Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the diagnosed prevalence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) was predicted to grow annually by 0.93% in the US, and the diagnosed prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) was expected to grow annually by 1.8%, according to GlobalData, a leading data, and analytics company. As diabetes case numbers are expected to be further fuelled by COVID-19, and as the pathophysiology of COVID-19 induced diabetes is further explored, there will be more patients in need of targeted therapeutics.
COVID-19 may affect insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, either by directly damaging them or as a side effect of inflammation caused by the immune system fighting the virus, leading to T1D. The SARS-CoV-2 virus may also thrive in an environment of elevated blood glucose and could precipitate a relative insulin deficiency, or T2D.
The diabetes market has been a lucrative space for drug developers, as the disease is highly prevalent. The rising need for anti-diabetics and insulins provides a greater opportunity for drug developers to advance novel and more accessible therapeutics to the diabetic population.
To treat their condition, type II diabetes patients typically follow an expensive, time-consuming regimen of drugs and insulin injections. But these treatments do not cure diabetes. Patients can spend the rest of their lives fighting both the disease and the side effects of medication. They’re trapped in a vicious cycle that perpetuates their health problems.
This devastating condition affects millions of Americans who have pre-diabetic symptoms and conditions. For years, a Type 2 diagnosis by a doctor meant fighting a losing battle to live free of the condition. But the doctors were wrong!
The Three Most Common Lies about Type 2 Diabetes
1. Diabetes can’t be reversed.
2. Medications are the only thing available to “manage” your diabetes.
3. It’s a waste of your time and money to attempt to reverse diabetes with natural therapy.
Diabetes can be reversed and to say otherwise is a lie. Every month, more and more research is coming out proving that type 2 diabetes can be reversed. UCLA, WebMD, CNN, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, just to name a few, all say type 2 diabetes can be reversed.
Medications can “manage” your diabetes temporarily, but eventually, the meds stop working and more meds are given or higher doses of meds are given until eventually insulin is recommended as a last resort. Natural therapies are the only thing that will reverse your type 2 diabetes—period.
Medications will never reverse your type 2 diabetes because they were never designed to reverse it, just to keep you hooked on the meds every day for the rest of your life. This is how pharmaceutical companies become multibillion-dollar empires: by hooking billions of people on medication, not by reversing any disease.
Why are you being lied to?
There are two big fat reasons and three main players responsible for these lies:
1. Money
2. Ignorance
And the players responsible for these lies:
Pharmaceutical companies (lying for money)
Food manufacturers (lying for money)
The medical profession (lying from ignorance)
There is no financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies to reverse type 2 diabetes or any disease for that matter. You need to understand this fact before the rest of this article will make sense.
Pharmaceutical companies are multibillion-dollar empires because they don’t reverse or cure disease; they just treat and manage the disease. If everyone on earth were healthy and disease-free, no one would need to take any medications and the pharmaceutical companies would be out of business. If they made drugs that reversed diseases such as diabetes, people would only rake the medications temporarily and then get off the meds once they were cured. This also would bankrupt the pharmaceutical companies very quickly.
To treat their condition, type II diabetes patients typically follow an expensive, time-consuming regimen of drugs and insulin injections. But these treatments do not cure diabetes. Patients can spend the rest of their lives fighting both the disease and the side effects of medication. They’re trapped in a vicious cycle that perpetuates their health problems.
For those that believe the pharmaceutical industry has our best interests at heart, please see this list of the largest 20 settlements reached between the United States Department of Justice and various pharmaceutical companies from 1991 to 2012. The total is over $20 billion USD (back in 2012) and includes criminal and civil penalties. And as we go through that list what do we notice?
Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson are at the top of the list, and today, they are the main distributors for the death vaccines. Legal claims against the pharmaceutical industry have varied widely over the past two decades, including Medicare and Medicaid fraud, off-label promotion, and inadequate manufacturing practices. Yet, here we are today…as I have mentioned in my yesterday’s article, corporations and governments have merged and are now feeding off one another to perpetuate “health crises” for profit.
It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor.
According to The National Diabetes Statistics Report, which analyzes health data through 2015, 30.3 million Americans, or 9.4% of the population, had diabetes. Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes.
84.1 million Americans age 18 and older had prediabetes (a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but are not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. People with prediabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes and for heart disease and stroke. Other names for pre-diabetes are impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose.)
1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year and even with all the technologies, and treatments available, diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death in the United States with 79,535 death certificates listing it as the underlying cause of death, and a total of 252,806 death certificates listing diabetes as an underlying or contributing cause of death.
What will people with diabetes do when the hospital and pharmacies won’t be an option anymore? When the SHTF, and it will, there will be enough things to worry about other than staying healthy.
A quick trip to your local physician and you are back on track. So how should we prepare for when times are not so good and there is no doctor or emergency room? It is very important to understand that knowing what to do when medical care is needed may not only diminish the pain the injured party suffers—but make the difference between life and death.
What herbal therapies are available for diabetes and pre-diabetes?
Blood glucose and blood sugar are interchangeable terms, and both are crucial to the health of the body; especially for people with diabetes.
Most diabetics will be familiar with the terms blood glucose, blood glucose test, blood glucose level, and blood glucose meter, but what does blood glucose really mean? Why do blood sugar levels need to be controlled?
Blood sugar levels are literally the amount of glucose in the blood, sometimes called the serum glucose level. Usually, this amount is expressed as millimoles per liter (mmol/l) and stays stable amongst people without diabetes at around 4-8mmol/L.
Spikes in blood sugar will occur following meals, and levels will usually be at their lowest in the early mornings. When it comes to people with diabetes, blood sugar fluctuates more widely.
Many common herbs and spices are claimed to have a blood sugar lowering properties that make them useful for people with or at high risk of type 2 diabetes.
A number of clinical studies have been carried out in recent years that show potential links between herbal therapies and improved blood glucose control, which has led to an increase in people with diabetes using these more ‘natural’ ingredients to help manage their condition.
Plant-based therapies that have been shown in some studies to have anti-diabetic properties include:
Aloe Vera and Diabetes
Aloe vera is a product of the prickly but succulent aloe vera plant, which has been used in herbal medicine for thousands of years due to its healing, rejuvenating and soothing properties.
Native to the Caribbean, South Africa, and Latin America, the plant’s leaves contain a clear gel that is widely used in:
- Creams
- Lotions
- Shampoos
- Ointments
A bitter liquid is known as aloe latex, which can be derived from the skin of the leaves, is used in juice drinks, tablets, capsules, and dental care items such as toothpaste and mouthwash.
Preliminary research suggests that intake of aloe vera juice can help improve blood glucose levels and may, therefore, be useful in treating people with diabetes.
Aloe has also been linked with:
- Decreased blood lipids (fats) in patients with abnormally high levels of these molecules in the blood (e.g. some people with type 2 diabetes) and/or acute hepatitis (liver disease)
- Decreased swelling and faster healing of wound injuries. Leg wounds and ulcers are common complications of diabetes, and they typically take a longer time to heal than in healthy non-diabetic individuals.
These positive effects are thought to be due to the presence of compounds such as lectins, mannans, and anthraquinones.
What other health benefits does it have?
As well as being mainly used to help soothe and heal skin problems and irritations, aloe vera also:
- Supports digestive system health
- Helps treat constipation
- Helps the healing process in regards to both pain and inflammation
- Prevents scars after surgery
- Aids dental health
In addition, preliminary studies suggest that oral aloe vera gel may reduce symptoms and inflammation in patients with ulcerative colitis, which is a form of inflammatory bowel disease.
Bilberry Extract
Bilberries (scientific name: Vaccinium myrtillus) are a dark blue fruit, similar in appearance to blueberries but are smaller, softer, and darker.
Research studies indicate that a compound in bilberries, anthocyanosides, appears to promote blood vessel strength which could have protective properties against forms of retinal damage in people with diabetes.
What are anthocyanosides?
Anthocyanosides are a part of a class of nutrients called flavonoids that are found in a number of fruits and other plants.
Anthocyanosides are found abundantly in a number of purples, blue and red berries, and also in purple-colored vegetables.
Bilberry extract is not recognized as a treatment for diabetes but people with diabetes may notice that it helps in lowering blood glucose levels.
If you are on blood glucose-lowering medication that can bring on hypoglycemia, you may need to monitor your blood glucose levels and take precautions to ensure blood sugar levels don’t go too low.
What are the benefits of bilberry extract?
The following benefits have been observed from research studies into bilberries, bilberry extract, or anthocyanosides:
- Strengthens blood vessels
- Improves circulation
- Treats diarrhea
- Prevent cell damage
- Could help in treating retinopathy
- May help lower blood glucose levels
Bilberry extract and retinopathy
Retinopathy and maculopathy are both conditions of the retina in the eye that are more likely to develop in people with diabetes.
Research has shown that people with retinopathy that took bilberry extract during the study showed signs of strengthening of blood vessels in the retina and reduced hemorrhaging.
The research that has been carried out to date has been small scale and so whilst bilberry extract shows promise, researchers are yet to find out how much bilberry extract may be of help in limiting the development of retinopathy.
Bitter Melon and Diabetes
Bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd or karela (in India), is a unique vegetable fruit that can be used as food or medicine.
It is the edible part of the plant Momordica Charantia, which is a vine of the Cucurbitaceae family and is considered the most bitter among all fruits and vegetables.
The plant thrives in tropical and subtropical regions, including:
- South America
- Asia
- parts of Africa
- the Caribbean
The bitter melon itself grows off the vine as a green, oblong-shaped fruit with a distinct warty exterior – through its size, texture and bitterness vary between the different regions in which it grows – and is rich in vital vitamins and minerals.
How does it affect diabetes?
In addition to being a food ingredient, bitter melon has also long been used as a herbal remedy for a range of ailments, including type 2 diabetes.
The fruit contains at least three active substances with anti-diabetic properties, including charantin, which has been confirmed to have a blood glucose-lowering effect, vicine, and an insulin-like compound known as polypeptide-p.
These substances either work individually or together to help reduce blood sugar levels.
It is also known that bitter melon contains a lectin that reduces blood glucose concentrations by acting on peripheral tissues and suppressing appetite – similar to the effects of insulin in the brain.
This lectin is thought to be a major factor behind the hypoglycemic effect that develops after eating bitter melon.
Scientific evidence
A number of clinical studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of bitter melon in the treatment of diabetes.
In January 2011, the results of a four-week clinical trial were published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, which showed that a 2,000 mg daily dose of bitter melon significantly reduced blood glucose levels among patients with type 2 diabetes, although the hypoglycemic effect was less than a 1,000 mg/day dose of metformin. [68]
Other older studies have also suggested an association between bitter melon intake and improved glycemic control, while a report published in the March 2008 issue of Chemistry and Biology found that bitter melon increased cellular uptake of glucose and improved glucose tolerance. [69]
However, research published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology in 2007 failed to show any benefits of bitter melon for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, while another clinical review published two years later in the British Journal of Nutrition stated that more, better-designed and clinical trials are required to confirm the fruit’s role in diabetes treatment. [70]
What other health benefits does it have?
Bitter melon is used in traditional medicine for:
- Colic
- Fever
- Burns
- Chronic cough
- Painful menstruation
- Skin conditions
It is also used to heal wounds, assist childbirth and, in parts of Africa and Asia, prevent or treat malaria and viral diseases such as measles and chickenpox.
In addition, researchers from Saint Louis University in the US say they have shown that an extract from bitter melon can kill breast cancer cells and prevent them from growing and spreading.
Cinnamon and Diabetes
Cinnamon is a sweet but pungent spice that is derived from the inner bark of the branches of wild cinnamon trees, which grow in tropical areas across Southeast Asia, South America, and the Caribbean.
The use of cinnamon dates back thousands of years and was highly prized among many ancient civilizations.
Cinnamon, often used in cooking and baking, is increasingly being linked to improvements in the treatment of conditions such as diabetes mellitus.
Research has suggested that cinnamon can help to improve blood glucose levels and increase insulin sensitivity.
How does cinnamon affect diabetes?
Results from a clinical study published in the Diabetes Care journal in 2003 suggest that cassia cinnamon (cinnamon bark) improves blood glucose and cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes, and may reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. [71]
A daily intake of just 1, 3, or 6 grams was shown to reduce serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL, or bad cholesterol and total cholesterol after 40 days among 60 middle-aged diabetics.
Another study reported in the July 2000 edition of Agricultural Research Magazine found that consuming just 1g of cinnamon per day can increase insulin sensitivity and help manage or reverse type 2 diabetes.
In addition, a more recent analysis published in 2007 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that 6g of cinnamon slows stomach emptying and significantly reduces hyperglycemia after meals (postprandial blood glucose) without affecting satiety.
As a result of the scientific evidence available, many health experts claim that cinnamon contains properties that are beneficial for blood sugar regulation and the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
However, bear in mind that like many natural compounds cinnamon is yet to be medically approved for the prevention or treatment of any disease.
In addition to regulating blood glucose and lowering cholesterol, cinnamon has been shown to:
- Have an anti-clotting effect on the blood
- Relieve pain in arthritis sufferers
- Boost the body’s immune system
- Stop medication-resistant yeast infections
- Help in relieving indigestion
- Reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells
- Preserve food by inhibiting bacterial growth and food spoilage
- Be a great source of vital nutrients, including calcium, fiber, manganese, and iron
The majority of these health benefits are associated with the use of true cinnamon (also known as Ceylon cinnamon) and not cassia bark cinnamon, which is the species involved in most diabetes research.
Fenugreek and Diabetes
Fenugreek is an aromatic plant that has many uses, both culinary – fenugreek is a key ingredient of curries and other Indian recipes – and medicinal.
The plant, which is widely grown in South Asia, North Africa, and parts of the Mediterranean, has small round leaves and also produces long pods that contain distinctive bitter-tasting seeds.
The leaves are either sold as a vegetable (fresh leaves, sprouts, and microgreens) commonly known as methi or as an herb (dried leaves), while the seeds are used both whole and in powdered form as a spice.
As well as being a popular cooking ingredient, fenugreek has a number of health benefits and is used in both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine.
How does it affect diabetes?
Fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum graecum) are high in soluble fiber, which helps lower blood sugar by slowing down digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. This suggests they may be effective in treating people with diabetes.
Multiple studies have been carried out to investigate the potential anti-diabetic benefits of fenugreek.
Of these, several clinical trials showed that fenugreek seeds can improve most metabolic symptoms associated with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in humans by lowering blood glucose levels and improving glucose tolerance.
In one study, researchers in India found that adding 100 grams of defatted fenugreek seed powder to the daily diet of patients with insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes significantly reduced their fasting blood glucose levels, improved glucose tolerance, and also lowered total cholesterol, LDL, or ‘bad’ cholesterol and triglycerides.
In another controlled trial, incorporating 15 grams of powdered fenugreek seed into a meal eaten by people with type 2 diabetes reduced the rise in post-meal blood glucose, while a separate study found that taking 2.5 grams of fenugreek twice a day for three months lowered blood sugar levels in people with mild, but not severe, type 2 diabetes.
What other health benefits does it have?
Fenugreek seeds are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which help protect the body’s cells from damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals.
For centuries they have been (and are still) used by nursing mothers to help stimulate the production of breast milk during pregnancy and following childbirth. Due to their powerful antiviral properties, they are also commonly used as an herbal remedy for colds and sore throats.
In addition, researchers believe fenugreek seeds may be effective in the treatment of arthritis, high cholesterol, skin problems (wounds, rashes, and boils), bronchitis, abscesses, hair loss, constipation, upset stomach, kidney ailments, heartburn, male impotence, and other types of sexual dysfunction.
Ginger and Diabetes
Ginger is the thick-knotted underground stem (rhizome) of the plant Zingiber officinale that has been used for centuries in Asian cuisine and medicine.
Native to Africa, India, China, Australia, and Jamaica, it is commonly used as a spice or flavoring agent in cooking, as an alternative ‘herbal’ treatment for various ailments such as nausea and indigestion, and for fragrance in soaps and cosmetics.
The ginger rhizome can be used fresh, dried, and powdered, or as a juice or oil. It has a pungent and sharp aroma and adds a strong spicy flavor to the food and drink.
Effect on diabetes
Glycemic control
A study published in the August 2012 edition of the natural product journal Planta Medica suggested that ginger may improve long-term blood sugar control for people with type 2 diabetes.
Researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia, found that extracts from Buderim Ginger (Australian grown ginger) rich in gingerols – the major active component of the ginger rhizome – can increase uptake of glucose into muscle cells without using insulin, and may, therefore, assist in the management of high blood sugar levels.
Insulin secretion
In the December 2009 issue of the European Journal of Pharmacology, researchers reported that two different ginger extracts, spissum, and an oily extract, interact with serotonin receptors to reveres their effect on insulin secretion.
Treatment with the extracts led to a 35 percent drop in blood glucose levels and a 10 percent increase in plasma insulin levels.
Cataract protection
A study published in the August 2010 edition of Molecular Vision revealed that a small daily dose of ginger helped delay the onset and progression of cataracts – one of the sight-related complications of long-term diabetes – in diabetic rats.
It’s also worth noting that ginger has a very low glycemic index (GI). Low GI foods break down slowly to form glucose and therefore do not trigger a spike in blood sugar levels as high GI foods do.
Other health benefits
Ginger has been used as an herbal therapy in Chinese, Indian, and Arabic medicine for centuries to aid digestion, combat the common cold and relieve pain.
Its powerful anti-inflammatory substances, gingerols, make it an effective pain reliever and it is commonly used to reduce pain and swelling in patients with arthritis and those suffering from other inflammation and muscle complaints.
In fact, ginger is said to be just as effective as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but without gastrointestinal side effects.
Other medical uses of ginger include treatment of:
- Bronchitis
- Heartburn
- Menstrual pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Upset stomach
- Diarrhea
- Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI)
Okra
Okra is fast gaining a reputation as a so-called ‘superfood’ for people with or at risk of diabetes or cancer.
Commonly referred to as ladyfingers, or by its biological names Abelmoschus esculentus and Hibiscus esculentus, okra is known to have a positive effect on blood sugar control, among many other health benefits.
What is Okra?
Okra is a tall-growing vegetable that traces its origin from ancient Ethiopia (Abyssinia) through to Eastern Mediterranean, India, the Americas, and the Caribbean.
Parts of the plant (immature okra pods) are widely used vegetables in tropical countries and are typically used for making soups, stews, or fried/boiled vegetables.
These tender pods are very low in calories, providing just 30 calories per 100 g, and contain no saturated fats or cholesterol. They are also rich in nutrients, completely non-toxic, and have no adverse side effects.
How can it help treat diabetes?
Evidence of okra having anti-diabetic properties has increased in recent years, with multiple Vitro (laboratory) and Vivo (animal) studies confirming okra as a potent blood glucose-lowering (or anti-diabetic) food.
In one study, published 2011 in the Journal of Pharmacy & BioAllied Sciences, researchers in India found that diabetic mice fed dried and ground okra peels and seeds experienced a reduction in their blood glucose levels, while others showed a gradual decrease in blood glucose following regular feeding of okra extract for about ten days.
Outside of scientific research, many people with diabetes have reported decreasing blood sugar levels after soaking cut-up okra pieces in water overnight and then drinking the juice in the morning, while in Turkey roasted okra seeds have been used as a traditional diabetes medicine for generations.
What’s behind this effect?
The superior insoluble fiber contained in okra is believed to help stabilize blood glucose by slowing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.
Other health benefits
Because okra is a rich source of dietary fiber, important vitamins and minerals, and powerful antioxidants, the vegetable is known to be beneficial for health in a number of ways.
These include:
- Preventing and improving constipation
- Lowering cholesterol
- Reducing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colorectal cancer
- Improving energy levels and improving symptoms of depression
- Helping to treat sore throat, irritable bowel, ulcers, and lung inflammation
Allium
Allium sativum is more commonly known as garlic and is thought to offer antioxidant properties and micro-circulatory effects. Although few studies have directly linked allium with insulin and blood glucose levels, results have been positive.
Allium has been used safely since ancient times as both food and medicine in human populations, but studies of its efficacy in the management of diabetes have yielded conflicting results.
This study has evaluated the potential hypoglycemic effects of garlic in type 2 diabetic patients. The study was conducted in diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients (n=60) with fasting blood sugar levels above 126 mg/dl to evaluate the effects of adding garlic tablets with standard antidiabetic therapy on blood sugar.
Patients were divided randomly into 2 groups. Group 1 (n=30) was given tablet Garlic (KWAI) 300 mg thrice daily + Metformin 500 mg twice daily and Group 2 (n=30) was given Placebo+Metformin 500 mg twice daily respectively for 24 weeks. Serum lipids and fasting blood glucose were measured at weeks 0, 12, and week 24. Group1 showed a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar at week 24 with a percentage decrease of (-3.12 percent) (P = <0.005) as compared to group 2 (0.59 percent).
At the end of week 24, GR1 group also showed considerable decrease in mean total cholesterol (6.2 mg/dl, -2.82%, P=<0.005), LDL-C (-3 mg/dl, 2.18% P=<0.005), triglycerides (-5.2 mg/dl, 3.12%, P<0.005) while HDL cholesterol was significantly increased (2.36 mg/dl, 6.72%, P<0.005) as compared to GR2 group. A combination of garlic with a typical antidiabetic remedy has been shown to improve glycemic control in addition to antihyperlipidemic activity. Garlic may be a good addition to the management of patients with diabetes and hyperlipidemia.
Allium may cause a reduction in blood glucose, increase secretion, and slow the degradation of insulin. Limited data is available, however, and further trials are needed. (Click to Source)
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