Is there an effective type II diabetes diet drug?
When we look at questions concerning type II diabetes control, diet, drug, exercise and dietary supplements are all mentioned. There are conventional, complementary and alternative treatments for type II diabetes, all of which may be helpful, but right now, there is no cure, only treatment and control. This article was written in response to questions concerning a new type II diabetes diet drug. Here’s what we learned.

In July of 2007, Johns Hopkins University published a systematic review of the comparative safety and effectiveness of drugs used to treat type II diabetes. The researchers wrote, “As newer oral diabetes agents continue to emerge on the market, comparative evidence is urgently required to guide appropriate therapy.” After analyzing the data from 216 controlled trials and 2 systematic reviews that addressed the possible risks associated with type II diabetes drugs, the researchers concluded that newer more expensive drugs are not more effective than older drugs, such as Metformin.

The active ingredient in Metformin was originally derived from a plant. The French lilac or Galega officinalis in botanical terminology had been used for centuries to reduce the symptoms of type II diabetes. It is sometimes referred to as a diabetes control diet drug, because it is particularly effective when a patient is overweight or obese. The researchers at Johns Hopkins found that most of the newer drugs caused people to gain weight.

Metformin is one of the most commonly prescribed prescription drugs in the United States. The method of action of these drugs is not completely understood. It is interesting that many health care professionals object to the use of herbal and botanical remedies because their method of action is not understood. Recently, it was noted that Avandia increased the risk of heart attack and a safety alert was issued by the FDA. Actos is believed to be safer, but studies have shown that both drugs affect the levels of cholesterol in the blood stream and have similar molecular activity.

In the book “Death by Medicine”, the authors estimate that 106,000 deaths every year are caused by prescription drugs, due to either doctor error or adverse reactions. That number is more than the number of people who died from diabetes mellitus (72,815) in 2004.

It is doubtful that anyone would want to take a type II diabetes diet drug that could cause the number of deaths associated with other diet drugs, such as the recalled Ephedra and Fen-fen. Changes in diet and increased exercise may be the safest and most effective treatments for type II diabetes, but energy levels are a problem for many diabetics. Herbs, such as green tea, can help with energy levels.

Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a health writer. Currently she is writing a series of articles about type II diabetes, a subject of personal interest.

Many of us believe that there are safe and effective alternatives for diabetes control. Diet drug concerns only add to the risks already associated with uncontrolled diabetes. Vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, proper diet and adequate exercise can prevent the need for a type II diabetes diet drug, but pharmaceutical companies will continue to release new drugs, even though the older ones are just as effective.

A judicious blend of healthy eating, balanced nutrition and regular exercise is the key to most successful weight-loss plans. To make your long-term weight loss plan a success, you should follow a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious foods and engaging in physical activity, alter the way you think about food, and pay attention to reasons why you eat.

You must cut down your calorie intake to lose weight. Just substitute the high-calorie ingredients with low-calorie versions of your favorite dishes. The water and fiber present in low-fat fruits and vegetables will add volume to your dishes, so you end up eating the same quantity of food with fewer calories. Try sensible portion sizes and low-fat dairy and meat products.

Apart from helping you lose weight, these products can help to control high blood pressure. Any type of physical activity will boost your physical and mental health and help to keep the extra pounds off. You will find a number of popular diets which claim great success in helping you lose weight. The Zone Diet highlights lean proteins along with vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats. Starchy carbohydrates are not totally ruled out.

The Pritikin Diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, pasta, oatmeal, soups, salads, and low-fat dairy; limited amounts of low-fat poultry, seafood, and meat; few fatty foods and a limited amount of dry foods. Dr. Ornish's Eat More, Weigh Less says if you eat fat-free, healthy foods, you can feel full and still lose weight.

It puts no restrictions on meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, cheese, butter, cream, oil, nuts, some non-starchy vegetables, and artificial sweeteners. The South Beach Diet lays emphasis on a balanced eating plan of ‘good' carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and ‘good' unsaturated fats.

Personal health management or self-management has been a basic tenet of chronic disease management for a long time. However, often the patient’s attitude towards healthcare has been to go to the doctor and say, “Fix me”. This approach is no longer viable because it provides only satisfactory responses to short-term problems and stretches medical professional resources thin. Add to this the basic fact that 75% of all adults over 65 have a chronic illness – half of this group has multiple illnesses– and it is easy to see how medical provider’s resources are struggling to provide cost-effective, quality care to their chronic disease patients. The end result is that self-management has to mean more than the patient following doctor’s orders. Self-management in today’s world needs to promote a more active role for the patient in their own healthcare solutions.

It means acknowledging that the patient should play a lead role in managing their care. This does not mean that the patient should go it alone, but a collaborative approach needs to be employed where medical professional and patient work together to define problems, set goals and create plans. Think of it as a team sport where the patient is the team captain and all of the medical professionals that the patient sees play specialized roles on the team. The patient is the leader and the coordinator, but each professional contributes important pieces to make the team successful.

Another difficulty in providing effective management of chronic disease is that often patients go several months between medical appointments. More frequent visits are simply too costly for patients and too time consuming for care givers. This is especially true in cases where appointments often include no actual medical treatment, but are used to exchange information between patient and medical professional. This strongly suggests that an effective self-management strategy must improve communication between medical visits.

Several different strategies have been looked at over the years to improve self-management, and according to the National Health Institute one thing is clear – any program adopted should be readily applicable to more than one condition. This is because multiple strategies make it difficult for the whole health care team to be on the same page. There are also six core strategies that should be included in any effective self-management routine:
• Patient self-education about their condition
• Routine monitoring and management of symptoms
• Patient/Professional partnership in deciding when medical help is needed
• Communication between patient and professional via means other than just face-to-face
• Developing and maintaining appropriate exercise and nutritional programs
• Finding ways to do the above with minimal impact on the patient’s life

There are several Internet-based personal health management solutions designed with many of these six strategies in mind. Patient self-management is quickly becoming a key part of the solution to the growing health care crisis. These new online personal health management solutions help make simple, comprehensive, cost-effective self-management a reality.

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body natural ability to change carbohydrates and sugars into energy. There is no known cause for the onset of diabetes. However, there are certain factors that place a person at higher risk of contracting diabetes.

The risk factors of diabetes can include:
• A family history of diabetes
• Obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity


Different Types/Different Causes of Diabetes
There are three main types of diabetes -type-1, type-2, and gestational. Type-1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and most often affects children and young adults. An autoimmune disease is one in which the body ability to fight infections is decreased causing the body to attack its own cells. In type-1 diabetes, the body often attacks the beta cells in the pancreas -the cells that produce insulin in the body. The main diabetes causes of type-1 diabetes are:

Food-borne chemical toxins
Cows milk -an unidentified component in cow milk can trigger an autoimmune reaction in the body. Young infants who are given cow milk have a higher risk of contracting type-1 diabetes.

The main diabetes causes of type-2 diabetes are:
• Increasing age
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity
• Poor diet

The main diabetes causes of gestational diabetes are:
• Hormones produced during pregnancy blocking actions of insulin
• Mother body can’t produce enough insulin


Common Causes of Diabetes
The risk of diabetes is higher if there is a family history of diabetes. Environmental factors that can lead to the onset of diabetes include poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity, and stress. Diabetes is a disease that can be prevented -or controlled once a diagnosis has been made.

Prevention and Control in Diabetes
While the symptoms of diabetes are not life threatening, diabetes can lead to other more serious diseases and illnesses. People who have been diagnosed with diabetes are at a higher risk of diseases and illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, neuropathy and nerve damage, foot conditions, and blindness. It is extremely important to control your diabetes in order to avoid the onset of these more serious and sometimes life-threatening illnesses.

There are medications that can be used in the control of diabetes, as well as many natural remedies. However, the single most important aspect of a diabetic management plan is a healthy diet and exercise. A healthy diet should consist of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, carbohydrates in healthy portions, Omega-3 fatty acids, proteins in healthy portions, and fiber. A healthy diet not only helps your overall health, but also can be a major factor in offsetting the symptoms of diabetes. The longer you can prevent the symptoms of diabetes, the longer you can decrease the risks of more serious illnesses associated with diabetes.

A regular exercise routine is also an important factor in the prevention and management of diabetes. By keeping your muscles toned and your blood flowing correctly, you can help your body to fight off infections and your body will be able to help in managing the symptoms of many illnesses. Strong muscles in the abdomen are essential for helping your digestive system work normally.

A Long, Healthy Life
It is possible to live a long, healthy life. You can help ensure that your body will work properly for a long time by beginning a healthy diet and routing exercise program early in life. By choosing to live a healthy lifestyle, you are choosing to consciously help your body fight of the symptoms of many illnesses and diseases.

When diabetics eat too much refined sugar or refined carbohydrates their bodies respond by releasing too much glucose. When too much glucose is in the cells on a regular basis then the insulin secreted to deal with it is not as effective. This is insulin resistance and many Americans suffer from this problem. Those with diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, high triglyceride levels, and other health problems are more than likely dealing with insulin resistance.

Since the mid 1900s we have been consuming more refined sugar and not surprising the percentage of individuals with type 2 diabetes has increased significantly. The higher the sugar content of the diet and the lower the fiber content means that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is increased by more than 200%. Too much sugar also impacts heart health and is the cause of heart disease in both sexes.

This sweetener is metabolized very slowly, unlike refined white sugar, and xylitol is also very low on the glycemic index. There are no peaks and valleys of blood sugar levels with xylitol. Instead, the blood sugar levels are stabilized. Because of this cravings for refined carbs and sugar are reduced or eliminated altogether. Individual with diabetes will be able to eat foods sweetened with this sweetener because it does not increase insulin levels. In fact, it helps keep insulin levels low, which may help keep you looking and feeling younger longer.

Individuals seeking diabetes treatment should talk to their doctors about xylitol and its benefits. Even ask about xlear and xylitol gum while you are there to get all of the facts. Individuals with diabetes have to suffer enough as it is, why should they have to avoid all of their favorite foods and drinks, too? With xylitol that doesn’t have to happen. But, too many diabetic sufferers out there do not know about xylitol so they simply live each and every day maintaining their blood sugar levels with insulin shots and dealing with the negative effects of the disease.

So, while diabetes treatment will still need to continue patients who want to indulge their sweet tooth once in a while may do so with xylitol and suffer no ill consequences. This in addition to a diet low in refined carbohydrates will result in an individual with stable insulin levels and it will reduce the necessity to take so much insulin via injection on a daily basis.
Natalie Aranda writes about health. Individuals seeking diabetes treatment should talk to their doctors about xylitol and its benefits. With xylitol that doesn’t have to happen. But, too many diabetic sufferers out there do not know about Xylitol so they simply live each and every day maintaining their blood sugar levels with insulin shots and dealing with the negative effects of the disease.

For example, having type II diabetes might cause people to feel more depressed because they are sick. Likewise, having depression might cause people to not eat healthy or get any exercise and lead to diabetes. Many scientists, me included, feel that there are common lifestyle factors that lead to type II diabetes and depression at the same time. There are an abundance of studies implicating exercise (or lack of it) in the onset of both diseases. There are also many studies highlighting the role of nutrition in both diabetes and depression.

Now, a new study, published in the October 2007 edition of PLOS Biology, sheds more light on this relationship with a focus on insulin at the center. Anyone with diabetes is well versed in the importance of insulin. It is a primary hormone that controls blood sugar levels, which the body needs to maintain tight control over for survival.

Insulin has many jobs
Your pancreas releases insulin into your bloodstream whenever blood sugar levels rise. In type II diabetes two things go wrong. One, your pancreas becomes less responsive to making and releasing insulin; and two, cells throughout your body start to ignore the insulin that is released. Since insulin is important in so many different body functions, this becomes a serious problem.

The findings in the new study revolve around another role of insulin in the brain. The researchers discovered that dopamine activity in a part of the brain that promotes feelings of pleasure and reward are dependent upon insulin. In my opinion, this has a couple of far reaching implications.

Does insulin promote addiction?
The research suggests that diabetics, who lack the ability to produce insulin, will have a more difficult time feeling joy and pleasure because the brain circuits that control these feelings will be less active. This may be one link between the co-occurrences of type II diabetes and depression.

From a scientific perspective, this is a very interesting finding. But from a health perspective how does it help us prevent these diseases in the first place? The new research suggests that rises in insulin might boost the activity of pleasure and reward centers, the same ones that are stimulated by addictive drugs like amphetamine and cocaine.

When does your insulin go up? It goes up after a high sugar meal. It means that high sugar meals might stimulate addictive centers in the brain.

I've been touting the benefits of feeding yourself and your kids low-glycemic (essentially low sugar) meals for some time. This new research adds fuel to that argument by suggesting that sugar might actually be addictive. Maybe not in the same sense that elicit drugs are addictive, but that they have some degree of addictive tendencies themselves.

The irony is that eating high-glycemic meals actually makes you feel good in the short-term by increasing insulin and boosting activity of your brain's pleasure centers. But after years of eating sugar your pancreas will eventually burn out and lead to type II diabetes and possibly depression, leaving you with the opposite feelings that you ate the sugar for in the first place.

The take home message?
Get the high sugar cereals and other foods out of your house. Don't set yourself and your kids up for a lifetime of battling the cravings for these disease promoting foods.

Why does depression cause diabetes?
The diabetes disease can be brought on by depression. Cortisol, a stress hormone can increase if you get depressed. This hormone can reduce insulin sensitivity. Once insulin sensitivity is compromised the diabetes disease can begin to flourish in your body. This condition of depression is more prevalent in older people. Depression is often undiagnosed. Loss of a loved one may be characterized as grief, a temporary issue instead of depression.

In the four states of Pennsylvania, California, North Carolina and Maryland 4,681 men and women were tracked with an average age of 73. The Archives of Internal Medicine disclosed the following: In these three scenarios (single bouts of depression, chronic depression and depression that worsened over time) an increased risk of diabetes existed in all three cases when depression prevailed.

Some signs for possible depression problems can show up physically or emotionally. Check for some of these symptoms so you can put yourself on a healthier track for yourself. The sooner you recognize any of these issues the quicker you can right your ship.

You just don't care. Enjoying things is not on your priority list. Your sleep schedule has run amok. You have a hard time falling asleep or you often arise during the night. Quick weight gains or losses occur.

You feel tired most of the time.
Your self esteem has gone down hill. You feel like you cannot do anything right and you worry about being a burden to people. Mornings usually are the saddest time of the day for you.

You have suicidal thoughts or you think about different ways to harm yourself.
Should you have any of these symptoms you can be hurting yourself mentally but you may compound the issue by bringing on type 2 diabetes as well. Let's break the combination of diabetes and depression by seeing a doctor or joining a support group so you can voice your issues and improve your condition.

Recognizing these issues is the first step to gaining a healthier lifestyle. If you have any concerns about diabetes or potential diabetes issues then claim your free ecourse. It will help you deal with diabetes in a safe and natural way.

By Aurther Shoko

Falling into the same category as hypertension, heart disease and kidney disease, diabetes is a chronic illness which requires life long control and management through medications and lifestyle changes. The two types of diabetes type 1 and type 2 demand different approaches to treatment. Type 1 diabetes is typically treated by self injection of insulin into the bloodstream on a daily basis. On the other hand type 2 diabetes can be controlled using pharmaceutical drug medications. These drugs essentially aid a weak system in producing adequate insulin. Each of these drugs has its own problems;

Side Effects Of Meglitinides

Known by generic names repaglinide and nateglinide and brand names Prandin and Starlix meglitinides are type 2 diabetes drugs that essentially seek to drive the pancreas to create more insulin and act more quickly. This is a new drug for diabetes designed to produce insulin soon after your meals. It therefore gives diabetes patients greater freedom in how they take their meals. In fact it can be taken some 30 minutes to right before taking a meal. When no meal is taken it will not be necessary to take the drug. Here are some known problems;

1 Even though its rare, patients may suffer from low blood sugar levels
2 Weight gain

Side Effects Of Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors

Known by generic name acarbose, miglitol and brand names Precose and Glyset these drugs are designed to keep your blood sugar within range after taking a meal. This is an attempt to artificially keep a normal level of glucose to facilitate the normal absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. By blocking the enzymes that do the work of digesting the starches that you eat the drug slows down the release of glucose into the bloodstream. Here are the problems;

1 Abdominal pain
2 Bloating
3 Diarrhea
4 Gas

Side Effects Of Diabetes Combo Drugs

The practice of taking combination drugs is not only limited to hypertension. It is also used in treating other chronic diseases including diabetes. Doctors may decide to make patients take a combination of already existing diabetes drugs. this may not necessarily mean taking all the lot of pills. Pharmaceutical companies sometimes combine different medications into a single pill which a patient may take. In terms of side effects it becomes possible to suffer from all side effects associated with the drugs in the combo. the following are some problems to expect;

1 Nausea
2 Low blood sugar
3 Weight gain
4 Rash
5 Diarrhea
6 Excess gas
7 Loss of appetite
8 Liver damage

By Cary Ganz

Researchers are trying their best to find a sure cure for the juvenile diabetes by finding the core reason of this disease. They are trying to invent some vaccine that can be given to newborn babies that can help to prevent this all consuming disease. Also they are in the process of making a drug that can be given in case you find early signs of this disease in your child.

But nowadays this disease is usually treated with some kinds of exercises and a juvenile dietary plan accompanied by insulin therapy. To control your child's blood sugars always choose the healthy food over the high sugar content ones.

Blurred vision, abdominal pain, frequent urination, extreme hunger, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue are the signs of this disease. When your blood sugar level, after fasting, comes out to be more than 120 mg/dL, the diagnosis is usually made.

To control your blood sugar you must do regular exercises. But be careful about children, as they should be limited to a certain level of exercise after Type 1 Diabetes is diagnosed. This is required because if children overdo the exercise then the blood sugar level can drop significantly. Anxiety, sweating, intense hunger, weakness, and trembling are the symptoms of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Even we don't have a definite cure for the juvenile diabetes, you can administer your insulin with the help of a remote which can be of tremendous help. This type of Insulin pump is implanted inside the body then is signaled by this remote. Researchers are trying to find some method to deliver the insulin through the skin.

Although there is no cure for this kind of Type I diabetes, you can prevent some of its effects by taking necessary precautions when you observe any its signs. To stay healthy physically and mentally, try to avoid stress and anxiety. The stress and depression are also signs of juvenile diabetes so in case you are suffering from them you must see your doctor.

Usually people ignores the signs and do not take them seriously. Everyone take time to adjust with them. Whenever you observe any signs follow these strategies that can help you and your child to cope with the juvenile diabetes.

Encourage your Child to be a Team Captain

You should boost your child to be the captain of the juvenile diabetes team. Your child can be more healthy and happy if he or she involves more in her juvenile diabetes care.

Learn about Juvenile diabetes

There is a local American Juvenile diabetes Association, a juvenile diabetes educator, and many books that can give you proper guidance about the signs of diabetes. Learning more about it will help you to deal properly with this disease.

Share with Family and Friends

You should motivate your child to talk more about the juvenile diabetes with family and friends. Only encourage your child to talk but never force them.

Talk to Others with Juvenile diabetes

It can be beneficial for your child to participate in some group of children suffering from juvenile diabetes.

Stress Relievers

Most of the people become tensed when they come across the signs of diabetes. In order to reduce your stress you can follow these simple ways.

* Exercise- exercise helps in relaxing your tensed muscles as well as you may feel happy.
* Writing- you can overcome your frustration by writing.
* Relaxation exercises- try some yoga, deep breathing or do the exercise of one muscle at a time.
* Distraction- try to distract your mind from this issue by going out with friends, watch movies, etc.
* Meditation- you can even try to do some meditation.

By John Willen

The diabetic food available today is both tasty and may help to keep your blood glucose more balanced. The only way to find out the food's influence on your body is to test your blood sugar before you eat it and about 2 hours later. The rise in glucose should be 50 points or less - use this as a guideline. Diabetic snack bars such as Glucerna or Extend are readily available on the market. They contain different starches that help to reduce the fluctuations in blood sugar.

These starches, along with sugar alcohols are used to help you. Sugar alcohol is a carbohydrate that has less of an impact on your blood sugar levels so you must still consider the portion that you are consuming. Nothing is free! Some people require a snack at night so they wake up with a healthy fasting blood sugar. If you go to sleep with a lower blood sugar reading of about 80 mg/dL, let's say, and wake up with 160 mg/dL you may be experiencing the Somogyi Effect. This means that overnight your blood sugar levels are dropping and your liver secretes extra glucose into the bloodstream to protect you from dropping to dangerous levels. It tends to be too generous though! Therefore, by eating the diabetic snack bars it will release the glucose more slowly into your bloodstream over several hours and you can reduce the chance of this from happening.

There are many products created for people with diabetes. By reading the food label and looking at the "total carbohydrate" you will see the amount of grams that will turn into sugar. "Sugar" listed under the heading of "total carbohydrate" reveals the processed sugar and/or the natural fruit or milk sugar. Sugar alcohol will not be listed under sugar. It is not considered a sugar, it's considered a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates turn 100% into sugar within about 1-2 hours. The sugar alcohol also turns into sugar but it does so more slowly - a benefit for people with diabetes. Another popular product on the "sugar free" market is the sugar free cookie.

Sugar free cookies taste good and will turn into sugar more slowly than an ordinary cookie. Please remember, if you eat twice as many, you will gain weight from consuming more calories and it will have more of an effect on your blood glucose levels. Sugar free simply means no processed or natural sugar in the product. It does not mean that it has zero carbohydrates. The sugar is removed from the cookie and replaced by sugar alcohol, however, the remaining carbohydrate, the flour, will still turn into sugar. Again, test your blood sugar to see the effect on YOUR body.