I’ve had type 1 (insulin dependent) Diabetes for almost 10 years and I was wondering if any one had information on alternative therapies. I understand they are doing Islet of Langerhans Transplants in UK, but does anyone have any personal stories or good site to explore the alternatives.
There are some natural supplements that have benefits for type 1 diabetes.
They are:
Alpha lipoic acid
B complex
Chromium
Fenugreek
Fiber and Flax seed oil
Garlic
Magnesium
There may be others but this will get you started.
Here is a website that will give you more information on the benefits of these supplements.
Good luck to you.
Tags : anyone, information, type, type 1
File under : Type 1 Insulin Dependent Diabetes
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November 30th, 2009 at 5:16 am
Hi,
You might want to read both of these books, and take advantage of their advice.
Dr.Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes.
The PH Miracle for Diabetes, by Dr. Young.
Dr. Barnard writes that many who live with a Asian diet of mainly rice and vegetables, with a little meat to flavor the food are not diabetic until they move to America, where they change to a meat based diet with a little vegetables for flavor.
Try eating a little oatmeal with some cinnamon for breakfast.
You might also want to get a book that lists the glycemic index for foods. A lower glycemic index number is slower changed from calories into blood sugars. Adding cinnamon will further slow the blood sugar absorption rate.
I also bought a book that shows how acidic some foods are, and how alkaline other foods are. Most meats, cheese, milk, and other things with animal fats turn acidic when eaten. Things that typically are alkaline are vegetables, rice, and things like that.
Dr. Young says that once you are more alkaline, that your insulin can become more efficient, and effective, and also the pancreas might start to produce some insulin. You can also become less insulin resistant too.
My choice is to drink alkaline water. You can place a wanted add on Craigslist.com, and normally someone with a machine will be willing to offer some free water for a month or so. Yes they have them in England. Ask for 8.5 PH alkaline water. After a couple of weeks, start to drink 9.5 PH water, and your health should start to improve. I have not had a cold in 1 year, the same time I started to drink the water.
Dr. Young and Dr. Barnard say that they have had both type 1 and type 2 diabetics improve their lives, and both types are able to reduce medication levels once they improved their diet. You can even change from insulin resistant to being not insulin resistant IF you want to make the diet changes.
Good Luck!
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 6:06 am
exercise and ampalaya juice or supplements..they are the best…
References :
mickey_minnie988@yahoo.com
November 30th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Your first two responders are thinking of type 2 diabetes. The only current treatment for type 1 is insulin, and that’s it. Sorry, I do wish there were more.
References :
Mom of toddler with type 1 diabetes.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:07 am
The transplants are a complete last resort.
You will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of your life, which are far, far worse.
Your immune system will be a mess, you could die from a cold, you could never have alcohol again.
The drugs increase your risk of tumours, cancer. They also reduce your white count significantly, hypertention, anemia, high blood cholesterol.
Plus, those are the GOOD side effects. Rejection will leave you exactly where you started, with the risk of surgery.
It’s a complete last ditch attempt when yu are on death’s door.
If you’re anywhere near healthy, it’s not worth it.
My friend has a transplant, and I can tell you, i’d really, honestly, 100% always have diabetes rather than the troubles she has.
Eventually, they hope tyo be able to grow new cells from our own. Now that would be worth it !
But, there isn’t any realistic alternative to insulin. We need insulin forever, and injections / pump are the easiest way to get it.
References :
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/pancreaticislet/
November 30th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Proponents of stem cell research (and I am one of them) say that we might be able to find a way to have the diabetic’s body produce its own working Islets of Langerhans cells. I’d like to have my body produce its own insulin again.
As someone else said, transplants bring on their own problems. The patient has to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life, or the new organ(s) will be rejected by the body. Usually, patients who have the I of T cells transplanted are getting other transplants, as well, such as heart or liver or lung, and they are just getting the I of T transplants because they’ll have to be on the anti-rejection drugs anyway.
I would suggest joining a diabetes organization and/or discussion forum. Discussion forums can be full of misinformation, though, so beware of what you believe.
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 8:15 am
http://www.jdrf.org has a lot of information about current research and where it’s headed. There is even some information in participating in clinical trials.
State of the art right now is an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor. The CGM, while not accurate enough to replace a glucose meter, provides information about spikes and trends of highs and lows. It is a useful tool to help manage your blood sugar.
Hopefully scientists will be able to unlock the secrets of stem cells soon. There’s also hope of an "artificial pancreas" which is a combination glucose monitor-insulin pump system, but even that seems to be years away.
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 8:30 am
There are some natural supplements that have benefits for type 1 diabetes.
They are:
Alpha lipoic acid
B complex
Chromium
Fenugreek
Fiber and Flax seed oil
Garlic
Magnesium
There may be others but this will get you started.
Here is a website that will give you more information on the benefits of these supplements.
Good luck to you.
References :
http://www.enjoying-life-with-diabetes.com/supplements.html
November 30th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I’m type 2 insulin dependent. The last
time I checked, there were several very
promising research programs in
progress. One involved injection of
insulin producing cells in the body.
Another is a pancreatic transplant
which has already been done
successfully in Europe.
Both of these sound promising
although I don’t see much advantage
in the transplant approach. It appears
to be a tradeoff between insulin
injections on the one hand and anti
rejection drugs on the other.
Look the American Diabetes Association
up on the internet. Also, set up an RSS
feed to your computer for diabetic
advances.
Good luck
References :
The ADA and personal observation of news
items in this area of interest.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:31 am
there are different insulins that have been developed since you were diagnosed. There are also natural ways to control sugar. These natural ways include cinnamon, stevia, glucobalance and several others. If your GP is up to the challenge ask for alternatives to help your body use the insulin it produces naturally. It might be that you are insulin resistant. If you are tired of jabbing yourself, ask GP if there are other means available to you for treatment.
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 10:00 am
if you dont like injecting yourself, they acutally have inhalable insulin…just breathe it in your lungs! no shots needed!
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 10:22 am
The problem with Type 1 Diabetes is that your pancreas produces NO insulin. Therefore, that hormone MUST be replaced — or you die.
Islet transplants are, at present, experimental. They have NOT been approved for general use.
There is also some research using stem cell transplants, but this is only being experimented with in animals (rats) at the present time.
Another option is a pancreas transplant. the problem with this is that the survival rate is only about 50%. In other words, 50% of pancreas transplant patients die within 5 years. Doctors are VERY hesitant to recommend this option.
And of course, insulin is destroyed by stomach acids, so there are no "insulin pills" — insulin can be take ONLY by injection.
Right now, your best advice is to "hunker down for the long haul". There is not much news along the lines of NEW therapies being available soon. 10, 15, 20 years out — maybe. but right now, no.
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I understand what you are saying, I found an article that may be of some help to you.
References :
http://ezinearticles.com/?You-Can-Now-Get-a-Free-Diabetic-Diet-Plan-to-Help-Prevent-Diabetes&id=2468107</A><BR><BR>
November 30th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Unfortunately the only treatment for Type 1 is insulin. Yes there are ways to help manage it by adding other tricks to your diet, routine or supplements, but that goes IN HAND with insulin.
I have a co-worker who had the transplant, but is having several issues because of it. For one he is on meds to keep his body from rejecting the new organs and attacking itself. Another is that the transplant does not completely cure the situation and there are small flaws to which he must still follow a proper diet. Not as strict as before, but its not exactly like going back to the days before being diagnosed with diabetes.
From what I understand there are "eligibility" rules for being a candidate. You have to in fact be in extremely poor health ironically and it is done only if absolutely necessary. Prior to the transplant he had kidney failure. The procedure for him included kidneys and the pancreas.
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Most alternative methods are still being tested and arent approved to use yet. i know they are testing inhalable insulin and various transplants. i know a blood sugar monitoring wrist watch is available
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
This is an article I found interesting on stem cell transplantation.
I also read somewhere they were trying to transplant beta cells into the pancreas.
I think it will be a long time before there are any good cures for diabetes that are not more of a risk for the patient than living with the diabetes and taking care of yourself to the very best of your ability.
In my personal case I am probably healthier since finding out I was diabetic. I have stopped most sugar and all carbonated drinks. I did not even know what a carbohydrate was!!
Best of Luck!
References :
http://www.daily-diabetic.com/50226711/stem_cell_transplantation_benefits_type_1_diabetics.php
November 30th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Have you ever considered gluten free? Gluten intolerance is very common in diabetics.
Also, a more radical approach, but one that has a lot of anecdotal evidence is a raw foods diet. Many people have claimed to have tremendous benefits from raw food diets.
References :
November 30th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Lots of good comments here (and some bad advice, too).
My only comment is that, at least in the US, the inhaled insulin is no longer available. There were not enough sales for the company to continue making it. There were also issues of inconsistent dosages that the user received, as well as reports of diminished lung capacity.
Too bad, because I thought that might be worth trying instead of injections – although, the injections are simple, predictable and rarely painful.
References :