Natural Ways to Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Diabetes Mellitus or simply diabetes is regarded as the most common disease these days. Affecting people of both older and younger generation, diabetes is usually a set of related diseases where our body fails to control the rise of glucose level in our blood. In this article we will discuss what is Diabetes Mellitus? Can blood sugar level be controlled naturally?

Human body usually manages blood sugar levels by producing insulin, a hormone that allows your cells to use the circulating sugar in your blood. As such, insulin is the most important regulator of blood sugar levels.(reference)

Internal causes for high blood sugar include when your liver produces too much glucose, your body makes too little insulin, or your body can’t effectively use insulin. The latter is known as insulin resistance (1).

Signs of Diabetes:

As discussed earlier, Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Now clear up the haze from the signs of diabetes.

Frequent Urination:

When the blood sugar level is high, our kidneys expel the excess blood sugar from the body. This results frequent urination.

Increased Thirst:

Because of the high blood sugar level our kidneys work overtime to expel extra sugar, causing frequent urination. This process also flushes out valuable fluids from the tissues, causing increased thirst.

Fatigue:

The surge in the blood sugar level prompts our body organs to work hard to expel the excess blood sugar. It causes fatiguing effects.

Blurred Vision:

High blood sugar can cause damage to the small blood vessels of the eye, resulting in a swollen lens that can cause blurred vision.

Enhanced Hunger:

As your body organs tirelessly try to expel excessive blood sugar, your body may not get the required energy. This overtime working of body organs need frequent energy to function, causing the increased feelings of hunger.

Unexplained Weight Loss:

The excessive discharge of glucose starts burning fat and muscle, causing weight loss.

Delayed Healing:

Besides causing blurred vision, excessive glucose also slowed the process of healing cuts and wounds. It is because it’s harder for blood to reach the affected area.

Tingling or Numbness in the Hands or Feet:

High blood sugar can have a significant impact on nerves. This damage can start with feelings of tingling or numbness and can escalate to pain or neuropathy over time.

Types of Diabetes:

There are usually three types of diabetes, i.e. Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes and Gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children whose pancreas has been either destroyed due to excess consumption of alcohol, any other disease or removed by surgery. It also results from the failure of pancreatic beta cells that are responsible for producing a significant amount of insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes need insulin treatment to keep them alive.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body cells fail to react to the produced insulin. It is mostly seen in people above 45 years of age though young people are also falling victim to the same. However, Type 2 diabetes can be controlled by proper diet, medication, exercise and weight loss, though cannot be totally eradicated. On the other hand, Gestational diabetes occurs on the second half of pregnancy and resolves soon after the delivery. But these women become more prone to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes later in life.

Other types of diabetes include those caused by:

Genetic defects of the beta cells, (the part of the pancreas that makes insulin) such as maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) or neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM)

Diseases of the pancreas or conditions that damage the pancreas, such as pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis

Excess amounts of certain hormones resulting from some medical conditions such as cortisol in Cushing’s syndrome that work against the action of insulin

Medications that reduce insulin action, such as glucocorticoids, or chemicals that destroy beta cells(Ref.)

Health Impact of Diabetes:

Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

Adults with diabetes have a two- to three-fold increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Combined with reduced blood flow, neuropathy (nerve damage) in the feet increases the chance of foot ulcers, infection and eventual need for limb amputation.

Diabetic retinopathy is an important cause of blindness, and occurs as a result of long-term accumulated damage to the small blood vessels in the retina. Close to 1 million people are blind due to diabetes.

Diabetes is among the leading causes of kidney failure(3).

Tips to Lower Blood Sugar Naturally:

Whatever be the type, diabetes cannot be eradicated but can be kept under control. You can visit the doctor to undergo proper medication in order to control the blood sugar level. There are also easy ways to lower blood sugar levels naturally. You need to make some serious effort to control blood sugar level. Below are some natural ways on how you can keep your glucose level under control.

• Exercise is the best way to resolve most of the health issues. Proper exercise not only reduces your blood sugar level in minutes but also shed those extra kilos that may be aiding diabetes and reducing the effect of medication.
• Increasing the amount of Vinegar to prepare your food. The acetic acid in vinegar stabilizes the blood glucose levels after you have your meals.
• Cinnamon is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant spice that enhances insulin’s ability to reduce the glucose in blood. All you need is to spread one gram of cinnamon powder on your food everyday while eating. Cloves are also useful for this purpose.
• Salacia, an ayurvedic herb, normalizes blood glucose and insulin levels in your body. It comprises two potent alpha-glycosidase inhibitors that support healthy blood lipids and bring down blood glucose levels within minutes after consumption.
• You can increase consumption of grapefruits, tomatoes, tangelos, pears and Seville oranges that contain high amount of Vitamin C and Naringenin that further reduce the risk of insulin resistance.
• You can consume high amount of soluble fiber in the form of lima beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, oatmeal, ground psyllium seeds and Brussels sprouts that slows digestion thus preventing the glucose level to rise immediately after you have your meals.
• Drinking unsweetened green tea and decaf coffee also help reduce the amount of glucose in your blood.

Well! Apart from the above there are, definitely, many other natural means to control blood sugar. The best natural way is to sleep well and relax yourself in stressful situations. Keep healthy!