it, and DOING it are two separate issues. I find it is harder to actually control my diet when I am discouraged, or when I feel like it isn’t really going to matter anyway. It is much easier when I am pregnant (there is another life at stake that I WILL protect!), when I have encouragement from family to do so, and when people around me do not make it harder to do by bringing in foods that are not wise.

But mostly, it is a matter of determination. If I am determined to do it, I do, and I don’t cheat. If I am not, I make more mistakes. Remember, I am currently controlling my diabetes strictly with diet, so if I overdo, I cannot compensate with insulin, I will have a problem instead. I have such a low glucose tolerance right now that there is almost no room for error. I even have to watch my consumption of “free” foods.

The thing that helps me the most is having quick foods on hand that I can use in a hurry, combined with making sure we do NOT have foods in the house that are not healthy. There are three steps and options to this:

1. Clean out your cupboards. Get rid of everything that is not healthy, and don’t buy anymore. Don’t tell yourself that you’ll switch as soon as you run out, you’ll just sabotage your efforts. Get rid of it, because keeping it will cost you more in medical care than the box of pasta or can of peaches is worth.

2. Buy good foods. The more natural, the better, the fresher the better. Keep lots of fresh veggies, uncured meats, whole grain ingredients, whole potatoes, fresh fruits, and other healthy foods in the house.

3. Keep stocked up on healthy snacks and quick fix. You can try buying healthy stuff, but most of it has too many additives, and not enough really good stuff in it, so your best bet is really to make stuff in large batches and freeze it. We make whole wheat pockets, pizzas, breads, snack bars (fruit and chocolate), cinnamon rolls, whole wheat english muffins and bagels, and other baked goods in large batches, and freeze them. We pre-cook meats and re-freeze them so they are fast to thaw and use. We make extras of favorite foods and save them for another meal. We buy pre-washed and cut veggies, and other fast but healthy items. We cook large batches of hashbrowns (made from skin-on potatoes), or country breakfast (potatoes, eggs, sausage or ham, and veggies), freeze it and use it when we are in a hurry. We keep enough on hand to always be able to make a quick breakfast shake, or have a fast protein item with a shake.

It takes time to prepare ahead, but it helps so much in keeping the diet in check. When I need something, I can grab it and eat it, and I often need food very quickly when I am hungry. Having something healthy on hand means that I am not overcome by impatience, or by a genuine emergency when I really NEED something now!

When we are on the run, we generally take extra with us. This insures that if we get stuck somewhere, we won’t be forced to eat something unhealthy just because there were no good choices. If we eat at a restaurant, we choose the best possible meals, high in veggies, and low in refined carbs. We carry bottled water everywhere, so a drink is never a problem either.

I also buy a few packaged snack items, because they can be stored for longer periods. My favorite for both nutritional value, lower sugar, and reasonable price, is SlimFast Optima products. I can get them in either 1 or 2 carb exchange items, and I routinely have a few stuffed in my purse just in case I need something while I am out and about. They still have a lot of sugar (sugar alcohol does count), and are not very natural, but they have a better nutritional balance than granola bars, and even better than the diabetic specific bars or shakes. Dannon yogurt smoothies are also a fast and relatively healthy item to carry along.

We prepare every time we go someplace, and we take a day every week or two to make large batches of items we regularly use. Since our family is larger than most, we have to do that more frequently. Home baked goods will store nicely in the freezer for a month or more though, so the average family could easily bake less often than we do. My kids help with it, and all of them know how to make at least one regularly used item, with the younger ones getting supervision or help from the older kids or adults in the home. All of the items we make are nutrition controlled, which is the best possible food available. We keep the ingredients as natural as possible (with as little Splenda as we can use for the treats), and make our own recipes for things that we love but cannot eat in regular forms.

We also use specialized ingredients if we like them better. We use Hard White Wheat and mill our own flour because it makes the BEST baked goods ever. We mill Durum wheat for pasta flour, because it makes a difference in making very tasty pasta (half and half with hard white wheat flour). We use Basmati Brown Rice, because it tastes SO good – better than any white rice ever, and with no nasty bitter taste that is so common to brown rice. We use a certain brand of dried pasta because it not only tastes good, it is the most economical.

I use specific appliances to simplify food prep. I have a good crock pot which gets used for boiling wheat, for making casseroles, soups, stews, and more. I also use the crock pot for cooking beans while I sleep, for batch cooking meats ahead of time (makes a terrific stock also which simplifies even more meals). I have good pans for baking large batches of baked goods ahead, and we have a KitchenAid Mixer which gets a lot of use for everything from baking to mixing homemade sausage. A food processor lets us rapidly shred cheese or whole potatoes (skins on) for cook ahead batches of many items, and a chopper helps us rapidly chop large amounts of nuts for snack bars. A good blender makes morning smoothies a snap, and a good wheat mill sees a lot of use producing flour for all that stuff. We also have an oat roller because we much prefer the fuller flavor of freshly rolled oats.

I have many specialized recipes, many of which are in the Recipes section. I make sure that any supplements I use are worked into my daily routine, and that if they go with meals, that I find a way to take them with me when I have to be out for the day (I end up spending entire days either traveling, or in medical offices for appointments with my youngest son).

The key to succeeding with diet has been, for me, largely a matter of eliminating as many situations where I have no choices as I possibly can. By preparing ahead, I can provide my own choices, and I don’t have to live by anyone else’s rules. ]]> http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/diet-tips-and-strategies/feed/ 3 http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/complex-interactions-for-blood-sugar-control/ http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/complex-interactions-for-blood-sugar-control/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:06:03 +0000 Laura Wheeler http://natural.infotrustllc.com/?p=298

This is information assembled from the ADA website, and a number of other sources, written as I understand it. Cross reference and double check the accuracy of what I am presenting.

The human body is a very complex system. There are primary conditions, which can cause secondary conditions, which can then cause another layer of secondary conditions, which in turn worsen the primary condition, and round it goes! So many things on this site are not specifically blood sugar related.

Because the various body systems affect each other, and because there are so many conditions, both known and barely discovered, which can affect blood sugar, some of the items listed are aimed at general health, rather than just blood sugar. This is because if you have any progressive condition, it can worsen the ability to control blood sugar, or increase damage to the pancreas, or otherwise directly or indirectly affect your ability to minimize the affects of diabetes or insulin resistance.

If you have any condition which causes malabsorption, or if your diet is deficient in certain nutrients, those factors can negatively affect your body’s response at many levels. If your hormonal balance is off, then your body may not be able to either effectively produce, or easily use the available insulin. Any disease which causes widespread cellular damage will worsen diabetes long term, and create a downward spiral that feeds on itself.

There are actually a LOT of conditions that do this. And some of the potential helpful remedies are very similar for some of them. Improvement in management of any condition that affects diabetes progression will help overall diabetes control.

Diabetes is also sometimes caused by autoimmune responses, so some of the helps are aimed at reducing those effects. Diabetes may cause, or be worsened by depression, so there are suggestions for that too.

I have learned in my quest to balance my blood sugar and improve my health, that there are no isolated conditions. When you have two disease processes simultaneously, or a disease process and a mental health issue, or any combination of conditions, they cannot be separated. They are intertwined, and WILL affect each other. Given the kind of damage that causes diabetes, and the kinds of damage it can cause, there are some common associated conditions which I have addressed to the best of my ability.

Look at your body as a whole unit, and not as separate systems. Then strive for treatments which help your body to function more efficiently on all levels. Doing so will not only improve your diabetes control, it will improve your health in ways you could not have expected.

This is information assembled from the ADA website, and a number of other sources, written as I understand it. Cross reference and double check the accuracy of what I am presenting.

Balancing blood sugar properly is more than just a matter of getting the right amount of food for the right amount of insulin. There are, in fact, four distinct factors which must be balanced properly in order to insure good control and the best possible health.

1. Insulin. You only have direct control over this if you inject insulin. Otherwise your control over it is indirect, and effected by medications or supplements which improve production, but which cannot compensate on a meal by meal basis the way injected insulin can.
2. Food intake. This means both QUALITY, and QUANTITY. To control blood sugar levels precisely, you really have to count carbs, and if your diabetes is very sensitive, you may also need to count fats and protein. But carb counting is the minimum. There is a whole page on this site on that topic, so refer to it to learn more about how to do so effectively if you need to do so.
3. Activity. You’ll burn more sugar when you are active than when you are not. And muscles do not require insulin in order to use sugar, they can use it directly. So your need for sugar will increase, but your need for insulin will not, meaning that you may be more subject to blood sugar lows when you are very active, and more subject to blood sugar highs when you are sedentary.
4. Weight. Insulin serves two purposes in the body. It helps cells use the available sugar for immediate energy use, and it also enables storage of the extra as fat. So if you consume more carbohydrates than you need for daily use, you’ll not only need more insulin to compensate for the extra sugar, your body will store the extra as fat. This is why many websites warn that some people gain weight when using insulin injections – it is NOT a side effect of insulin use, it is, as it always has been, a side effect of consuming more than is needed.

So once you have devised a meal plan (a diabetic counselor can help you with this), you’ll need to adjust it, based on your particular results, and your activity levels. This can take practice to learn how your body responds, because individual differences can be huge.

All four of these factors must be balanced, though. If your blood sugar numbers are perfect, but you are gaining weight, then you’ll develop more insulin resistance, and other conditions which make it harder in turn to control your blood sugar.

If you have perfect numbers, but you are losing weight that you do not have to lose (or if you are pregnant), then you need to increase your food intake and your insulin.

Most people have a generally predictable activity level each day, or a routine for those times when they are more active. Even if those times come only occasionally, a little observance and some careful observation (and blood sugar testing) can help you to know how you are responding. Once you know your averages, then you can plan ahead and avoid problems. At first you may be adjusting a lot, or having to watch for highs or lows, but later it gets more predictable.

For people who are not using injectable insulin, the balance is just as critical, depending on which direction your problems tend to run. When I was pregnant, it was hard to eat enough to keep from losing weight, without having my sugars run too high when I was not on insulin. I learned that 5 minutes on the treadmill would bring my sugars down 10 points, but that was not helpful because that sugar then just went to the activity, and I still lost weight. I required supplemental insulin to keep from losing too much. Once I was on the insulin, I had to monitor my weight to make sure I did not gain too much.

Intentional weight loss is a totally different topic. It is known that for overweight people, losing weight will help their blood sugar control, but balancing the factors when you do so can be a multi-faceted issue.

When you get these factors in balance though, your body is given the best possible foundation for health and longevity.

I am not real fond of diabetic medications, but that is probably partly because the one I used did not work, and for me, the others are all too risky to use in conjunction with pregnancy. I have had to choose between pills and insulin, and I chose insulin for that reason. But what was right for me is not what is right for everyone.

Basically, there is little advantage or disadvantage between prescription medications and herbs as far as safety or side effects is concerned. Either can cause unpleasant or dangerous problems. Either can work, and either one can fail to work for you. It all depends on your body chemistry and the dynamics of your particular diabetes.

Medications are usually the more expensive of the two, but older medications may cost no more to use than herbs. Affordability depends on which medication you use, and whether you have insurance. If a specific medication is too expensive, sometimes your doctor can work with you to find a less costly one that works as well, sometimes the only one that WILL work for you is the more expensive one.

Medications are generally for use with Type II diabetes or insulin resistance. Most are aimed at helping the body use insulin more efficiently, while some do encourage release of more insulin. They can be very helpful for Type II diabetes, but will not have benefits for true insulin insufficiency that accompanies Type I diabetes. This may change with time, because new options are being researched all the time.

Preferring a natural means of controlling diabetes does not preclude the use of medications. It just means that you should concentrate on doing all you can with diet before you resort to medications. Once your options for dietetic control are exhausted though (and this will be different for each person), medications can help you keep it under control better. And good diet will always enhance the ability of the medications to work.

Many people feel that if they take medication for their diabetes that they do not have to worry about diet. This is untrue. It is just as important to control diet, and to monitor blood sugar levels if you are using medications, and may in fact be more important. Consistency in diet can be a major helpful influence in enhancing the effectiveness of diabetic medications.

They can have side effects, and you are the only person who can determine whether they are worth it for the benefit of reducing the risks of uncontrolled diabetes. Generally, if the medication is effective for you, you should see significant reductions in blood sugar levels. If that does not happen, then you need to go back to your doctor and discuss other options. The one that I used only lowered my blood sugar by about 5 points when taken at a fairly high dose, so it was not considered an effective drug for me. You are the one who has to monitor the results though, through consistent blood sugar testing, and you are the one who needs to say so if you feel the results are ineffective. You have to work with your doctor in partnership to control diabetes, and if you don’t do your part, the doctor cannot do their part.

If you add supplements after you are already taking medications, it is important that you discuss it with your doctor before hand, and that you monitor carefully while you take them. If blood sugar levels change, your medication may need to be adjusted.

There is no question that the available diabetes medications have lowered the long term damage from diabetes. They are not the best thing for everyone, but for those people with Type II diabetes that they work for, they can be a good tool for improved control.

Somewhere about the time that medications for Type II diabetes came into play, doctors began to connect high blood sugar levels with infertility. Women who had been infertile for years, suddenly began to get pregnant after starting to use medications to reduce their blood sugar levels.

High blood sugar complicates the fertility picture in two basic ways:

1. It makes the woman’s body less able to produce, and release, an egg. I have not studied whether or not it affects a man’s fertility, but it would not be surprising if it did.
2. It reduces blood flow to the uterus, making it more difficult for a fertilized egg to implant successfully. Implantation may fail to occur completely, or the egg may implant, but fail to obtain adequate nourishment, and miscarriage results.

This means that uncontrolled diabetes can affect both the ability to conceive, and the ability to carry a child. It may be responsible for complete infertility, or for repeat miscarriage. Either situation can be acutely painful for the woman who desires to have a child, but keeps being denied the privilege.

Infertility specialists will now treat high blood sugar levels much sooner than many other doctors will, because they know that even small elevations in the levels can trigger repeat miscarriage or prevent conception. The preferred method of treating it though, is with medications for insulin resistance. For insulin dependent women, their only option is close monitoring, strict dietetic control, and careful attention to insulin levels.

Normally, small elevations in blood sugar levels won’t make much of a difference in fertility. But some women already have other factors that make it difficult for them to conceive or carry, and for them, blood sugar levels may be the determining factor in whether or not they can bear a child.