More and more people today have problems with their blood sugar levels being too high, which often leads to a diagnosis of type II diabetes. This is a chronic disease that can cause many health problems and early death if left untreated. The good news is that by making changes in your diet and lifestyle, many people have significantly lowered their blood sugar and even gotten rid of diabetes.* Type II diabetics do produce insulin, but it is not used properly in the body, and hence the cells don’t get enough glucose or the nutrients they need and instead the sugar Glucotrust pill is left in excess in the bloodstream. In fact, often they produce a lot of insulin, but because it is not being properly utilized, and this high insulin level causes inflammation and other problems in the body.
Common Symptoms
High blood sugar, fatigue and excess urination are the key symptoms of diabetes. You may also have constant hunger with rapid weight gain, dry, itching skin, obesity, high blood pressure and/or accelerated aging.
Common Causes
Many think that type II diabetes may develop at least in part by eating an excess of sugar over a long period of time. This excess of sugar causes your body to produce lots of insulin to try to take care of the overload, and this seems somehow over time to damage the cell receptors that allow the sugar inside. When the cells are insulin-resistant, and they do not accept much sugar — this sugar is instead seen in excess in the blood. In addition, when you eat white sugar, you are not just eating “empty” calories, but what I call “negative” calories. This is because your body uses up minerals, B vitamins and other nutrients in processing that white sugar which is completely devoid of vitamins and minerals! Too many refined foods, especially too much trans fatty acids, can also be a cause, according to many researchers. In addition, low pH and many vitamin, mineral and other nutritional deficiencies can also contribute to developing this insulin resistance.
Some researchers think that our over exposure to chemicals (especially heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium) in our environment today is contributing to the rising incidence of diabetes. Others think that this disease is linked to infection in the pancreas, which may be viral or parasitic in origin. Like with many diseases, there is probably more than one cause, and the causes may be different in different people.
Vitamins, Minerals and Herbal Remedies
There are some studies that show that many vitamins and minerals can help those with blood sugar problems, but some of those that are the most helpful include antioxidants like vitamins B, C and E*. The antioxidants are important because the excess sugar in the blood seems to cause a lot of free radical damage, and the antioxidant vitamins can help counteract that. Vitamins A, B, C and E are all excellent antioxidants, as well as the mineral selenium and ALA/DHLA. Green tea is also high in antioxidants and has shown great promise in helping with blood sugar problems.* The B Complex vitamins are often low in diabetics, perhaps because the excess sugar causes more B to be used up. Vitamin C can also help reduce complications that come with diabetes, like heart disease and blindness*. It can also help to increase insulin tolerance and normalize pancreatic activity.* Vitamin E can also help prevent heart problems*, which are 2 to 4 times more prevalent in diabetics.
Vitamin A is also crucial to diabetics, and vitamin D is needed for the production of insulin*. These are both found in high vitamin cod liver oil or could be taken separately; just make sure and get one with the natural forms of vitamins A and D — some cod liver oils take out the natural one, and add back in the synthetic forms! Cod liver oil has been shown to improve glucose response and other markers of diabetes in several studies*. In fact, some have shown it to be more effective than drugs in controlling excessive blood sugar levels! It has also been shown to lower blood pressure caused by stress-elevated levels of cortisol*. The vitamin A in cod liver oil promotes healing and can protect the retina*, both concerns for diabetics. The vitamin D in cod liver oil promotes the absorption of minerals, like magnesium and calcium, and can therefore reduce blood pressure.* Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) and DHLA are vitamin-like enzymes needed for converting glucose into chemical energy, or ATP.
