An Integrative Approach to Diabetes

How would you feel if your doctor told you that you had adult-onset diabetes? What would it mean to you? Jackie said she was numb at first. Mick initially felt sad and angry with himself. He regretted the wake-up calls he’d ignored in the past. He was sure it would change his life for the worse.

Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. Nearly one in 10 people now have it or are in danger of developing it. Halle Berry, Randy Jackson, and Patti LaBelle all have type II diabetes. In addition to genetics, risk factors include poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, and stress. Mick's doctor did his best to frighten him into taking medications. He told about the risks of untreated diabetes: blindness, heart disease, leg amputation, and kidney failure.

All illness is an opportunity to look at your life more closely and find ways to get more balanced. Rather than using fear to motivate you, my goal is to help you have the desire to live a healthy life. In the case of adult-onset diabetes, lifestyle is the key to healing. A study just published from Johns Hopkins University showed that 58 percent of overweight people studied avoided diabetes by maintaining a 10-pound weight loss for a duration of three years and walking 30 minutes per day.

I like to tell my clients to avoid “white” foods. Most white-colored foods are processed, high carbohydrate foods that have little or no nutritional value. They include pasta, bread, white rice, sugar, and many baked goods. The best diet has no packaged, processed, or modified food. The outer aisles of the grocery store have the fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean protein of a more nutritious diet. Good quality fats such as nuts, plant oils, and ocean-caught fish are essential to the health of the immune, hormone, and nervous systems.

Many supplements address the physiological deficiencies that cause diabetes. Alpha lipoic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, L. acetyl carnitine, L. carnosine, chromium, and vanadium help the body recognize insulin and use it more efficiently. Herbs such as fenugreek, gymnemna sylvestre, licorice, holy basil, and bitter melon balance the digestive system, adrenal hormones, and liver to normalize blood sugar levels.

Coping with stress was recently discovered to be another important factor in the natural healing of diabetes. Many of my clients recount that during or after particularly stressful times their blood sugar levels got worse. One client reduced her blood sugar 50 points one morning just listening to soothing music. Regular yoga has also been shown to help improve blood sugar management by reducing stress.

Mick has lost more than 20 pounds so far and is feeling much better on his diet. He still enjoys the occasional treat. With the right attitude, diabetes is a motivator to help you find better balance and awareness of your body.