Reprinted Articles

Diabetes is one of the few diseases, the fallacies about which far outnumber the facts. The reasons behind this are many. For one, diabetes is still a disease which has still not been completely explored and with every development, there pops up a bundle of half-truths which can be as counter-effective as they are misinformed. Also, many not-so-scrupulous entrepreneurs, who are looking to make a quick buck, hop on to the diabetes bandwagon with their self-proclaimed infallible cures, which further add to all the erroneous beliefs about diabetes. On a secondary level, these misconceptions also lead the layman to distrust several other alternative ways of treating diabetes, some of which may even be more beneficial than the one he is accustomed to. A noteworthy example of such highly misunderstood forms of diabetes treatment is traditional Chinese medicine.

The crux of the effectiveness of Chinese medication lies in the fact that it was one of the very first to isolate the symptoms of diabetes and develop a systematic pattern of treatment based on the degree to which the disease had advanced. The 2,000 year old Chinese medical literature documents all the observations made, as well as the treatments which were administered. These have piqued the curiosity of researchers in recent times, given the fact that the occurrence of Diabetes in the Chinese is only at about 0.67%… a welcome relief from the astronomical American percentage of 2.2%.

Chinese medicine is also known to abide by the principle of treating every stage of diabetes individually and as per the particular characteristics which are typical to it which is also a practice adopted by more modern Western physicians. The Chinese moniker for diabetes is depletion-thirst disease, which refers to the excessive urination that the high levels of blood glucose, which are a basic characteristic of this disease, bring about. What’s more, the Chinese method of treating diabetes begins right at the pre-diabetic phase, which is believed to be brought about by an imbalance in the body’s yin, yang and qi, which in turn brings about a host of complications.

Chinese medicine characterizes pre-diabetes by a deficiency of yin in the body, triggering the release of a tremendous amount of heat within the body. Treatment at this stage includes herbs like glehnia, adenophora and asparagus root which serve a dual purpose of nourishing the yin and augmenting the fluid levels in the body, while also healing the lungs, heart and stomach. These herbs also prevent the heat in the body from developing into ‘Dry Heat’ which bears with it a host of more severe implications.

If this yin deficiency is allowed to progress to the next level where dry heat is produced in the body, the qi and yan balances are disrupted, bringing about further yin and yang deficits. To restore the qi, the Chinese use herbs like ginseng, astragalus, and atractylodes, which also counter symptoms like fatigue and digestive imbalances like excessive appetite, bought about by hypoglycemia, or very low blood glucose. The third stage develops rapidly, once the second is attained, and includes further imbalances in the qi, yin and yang. Here, the individual is prescribed herbs like cinnamon, aconite and cornus which function as kidney and liver tonics while also enhancing the blood circulation.

Dietary practices are a significant factor in determining how effective the diabetes treatment is or even if the individual develops this disease at all. The Chinese diet, when reviewed has been found to be one of the most conductive to diabetes treatment and prevention with its minimal use of diary products and thus saturated fats as well as the absence of processed foods. The Chinese are also known to use foodstuffs like the Chinese yam, bitter melon and accompany their meals with ginseng tea, which are also known to boast of significant glucose controlling properties.

Modern medicine has begun to study the traditional Chinese treatments in minute detail, on account of the systematic and scientific process adopted in their manner of treating diabetes and also because of the statistically proved advantage this way of treatment has in diabetes management and treatment. Certain herbal therapies and treatments have also been officially approved as safe and effective, prompting extensive research to be conducted on the various nuances of this form of medication. When it comes to controlling your diabetes, options are many and close at hand. All you need to do is take a closer look at alternatives and be willing to try new practices with an open mind with your physician’s approval. As the adage goes, there’s no better time to start than ‘right now’. So, why wait any longer? Take control of your diabetes today and bid adieu to all the myriad obstacles that stand between you and a long, fulfilling life!