Combining the Natural With the Medicinal: As early as 1982 researchers at the Pritikin Center saw something that seems to have since been swept under the rug. Their findings showed a significant number of members in their study group able to eliminate diabetes drugs after following a revolutionary diet that in many ways stopped diabetes in its tracks.
What was it? A diet rich in vegetable based foods and poor in animal products.
Today this notion may be thought of as simply an alternative medical approach or perhaps even a fad. Doctors will still provide answer to diabetes that include drugs first and common sense solutions second. Many will say it is large pharmaceuticals driving this trend toward a magic bullet solution. Indeed the research that is routinely conducted today seems to rely on drugs and surgical procedures as viable solutions.
This scenario has essentially placed natural remedies and other alternative medicines as the stuff of Witch Doctors and Voodoo health. This may be unfortunate in that medicine has always benefited from using what occurs naturally in our environment to help in the healing arts.
T. Colin Campbell, PhD, author of the book The China Study indicates that when patients intentionally increase plant-based foods and reduce animal derived foods, “the number of deaths from diabetes plummets from 20.4 to 2.9 per 100,000 people.”
This article in no way seeks to lure patients away from the care of their physician in favor or a remedy that may not fully take your current medical condition into account. The notion set forth here is to explore options that can enhance therapies you may already be using to improve your health and reduce diabetic symptoms.
Many argue that Americans have become so enraptured with a pill to cure everything they may not be taking a vested interest in their own health.
With diabetes there is a need to work at self-managing your disease. This includes monitoring your blood glucose, watching what you eat and exercising. This is stressed strongly by health care workers to help diabetics understand the need to alter their lifestyles. The problem is this common sense set of standards never seems to be taken to heart until the disease is already in place.
A gentleman was relating details of a family reunion he attended where, as he describes it, “I looked around at family members eating and drinking whatever they want and then pop a few pills for their diabetes and hope for the best. I don’t want that for me, so I’m doing something about it.”
This gentleman has lost more than thirty pounds and has improved vitality and interest in life since he made that decision. He is now close to sixty years of age and remains free of diabetic symptoms (something that is common in his family).
When I talk about ‘vested interest’ this is the individual that comes most immediately to mind. His conscious decision to do what he could to resist dependence on medication is inspiring and a visual I wish many Americans would take heed to and imitate.
This site provides several articles on natural elements that can aid in curbing diabetes or managing its care.
Interestingly there was a time not so long ago when pharmaceutical medicine and natural remedies were lumped together as a complete approach to the care of patients. Somewhere the two were separated and they don’t always play well together in the 21st century.
In the end you will need to do what is best for you so learn all you can about different diabetic therapies and get your doctor’s input.
