Okay, so there’s no Joe Diabetic in the phone book, but Joe exists and chances are you are one Joe among millions who is afflicted with the disease.
And like Joe, breakfast for you comes with sweetened orange juice, corn flakes, sprinkled with sugar along with a hot cup of coffee with added sugar. Just what you need to stay awake and brave the traffic for another day at the office. If, by chance, you’re one of those who skip breakfast, you’ll likely stop at a drive through for a coffee and donut to carry you to lunch.
Chances are lunch is a quick burger with fries and a coke. If there’s enough time, a smoke will calm those jittery nerves from a body overloaded with fat, sugar and caffeine.
After a harrowing day of office politics and fighting the 3 PM “Fatigue hour” Joe is ready to get home with that pizza and relax his 250 pound bulk into the easy chair.
Is Joe you?
Joe is not an isolated case. He’s typical of many Americans who live the same lifestyle, a lifestyle that guarantees they may not see their children’s children after the first heart attacks, strokes and cancer hits them. If he doesn’t have heart disease, syndrome X is sure to guarantee a life with diabetes.
Obviously Joe learned to live a lifestyle leading to future health problems. Likely, he doesn’t eat vegetables or fruits. White refined bread goes down easy but doesn’t supply the fiber Joe needs. What that bread does do is drive up his glucose levels.
The problem is that Joe doesn’t put into his body the kind of nutrients it needs to have a fighting chance against the viruses, bacteria and pathogens that invade on a daily basis. That highly refined food with its empty calories does nothing to help his immune system. So Joe gets sick.
Setting aside that Joe desperately needs to exercise, he needs a lot of minerals in which he is defficient. And as a diabetic, Joe needs far more than the average Joe who doesn’t have diabetes. The fact is that man Americans don’t even meet the RDA the government health agencies say we need for optimum health. And their standards are MINIMUM standards!
Without essential vitamins and minerals, the body simply can’t cope and gets sick. For the diabetic, this means the loss of sensation in the feet as the nerves start to die. Wounds take a long time to heal or don’t heal properly, leading to ulcers and gangrene. Not much later, the foot has to go to save the diabetic life.
The delicate nerves of the eyes without the nutrients to keep them flexible and functioning leads to blindness. Chronic pain, weakness, gum disease and sexual dysfunction becomes a regular part of the diabetic lifestyle.
All of it can be traced to a lack of essential nutrients that are lost everytime Joe has to go for another piss.
Many Joes out there don’t know about this important aspect and their doctors either don’t know themselves about supplementing or simply don’t tell their patients as there’s no money to be made by it.
But if you want to prevent the complications of diabetes, you should be supplementing with:
Chromium: It works with insulin in helping open the cell membranes to accept glucose. Without it, insulin action is blocked. It also helps to improve glucose tolerance and decrease cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as raise the HDL, the good cholesterol.
Cheese, legumes, beans, peas, whole grains and molasses are good sources of chromium.
Magnesium: Low intake of magnesium is a major risk factor in retinopathy. Blindness and heart disease are linked to a lack of magnesium. Like chromium, it’s involved in glucose metabolism. Supplementation has been shown to improve insulin response, glucose tolerance and improve the fluidity of red blood cell membranes in diabetic patients. Most magnesium comes from seeds, nuts, legumes, tofu and green leafy vegetables.
Potassium: It’s is the major mineral inside all cell membranes. Sodium, contained in salt is often found outside of those cell membranes and it’s believed that the ratio of sodium to potassium is off-kilter in most people and is one of the reasons why insulin cannot act to open the cell doors to accept glucose. High potassium diets have been shown to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease and even help lower blood pressure. Plant foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains are the best sources of potassium.
Manganese: Animals deficient in manganese have low insulin output. It functions in many enzyme systems including those involved in blood sugar control and thyroid hormone function. Diabetics have only half the manganese of normal people. Good sources are whole grains, fruits and nuts, provided they are grown on well fertilized soil. A good daily dose of manganese for diabetics is between 3 to 5 mg.
Zinc: Zinc deficiency leads to loss of appetite, susceptibility to infection, poor wound healing and skin disorders. It helps protect against the destruction of beta cells of the pancreas which occurs in many type 1 diabetics. All diabetics should supplement with 30 mg of zinc per day. Good sources of zinc are shell fish, organ meats, fish, pumpkin seeds, ginger root, nuts and seeds.
Vanadium: Vanadyl sulfate helps to control the rises in blood sugar in diabetics after meals. Before the discovery of insulin, vanadium was used to treat diabetes. Good sources of vanadium are mushrooms, shellfish, dill, parsley and black pepper.
Not taking any of these minerals? You should make a start before you lose your feet and eyesight. But take supplements with the aid of your doctor, naturopath or dietitian.
However, while minerals like these will help you, they should not be an excuse to not change the most important thing that is making you sick; your lifestyle.
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The author has been a diabetic for over 9 years. Like many he experienced the symptoms. He has since tackled the disease by losing weight and normalizing his blood sugar through natural means. He has recently written an ebook on the right way to diet for diabetics. You can get a copy at: http://stores.lulu.colm/mrmagica
Posted by mrmagica 