Transplanting For A Diabetes Cure
Transplanting exogenous beta cells is another form of potential cure that has been attempted, both amongst mice and humans.
However, similar to transplant procedures, this has provoked a strong reaction from the immune system, which attacks the transplanted tissue.
Other cell transplant procedures have been attempted, including stem cell research for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In most cases, the same mechanism that destroys beta cells in the first instance attacks stem cells.
Monitoring Blood Glucose Levels
If you have type 2 diabetes, your GP or diabetes care team will need to take a reading of your blood glucose level about every two to six months.
This will show how stable your glucose levels have been in the recent past and how well your treatment plan is working.
The HbA1c test is used to measure blood glucose levels over the previous two to three months.
HbA1c is a form of haemoglobin, the chemical that carries oxygen in red blood cells, which also has glucose attached to it.
A high HbA1c level means that your blood glucose level has been consistently high over recent weeks, and your diabetes treatment plan may need to be changed.
Your diabetes care team can help you set a target HbA1c level to aim for. This will usually be less than 53 mmol/mol or individualised as agreed with your diabetes team.
Read more about the HbA1c test
Is Type 1 A Terminal Illness
In the 1920s, type 1 diabetes was a death sentence: fifty percent of patients died within two years, and more than ninety percent perished within five years. Countless individuals with type 1 diabetes now survive into their 50s and beyond, owing to the advent of insulin treatment in 1922 and numerous subsequent breakthroughs.
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Is It Possible To Reverse Diabetes
Its possible to reverse both prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 and gestational diabetes are not reversible people with these conditions can only treat and manage them.
Most people with diabetes have insulin resistance, meaning their bodies dont use insulin well and glucose then stays in their blood and doesnt reach cells, eventually causing health problems. Other people with diabetes either dont make enough insulin or make none at all. There are a few common forms of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is when the body doesnt make insulin. The immune system attacks and kills cells in the pancreas that create insulin. Healthcare providers usually diagnose this form of diabetes in young people, but it can develop at any age. Type 1 diabetes patients need to take insulin every day.
- Type 2 diabetes is when the body doesnt make or use insulin well. Its the most common form of diabetes. Although it can happen at any age, Type 2 diabetes most often develops in middle-aged and older adults.
- Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women. It usually goes away after the baby is born but does raise the mothers risk of having Type 2 diabetes later on. Diabetes during pregnancy is also sometimes Type 2 diabetes.
Healthcare providers also diagnose people with prediabetes. This is when blood glucose levels are higher than usual but not high enough to be diabetes. Prediabetes raises the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and has many of the same causes.
S For Weight Loss Success If You Have Type 2 Diabetes
In addition, most people with diabetes should limit carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates, like white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, white rice, cereal, and juice, Dungan says. They should instead opt for more fresh vegetables and fruit, or high-fiber, whole-grain options, she says, noting that the Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, lean meats and fish, and monounsaturated fats, and low in saturated fats and simple carbohydrates. She adds that you can monitor your glucose levels one to two hours after meals to determine how the food youve eaten affects your blood sugar. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any glucose monitoring so you can figure out the best mode and frequency for your individual health.
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Why Building A Diabetes Care Team Is Critical For Effective Treatment
Your first resource for managing your type 2 diabetes should be your primary care provider. Dungan notes that most patients with type 2 diabetes can rely on their primary care provider alone for treatment. But its important for people with type 2 diabetes to also stay up-to-date on diet and treatment recommendations by coordinating with a certified diabetes care and education specialist , a dietitian, a nurse, or a pharmacist, Dungan says. That education should occur at the time of diagnosis and periodically over time, such as after the start of insulin therapy, Dungan explains.
As for other healthcare professionals, Dungan notes that many diabetes clinics have dietitians, pharmacists, social workers, and mental health specialists on staff, all of whom can contribute to your diabetes management program.
Each patients needs will differ slightly, Dungan says. For instance, if you cant control your blood sugar with standard treatments or if you have frequent or severe hypoglycemia, you should consider seeing an endocrinologist, she says. If you develop complications, like heart disease, kidney disease, or foot ulcers, you may need to see specialists who can help with those conditions.
Each year, everyone with diabetes should see an eye care professional who has experience treating patients with diabetes, Dungan says.
When Should I See My Doctor
If you have any of the symptoms above, you should make an appointment with your doctor to discuss them since they might indicate undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.
Your doctor will look at your symptoms, review any risk factors you have for type 2 diabetes and they will recommend you be tested if needed.
Even if you dont have symptoms, all Australians should be screened for type 2 diabetes, every 3 years, starting at 40 years of age. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should start screening at age 18. Your GP should carry out this screening. It may involve reviewing your risk factors only, or you may need a blood test.
Video provided by Diabetes Victoria.
Type 2 diabetes can also affect your mental health and can make you more vulnerable to anxiety or depression. SANE Australia and Diabetes Australia have produced a guide to good mental health for people affected by diabetes.
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Is One Medication Better Than Another For Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
According to international guidelines, patients should take metformin as their first-line type 2 diabetes treatment unless there is a medical reason that it should not be prescribed.
However, in recent years, many new medicines have been developed for type 2 diabetes treatment. It has now been shown that some of them offer benefits in addition to glucose-lowering. For instance, SGLT-2 inhibitors in particular may protect the heart and kidneys. Therefore, they may be offered in addition to metformin as first-line treatment for people with certain health conditions or risk factors. You can find out more about who might be offered them under the section below on SGLT-2 inhibitors.
For other people with type 2 diabetes, various factors should be taken into account when choosing a ‘second-line’ medication to add to metformin. You can find out more about the individual medicines later in this leaflet.
Type 2 Diabetes Cure: 4 Ways To Reverse The Disease
One big mistake that healthcare has made is that it has considered the bodys systems as separate. Gums are treated by the dentist, hearts by the cardiologist, and type 2 diabetes by the endocrinologist.
As a dentist, I see many patients with type 2 diabetes and advanced gum disease. Its long been know that the two conditions are linked. We must consider the body as a whole if we want to cure type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes affects over 30 million Americans and is the seventh leading cause of death. Whats more, 7.2 million of that 30 million are unaware they have type 2 diabetes. This disease is on the rise and expected to affect one in three Americans by 2050.
These are staggering numbers, impossible to ignore in my opinion.
Gone are the days where the only piece of nutritional advice youll hear from a dentist is dont eat candy, itll rot your teeth. As a functional dentist I care about you and your health much more than that. Your diet and oral health are the gateway to your overall health a fact that until recently had been largely overlook.
Up until this point, dentists have largely sat on the sidelines of the nutritional and systemic health conversation.
Lets take a close look at how your teeth provide the secret to help cure type 2 diabetes.
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How Nutrition Therapy Can Treat Type 2 Diabetes
If you have diabetes, you should have an individualized meal plan focused on management of not only blood sugar but also blood cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as any other medical conditions.
Theres no one-size-fits-all eating plan for people with diabetes, so it is often helpful to work with a registered dietitian or diabetes educator to design a diabetes meal plan that meets your diabetes goals and accommodates your food likes and dislikes, daily schedule, and access to food.
She notes that working with a registered dietitian to develop a meal plan to fit your lifestyle can be helpful, since the best diet is the one that a person can stick with for the long haul. To that end, Dungan notes that keeping a food log can help you understand how many calories, carbs, and nutrients youre consuming.
Precautions If You Are Unwell
Some medications commonly prescribed to people with diabetes can cause complications if you are otherwise unwell, particularly if you are dehydrated. These include:
- SGLT-2 inhibitors.
- ARBs, which may be used as an alternative to ACE inhibitors.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, used for pain.
If you are taking any of these medicines and become unwell, particularly with diarrhoea and/or vomiting, contact your doctor or nurse. They may recommend that you stop taking some of your medication temporarily. Our leaflet on diabetes and illness gives more advice on what you should do if you are unwell.
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How Can Type Two Diabetes Be Reversed Permanently
All you have to do is to lose weight.
Of course, if losing weight was so easy in our culture, we would not need thousands of diets and programs on how to achieve a normal weight.
In theory, being at your ideal weight should be as easy as breathing.
Weight loss should not be rocket science.
Before the advent of processed and junk foods, most Americans did not need a guide on how to lose weight.
In the early 20th century, there was little need to be concerned about overweight or obesity. Today, the estimate is that 75% of men and women in the US are either overweight or obese.
The question is why are so many people overweight or obese, despite all the published diet books and plans over the last 50 years.
The brief answer is ultra-processed industrialized food which is manufactured in factories. As well as too much sitting.
The biggest problems are an extreme lack of real food and physical activity.
Type 2 diabetes is a result of poor lifestyle choices and frankly, being too fat.
Dr. Sarah Hallberg Ted Talk Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible
Type 2 Diabetes And Covid
The CDC points out that having type 2 diabetes can make it more likely that you will experience complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Nonetheless, proper blood sugar management can help lessen this risk.
Everyday Health editors attend the ADCES annual meeting to connect with certified diabetes care and education specialists, registered dietitian nutritionists, and people like you, who are looking for ways to better manage blood sugar, diet, medication, and more. Check out information on the next meeting here.
The ADA is considered the leading nonprofit for type 1 and type 2 diabetes education. The ADA’s free yearlong program Living With Diabetes offers top-of-the-line resources for anyone new to living with diabetes. Youll get access to their newsletter, expert Q& A session, and online support system, among other perks.
One of our favorite features from the AHA is a go-to resource for preventing heart disease: Know Diabetes by Heart. The ADA-supported initiative lays out a step-by-step guide for keeping your heart healthy while living with diabetes.
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Can’t I Just Take Meds
While some people believe that there is a healthy diabetes cure in the form of medication , this is a dangerous assumption.
If you have type 2 diabetes for a long enough time, then your pancreas can get ‘worn down’. It will no longer secrete enough insulin, and you’ll have to take injected insulin for the rest of your life.
Insulin and medication are not a cure — they’re just another way of managing diabetes symptoms. The only way to reverse diabetes is by reversing insulin resistance.
Acarbose As A Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Acarbose works by delaying the absorption of carbohydrates from the gut. Therefore, it can reduce the peaks of blood glucose which may occur after meals. It is an option if you are unable to use other tablets to keep your blood glucose level down. It can also be used in addition to other glucose-lowering tablets. It is not widely recommended in type 2 diabetes guidelines and is not often prescribed.
Possible problems with acarboseMany people develop gut-related side-effects when taking acarbose, such as bloating, wind and diarrhoea. Therefore, it is not used very often.
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What Does Progressive Mean
For a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes to occur, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have to be working at half capacity. From then on, and depending on your lifestyle habits, as well as other factors including genetics, more of those cells can stop producing insulin. This explains the fact that one out of every two people with diabetes will need to start insulin within 10 years of being diagnosed, provided the diagnosis was made in a timely manner.
Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes
The classic symptoms of diabetes are the following:
- fatigue
- unusual thirst and
- unexplained weight loss.
In type 1 diabetes, the symptoms usually progress quickly and are often dramatic. In type 2 diabetes, symptoms are slower to progress. However, it is important to note that many people who have type 2 diabetes may have no symptoms. These people may find out they have type 2 diabetes when they go to the doctor for another, unrelated problem.
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Three Key Factors In Dental Diseases That Help Us Understand Type 2 Diabetes
The mouth-body connection gives some more perspective on how to influence type 2 diabetes. These include vitamin D, sleep, and the gut microbiome.
First, the health of your gut is critical to your overall health. This is because your gut is home of trillions of microbes called the gut microbiome. These microbes work in symbiotic and antagonistic relationships within your body. A 2017 study using multiple therapies to manipulate the gut microbiome composition, found they could impact the individuals health more rapidly. This study also found manipulating the gut microbiome as an effective way to avoid insulin resistance and therefore prevent diabetes.
The plot thickens.
Through choosing which microbes to favor through diet, probiotics, and more it appears possible support glycemic control and improves treatments for people who are diabetic.
Second, researchers have found vitamin D plays a functional role in maintaining glucose tolerance through improving insulin sensitivity and modulating secretion. One study found vitamin D supplementation may reduce insulin resistance.
I believe vitamin D has health roles all over the body, I wrote a four-part series on it. Make sure youre getting enough sunshine or supplementing.
Type 2 Diabetes: Prevention And Cure
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General practice in the UK has been very successful in meeting the challenges raised by increasing prevalence of diabetes. Most diabetes is now managed in general practice and disease registers, evidencebased care, diabetes clinics, and diabetes trained practice nurses are now routine.
As a consequence of the obesity epidemic, and the ageing population, diabetes rates are rising, and diabetes can remain undiagnosed for many years. GPs have made progress in recent years in identifying previously undiagnosed cases. Recent population-based reports suggest that only 3% of men and 1% of women over 50 years have undiagnosed diabetes.1
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Diabetes : Its Not Just Sugar
Most people think that diabetes is just a problem with blood sugar.
Many doctors and health practitioners often simplify their explanation of diabetes, boiling it down to just having too much sugar in the blood because thats easier than really explaining the full scope of the problem.
To really get started with reversing type 2 diabetes naturally, though, its important to get the full picture.
It starts with the food that we eat, which is all converted into glucose, a type of sugar that our body uses for energy.
When we eat, our pancreas produces a hormone known as insulin, which is what takes that glucose from our blood into the cells of our body, so that we can use it for energy.
When it comes to diabetes, the problem really isnt with our blood sugar. Its with the insulin.
For those with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas isnt able to produce insulin the way it needs to, meaning all that glucose gets stuck and isnt able to be transported to the cells to be used as energy.
But with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is able to produce plenty of insulin, but it isnt using it efficiently, leading to the same problem.
Diabetes can cause all kinds of symptoms, including:
- excessive thirst,
- dry skin, and
- fatigue.
These are all signals that your bodys insulin isnt working the way its supposed to and your cells arent getting the glucose that they need.
A lot of times, this can happen because of a condition called insulin resistance.