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Alternative
Therapies for Diabetes
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. Many alternative treatments remain either untested or unproven through
traditional scientific studies.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a procedure in
which a practitioner inserts needles into designated points on the skin. Some
Western scientists believe that acupuncture triggers the release of the body's
natural painkillers. Acupuncture has been shown to offer relief from chronic
pain. Acupuncture is sometimes used by people with neuropathy, the painful
nerve damage of diabetes.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a technique which
helps a person become more aware of and learn to deal with the body's response
to pain. This alternative therapy emphasizes relaxation and stress-reduction
techniques. Guided imagery is a relaxation technique that some
professionals who use biofeedback do. With guided imagery, a person
thinks of peaceful mental images, such as ocean waves. A person may also
include the images of controlling or curing a chronic disease, such as
diabetes. People using this technique believe their condition can be eased
with these positive images.
Chromium
The benefit of added chromium for
diabetes has been studied and debated for several years. Several studies
report that chromium supplementation may improve diabetes control. Chromium is
needed to make glucose tolerance factor, which helps insulin improve its
action. Because of insufficient information on the use of chromium to treat
diabetes, no recommendations for supplementation yet exist.
Magnesium
Although the relationship between magnesium
and diabetes has been studied for decades, it is not yet fully understood.
Studies suggest that a deficiency in magnesium may worsen the blood sugar
control in Type 2 diabetes. 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.
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. Currently researchers want to understand how
vanadium works in the body, discover potential side effects, and establish
safe dosages.
Additional Information on Alternative Therapies for Diabetes
The National Diabetes Information
Clearinghouse collects resource information on diabetes for Combined Health
Information Database (CHID). CHID is a database produced by health-related
agencies of the Federal Government. This database provides titles, abstracts,
and availability information for health information and health education
resources.
To provide you with the most up-to-date
resources, information specialists at the clearinghouse created an automatic
search of CHID. To obtain this information you may view
the results of the automatic search on Alternative Therapies for Diabetes.
Or, if you wish to perform your own search of the database, you may access the
CHID Online web site and search CHID yourself.
To learn more about alternative therapies
for diabetes treatment, contact the National Institutes of Health's Office of
Alternative Medicines Clearinghouse at (888) 644-6226.
National Diabetes Information
Clearinghouse
1 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3560
E-mail: ndic@info.niddk.nih.gov
The National Diabetes Information
Clearinghouse (NDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Path:
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