Looking Deeper Into Diabetes

Millions of Americans today are suffering from diabetes.  With the number of people affected by diabetes seemingly increasing every year, all kinds of treatments have been explored to curb this.  A number of conventional medical treatments have been available, controlling the disease itself, as well as the possible complications that may arise.  Meanwhile other patients afflicted with the disease who have not found success with the conventional methods of treatment seek refuge by trying CAM or complementary and alternative medicine therapies, like using herbs like American ginseng. Most onlookers express a bit of doubt whether these therapies are really as effective as the conventional methods, and if they are safe in the first place.  Let us look into these alternative solutions one by one.

But before looking into them, let’s first look closer into what diabetes is.  Diabetes is a group of diseases and is usually classified into:

• Type 1 diabetes, which usually victimizes young people from children to people below 30 and makes up 5-10% of all diagnosed diabetes cases;

• Type 2 diabetes, which occurs mostly in older people and makes up a huge chunk of diabetes cases;

• Gestational diabetes, a kind of diabetes which can occur to pregnant women.

In a diabetic person, his or her body’s ability to turn food into energy is weakened.  In a normal body, food is broken down into glucose, which serves as fuel for cellular function.  However, diabetic bodies either do not produce enough insulin (a hormone that aids in glucose absorption in cells) or have cells that do not properly respond to insulin.  Glucose gets built up in the blood instead of getting into cells.  Blood with high glucose levels eventually wreak havoc on a number of the body’s organs, including the kidneys, eyes, skin, nerves and blood vessels.  In a good number of cases, patients with diabetes complain of always being tired even just after a short activity. Moreover, patients in the advanced stages of diabetes may result in blindness. This may also cause diabetic shock, which can kill a patient. 

It is thus essential for a diabetic to control his or her blood glucose, levels of cholesterol and blood pressure.  Diabetics usually experience the symptoms of fatigue, excessive thirst and hunger, sudden weight loss, and wounds or sores that take time to heal.   Treatments not classifiable in standard Western medical practice are called complementary and alternative medicine.   Some of the symptoms and the main cause of diabetes may actually be helped with the use of alternative medicine, the most popular of which are herbal cures. Among these medicines that have proven to be not only popular but also quite effective is American ginseng, which has been known to control the levels of blood sugar important in curing diabetes. 

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Treating Diabetes the Alternative Way

For diabetes, here are some of the most common alternative ways of healing, including herbal solutions such as American ginseng:

·         Supplements

Several supplements containing specific elements have been publicized to improve conditions for diabetes.  One such element is chromium.  Several studies have testified to the significant role that chromium plays in benefiting diabetics, although there are no solid recommendations for its precise use.

Another element that has been the center of study in diabetes management is magnesium.  The element is said to play a role in glucose control.  Diabetics who lack magnesium are said to display abnormalities in insulin secretion. 

There’s also vanadium, an element derived from plants.  A number of studies have shown that vanadium enables a diabetic’s body to be more sensitive to insulin. However, as with chromium, recommendations for supplementation have not yet been done.

·         Stacking up on herbs and  vegetables

Diabetics, especially Type 2 ones, have been recommended to include a healthy amount of vegetables such as okra, buckwheat, broccoli, sage, peas and fiber-rich food in their diet.  These vegetables are said to aid in controlling glucose levels in the blood.  Other herbs and veggies such as ginger, garlic ginseng, nettle, American ginseng, and hawthorn have also been looked on, but without concrete results.

·         Weight loss

The link between obesity and excess weight and diabetes has been proven, thus it has been a priority for diabetics to lose excess weight.  Several ways of losing weight include herbs and supplements such as chitosan, pyruvate, Sauropus androgynus, aristolochic acid, skin patch systems and oral sprays.  These methods are supposed to suppress appetite, but no documented evidence has been established.  A number of herbs have been advertised as safe because they are “natural” although some, including Ephedrine have been banned by the USFDA due to a number of side effects. 

·         Hydrotherapy

Otherwise known as “hot tub therapy,” hydrotherapy has been said to reduce levels of blood sugar among type 2 diabetics by as much as 13%.  Although several studies have confirmed this, it is still important for diabetic patients to consult with their physicians before undergoing this method. 

·         Chromotherapy

Another popular alternative method of curing diabetes as well as other diseases is chromotherapy, wherein color bottles are used to let the body find its natural balance.  Each color represents a specific curative property.  For diabetes, the body is said to have a scarcity of oranges and yellows; thus therapy with yellow, green and orange is recommended to be done thrice a day.

In using alternative medicine, it is imperative for both patients and caretakers to bear in mind that conventional medical therapy is not to be replaced with it, especially the methods that have not been proven.  Consultation with a physician should be done before any alternative process be used.  Also, before one uses a herbal supplement in conjunction with conventional medicine, a doctor’s consent must be obtained, as dosages and effects have to be ascertained.  Otherwise, one therapy method may counteract the effects of another and may actually cause a worsening of a patient’s condition.

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Why Herbal Cures are Great for Joint Pains

Joint pains are a common occurrence to people who are considered to be aging.  But we have to take note that this condition can also be experienced by young people. For example, people engaged in too much physical activity through sport, athletic training, or their work may also feel pain in their joints. Would you believe that for some, even diet can aggravate this condition? More than a million people are suffering from this mostly in silence.  They rely on over the counter drug medicines like ibuprofen, naproxen and other anti-inflammatory medicines that help relieve the pain but only for a short while.  However, what we do not know is how it really affects the body.  These drugs may help ease the pain, but their long-term effects are something that we should be aware of.  This is why natural remedies like American ginseng, among other herbs are more recommended.

Going natural when it comes to medication will surely cut down on your costs as well as your intake on chemical-based medicines. Natural remedies like herbs and spices are more likely to be better for you as they have less of the negative long term side effects that are usually related to chemical-based drugs.   These natural remedies help in eliminating the body of the toxins and other metabolic waste products that are present in our body.  These unwanted elements in our bodies are what causes us to be sick, which includes the joint pains that we suffer from. By eliminating these waste products from our bodies, we cleanse ourselves making ourselves feel better.

credits: Wikinut

Herbal cures like American ginseng are usually criticized as nothing more than just fancy folk science remedies that are not really as effective as their synthetic based counterparts. However, it could also be said that you cannot argue with centuries of usage. If these herbal remedies have adverse side effects, then they would have been known for years already, as our ancestors have been using them for such a long time. For this kind of ginseng, Native American tribes have been recorded to use it for curing a good number of ailments, from the common headache to yes, joint pains. Moreover, scientific findings have also backed the claims of these herbal cures. Various studies all around the world have proven that while it is still vastly unknown how these herbs work, it is undeniable that they do have positive effects on patients taking them.

Going natural is what is recommended especially when we want to detoxify our bodies from the harmful toxins. The thing is, a good number of joint pains can also be traced to bacterial and even toxic roots, which luckily can be eliminated through herbal medicine. American ginseng is one herb that you might want to consider when you want to naturally cure yourself of those aches and pains. It is a natural wonder herb that does a lot of good things for the body.  Reach for the natural medication the next time you feel pain and feel the difference. 

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Why Raising Good Cholesterol Levels is Good

Nowadays, people are getting more aware of the importance of maintaining good health, information and supplements are flooding the market. No wonder the health and wellness industry has been on the upswing these days. Spas, gyms, and vitamin supplements have all become multi-million dollar industries with people from all backgrounds – male, female, young, and old all wanting to feel good and healthy.

With these developments, there is also an increase in the awareness of natural herbs like American ginseng and garlic, among others on how they make the body healthy.  Natural cures have gained popularity because they are deemed to be safer than their synthetic counterparts while still achieving the desired effects. As they are naturally occurring in nature, they are said to have less side effects. Of course, since they are supposed to be abundant in nature, they are also deemed to be less costly compared to the same concoctions but have synthetic or lab-prepared ingredients. All in all, studies show that these plants help in lowering the bad elements in our bodies that make us sick.

credits: Eating Well

People who are suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases, taking in supplements is the best way to maintain the good elements in our bodies.  Instead of focusing on lowering the LDLs or bad cholesterol in our bodies, it is best to get to know how to increase the good cholesterol or HDLs.   These HDL particles help in scouring our arteries free of the plaque that are caused by the excess cholesterol in our bodies. When plaque builds up inside our arteries, they prevent the easy flow of blood. With the other parts of the body wanting more oxygen brought by blood, the heart, as the main distributor of blood, would have to work double time. Then, due to fatigue of various organs in the circulatory system, diseases such as cardiac arrest and stroke occur.

credits: Purelifts

Good cholesterol, which is encouraged by the taking of supplements like American ginseng ,act like sweepers that clean out the arteries to help the blood flow more freely.   When we have a high level of HDL in our bodies, we increase the chances of having something to help “clean” our arteries.  With clearer arteries, itself and other parts of the body involved, such as the heart, won’t be as

The risk of suffering from cardiac arrest is lowered when the levels of the HDL in our body is high.  There are studies being made on supplements to help in increasing HDL levels.  If you want to be on the safe side, it is best to go the natural way when taking care of the body.  American ginseng is also found to help in increasing good cholesterol levels in the body.

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What are Paleo Desserts?

Paleo diet is starting to be the rage when it comes to eating healthy.  When you undergo this kind of diet, most processed foods are a no-no.  It is also called a caveman’s diet because it is patterned after how our ancestors ate, who were basically hunter-gatherers.  This was before the conveniences of microwave cooking and canned and frozen TV dinners came to existence.  It is said that it is just not the kind of food that one eats but also the lifestyle that changes when he decides to go on Paleo diet. 

credit: 4Hour Body Zone

Followers of a paleo diet food list should not really have a difficult time sourcing the food that they can eat because they are readily available anywhere.  The paleo diet isn't really that strict in the sense that other kinds of diet are very particular in the way a food is prepared and what ingredients can be included.  The paleo diet food list is pretty much straightforward when it comes to foods that shouldn't be consumed – potatoes, beans, legumes, grains and dairy products are not allowed.  With all the advancements in food technology and preparation, a person following the paleo diet wouldn't really have a hard time following recipes that are not paleo-friendly, since they can just substitute ingredients.

One of the things that you would have to forgo would be sugar and its byproducts.  So you might just have to say goodbye to your favorite coffee drink with a shot of Torani syrup.

However, if you have a sweet tooth, there is no need to fret.  The Paleo diet does have a lot of options and recipes for desserts.   It does not mean that you would have to deprive yourself of satisfying your craving for dessert as there are a lot of available recipes for dessert available.   You can do a bit of research online so that you can get ideas if you would want to try this diet out.

Most people who decided to “go Paleo” usually started out as a necessity for their health concerns.  In this diet, one would have to cut out grains, dairy, legumes and sugars in the food that is taken in. This is perfect for those who are looking for a completely gluten free diet. So if you are one of those that have yet to give up on desserts, here are a few ideas on what Paleo desserts are.

• Mostly fruit based – Paleo diet permits most fruits in the diet.  Fruits that are picked like berries, bananas and apples.  Most fruits are permitted, provided they are organic.

• Spices as flavorings – You would have to be creative in flavoring your desserts as sugar is not permitted in this diet. You can opt to use the sugar-free cinnamon-flavored Torani syrup for your dessert

Sugar-free Torani syrups may be a great option for people following a Paleo diet, especially if they want to consider a cheat day. Not only are they made from natural ingredients, they are also free of sugars!

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