If you subscribe to my other website, Supplement-Geek.com you know I recently wrote a review on a product called Diab X which on their website claimed that this product was a Natural Cure for Diabetes. It turns out that there are a lot of people and websites talking about Natural Cures for diabetes – and other conditions. Diabetes is interesting however because as a personal trainer, you will be working with many diabetics and they may ask you if you know of any natural cures. Just in case you missed it, here is my review of Diab X that way you will know what to say if people ask you about this product. It turns out that there REALLY IS a natural cure for diabetes – well, at least one type of diabetes -and that's what I wanted to discuss briefly with you here. After you read this, also read, my posts, Can Type II Diabetes Be Cured as well as It Pays To Be a Type II Diabetic.
Types of Diabetes
When people talk about natural cures for diabetes they are really talking about type II diabetes. This is the type of diabetes that often afflicts people who are overweight. In the US, most people with diabetes have type II diabetes. The other type is called type I diabetes. There is no cure (yet) for type I diabetes and this is why people have to take insulin every day. Some people may have metabolic syndrome. This is basically pre-diabetes. If people keep doing what they are, eventually metabolic syndrome becomes type II diabetes.
Health Tip. If you have darker skin – African American, South American etc, you can see pre-diabetes by looking under your arm pits or having somebody look behind your neck. If the skin is darker than the rest of the body, that's a visual sign that you have metabolic syndrome.
From: Meghana Madhukar Phiske: An approach to acanthosis nigricans Indian Dermatol Online J. 2014 Jul-Sep; 5(3): 239–249.
What is the “Natural Cure”?
I've worked with many people over the years who had type II diabetes. One glaring fact is that most of them have never been told that their type II diabetes is preventable and that in most cases, it can be “cured“.
The cure is not a pill or supplement – its exercise and losing weight.
For some reason, nobody takes the time to tell people that if they lost a little weight (as little as 10 lbs in some cases) and exercisesdd a little (20 min a day 3x a week) that type II diabetes starts to get better and in many cases, it goes away – and diabetes will stay away as long as the person maintains a healthy body weight and exercises a few times a week.
The fact that most type II diabetics I see have not heard this news surprises me. I don't know why this is?
Is it that doctors get tired of always saying “you need to lose weight” to people who never do? Is it just easier to say “take this pill”, or down the road (as diabetes gets worse), “take this medicine (insulin) and it will help”?
Diabetics are also lulled into staying a diabetic because many times, they get free stuff – glucose monitors, sneakers etc. For more on this read my post about how it pays to be a type II diabetic.
I think its a combination of both. I think doctors are tired of telling people to take control of their lives and for some doctors, its safer (health-wise) to just start the person on diabetes medications now, rather than wait to the next visit (when the diabetes may have gotten worse).
I know there are people who have type II diabetes who eat well and exercise and they still have type II diabetes. I know they are out there because I run into them every once in a while. These people are in the minority. For them, I know it can be frustrating to do all the right stuff and still have type II diabetes. They should know that regardless of the outcomes, they are still helping themselves and so I encourage them to keep doing what they are doing.
It is the other 99% of people – who don't exercise or lose weight – that I'm speaking to. Diabetes is a devastating condition that will lead to many other bad things happening if you dont do something. Just a few of the things that type II diabetes can lead to includes:
- Heart Attack
- Stroke
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Arthritis
- Erectile Dysfunction
Basically, type II diabetes accelerates the aging process, making people grow older – faster – than they normally would.
I write these words not to scare anybody into getting off the sofa and doing the “Biggest Looser” workout. You don't need that. A simple walking program is all that's needed for most people.
Hemoglobin A1C (A1C) is a marker that most diabetics know about. It tells how bad the diabetes is progressing. I once worked with a type II diabetic who was in his mid 40s. He was so unfit that he could not exercise for longer than 20 minutes at a time a moderate pace on the treadmill. We only worked out 2 times a week. After 3 months, he told me that his doctor said that his A1C levels were the best he'd seen in 10 years!
The take home message is that even this tiny amount of exercise made a huge difference!
If you have type II diabetes or pre-diabetes (metabolic syndrome). Talk to your doctor about whether exercise would “cure” you. I'm betting that for most of you, your doctor will say yes. Then,with your doctor, create a wellness and exercise program that will help slowly start to cure yourself from type II diabetes. It will take a little time and you will have to work a little too. But the result is you will have more energy, be healthier and most importantly, you will be around longer for your family to enjoy. In the end that's whats really important. Now Read this interview with a woman who cured her type II diabetes. Prepare to be inspired.
What do you think?
Loved this article. How is it that doctors can’t tell me what you just did? I had that darkening behind my neck and underarms, and when I asked about it, they told me it was b/c I was overweight. Oh and don’t try to scrub it off, it won’t come off. And I’m a pretty light white!
I eventually got type II. Since then, the darkening isn’t as pronounced, but I’ve developed dark, brown, reddish splotches around my ankles and lower calves. Nobody (many a doctor) has been able to tell me how to get rid of them. They have made my once nice legs an embarrassment. Research I did years ago says it was caused by diabetes. But I haven’t been able to find out if it goes away, ever, or how… do you have any insight?
Thank-you!
I have the same red spots and red marks on my shins and legs which I call sugar bombs because I believe they are caused by too high of a blood sugar. I have had them for over a year, but since I have been really pushing my workouts they have lessened and started to go away as my blood sugar goes down. I still run over 150 blood sugar but it is getting better the more I work out.
Bill, have you ever seen a doctor about red marks on your shins? Im glad your blood sugar is getting better with exercise. I’ll still have your shins looked at. How is your A1C level?
Last month it was at 8.1 A1C, which is not the best, I have heard and read a lot of the books on reversing diabetes type 2 and have tried to utilize a lot of it in my treatment along with exercise and a ton of natural supplements including taking metformin, with 2 pills in the am and 2 in the pm and it is starting to come down a little, but very slowly, with a bg of around 150 or so which used to be around 250+.
I have very insulin resistant cells evidently. My list of supplements that I take is very long so I won’t bore you with all of them, the ones that deal with my blood sugar are: Glucose Essentials and Vision Essentials from Dr. Whitaker, Berberine, Cinnamon, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Benfotamine, Methylcobalim, Chromium Picolinate, Pycnogenol, Carb Blocker (white kidney beans) etc…all of these at 3 times a day, morning, noon, and night in addition to my daily multiple vitamins added with Vit. C, E, D, B complex, Niacinimide, fish oil, magnesium, etc…
I weigh around 205 lbs and am 6 foot tall so I am not real overweight since I do a lot of heavy lifting and abdominal exercises but I do fall off my diet every now and then with carb cravings which I succumb to, usually when my friends come over to watch football and bring pizza, potato skins, with chips & dip or chili.
I know that muscle weighs more than fat so I look at the mirror more than the scale to evaluate my progress which is coming very slowly. I am typically eating vegetables and protein in the form of fish, or chicken.
Bill, do take a look at my other site – Supplement-Geek.com – about your supplements. You can put the ingredients into the search box and see what Ive said about them in the various reviews Ive written. I can tell you that the white kidney bean supplement won’t help you so I just saved you some money. The research proves this. Fish oil in very high levels can actually raise blood sugar. Also show your list of supplements to your pharmasist and see what he/she thinks about them.
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat – but it is denser than fat. Have you ever talked to a registered dietitian who focuses on diabetes? if not you can find an RD in your area at this website: EatRight.org its possible your insurance will cover this so it wont cost you anything. They can test your body fat and and do other measurements and also create an eating plan that can help bring your A1C down. Bringing down your A1C should be a top priority because it can increase your risk of some really bad stuff happening.
Thank you for your reply and I will do as you suggest.
Thanks Kristen I am glad I was able to help you!
I am not sure what is causing the reddish brown splotches on your ankles and lower calves. Have you seen a dermatologist? They know a lot about skin and may be able to help shed light on this.
Have you also seen an endocrinologist? Since you have type II diabetes, an endocrinologist (who knows about hormones and such) may be able to help if the dermatologist can’t.
If you do find the answers, do write back. I am curious to know.
Joe how are you doing i don’t know if you remember me and my wife lisa, we took your trainer’s test back in i believe in SEPT or OCT. i was the older guy who still competes in BB SHOW’s an does well as i writing you i getting in pre contest mode for the 2011 MASTER’s in PITTSBURGH. I’ll probably do a couple tune up show’s in MAY n JUNE. I still people how much your class taught me i’m the head trainer at Giant Fitness in woodbury n.j. I been there since the end of AUGUST 2010 i have over 75 client’s n I’m booked 2 week’s in advance. 90% of my client’s are female’s that blow’s me away i never thought i would have that many women client’s. Joe i train my client’s VERY VERY hard core an old school. everyone of them have to do there leg’s n i’m not just talking leg ext, i also have do squat’s as long as they are cleared by there doctor. joe i appreciate your time you spent with me an my wife that day after we took our test.
Joe i know i know a lot about physical fitness n health, but i still brag to people how knowable you are. I just buried my bro-in-law 3 wk’s ago to diabetes he was 6ft 4″ 350lb’s an never got up off the couch. Plain n simple he was LAZY. +6wk’s before that my nephew died of colon cancer 38yr’s old. His diet was horrible never ate good food’s with fiber in it n smoked 2 pack’s of cigarette’s a day. so i thought i pass that on to you n maybe that you can share some of this with your reader’s Joe again thank you n have a great week. JIM (GIG’S) AGIGIAN
Hi Jim, sure I remember you and I’m glad you are doing so well – and sorry to hear about the losses you have gone though. What you say is true. Diet and exercise are so important to preventing diabetes. That doesn’t ease the pain of losing loved ones though.
Good luck in your bodybuilding shows 🙂
Joe, I just got diagnosed with Type II recently. I’ve been doing a lot of research and I would like to point out a couple of things. Diabetes is a genetic disease, so you won’t cure it. What you can do is control it with diet and exercise. If you are lucky and generally maintain your diet (the one that works for your body) and exercise you may never need pills or you may be able to get off of them.
Being diabetic, I will always have an issue with glucose, which I can manage, but I will never be cured (based on current scientific knowledge). I will always have to be diligent in watching what type of foods I eat and how they affect my BG levels. Having diabetes is not my fault, but the management is completely in my control.
A simple banana (1 carb serving) will raise my BG by 150 one hour after eating it and will take hours for it to come back down. One issue is IR (Insulin Resistance) causing the slow drop. The other is the fact that my body converts carbs into blood glucose very efficiently, so I have to be diligent on watching what carbs I eat. The large spikes, which should not go above 140, in themselves are bad even if my fasting BG is in the normal range. This is an issue for a large number of Type II diabetics. Genetically, we have a good digestion, ideal for times of famine, not for times of readily available food.
Anyway, I do appreciate the articles/reviews you’ve done, so thanks.
Dave I appreciate your comments. I want to expand on my ideas about curing diabetes in another post that Ill put up soon. I think I can explain myself better there. Thanks for taking the time to write 🙂
I have to agree in most cases. Though there is certainly a genetic factor, we also have a lot of control. I was diagnosed not with pre diabetes, but with full blown diabetes about 14 years ago. (AiC of 10) I lost 60 lbs. and exercise religiously, and have not had to go on medication. For the first time, I slacked off some on the exercise before my last doctor appointment and I expected going in that my A1C would be up and it was. It was not back to 10, but was up to 7.1 from about 6.1 to 6.3. I am behaving again. I believe that exercise is critically important, but I am sure that doctors do indeed get tired of telling people when they don’t pay attention.
Ruth, thanks for telling your story and yes I also agree there is some genetic aspect to type II diabetes. the good news is that you are “turning off” those bad genes by exercising and eating well. That’s fantastic!
I can count on one hand the number of type II diabetics who know what you know about how to control their diabetes. I’m glad you are “behaving” 🙂
Joe, you need to make this article prominent again, as you did as a link to someone on the Anatabloc site. You are so right!! I was pre-diabetic before I changed my nutritional lifestyle earlier this year. That diagnosis was based on many high FBS labs, as well as a HgA1C. I stopped eating gluten, dairy products, eggs, soy and sugars as part of an auto-immune nutritional program.
I have rheumatoid arthritis as well as degeneration of my cervical and L-S spine, hypertension, and chronic pain. I can’t exercise because of joint issues, but I am more active now because I feel so much better. I lost 30 lbs, including belly fat.
I never realized how much one’s diet affects one’s health in the most major way possible!! I am no longer pre-diabetic, fatigued, and always just “sick and tired”! This hasn’t helped the pain, but I am alive again. I’m almost 62, but I feel better than I have for at least 15 years (except for pain). More American people need to realize how destructive our diets are.
Thanks Roseann! Based on your words, Im going to add this to my newsletter that I will send out to everybody today 🙂
I am so honored!!! Yes, if people would bite the bullet and put the right things into our mouths, we would be so much stronger and healthier as a nation.
Roseann, I sent out my newsletter yesterday and included 3 posts about diabetes 🙂
Also, my blood pressure is normal, although I’m still on a couple anti-hypertensives. If OK with my doctor, I’ll start tapering off them. I was an RN-BSN for 30 years, so I was trained that Western Med (drugs, drugs, and more drugs) was the only right way. I’m in total disagreement with that now, but I wish I hadn’t let myself be so brainwashed for decades!
Roseann, I do feel we dont talk about prevention as much as we should. Even the American Diabetes Association doesn’t use the “C word” (Cure) and that’s unfortunate.
I never thought much about prevention when I was healthy. Nurses are notorious for neglecting their own health. But I now realize that diet, exercise, the correct supplements and our thinking can improve our health so much more than popping pills can.
Only a total body thing like changing my diet could have helped me, with the horrible shape I was in. I’ve been eating correctly for me for just over 6 months, and it has been such a life-changing experience.
It’s like the old saying “We are what we eat” came alive for me! That’s why I am so thankful to have found someone who gave me this diet, and I am so grateful to people of integrity like you who promote healthy lifestyles. May God richly bless you. I’m a fan, as you probably know.
Roseann, you are too kind. Thanks 🙂