Functional Medical Treatments
Alternative therapies are treatments that are neither widely taught in medical schools nor widely practiced in hospitals. Alternative treatments that have been studied to manage diabetes include acupuncture, biofeedback, guided imagery, and vitamin and mineral supplementation. The success of some alternative treatments can be hard to measure. Critics of natural-based therapies are quick to state that many alternative treatments remain either untested or unproven through traditional scientific studies, however many of these studies do exist and are overlooked by those who do not desire to see a benefit exist. The traditional "double-blind" placebo controlled clinical study relates a given single treatment to a specific desired outcome. Frequently, natural-based treatments require clinical descriptive studies for evaluation due to the nature of the treatments' effects on multiple organ systems and the overall functioning of the whole person.
Chromium - In the early 1970's, Dr. Walter Mertz, then director of the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center, discovered that simple forms of chromium are poorly absorbed (typically less than 2% of the amount consumed) and do not potentiate insulin activity like biologically active chromium. Dr. Mertz isolated a chromium compound from Brewer's yeast that had a strong activating effect on insulin. He discovered that this "active" chromium was com-plexed with several amino acids and the B-vitamin niacin and called this chromium complex: "Glucose Tolerance Factor" or "GTF." Dr. Mertz concluded that niacin was the key to chromium's biological activity. Neither niacin by itself nor the common chromium picolinate complex had any significant effect on glucose metabolism. Dr. Mertz concluded that the niacin-bound chromium, called "polynicotinate" or "nicotinate" was the biologically active form of chromium that potentiates insulin's action in the body.
I personally prefer chromium polynicotinate for supplementation in both diabetes and overweight patients. Recommended dosages are up to 1000 micrograms daily divided with meals (200 mcg with breakfast, 400 mcg at lunch and 400 mcg at dinner). These doses are sufficient to promote the 200 mcg absorption that the body needs on a daily basis. The deficiency of chromium in the diet has lead some researchers to state that we would need to consume in excess of 12,000 calories per day to get the required amount of chromium from dietary only sources.
Magnesium - Magnesium may alter both insulin secretion and the biological activity of insulin. Scientists believe that a deficiency of magnesium interrupts insulin secretion in the pancreas and increases insulin resistance in the body's tissues. Evidence suggests that a deficiency of magnesium may contribute to certain diabetes complications and comorbidities such as insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and hyperinsu-linemia. Low magnesium levels are associated with diabetic patients that have experienced diabetic ketoacidosis. In patients with type 2 diabetes, research has demonstrated that magnesium improves cellular uptake of glucose by insulin.
Vanadium - Vanadium is a compound found in tiny amounts in plants and animals. Early studies showed that vanadium normalized blood glucose levels in animals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A recent study found that when people with diabetes were given vanadium, they developed a modest increase in insulin sensitivity and were able to decrease their insulin requirements resulting in improved glucose levels. Although not completely understood, vanadium is thought to enhance the number of insulin receptors on cell membranes and improve the binding of insulin to these receptors and/or increase the glucose transport proteins within the cell membrane. Improved utilization of glucose in the cells prevents excess glucose from being converted to triglycerides and ultimately stored as fat. Dosages of 10-100 mg. of Vanadyl Sulfate have been shown to be beneficial in type 2 diabetes.
Garcinia Cambogia (Hydroxycitric Acid) - Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), the active ingredient in Garcinia Cambogia, is a rare organic acid similar to the citric acid found in citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons, but it has several unique proper-ties. HCA has been shown to reduce appetite and inhibit fat production without stimulating the central nervous system like many of the OTC weight loss and prescription diet medications. HCA is extracted from the rind of the fruit of the Garcinia Cambogia tree where it has been used for seasonings and as a food preservative by the people of Southeast Asia. HCA blocks a key enzyme responsible for the production of fat from leftover glucose that is not being used immediately for energy. When carbohydrates are consumed they are broken down into glucose and sent throughout the body. Excess glucose that is not immediately needed for energy or metabolism is stored in the body's liver and muscles as glycogen. Glycogen can be rapidly utilized if needed from this storage depot in the liver and muscle, but there is only so much room to store this "immediate backup" form of energy fuel. The glucose in excess of that needed for liver and muscle glycogen storage is transformed into a longer term depot of energy fuel (i.e. triglyceride and fat). The conversion of unused, or excessive glucose, is aided by an enzyme called ATP-citrate lyase. HCA temporarily inhibits the activity of this enzyme thus decreasing fat production from carbo-hydrate metabolism. In addition it promotes biochemical changes in the liver that promote fat burning and glycogen storage.
Gymnema Sylvestre - Gymnema Sylvestre is a compound that was shown to reduce glucose in the urine nearly 70 years ago. It was subsequently shown that Gymnema had a blood glucose lowering effect when there was residual pancreatic function, but had no affect on animals lacking pancreatic function. Studies beginning again in 1981 showed that Gymnema lowered blood glucose levels and raised serum insulin levels during an oral glucose tolerance test. Further studies revealed that Gymnema improved both glycosylated hemoglobin and glycosylated plasma proteins, two indicators of long term glucose control. Further studies in 1990 promoted the concept of beta cell repair/regeneration of the exocrine pancreas as an effect of Gymnema causing an improved level of glucose homeostasis. Cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and free fatty acid levels have all been shown to be lowered by Gymnema Sylvestre supplementation.
Fenugreek - Fenugreek is a compound that may improve glucose levels by decreasing the absorption of glucose by the small intestine. It is thought