TREATMENT
 
• Stop eating sugar, white-flour products, greasy food, meat, eggs, cheese, excess vegetable oil, as well as rancid nuts and seeds. Totally avoid tobacco and those who use it. Because it restricts circulation, it will aggravate your condition.
 
• Eat smaller meals and chew the food thoroughly. Do not eat late in the evening. Overeating can induce diabetes or increase it, once contracted.
 
• Vegetable broths and fresh fruit are nourishing. A high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diet will reduce the need for insulin. (A low-fiber diet can bring on diabetes.) It will also lower the amount of fat in the blood. Get your protein from vegetable sources.
 
• Onions and green beans appear to lower blood sugar. A diet high in raw food is also helpful. One individual dropped his insulin dosage from 60 to 15 units per day, by increasing his raw food intake.
 
• But do not eat fruits and melons in large amounts. Do not eat apples or bananas. Do not eat milk and sugar combinations. Coffee can induce very high blood sugar levels. A fatfree diet will help reduce blood sugar.
 
• Eat your meals at regular times, and do not be in a rush to swallow the food. The quicker you eat, the higher goes the blood sugar.
 
• Eat raw garlic every day, to reduce your blood sugar.
 
• Do not take large amounts of niacin (vitamin B3 ), B1 (thiamin), PABA (paraaminobenzoic acid, another B vitamin), or vitamin C. But do take them in normal amounts.
 
• Get enough exercise; it will improve circulation, which is always poor in diabetics. This will also lower blood sugar levels.
 
• Huckleberry helps promote insulin production. Cedar berries help the pancreas. Other helpful herbs include black walnut, echinacea, burdock, buchu, dandelion root, and uva ursi.
 
• In case of a hyperglycemia attack, go to an emergency room. You must be given fluids, electrolytes, and possibly insulin.
 
• In case hypoglycemia occurs, in an emergency, immediately drink fruit juice, soft drinks, or anything else that contains sugar. If you are insulin dependent, carry a glucagon kit with you at all times.
 
• If your child has diabetes, tell his teacher the warning signs of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.
 
• Take good care of your feet, for they can become more easily infected than those of nondiabetics.

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Improve Insulin Sensitivity

(by Lenworth Frankson)
 

Insulin is a hormone your pancreas makes that’s essential for life and regulating blood glucose (sugar) levels. Insulin resistance, also known as impaired insulin sensitivity, happens when cells in your muscles, fat and liver do not respond as they should to insulin, Insulin resistance affects at least 60% of the adult population (and almost all women with PCOS — Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Insulin resistance can be temporary or chronic and is treatable in some cases. Knowing how to improve your insulin sensitivity can help you reduce insulin resistance and the risk of many diseases, including diabetes. These are the steps that show how insulin functions generally under normal circumstances.

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First your body breaks down the food you eat into glucose (a type of sugar), which is your body’s main source of energy. Next, glucose enters your bloodstream, which signals your pancreas to release insulin. Third,the released insulin helps the glucose in your blood to enter your muscle, fat and liver cells so they can use it for energy or store it for later use. Fourth, when glucose enters your cells and the levels in your bloodstream decrease, it signals your pancreas to stop producing insulin. However for various reasons, your muscle, fat and liver cells can respond inappropriately to insulin, which means they cannot efficiently take up glucose from your blood or store it. This is insulin resistance. As a result, your pancreas makes more insulin to try to overcome your increasing blood glucose levels. Your pancreas senses high blood sugar, it makes more insulin to overcome the resistance and reduce your blood sugar.

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Over time, this can deplete the pancreas of insulin-producing cells, which is common in type 2 diabetes. Also, prolonged high blood sugar can damage nerves and organs. A person is most at risk of insulin resistance if they have prediabetes or a family history of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight or obese is another factor in developing type 2 diabetes.

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Here are a few natural ways to decrease your insulin sensitivity.

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Get more sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is important for one’s health. A lack of sleep on the other hand can be harmful and increases your risk for infections, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and more. Several studies have linked poor sleep to reduced insulin sensitivity. One study involving nine healthy volunteers found that getting just 4 hours of sleep in one night reduced insulin sensitivity and the ability to regulate blood sugar, compared with getting 8 1/2 hours of sleep. Getting plenty of sleep each day can help to regulate the hormones associated with feeling hungry, and to reduce the risk of glucose metabolism dysfunction. Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

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Exercise more

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to improve insulin sensitivity. Exercise helps move sugar into the muscles for storage and promotes an immediate increase in insulin sensitivity, which lasts 2–48 hours, depending on the exercise. For example, one study found that 60 minutes of cycling on a machine at a moderate pace improved insulin sensitivity for 48 hours among healthy volunteers. Resistance training also helps improve insulin sensitivity. Studies have also found an increased insulin sensitivity among men and women with or without diabetes. One study of overweight men, without diabetes, found that when participants performed resistance training over a 3-month period, their insulin sensitivity improved, independent of other factors like weight loss. While both aerobic and resistance training improve insulin sensitivity, combining both in your routine appears to be most effective.

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Healthier carbs

All carbs raise blood sugar. However sugary or processed “white carbs” will cause a more rapid spike. Rapid spikes of blood sugar put more demand on the pancreas to make insulin. Low glycemic carbs will cause a slower rise of blood sugar and insulin. Carb sources that are low-GI include dried beans and legumes, non-starchy vegetables, some starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, most fruit, and many whole grain breads and cereals (like barley, whole wheat bread, rye bread, and all-bran cereal) High glycemic carbs include: white bread, cornflakes, instant oatmeal, bagels, cakes and other sugary foods.

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Eat more fiber

Fiber has numerous health effects in the body including decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, weight management to name a few.  There are many different types of fiber often categorized into 2 major groups: soluble and insoluble. Most foods contain a combination of several different kinds of fiber. Insoluble fiber mostly acts as a bulking agent to help prevent constipation. Soluble fiber helps to lower cholesterol and keep you feeling full. Several studies have found a link between high soluble fiber intake and increased insulin sensitivity. This study showed that placing insulin-resistant individuals on a high-fiber diet (50 g) where the fiber comes not from supplements, but from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and selective grains, significantly improves insulin sensitivity after six weeks. A study in 264 women found that those who ate more soluble fiber had significantly lower levels of insulin resistance. Soluble fiber also helps feed the friendly bacteria in your gut, which have been linked to increased insulin sensitivity. Foods that are rich in soluble fiber include legumes, oatmeal, flaxseeds, sweet potatoes, avocado and fruits like apples and oranges.

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Foods rich in polyphenols.

Polyphenols are plant chemicals found in almost all fruit and vegetables. They have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and other biological properties, and may protect you from certain types of stress and diseases. Polyphenols derived from green tea and cocoa (70% or higher,) are two examples. Apples also are emerging as powerful facilitators of insulin responses as well as being potent anti-inflammatory compounds. Blueberries are rich sources of polyphenols. There are some clinical studies that suggest that these foods decrease insulin resistance. Resveratrol is another polyphenol found in the skin of red grapes, peanuts and some berries. Resveratrol may increase insulin sensitivity, especially in those with type 2 diabetes.

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Reduce intake of added sugars

There is a big difference between added sugars and natural sugars.

Natural sugars are found in sources like plants and vegetables, both of which provide lots of other nutrients. Conversely, added sugars are found in more highly processed foods. The two main types of sugar added during the production process are high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar, also known as sucrose. Both contain approximately 50% fructose.

Many studies have found that higher intakes of fructose can increase insulin resistance among people with diabetes. The effects of fructose on insulin resistance also appear to affect people who do not have diabetes, as reported in an analysis of 29 studies including a total of 1,005 people who were moderate weight and overweight or had obesity. The findings showed that consuming a lot of fructose over less than 60 days increased liver insulin resistance, independent of total calorie intake. Foods that contain a lot of added sugar are also high in fructose. This includes candy, sugar-sweetened beverages, cakes, cookies, and pastries. High intakes of fructose are linked to a higher risk of insulin resistance.

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Lose some weight.

If you are overweight, losing some weight may be the most important thing you can do to improve insulin sensitivity. As your fat cells get smaller, they become more sensitive to insulin. This means your body can make less insulin to get the blood sugar into the cells. Not only does it save your pancreas from overworking, it will lower the insulin levels in your blood which decreases health risks. The good news is that by losing 5-7% of your body weight you could improve insulin resistance. One study found that people with prediabetes who lost 5–7% of their total weight over six months reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 58% for the next three years.  For someone who weighs 200 pounds, that is a loss of around 10-20 pounds.

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Having insulin resistance or high levels of insulin in your blood can have numerous consequences on your health, ranging from mild to very serious. Here are some of them:

Carb craving, loss of energy, mood disorders, increased rates of depression, worsened symptoms of PCOS, weight gain and difficulty losing weight, high triglycerides, inflammation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, increased risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, elevated blood pressure and an increased risk of vascular diseases such as heart disease. Insulin resistance is definitely associated with health risks, but this information is not intended to scare anyone but rather to bring awareness of its dangers. The more insulin resistant you are, the greater the health risks but the good news is that diet and lifestyle can play a major role in decreasing insulin resistance, thereby improving your health.