Friends! You know for sure that you are not feeling well these days. And you’ve wondered more than once if you should really go see your doctor. If so, here are a few pointers...
 
Do you feel thirstier than ever before?
 
Have you had a sudden increase or loss of weight recently?
 
Has the recent wound on your left toe not healed even after several weeks?
 
Do your feet and palms feel numb lately?
 
Has your vision turned blurred of late?
 
Do you feel more weak and tired than ever before?
 
Have you been struck with the fact that you are not able to think as clearly as before?
 
These and a few more are sure signs that you probably suffer from either high or low blood sugar. Your doctor may call you “diabetic” after he conducts a few tests. As you’ve heard somewhere before, diabetes is a body condition that clearly affects the food we eat daily. In a normal healthy person, the body mechanism breaks the food he eats into many parts, one of which is glucose or commonly called sugar, which is essential to fuel the body. For glucose to be converted to energy, it must be diffused into the body cells. This process is facilitated easily in a normal individual by a hormone called Insulin; whereas, in a diabetic the insulin produced is insufficient, resulting in the glucose being precipitated into his regular bloodstream. This condition affects gradually all the body systems resulting in the symptoms we have noted before.
 
Diabetes was categorised by researchers over the years mainly into two types – Type 2, occurring more often in older individuals and the other less common called as Type1, found mainly in children and young adults. The symptoms in both kinds are generally the same like excessive thirst, blurred vision, and weight loss. There is one more kind known as gestational diabetes, found in women in their advanced stage of pregnancy.
 
Having said all of this, it must be stated that there is no need for undue alarm. Diabetes can be controlled if it is detected and treated early. A proper dietary check and lifestyle that goes with it will do the trick in a big way. Here are a few tips for achieving it...
 
Choose a definite time to having your meals. This may not sound much, but it helps to keep steady your insulin and sugar levels at acceptable levels. Eat 3 times in a day at the same time every day.
 
Have fibre in plenty. Green vegetables, pulses and fruits should be the right choice.
 
Avoid foods rich in sugar, fat and alcohol.
 
Alcoholic drinks are best avoided.
 
You should definitely give up on smoking, because it can lead more easily to heart disease.
 
Exercise mildly every day. A brisk walk in the park will help decrease fat and improves insulin levels. Diabetics require less insulin if they exercise regularly. However, consult with your doctor before you do heavy exercise.
 
Here are a few home remedies that can help...
 
Include a little of roasted bitter gourd in your meals as often as you can. Gourd contains a hypoglycaemic called ‘plant insulin’ that lowers the blood sugar levels.
 
Eat cooked Amla or gooseberry now and then as it is rich in vitamin C, a vitamin that reduces Sorbitol. Sorbitol is a kind of sugar that can pile up and damage the kidneys and the central nervous system of people who are diagnosed with diabetes.
 
Fenugreek reduces hyperglycaemia in diabetic patients.
 
You can also try Jamul and Madhurakshak preparations available in many stores selling ayurvedic medicines.
 
As it requires regular observation and care, diabetics are best advised to enrol themselves in the many diabetic care centers that have come up in several places in India and abroad. One of the best is in Chennai, India that goes under the name of M.V. Diabetes Research Center.
 
P.S. My sincere thanks to Dr. Vijay Viswanathan, Managing Director, M.V. Hospital for Diabetes, Chennai, for offering me his expertise in writing this article.
 
P.S.S. Optimum Diabetics is a scientifically formulated product to provide nutritional support for people with diabetes. Each supplement includes a complete, full-potency formulation of vitamins, minerals and standardized herbal extracts.