Herbal Collective Source

By Robin Reid

Diabetes is a health issue that I am very passionate about, especially since it is preventable for the most part. I have been volunteering with the Canadian Diabetes Association to get the word out about it.

There are 4 types of diabetes.

Type 1 is usually found in children and young adults. Current therory for the cause seems to be genetic or virual. The theories for the causes of the other 3 (Gestational, Type 2, and a combination of Type 1 and 2) are mostly lifestyle (diet, activity, emotional) which are preventable and treatable. Did you know that for every 2 pounds of weight increase, diabetes prevalence goes up 9%?

Our society has a deadly fascination with junk food. Sugary snacks; deep fried meals; processed fruits and vegetables rob our bodies of nutrients as these foods have little or no nutritonal value and our bodies have to use up nutrients in order to process these foods. Did you know that we are eating about 530 calories more than we did in 1970? Did you know that we are eating more of the WRONG foods, such as 60 lbs/year of cakes and cookies; 23 gallons/year of Ice cream; 51 lbs/year of French fries and about 610 cans of pop per year?

Why is this? First we are overwhelmed and undermined by too much sugar. This is causing us to eat more now than ever before as sugar undermines our bodies processes and steal nutrients. Our bodies seek nutrients to replace the negative calories caused by sugar. Did you know that we eat more sugar than vegetables, fruits, and eggs put together? Did you know that 100 yrs ago we consumed about 18 lbs of sugar/yr/adult while today it is about 176 lbs/yr/person?

Our eating habits have also changed dramatically as both parents work outside the home; we have new technologies for our kitchens; greater transportation availablity; media influences; and a greater variety of different foods available to us. Did you know that beginning in 1971 we started eating more processed foods than fresh? The eating habits of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents would be completely unrecognizable to many of us today.

Being physically active has changed as well. People use to walk a lot, rode horses, and expended a lot of calories-in their everyday jobs and chores. Today we need to make time to get exercise in our life, as for many people work is very sedentary.

You could say we are being stressed into Diabetes. Our society is predominately a lifestyle which is rushed and hectic. This taxes our glandular system including our adrenals, creating the “fight/flight syndrome which produces corticol. Corticol affects how the pancreas handles sugar and insulin both of which are involved with Diabetes.

Our environment is become toxic with industrial toxins, acidity water, air pollution which creates further stress on our glandular system including the adrenals and the pancreas. Added to that is tobacco smoking and caffeine intake from coffee, tea, chocolate, and pop. They all rob essential nutrients need for cell membrane function and enzyme reactions.

What is the answer you ask? Although some diabetics will require drugs to live, Nature holds the answer for most. You can achieve health through lifestyle and diet changes, including natural supplementation.

Begin by changing your diet to include more fresh vegetables, whole grains, organic protein, good fats, and fresh water. Concentrate on what you can have rather than focus on what you should not be eating. Increase your physical activity. Have fun with it! Add supplements to help control blood sugar and give the body the nutrients it needs to perform it’s functions. Start by adding a quality vitamin and mineral supplement, Essential Fatty Acids, and a multi-anti-oxidant as your base. If you are not eating enough Fiber, add in fiber. Then consider products that are specific to regulating blood sugar and building the pancreas. Most people with diabetes are lacking Chromium. Some herbs to consider are garlic, Gymnema, Fenugreek, bitter melon.

If you have tried a few drug store options or mail order supplements you may have already realized that even though the cheaper products may have similar ingredients, that they are not the same. Good products do make a difference. Just as your food should be of guaranteed quality, so should your supplements; free from dyes, fragrances, preservatives, substances that may dilute potency. Work with someone who knows natural alternatives and who has the time to work with you. The choice of a healthy lifestlye is yours to make!

Robin Reid runs Blue Rose Integrative Health and is a Natural Health, Nutritional & Lifestyle Consultant/Educator. www.BlueRose Health.com

This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec’08 issue of the Herbal Collective. www.herbalcollective.ca

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 at 3:51 pm and is filed under Diabetes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.