Dealing with Diabetes

Diabetes and Periodontal Disease

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 by Dr. Julian Whitaker

People living with diabetes are at higher risk of developing periodontal disease than people without blood sugar problems.

Periodontal disease, or gum disease, occurs when the gums become infected and inflamed. Signs that you may have periodontal disease include:

red, sore, swollen gums
bleeding gums
loose or sensitive teeth
bad breath
trouble chewing

According to the CDC, young adults dealing with diabetes have about twice the risk of periodontal disease than those without diabetes. Also, people with poorly controlled blood sugar levels are nearly three times more likely to have severe forms of gum disease, and they typically lose more teeth than those without diabetes.

As is the case with most diabetes risk factors, a primary culprit behind the increased risk of periodontal disease is damage to blood vessels due to the inability to maintain blood sugar levels within the healthy range. Without nourishment and removal of wastes from their tissues, the gums become less resistant to infection, setting the stage for periodontal disease.

Another reason people with diabetes are much more prone to periodontal disease is because they are prone to nutritional deficiencies. Diabetes is nutritional wasting disease, and affected individuals often have low blood levels of vitamin C, zinc, and other water-soluble vitamins and minerals. Zinc is necessary for tissue healing, and vitamin C is required for collagen formation. In fact, scurvy, the quintessential vitamin C deficiency disease, is characterized by bleeding gums and loose teeth.

And if you smoke, you are at even higher risk. Statistics show that diabetics who smoke and are 45 years or older are 20 times more likely to develop severe gum disease than people who don’t smoke.

The best way to lower your risk of developing periodontal disease is to brush and floss every day, take a good daily vitamin and mineral supplement, and visit your dentist on a regular basis.

Two Supplements for Healthy Eyes

Friday, March 12, 2010 by Dr. Julian Whitaker

When blood glucose levels remain elevated for an extended period of time, sticky sugar molecules can attach to protein molecules in a process called glycation. Glycation of protein molecules creates irreversible cross-links between adjacent protein molecules. This cross-linking creates new protein structures called AGEs (Advanced Glycosylation End products).

If you’re dealing with diabetes, you’ll want to be particularly aware of this because, among other things, AGEs can cause tissues like the collagen in your blood vessels to become stiff and lose their flexibility. This is a major culprit behind many diabetic complications, including cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.

But, the good news is that there are two supplements for diabetes that are especially good for your eyes.

Grape Seed Extract. Grape seed extract is a powerful antioxidant that protects blood vessels and capillaries from free-radical damage. Research shows that grape seed extract can also help prevent diabetic retinopathy. The initial dose is one mg per pound of body weight for the first week, in divided doses with meals, continuing with a maintenance dose of one-half this amount. Round your weight up or down to the nearest 50 pounds. For example, if you weigh 210 pounds, take 200 mg a day for the first week, and then continue on 100 mg a day.

Benfotiamine. According to researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, benfotiamine blocks three of the major culprits responsible for blood vessel damage in patients with elevated blood sugar levels. As a result, it helps prevent retinopathy, neuropathy, and other diabetes complications.

Although benfotiamine is found in small quantities in garlic, shallots, leeks, and onions, you’d have to eat an awful lot of these vegetables to obtain therapeutic doses. If you want to forego the bad breath, I suggest you use benfotiamine in capsule form. Look for it in your local health food store. Typical doses range from 150 to 450 mg daily.

Living with Diabetes? Enjoy Dark Chocolate

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 by Dr. Julian Whitaker

I know you are thinking that sugar-laden chocolate is the last thing people who are trying to manage diabetes should be eating. But, while it is true that chocolate has fat and calories—and it tastes way too good to be good for you—the health benefits of dark chocolate cannot be denied, even to people living with diabetes.

Italian researchers discovered that dark chocolate significantly improves markers of insulin sensitivity. It can also decrease fasting insulin and glucose levels, as well as insulin and glucose responses to the glucose tolerance test.

High-quality dark chocolate is sold in health food, specialty, and grocery stores. Look for bars that contain 70 percent cocoa or more. Don’t be put off by the fat content, and expect it to have some sugar. Unsweetened dark chocolate is extremely bitter and, even sweetened, it is for some an acquired taste, so shop around for a brand you like.

I urge my patients to enjoy it in moderation so that it doesn’t interfere with their ability to maintain blood sugar levels. So, if you are dealing with diabetes, know that a square or two of dark chocolate every other day or so is enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. Just be sure to keep caloric intake steady, and eat your dark chocolate in place of, rather than in addition to, other foods or snacks.

Diabetes Complications

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by Dr. Julian Whitaker

One reason why diabetes complications are so common is because diabetes is a nutritionally wasting disease.

People dealing with diabetes experience dramatic increases in urination as the kidneys attempt to get rid of excess glucose. Along with excess glucose, however, massive amounts of water-soluble vitamins and minerals also are lost.

Numerous studies have shown that people living with diabetes tend to have low cellular levels of magnesium, zinc, vitamins B6 and C, and other essential nutrients.

As a result of these nutritional deficiencies, people living with diabetes are at increased risk of premature death and disability. Diabetes ravages the blood vessels and nerves. This can lead to blindness, neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, impaired digestion, amputation, and gum disease.

Thankfully, there are natural treatments for diabetes and we’ll be discussing many of them in this blog.

Treating Diabetes

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 by Dr. Julian Whitaker

Diabetes is a fearsome disorder, yet one we take much too lightly. Few people dealing with diabetes risk factors or borderline elevated blood sugar levels realize the urgency of controlling diabetes in its early stages.

Most are unaware that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and amputations in this country or that people who have diabetes are more likely to have—and die of—a heart attack or stroke than those who are able to maintain blood sugar levels that are closer to normal. Nor do they recognize that diabetes is a primary contributor to conditions such as erectile dysfunction (impotence) and dementia. As a matter of fact, most people either don’t know or tend to ignore the subtle warning signs. It’s time we all pull our heads out of the sand and look diabetes in the eye.

The ability to manage blood sugar levels is largely an issue of lifestyle. In 90 percent of all cases, diabetes is both preventable and treatable.

I’ve been practicing medicine for more than 30 years and I have tens of thousands of diabetes success stories from to people who have followed my protocol of natural diabetes treatments. Many of my patients have called me over the years to thank me for my alternative treatments for diabetes. “My blood sugars are normal—without drugs.” “I was able to avoid amputation.” “My vision has stabilized.” “Your advice saved my life.”

In future blog postings, I will share what you need to know to take control of your own health so that you, too, can beat diabetes.

Natural Solution for Diabetic Retinopathy Latest Use for Pycnogenol

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 by Tom Callahan

Exciting new research out of Italy confirmed just the latest use for an incredibly versatile nutrient, Pycnogenol, an extract of French maritime pine bark. Clearly if you're living with diabetes, this natural treatment is worth a closer look.

Published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, this latest study shows that supplementing with Pycnogenol can improve microcirculation, retinal edema and visual acuity in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.

This is big news for anyone with diabetes, as nearly half of those dealing with diabetes have some degree of retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness.

Study participants took 150 mg Pycnogenol once daily for 90 days, while a control group was given a placebo. All patients had diabetes for at least four years before the trial, and all were beginning to develop diabetic retinopathy.

While the placebo group showed no improvement, 75 percent of the pine bark group had improved vision. Researchers noted that the supplement appeared to help seal the leaky blood vessels that lead to retinopathy. This powerful natural diabetes treatment promotes circulation and helps stave off one of the worst complications of diabetes.

Dr. Whitaker has written about Pycnogenol many times over the years in Health & Healing, for conditions as varied as heart disease, asthma, varicose veins, erectile dysfunction and
deep vein thrombosis.

In fact, Dr. Whitaker first wrote about this natural therapy for diabetic retinopathy in 1993!

Once again, it pays to listen to Dr. Whitaker, so you'll learn about the best natural therapies, sometimes decades before the mainstream.

Vanadyl Sulfate Helps Control Blood Sugar -- But Is It Toxic?

Friday, December 4, 2009 by Dr. Julian Whitaker

Vanadyl sulfate is one of the supplements I recommend to help control blood sugar because it mimics the action of insulin and helps with glucose uptake in cells. But despite its amazing benefits, I find that questions about its safety periodically come up.

Take, for example, a note I received from a reader in Oklahoma City not too long ago. Although he was taking vanadyl sulfate to control blood sugar, he’d heard that it could also cause green tongue and other problems. I’m happy to answer this concern, because it pops up from time to time.

Vanadyl sulfate is a stable, inorganic form of vanadium, a metallic element used primarily as an additive in steel production. Acute exposure to the dust or fumes of vanadium or various vanadium compounds can certainly be toxic to the nervous and respiratory systems, liver, and other organs. And “green tongue” (as the name suggests, a greenish discoloration of the tongue) is indeed a classic symptom of toxicity in miners, industrial workers, or others exposed to high levels of vanadium.

But the accusation—often repeated on the Internet and elsewhere—that nutritional supplements containing minute amounts of vanadyl sulfate are toxic, is completely unfounded. On the contrary, studies demonstrate that vanadyl sulfate is safe when taken in doses of 75, 150, and even 300 mg per day for prolonged periods. Some study subjects taking the higher dosage reported gastrointestinal disturbances, but this resolved over the study course.

What these studies do show—and there are hundreds of them, some dating back more than 20 years—are profound benefits. In average doses of 100–150 mg, vanadyl sulfate increases insulin sensitivity and helps lower blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C—without danger of hypoglycemia. It has even been shown to reduce insulin requirements in individuals with type 1 diabetes. But what I find most remarkable is that benefits usually endured after the supplement was discontinued, suggesting that vanadyl sulfate has an ameliorating effect on the underlying diabetic condition.

So why do rumors of toxicity persist, despite the fact that vanadyl sulfate is, hands down, much safer than the scores of FDA-approved type 2 diabetes treatments? A cynic might say it’s because widespread use would cut into the enormous profits reaped by the pharmaceutical companies—not to mention that a number of vanadium compounds are in the pipeline. Whatever the reason, I stand by my recommendations for patients dealing with diabetes: 100–150 mg of vandyl sulfate daily along with other targeted nutrients, a low-glycemic diet, exercise after every meal, and weight loss. You can take it with confidence.

Beating Diabetes Now is Critical to Our Country's Future

Friday, October 9, 2009 by Tom Callahan

I don't need regression analysis, statistical modeling or a supercomputer to know that the incidence of diabetes and blood sugar concerns is skyrocketing across the United States.

I only need to review the number of questions I get about living with diabetes, or respond to the many emails I get each day seeking natural treatments, herbal remedies, or recipes to deal with diabetes.

Considering the complications of untreated diabetes, and the costs to the country in rising healthcare premiums if this epidemic of diabetes goes unchecked, it's good to know that many natural diabetes treatments do exist. If you're dealing with diabetes or blood sugar concerns, you should know that living with diabetes is not only possible, but so is beating it. And Dr. Whitaker's diabetes success stories prove it.

But what does an epidemic look like? That's where the stats and models come in (just flip through the next few slides and watch).

The picture isn't pretty. It's like flood waters pouring across the country, without much high ground to run to.

I'm not sure what the secret is in Colorado, which fares better than most states. I suppose the average Colorado resident is more active than the average American.

If skiing is a way to prevent diabetes naturally, sign me up!

Diabetes Drugs Are Not All They’re Cracked Up to Be

Friday, September 18, 2009 by Dr. Julian Whitaker

Harvard researchers recently conducted a placebo-controlled study examining the effects of insulin and metformin, a popular diabetes drug, on inflammation. Individuals with diabetes tend to have high levels of C-reactive protein and other markers of inflammation, which—in addition to elevations in blood sugar—put them at increased risk of heart disease.

When you think diabetic complications, you probably think of amputations, kidney failure, and blindness. However, cardiovascular disease is the most serious and one of the most common complications—three out of four people with diabetes die of heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems.

The Harvard study tested the presumption that diabetes drugs would lower inflammation and therefore protect against cardiovascular disease. However, when results were published in the September 16, 2009 issue of JAMA, the researcher team was surprised to find that although insulin and metformin lowered blood sugar, they did not reduce inflammation. They stressed that diabetic patients need to adhere to other therapies to reduce risk of cardiovascular events.

No Surprise

How anyone could be surprised at such an outcome is beyond me. Just last year, the large, government-funded Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial found that that study participants taking intensive drug regimens had a dramatically increased cardiovascular death rate. In fact, this arm of the study was terminated 18 months early to prevent aggressive drug use from killing even more people.

But we’ve known about the fatal cardiovascular complications of diabetes drugs since 1969, the year that results of a study called the University Group Diabetes Program were made public. Like ACCORD, this clinical trial had to be stopped two years early because participants who were taking the drugs had a 250 to 300 percent higher death rate than those taking a placebo.

Safe, Effective Options

So what’s the take-home lesson here? There are far better ways to lower blood sugar that also decrease inflammation and protect against cardiovascular disease. I’ve been treating patients who are dealing with diabetes for more than 30 years. If they come to the clinic on oral medication, we stop it on sight. If they’re on insulin and they’re overweight, we stop the insulin as well.

In their place, we institute a program of regular exercise, a therapeutic diet, weight loss, and targeted nutritional supplements. Yes, this is a new concept. Patients are conditioned to trust their doctors, who have convinced them of the absolute necessity of taking prescription meds to lower blood sugar. However, once they hear the truth about diabetes drugs, most of our patients opt to stop their medications and adopt a much healthier treatment approach targeted at lowering blood sugar and reducing risk of heart disease and other complications.

Next week, I’ll give you the particulars of the Whitaker Wellness Institute’s approach to treating diabetes. For more information now, visit www.whitakerwellness.com.

Half the Story: New Research Confirms One Type 2 Diabetes Drug More Dangerous Than Another

Friday, August 21, 2009 by Tom Callahan

It will be interesting to see what the mainstream media makes of this latest study on the dangers of type 2 diabetes drugs, and their links to heart failure and death. You can bet that it won't be to tell you to avoid the drugs entirely and focus on managing blood sugar and diabetes naturally, or showcasing Dr. Whitaker's proven solutions for the natural treatment -- and reversal -- of diabetes.

As Dr. Whitaker wrote in May's Health & Healing, "When are we going to learn—rather, when are we going to accept—that oral medications for type 2 diabetes actually do more harm than good?"

We've known since the late 1960's that drug treatments for type 2 diabetes have fatal complications, and the two drugs in this latest study -- rosiglitazone and pioglitazone -- are hardly different. Consider the side effects and you're left scratching your head in disbelief.

Why doctors would knowingly prescribe "treatments" for type 2 diabetes that bring on fluid retention, weight gain and increased risk of heart failure, health risks diabetics already have with the disease, is absurd, especially when you consider that lowering blood sugar, controlling weight gain, and preventing the complications of diabetes is not only achievable with alternative treatments, it's far safer.

Dr. Whitaker will continue to lead the charge against this gross mistreatment, and if you're dealing with diabetes, it's nice to know you have someone on your side. Someone who understands that dealing with diabetes isn't a drug deficiency, it's a chance to take control of your life. Understand that, and beating diabetes isn't just achievable, it's natural.

Recession Recipe for Disaster for Those Dealing With Diabetes

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 by Tom Callahan

The economic downturn has been difficult for all of us, but for those dealing with diabetes, finding economical -- but still healthy -- meals is yet another challenge.

According to a recent report by Mintel on recessionary food choices, pasta is enjoying a resurgence as the ultimate inexpensive comfort food, making controlling blood sugar even more difficult in already trying times.

From 2007-2008, the pasta and related meals market jumped almost 10%, reaching $3.9 billion. Good news for pasta makers, but yet another complication for diabetics.

Kantha Shelke, who holds a doctorate in cereal chemistry and technology and is the author of an upcoming book on the history of pasta, explains the difficulty for diabetics in the latest issue of Functional Ingredients Magazine.

"The way pasta was originally manufacturered, it was very good for people with diabetes," Shelke told Functional Ingredients. "But the way industry went, the need for speed and greed in manufacturing, typical semolina pasta (coarse durum wheat) is now made in a much finer particle size with much less fiber," turning a once healthy choice into a challenge as you manage diabetes on a daily basis.

Pasta need not be avoided by diabetics -- in fact, it can be an economical staple of a healthy blood sugar diet if you choose the right pasta, according to Dr. Whitaker. Whole grain pasta, along with sprouted grain breads, can actually be theraputic carb choices.

Since the 1930s, numerous studies have shown that patients could stop taking insulin if they were given high complex-carbohydrate diets. And in 1976, Dr. James Anderson from the University of Kentucky demonstrated that the high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diet could eliminate the need for insulin and oral diabetic drugs in close to 70% of diabetic patients.

Dr. Whitaker's plan for treating and reversing diabetes naturally is based on a diet rich in beans, legumes, and grains, particularly oats and oat bran, and generous portions of vegetables, along with targeted nutritional supplements like vanadyl sulfate and Gymnema sylvestre.

The bottom line: even with escalating prices, a careful shopper can still eat well and control blood sugar too. And defeating diabetes isn't just a boon for your health, but also for your wallet.