One common household name that circulates in almost every house is the word diabetes. Diabetes mellitus, as the officially enlisted name has been across households generation after generation, sometimes passed on sometime procured by our own. Usually, our body contains within itself sugar components among the others which need to be broken down into soluble form from the rough form and then metabolized so that our body can properly utilize the sugar.
For this entire process, there is a substance secreted by our pancreas, a hormone that we commonly recognize to as insulin. It is because of the presence of this hormone in the right amount in our body and its timely secretion does the body sugars get fragmented and utilized.
Now due to faulty secretion or less secretion of this hormone, a condition arises where the sugar in its intact form instead of getting utilized by the body roams about the entire blood system and fails to metabolize or cooperate with the body. This is when the condition of diabetes arises.
Now diabetes comes with two types. The type 1 diabetes is a condition when the insulin production ceases whereas in the type 2 diabetes the insulin production is faltering but insulin is still produced in short wisp amounts. No matter what the type is, diabetes is something that we definitely should be keeping an eye out for. Home remedies are proven to keep control diabetes. But, before knowing about home remedies for diabetes, we have known about the causes of diabetes.
Causes Of Diabetes:
Causes diabetes mellitus:
Causes of Type 1 diabetes:
1. Type one diabetes occurs when the immune systems, which fights all the infections, attacks the pancreas and kills all the cells that produce insulin.
2. Type one diabetes can be caused due to genes, environmental factors.
3. An illness that could attack the pancreas and destroy the cells.
Causes of Type 2 diabetes:
1. Being overweight or obese is one of the most common causes types 2 diabetes can trigger.
2. Excess weight causes insulin resistance.
3. Extra fat around the stomach and waistline causes type 2 diabetes.
4. Type 2 diabetes starts off with insulin resistance where the body muscles, liver and the fat cells are not able to use the insulin efficiently.
5. Genes are another major factor for the increase in type 2 diabetes. It can also be a risk factor for obesity.
Causes of Gestational Diabetes:
1. This type of diabetes occurs only in the pregnant woman.
2. It is caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy and can also be caused due to being overweight.
Sign of Diabetes:
Symptoms of diabetes can vary from person to person but some of the major symptoms are as follows,
1. Intense increase in thirst and excessive urge to urinate – diabetes causes an increase in the urge to urinate frequently and also feel thirsty excessively.
2. Extreme hunger – even though one is eating well and on time, untimely hunger an.
3. Fatigued – one feels very out of energy when diabetes occurs. This is due to the sugar levels fluctuating.
4. Blurred vision – diabetes attacks the nerves cells and most commonly causes eye problems.
5. Numbness in the hands or feet.
6. Sudden weight loss.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes start suddenly and react very soon; however, type 2 diabetes is gradual and can take several years for the symptoms to show up. Symptoms in most cases are not as prominent and people do not know about their condition unless other diabetes-related issues show up like blurred vision or heart trouble.
Prevention of Diabetes:
As it is well said, prevention is better than cure. Some of the best ways to prevent diabetes are –
1. Weight loss: It is important to lose the excess fat especially around the belly to control the risk of being a diabetic. Being obese or overweight instantly increases the risk of diabetes.
2. Low-Calorie diet: Eating more fruits and vegetables is important to stay healthy and diabetes-free. Eat high fiber cereals rather than concentrated starch. Eat whole fruits rather than fruit juices. Also load up on nuts, avocados, flax seeds olive oi etc.
3. Drink Adequate Water: Drinking water helps control sugar better and also helps insulin response better.
4. Exercise: Exercise is the key to weight loss.
5. Adequate Sleep.
Best Home Remedies For Diabetes:
1. Holy Basil For Diabetes:
The holy basil leaves or as we call ‘tulsi’ is a power-packed element that consists within itself the products eugenol and caryophyllene along with methyl eugenol. These three products together work on the pancreas where the beta cells within them are held responsible for the production of insulin. These three elements within the holy basil would stimulate the beta cells ensuring the proper production of insulin thereby aiding both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
- You may use tulsi stems, oil, leaves and seed.
- Tulsi leaves can be used to make tea, adding ginger and lemon to it.
2. Exercises:
The key to staying away from the harmful effects of diabetes is to keep yourself fit and proper. This is why exercise is probably one of the most worthwhile remedies to curing or stabilizing diabetes.
- These exercises usually include freehand where you opt for early morning jogging or running or simply a skipping rope session.
- Opt for aerobic exercises where you have to go intense for a few minutes.
- The physical activity would definitely help you contain your blood sugar level and controls.
- Walking is generally good for all the age groups, be it elders or young ones.
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3. Indian Gooseberry:
Indian gooseberry or amla as many of us know is a small peach-like fruit that grows abundantly in the trees around here. These gooseberries are an excellent source of anti-oxidants and stores within itself huge amounts of vitamin C. The gooseberry juice definitely helps you maintain healthy conditions in your pancreas where the source of insulin production happens. Therefore, with a healthy working pancreas, you can expect a healthy working hormone. This is one of the best home remedies for diabetes problem and keeps you always healthy.
- Gooseberry is rich in its content can be eaten in many forms, you can have it in powder form or juice or raw as per your choice.
4. Bilberry (Neelabadari)Leaves:
Bilberry or neelabadari leaves much like the gooseberry is one of the lethal all-natural recipes to keep your diabetic solution in check. Now bilberry leaved directly does not work on the pancreas or insulin production but it sure is a natural boost for all the hormones and secretions related to the pancreas. The anthocyanidin in bilberry leaves stimulates hormones which aids in the breakdown of blood sugar and metabolizing it thereby helping us combat diabetes.
- You can have bilberries juice or add it to your salad platter.
- It is said that bilberry reduces the risk of diabetes as it lowers blood glucose.
5. Bitter Gourd:
Karela as we call in our traditional language is what a bitter gourd is. No matter how much we hate the bitter taste of karela, at the end of the day, it is one of the helpful vegetables that helps you combat diabetes. Our grandparents always insisted us to have bitters when we were small and look like they were right all along. The bitter gourd has a hold on the glucose content in our body where they help us disintegrate the glucose so that they don’t have to float around in our blood.
- Bitter gourd can be made as curry while adding some flavours to it.
- It can also be consumed by making juice.
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6. Aloe Vera:
Do you want to know how to control diabetes by using aloe vera? Aloe vera is a miracle plant which has shown flawless results in the past in regards to health care and beauty benefits. Africa is the main source of this plant. Aloe vera is a storehouse for all-natural minerals starting from manganese to vitamin E and therefore is a sure shot ailment to treating diabetes. Further, Aloe Vera is high in vitamin E and is one of the best home remedies for diabetes.
- Aloe vera can help type 2 diabetes people to control their blood sugar if they consume it orally.C
7. Cinnamon:
Now unlike the other ailments, cinnamon is something that you cannot consume just by itself and therefore cinnamon or dalchini cannot be a responsible enough cure for diabetes. However, it is one of the best in the lot where the cinnamon in stick or powder forms lowers the glucose level within the blood by absorbing the sugar from within the blood. The additional improvement to insulin sensitivity adds to its credits. This is one of the best home remedies for diabetes.
- Studies have also found that cinnamon cuts blood sugar by 24% and cholesterol by 18 %.
8. Guava:
Guava has a high fiber content within itself and is filled with vitamin C. This is primarily why guava is one of the best-entrusted food items that can help you combat diabetes.
- The guava can either be juiced or eaten in cubes and slices but it is always advisable to keep the peels off from your diet.
- Even though guava is good a bit too much of everything is not good.
- Guavas are one of the best home remedies for diabetes.
9. Pears:
Pears have the same components as that of guavas where they are enriched in fiber and contain within itself huge amounts of vitamin C. together pears can be juiced to get the best result.
- Every day a glass of pear juice will not only maintain the sugar in your blood level but also help your pancreas in secreting the much essential insulin juice.
- Pears are high in fiber, they are sweet and have do not have any deleterious effect on diabetes.
10. Mango Leaves:
For this, we would actually need the leaves more than the fruits. The mango leaves are a proven method to aiding diabetes but here too there are two ways of intake which can be followed.
- Either dried and grinded or boiled and drank.
- Mango leaves are another one of the best home remedies for diabetes without any side effects and which keeps healthy also.
- The tender mango leaves contain anthocyanidins that help in treating pre-diabetes as well.
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11. Alfalfa Can Reduce Diabetes:
This is a good remedy for all the vegetarian lovers where this powerful herbal remedy will ensure your diabetes to be in control as long as you promise to intake it each and every day.
- Often there are pre-made alfalfa capsules found in the nearest drug store but the best way is to intake a spoon full of alfalfa seeds.
- The alfalfa seeds definitely make an effort to lower your blood sugar levels while filling your body with healthy mineral agents.
- Alfalfa is consumed to increase urine flow, kidney conditions, bladder conditions, etc.
12. Flax Seeds:
Much like the pears and guavas, even the flaxseeds are a good source of fiber and can be found in its original form or in the form of oils as well. This home remedy works efficiently on diabetes and controls it. Flax seeds improve control of blood sugar level, helps control cholesterol and also helps regulate insulin in the blood. They are high in fiber and low in calorie. This is one of the easiest available ingredients and is an excellent remedy for diabetes.
- Fasting blood sugar can be improved with a tablespoon of flax seeds.
13. Green Tea:
Green tea is a budget-friendly product which has previously helped a lot in case of beauty care and here once again green tea comes and this time it will be fighting against stubborn diabetes. It is one of the best home remedies to control diabetes. It also contains polyphenol and polysaccharides which help regulate glucose and hence controlling the blood sugar levels. This is one of the best home remedies for diabetes.
- You can consume 4 to 5 green tea’s a day and with diabetes control, it will also help n weight loss.
14. Okra For Diabetes:
Okra means ladyfingers and within itself, the presence of polyphenolic molecules has to lead us to believe that okra can actually save a million lives just by helping us reducing glucose in the blood level. The treatment handed by home remedies for diabetes with ladyfingers was successful.
- Okra is high in fiber and has fewer calories.
- Okra is a single ingredient that can effectively control type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes.
- This is one of the best home remedies for diabetes.
15. Apple Cider Vinegar:
Much like okra, even apple cider vinegar helps in maintaining blood sugar by keeping a stern eye on the unwanted elements that we intake in our body. Most of the researches said that it is one of the perfect home remedies for diabetes. After a meal that is high in carbohydrates and sugar, a small amount of apple cider vinegar will instantly help reduce blood sugar levels. This is one of the most effective home remedies for diabetes.
- You can add honey and water to apple cider vinegar as you won’t like it to have in its original form.
16. Psyllium Seeds:
Psyllium seeds are the best to help you deal with high sugar levels in your body which is the root cause for diabetes. These wondrous seeds do well to soak up excess sugar when consumed so that your sugar levels are kept easily in check at all times.
- Consume these seeds on a daily basis when facing a problem of diabetes to slowly recover in the long run. It is obviously a slow process but it provides full proof results in time.
- Psyllium seeds may be helpful in controlling the health of diabetic people as well as reducing the blood sugar.
- It also controls cholesterol, constipation, treats diarrhea, etc.
17. Neem:
Neem is a wondrous plant that has applications to many diseases. It can be used on chicken pox, can help to reduce high blood pressure and most importantly can help to reduce and dissipate the effects of diabetes.
- Neem crushed and mixed into a drink can be quite bitter but very effective against the effects of diabetes by neutralizing high sugar content in your body.
- Drink a glass of neem every day to rid yourself of diabetes in the long run.
- It is one of the best ways to do so and is even subscribed by doctors all around the world making it a perfect home remedy for diabetes
18. Indian Blackberry:
Native to India, the Indian blackberry is one of a kind fruit that is very effective against the effects of diabetes. It not only acts as a strong medication when facing the problems of diabetes but also rids your body of any remnants so that you can walk free and healthy for the rest of your life.
- It is very effective for people in all stages of diabetes and is available anywhere and in all seasons making it one of the most versatile and effective fruits.
- You can make it as a juice and consume it anytime time of the day.
- Or you can use it in salads.
19. Moringa Leaves:
Moringa leaves as neem can also be made into a drink to help cure any elaborate effects of diabetes. The ability to reduce sugar content in your body is what neem and this great plant have in common.
- You can get moringa leaves anywhere as it is a quite well-known plant.
- Its leaves are beneficial to cure other important diseases as well which include high blood pressure, low blood pressure, fatigue and other diabetes-related problems which are dire to your body in the long run.
20. Cut Down On Alcohol:
Alcohol has a fixed amount of sugar content which takes a big toll on your liver in the long run. When suffering from diabetes if you do not cut down on drinking alcohol it will not only instigate the disease but will take you to a place that will affect you quite badly in the long run.
- Alcohol is your worst enemy when suffering from diabetes so it is a good option to stay far away from it while getting treatment in order to get better fast which is the fastest diabetes home remedies you may get your hands on.
- Alcohol is in anyways not good to consume in larger quantities.
21. Reduce Stress Level:
As mentioned earlier stress is one of the root causes of diabetes and with the rising growth of stress due to high job pressure and everyday issues people tend to suffer with diabetes more often so it is always better to have a little bit of peace through maybe a hobby or passion so that the relief to your body is imminent.
- The constant pressure to your mind and body will surely bring on severe versions of diabetes so it is good to rest from time to time to keep your pressure in check.
- It is good to meditate in the morning for stress relief, or even go for a slow walk in a peaceful garden.
22. Fenugreek Control Diabetes:
It is a perfect way to heal diabetes slowly but is not used quite often as there are a number of home remedies for diabetes available in the market. Fenugreek though if used correctly can be better than the rest of the home remedies due to its strong neutralizing factor that is even stronger than neem.
- It also contains the fiber and minerals that your body needs in order to fight diabetes with great care and efficiency.
- It is available in the market at all times and comes at cost-effective prices making it a part of some great natural remedies for diabetes.
- You can soak it overnight and then drink it in the morning, including the seeds.
23. Sun To The Rescue:
Vitamin D and E are perfect when you need to fight diabetes and the sun which is a natural producer of vitamin D comes to the rescue in this area. With the sun you not only get volumes of vitamin D soaked up by your skin but you also feel refreshed and healthy.
- Vitamin D helps improve insulin resistance and helps decrease blood sugar levels. This is one of the best home remedies for diabetes mellitus.
- It is suggested to wear sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses as it is good to have high body temperature and reduce blood sugar.
24. Fruit Intake:
Mentioned above are specific fruits that help diabetes but in reality, all fruits are perfect to help neutralize sugar content in your body so the best way to help fight diabetes is to consume fruit rich in vitamin C, D and A.
- These fruits include apples, oranges, and pomegranate and so on.
- Fruits like bananas, berries, citrus fruits, pomegranate as mentioned above are perfect to help you fight diabetes as fruits remove high sugar contents in your body quite effectively leaving you healthier and stronger.
- Even if having fruit is good but diabetic people need to take care of the quantity they have fruit in.
25. Avoid Fruit Juices:
Eating fruits instead of fruit juices have more benefits. Fruits are high in fiber than fruit juices. Also, fruit juices will have more calories as the number of oranges, for e.g., it takes to squeeze out the juice will be more than the number you can eat directly. That way the calorie intake could increase.
- Store-bought fruit juices are high in sugar and fructose that is not good to control diabetes.
- Consuming fruit juices significantly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- It is always better to have fruits than juices as its high in calories and sugar.
Diabetes is something that people deal with quite often especially when they are suffering due to hereditary reasons or any prolonged experience that might have occurred in their lives. With the constant growth of stress which is the root cause of diabetes today, there has been quite a spike in the growth of this disease which is the gateway to other diseases like high blood pressure and cataract. There are ways by which you can deal with diabetes quite easily and is mentioned in detail in the points given above.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1. What happens if the sugar levels are not controlled on time?
Ans. There are many risk factors that contribute to not controlling diabetes or sugar levels. Some of the common risks are –
1. Blindness: Not treating diabetes in time can potentially damage the eyes or can cause glaucoma or cataracts. It can result in temporary or permanent loss of vision.
2. Heart Diseases: A higher blood glucose level due to diabetes can damage the blood vessels and nerves that control the heart and its blood vessels.
3. Stroke: Glucose can lead to increase in clots inside the blood vessels walls. Now, these clots can block the blood vessels in the brain or neck, which cuts off the blood supply and oxygen to the brain. This causes a stroke.
4. Nerves damage leading to potential amputation of limbs in some cases
5. Kidney failure
Q2. Are there any new treatments to cure diabetes?
Ans. As of now, there is no cure for diabetes but there are new studies that prove that there is some hope to cure diabetes.
1. Beta Cells transplant – here the new beta cells are added to the pancreas, in case of type 1 diabetes, that will help produce insulin. In type 2 diabetics, the new beta cells replace the existing one and increase insulin production, thereby controlling the sugar levels.
2. Stem Cell therapy – a combination of stem cell therapy along with diabetic drugs have known to reverse Type 2 diabetes. Doctors can grow cells that produce insulin which will replace the ones that the pancreas had lost. However, this study is yet to find a way to cure type 2 diabetes.
Q3. What foods should be avoided by a diabetic?
Maintaining a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle is the only way to help control the symptoms of diabetes. Foods to avoid are –
1. Sugar: Foods loaded with sugar are to be avoided as much as possible. This includes carbonated drinks, store-bought fruits juices, sweetened beverages and sweets
2. Trans fats: Margarine, Peanut butter, frozen dinners, Partially hydrogenated products
3. White rice, white pasta, White bread, starch
4. Flavoured yogurt
5. Breakfast cereals that are coated with sugar
6. Agave nectar, honey, maple syrup
7. Dried fruits
