Diabetes - Adult-Onset Diabetes Mellitus (Type II)
The name of this set of symptoms comes from the Greek; diabetes means "passing
through" and mellitus means "honey." In other words, "honey
passing through," or high levels of sugar in the urine, was what the
ancient doctors first observed. The disease is characterized by high levels
of sugar in the blood, which "spills over" into the urine, and
is almost universally related to chronically high intake of simple carbohydrates
in the diet. With 4% of the population medically diagnosed with Diabetes
Mellitus, it has become the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the
incidence is rising.
The good news is that 90% of non-insulin dependent diabetics will be cured
by achieving their optimal weight and eating a balanced diet. This means
no donuts!
Other theoretical causes for the defiency of insulin include viral infection
of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, toxic reaction to N-nitroso
compounds (found in smoked and cured meats), and auto-immune disease.
The great dangers of uncontrolled didabetes include premature heart disease,
stroke, atherosclerosis, and eventually gangrene of the lower limbs, blindness
and pancreatic failure. There is a significant familial component to this
disease.
Because diet is so critical to the control of this disease, nutritional
approaches will be discussed first. However, there are lots of other ways
to control DM (Diabetes Mellitus), including Botanical Medicine with its
array of insulin-like plants, Homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
and psychological approaches.
What about Nutritional Medicine? Do I have to radically change my diet?
If you like coffe and donuts for breakfast, a grilled cheese sandwich followed
by a pastry treat for lunch, then pasta and cookies washed down with a soda-pop
for dinner, then yes, you do have to radically change your diet. This is
an extreme picture, obviously. Changing your diet is something that must
be done slowly, lovingly, with great patience and persistence. Most of
us are very attached to "our" foods and making changes at this
fundamental level doesn't come easily. It can be done however; and it could
save your life. Be easy on yourself. Reward yourself with little treats
every day, like a walk at sunset, or a bubble bath, or calling a friend
long-distance. And make a plan. Starting with not keeping sugary foods
in the house.
The trick to eating to control Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is basically low to
no refined sugar, high complex carbohydrates and raw foods, low fat, high
fiber and easy on the fruit. Refined sugar means any carbohydrate that
has been processed, bleached or otherwise chemically altered. Anything
made with white flour and white sugar spells trouble for the diabetic.
We're talking about cookies, cake, candy, ice-cream, pastries, pizza, boxed
cereal, all soda-pops, alcohol, honey -- all that good stuff. Unfortunately,
most of us live life in the fast lane and this is why "fast-food"
joints are a multi-billion dollar industry.
Real food, made from healthy ingredients, usually takes a little more time
to prepare than the standard fare at Wendy's or Burger King. So, one thing
to adjust to is not only not eating junk food (and you know what that is...)
but to creating TIME in your schedule, as a priority, to shop for fresh
vegetables 2 or 3 times weekly, to eat at home more often, learn to use
a steamer, don't fry foods, never drink Coke (or any other soda-pop) and
get together with others who are learning to live longer through healthy
eating. Maybe you can form a dinner group in your apartment building or
neighborhood.
The other critical technique to treat DM through diet is to eat 5 or 6 small
meals throughout the day. Don't let yourself get hungry, because then,
guess what? Right, you'll grab the nearest available snack, and that is
sure to be loaded with sugar or white flour. The other reason to not eat
3 "big" meals a day is to spare your pancreas. You have DM because
your pancreas has a hard time producing enough insulin to keep the sugar
in your blood from getting into the cells. Insulin acts as a carrier molecule
for sugar across the highly selective barrier of the membrane of each and
every cell in your body. Not enough insulin means the sugar builds up in
the blood. And that means not enough sugar, or raw fuel, in the cells.
All of you interested in DM know about "diabetic coma" where
you can literally pass out, and maybe die, because of a critical shortage
of fuel to the brain. The treatment, conventionally, for diabetic coma
is to give insulin. But that's a choice with grave implications. You want
to do everything you can to avoid becoming dependent on insulin injections.
Please believe that improving your diet is a much more pleasant alternative
than having to shoot insulin before every meal.
Now, enough of what you can't, or shouldn't, eat. There are many ways of
using foods to help DM. For example, some of the very best foods for prolonging
the action of your compromised insulin stores are onions and garlic. Use
these tasty foods liberally in your diet. Experiment. Did you ever try
baking a whole onion along with your yams or potatoes? Delicious! Garlic
is tasty baked, too. Learn to make a gourmet onion soup. Buy a garlic
press. Other therapeutic foods for DM include:
- Jerusalem artichokes, burdock, parsley. These plants are high in
inulin, an insulin analog.