Diabetes is a killer disease of the modern age. It affects nearly 8% of the American population and rapidly spreading across the globe. Once diabetes is diagnosed, the patient in consultation with a doctor needs to decide on therapy and treatment to control it. There are several conventional and unconventional therapies available for controlling diabetes.
Treatment For Different Types Of Diabetes
Medication is an important part of the conventional therapy. It is prescribed according to the type of diabetes the person is suffering from. In Type 1 Diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin. People who have this kind of diabetes need to insulin injections to compensate for its deficiency in the body.
In Type II diabetes, the insulin produced by the pancreas fails to have adequate effect on cells. There are many drugs that can be prescribed to correct this. The doctor prescribes one, taking into consideration the specific details of the case.
Conventional therapy also includes making certain lifestyle changes such as adopting a daily exercise routine and dietary modification to cut down the intake of sugar and fat along with supplementing the diet with fiber rich foods. Promoting vegetarianism is also an important part of the therapy. Certain foods like peas, broccoli, okra, sage, fenugreek, buckwheat and Brewer’s Yeast are known to help control diabetes. So, the use of these foods is actively being promoted among diabetic sufferers.
Conventional therapy also means that the patient has to monitor sugar levels vigilantly, taking care that the levels do not rise or fall sharply and suddenly.
If you are worried about the side effects of drugs, you may also consider some alternative therapies like Ayurveda and Chinese medicines.
Ayurveda is an Indian medicine system that has a holistic approach towards controlling diabetes. It advocates the inclusion of complex carbohydrates in the diet to replace simple ones, and advises to drastically cut down on the intake of sugar of all kinds. Herbal medicines, yoga and panchakarma (which is a cleansing technique using massages), as well as fasting are also promoted by this therapy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is the mainstream therapy in countries such as China and Korea. This therapy focuses on strengthening the endocrine and circulatory systems and advocates the use of acupuncture for relief.
Homeopathy is a therapy that believes that the intake of harmful substances if taken in minute quantities is beneficial. A qualified homeopathic doctor should be consulted if one wants to take up this line of treatment.
Various dietary and herbal supplements have also been recommended by many. Dietary supplements should always be taken under the doctor’s expert guidance and the quantity should never exceed the recommended daily dose.
Along with this, there are other therapies too such as hydrotherapy, chromotherapy and aromatherapy which have their own band of followers. However, more research is required to prove the efficacy of these treatments.