Dr. D Arikian
DIABETES
your blood sugar levels stay higher than 140 mg/dl.
Why does this occur?
Insulin is a hormone produced by pancreas. It helps the sugar go in the body cells. In type 2 diabetes, pancreas can still produce insulin normally.
But your body cells cannot afford to get the sugar in. It remains accumulated in bloodstream causing hyperglycemia, which is responsible for diabetes symptoms and complications.
It is true that sugar is the most important source of energy for our body cells ?
For example, brain’s cells use only sugar as their source of energy, and cannot use other source.
There is however a difference between eatingsweets and eating fruit. if it is galactose or fructose, then it’s safe taking them. Especially if you’re taking oral drugs or insulin.
That’s why it is very important to keep a balance blood sugar levels for brain’s welfunction. And not only for that; need all your body cells to have a good activity with a balanced sugar.
There are some other sources like proteins and fats that can be used as fuel. But they still need to break down into sugar in order to be used from your body cells.
Normally sugar derives from your body andeverything you eat. Especially from those foods that have a high content in sugar, such as: candies, lovely cakes, alcoholic drinks, sugary juices and many others.
You should educate yourself on what kind of sugar all these foods contain. If it’s glucose, try to avoid its usual use. Instead, if it is galactose or fructose, then it’s safe taking them. Especially if you’re taking oral drugs or insulin.
It is important to first focus on nutrition, and once you have achieved a healthy eating and exercise program, you can consider adding herbs as fine tuning.
Over time, if taken regularly, certain herbs can help lower blood sugar, others improve cardiovascular health by lowering cholesterol and strengthening blood vessels, which are two crucial elements for people with type 2 diabetes.
Certain Herbs contain powerful antioxidants and help reduce inflammation. Inflamnation may lead to the main cause of type 2 diabetes and also be implicated in heart disease, kidney problems, and other life threatening conditions.
Here is something else to think about.
The Colon – Did you know that If your colon is stressed or malfunctioning, various symptoms may result – apart from the norm – constipation, diarrhoea, flatulence, etc., Your colon, if toxic, may in fact be a major player in setting the scene for major health challenges, leading to more serious chronic disorders or diseases of many kinds, including arthritis, skin diseases, frequent infections, colitis, diabetes, loss of eyesight, cardiac diseases and cancer. An unhealthy colon poisons our internal ‘eco-system’.
As the gut also plays an important role in the causes of Diabetes, kidney and Heart, just to name a few, it is also wise to consider having a Colonic Irigation treatment to allow your body to receive all the nutrients that are going into the gut and to stop inflammation or toxins building up and causing more problems.
Vitamin B12 – Sufficient levels of vitamin B12 are essential to maintaining normal cognitive, neurological, and cardiovascular health, appropriate bone formation and reducing the risk of diabetic complications
Vitamin B12 is something to consider for its ability to help negate the problems that cause Diabetes or help in stabilising or even reversing Diabetes. An article on this is also available here in this site.
Always remember, it is important to discuss taking herbs with your doctor and make sure to monitor your blood sugar levels regularly.
when you factor herbs into your new active lifestyle and smart eating plan, 
you strengthen organ systems that are weakened by type 2 diabetes –
you just might be able to avoid taking blood sugar-lowering drugs.
Listed below are some Herbs that show promise.
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Cinnamon
The Cinnamon spice could help millions of sufferers of Type II, non-insulin dependent diabetes. This condition usually develops in
middle-age and prematurely kills 100 million people around the world every year.
Type II diabetes causes cells to lose their ability to respond to insulin, the hormone that tells the body to remove excess glucose in the bloodstream. If glucose builds up in the blood, tiredness, weight-loss and blurred vision are some of the resulting symptoms. In extreme cases this can lead to blindness, heart disease and premature death.
Data from the Agricultural Research Unit in Maryland was first published in the New Scientist in August 2000. The researchers found 
This familiar spice not only reduces blood sugar, but also lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, and best of all, cinnamon is delicious sprinkled on oatmeal and other whole grain breakfast cereals. In a study conducted by the USDA’s Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland,
Fennugreek
An aromatic annual herbaceous plant to ½ m tall, native of India, NE Africa to central Asia and now cultivated in the Mediterranean, N Africa, Southern Russia, China, Southern U.S.A. and in others. This species has been cultivated and used in food all over India.
Fennugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a staple Ayurvedic medicine and is a spice found in curry blends. Its seeds, rich in fiber and protein, were used in ancient
Chinese medicine to help people recover from illness. In studies, a fenugreek compound, called 4-hydroxy-isoleucine, stimulated pancreatic insulin production in rats, and fenugreek seed reduced fasting blood sugar levels.
In other studies, people with diabetes who were given the herb handled glucose better in glucose tolerance tests. Finally, researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who took fenugreek had reduced blood sugar levels after eating.
Soluble fiber is well-known, even in conventional medicine, to help people with diabetes. It keeps blood sugar from peaking as fast and as high. This means that diabetics don’t need to secrete as much insulin to keep up. In addition, fenugreek seeds have a special amino acid known as 4-hydroxyisoleucine.
This compound may directly stimulate insulin release from the pancreas, but it seems to depend on how high the blood sugar is.
In case you haven’t tried fenugreek, be warned: It has a distinctive bitter taste. One of the chemicals in it, sotolon, is actually used as artificial flavoring for maple syrup. Some people are allergic to it.
Gymnema
GYMNEMA SYLVESTRE, an Ayurvedic herb dietary supplement to help 
It is used today all over India for controlling blood sugar. India’s traditional medical system, gymnema (Gymnema sylvestre) is a widely used treatment for diabetes and obesity. Its Hindi name “gurmar” means “destroyer of sugar.” The herb contains a compound called gymnenin, which lessens your ability to taste sweets, 
Two long-term studies showed that the herb reduced fasting blood glucose in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Gymnema Herbal Tea May be useful for Blood Sugar. Gymnema sylvestre, effects the :
- taste buds in the oral cavity, the acid prevents the taste buds from being activated by any sugar molecules in the food.
- absorptive surface of the intestines, the acid prevents the intestine from absorbing sugar molecules
There is only one study that I know of using gymnema for Type 2 diabetics. They used a specific water-soluble extract of the leaf — called GS4 — for 18 months in addition to conventional treatment, and found that it helped to lower blood sugar.
Five patients were able to come off their medication while staying on the GS4. The downside to this study is that it was small, and there was no control group (a group that didn’t do the intervention). Studies without a control group sometimes make results better than they really are because there is nothing to compare them to. Also, as I said above, I don’t recommend taking any supplement without reviewing it with your doctor first.
It may also help stimulate growth of the pancreatic beta cells, which are responsible for making insulin. If the latter is true, that would be great since right now we don’t have anything in conventional medicine that I know of that helps beta cells grow.
Ginseng
Although there are several different types of ginseng, most of the promising studies on ginseng and diabetes have used North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). Those studies have shown that North 
Ginseng herb has a long history of use as an alternative medicine going back over 5,000 years, and appears on several continents (origin unknown), it is and was used extensively in Native American medicine.
The root is adaptogen, cardiotonic, demulcent, panacea, sedative, sialagogue, stimulant, tonic and stomachic. Ginseng has been studied 
over the past 30 years in many countries, it’s remarkable ability to help the body adapt to mental and emotional stress, fatigue, heat, cold, and even hunger is confirmed and documented!
The major constituents in Ginseng are Triterpenoid saponins, Ginsenosides (at least 29 have been identified), Acetylenic compounds, Panaxans, and Sesquiterpenes. Taken over an extended period it is used to increase mental and physical performance.
It is medicinal and therapeutic for the whole body. A very powerful medicinal herb, it both stimulates and relaxes the nervous system, encourages the secretion of hormones, improves stamina, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels and increases resistance to disease.
The ginsenosides that produce these effects are very similar to the body’s own natural stress hormones. It is used in the treatment of debility associated with old age or illness, lack of appetite, insomnia, stress, shock and chronic illness.
Ginseng also increases immune function, resistance to infection, and supports liver function. The leaf is emetic and expectorant. The root is candied and used as a an edible medicinal kind of candy.
Ginseng stimulates and increases endocrine activity in the body. Promotes a mild increase in metabolic activity and relaxes heart and artery movements. Stimulates the medulla centers and relaxes the central nervous system.
CAUTION: Don’t take Ginseng and Ginseng mixtures with Coffee as it will accelerate the caffeine effects on the body and can cause diarrhea.
Ginseng is said to be highly good for the metabolism, and promotes general well being. It has a reputation as an aphrodisiac, but this seems to be totally based on the fact that it relaxes the overly tense person a bit.
If you suffer from back pain or TMJ adding this to a tea of Catnip and slippery elm may help, or contact Dr Arikian as he is an expert at correcting TMJ and back problems.
Ginseng is also presumably useable as an ingredient in a meade or magewine.
Folklore
The roots are called Jin-chen by the natives of China, meaning ‘like a man,’ in reference to their looking like the human form. The American Indian name for the plant, garantoquen, has (strangely) the same meaning and uses, seeing how each race had no knowledge of the existence of the other.
The American Indians attributed much magic power to Ginseng. The Seminole Indians using it as a Love Medicine, rubbed it on the body and clothes to bring back a divorced wife.
Dosage
This seems to vary, some say 1000 mg. a day, others more or less! I just break off a small piece of the dried root (aspirin size) and swallow it with the daily vitamin.
Chromium
Chromium is an essential trace mineral that plays an important role in carbohydrate and fat metabolism and helps body cells properly respond to insulin. In fact, studies have found low levels of chromium in people with diabetes.Certain foods may interact with chromium.
People should avoid foods high in sugar, as sugar may decrease the effectiveness of chromium picolinate
Selected food sources of chromium Chromium (mcg) Broccoli, ½ cup 11 Grape juice, 1 cup 8 English muffin, whole wheat, 1 4 Potatoes, mashed, 1 cup 3 Garlic, dried, 1 teaspoon 3 Basil, dried, 1 tablespoon 2 Beef cubes, 3 ounces 2 Orange juice, 1 cup 2 Turkey breast, 3 ounces 2 Whole wheat bread, 2 slices 2 Red wine, 5 ounces 1–13 Apple, unpeeled, 1 medium 1 Banana, 1 medium 1 Green beans, ½ cup 1