Diabetes mellitus
From Wiki4CAM
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the blood glucose (or sugar) levels are too high due to problems converting food to energy. Though there is another condition called diabetes insipidus, it is often refered to just as diabetes. Glucose comes from the food we eat. Food is broken down into glucose, which is carried by the blood to cells throughout the body after eating. Cells use a hormone called insulin to help them convert blood glucose into energy. Insulin is produced by pancreas, which is situated behind the stomach. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin or because the cells in the muscles, liver, and fat do not use insulin properly, or both. It results increased amount of glucose in the blood, while the cells need it. Prolonged increased amount of glucose in the blood can lead to complications in the form of cardiac, kidney, nervous and vessels related problems.
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Types of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes: It is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults, so it is also called juvenile diabetes. The beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them.
Type 2 diabetes: It is the most common form. People can develop it at any age, even during childhood. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which muscle, liver, and fat cells do not use insulin properly. At first, the pancreas keeps up with the added demand by producing more insulin. In time, however, it loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals.
Gestational diabetes: It develops in some women during the late stages of pregnancy. Although this form of diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born, a woman who has had it is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Gestational diabetes is caused by the hormones of pregnancy or by a shortage of insulin.
Symptoms
The symptoms are depending upon the type of diabetes. Common symptoms include blurry vision, excessive thirst, fatigue, frequent urination, hunger and weight loss. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually develop in a short span of time, unlike type 2 diabetes. It may require emergency treatment. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes are fatigue, increased thirst and urination, nausea, vomiting and weight loss in spite of increased appetite.
People with type 2 diabetes do not experience symptoms initially, because it develops slowly. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes are blurred vision, fatigue, increased appetite, thirst and urination.
Examinations
Urine and blood tests are primary to find out the sugar level in blood and urine. Urine analysis would show the presence of glucose and ketones. Blood glucose tests are performed in different ways. If fasting blood glucose level is higher than 126 mg/dL in two consecutive tests, is considered as diabetes. If it is between 100 and 126 mg/dL, it is the indication of pre-diabetes. If oral glucose tolerance test is higher than 200 mg/dL after 2 hours, it is considered as diabetes. If the random blood glucose level is higher than 200 mg/dL and accompanied by the classic diabetes symptoms of increased thirst, urination, and fatigue, it is considered as diabetes. However this must be confirmed with a fasting blood glucose test. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level is to be checked every 3 - 6 months to measure the average blood glucose during the previous 2 - 3 months.
CAM therapies for diabetes
Acupuncture and acupressure
Ayurveda and herbal remedies
There are many ayurvedic and herbal remedies are proved in various studies and researches for their use in diabetes mellitus. Following are some of them.
Aegle folia improved digestion and reduced blood sugar and urea, serum cholesterol when administered in alloxanized rats as compared to control. Along with exhibiting hypoglycemic activity, this extract also prevented peak rise in blood sugar at 1 hour in oral glucose tolerance test. [1]
Allium cepa showed anti-hyperglycemic activity in diabetic rabbits. It is also known to have antioxidant and hypolipidaemic activity. Administration of a sulfur containing amino acid from Allium cepa, S-methyl cysteine sulphoxide (SMCS) (200 mg/kg for 45 days) to alloxan induced diabetic rats significantly controlled blood glucose as well as lipids in serum and tissues and normalized the activities of liver hexokinase, glucose 6-phosphatase and HMG Co A reductase. When diabetic patients were given single oral dose of 50 g of onion juice, it significantly controlled post-prandial glucose levels.[2]
Allium sativum contains allicin (a sulfur-containing compound), which is responsible for its pungent odour and its hypoglycemic activity. This effect is thought to be due to increased hepatic metabolism, increased insulin release from pancreatic beta cells and/or insulin sparing effect. [3]
Azadirachta indica has showed antihyperglycemic activity in streptozotocin treated rats. Apart from having anti-diabetic activity, this plant also has anti-bacterial, antimalarial, antifertility, hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects.[4]
Caesalpinia bonducella is used ethnically by the tribal people of India for controlling blood sugar. Both the aqueous and ethanolic extracts showed potent hypoglycemic activity in chronic type 2 diabetic models. These extracts also increased glycogenesis thereby increasing liver glycogen content. Two fractions BM 169 and BM 170 B could increase secretion of insulin from isolated islets. The aqueous and 50% ethanolic extracts of Caesalpinia bonducella seeds showed antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activities in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. The antihyperglycemic action of the seed extracts may be due to the blocking of glucose absorption. The drug has the potential to act as antidiabetic as well as antihyperlipidemic.[5] [6]
Syzygium jambolanum is well known in Indian medicine for its use in diabetes mellitus. In India decoction of kernels of Syzygium jambolanum is used as household remedy for diabetes. Antihyperglycemic effect of aqueous and alcoholic extract as well as lyophilized powder shows reduction in blood glucose level. This varies with different level of diabetes. In mild diabetes (plasma sugar >180 mg/dl) it shows 73.51% reduction, whereas in moderate (plasma sugar >280 mg/dl) and severe diabetes (plasma sugar >400 mg/dl) it is reduced to 55.62% and 17.72% respectively. The oral administration of the extract resulted in increase in serum insulin levels in diabetic rats. Insulin secretion was found to be stimulated on incubation of plant extract with isolated islets of Langerhans from normal as well as diabetic animals. These extracts also inhibited insulinase activity from liver and kidney.[7]
Ocimum sanctum is known for its medicinal properties since ancient times. In a recent study it showed significant reduction in blood sugar level in both normal and alloxan induced diabetic rats. This plant also showed antiasthemitic, antistress, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antitumor, gastric antiulcer activity, antioxidant, antimutagenic and immunostimulant activities.[8]
Pterocarpus marsupium or Kino showed that the hypoglycemic activity of this extract is because of presence of tannates in the extract. Flavonoid fraction from Kino has been shown to cause pancreatic beta cell regranulation. Other constituents obtained from this plant also showed antihyperlipidemic activity. Epicatechin, its active principle, has been found to be insulinogenic, enhancing insulin release and conversion of proinsulin to insulin in vitro. Like insulin, it stimulates oxygen uptake in fat cells and tissue slices of various organs, increases glycogen content of rat diaphragm in a dose-dependent manner.[9]
Tinospora cordifolia has significantly reduced blood and urine glucose in alloxan diabetic rats when administered orally for 6 weeks. It also prevented a decrease in body weight. The drug is widely used in ayurvedic medicine for treating diabetes mellitus.[10]
Homeopathy
References
- ↑ Karunanayake, E.H., Welihinda, J., Sirimanne, S.R., and Sinnadorai, G.: Oral hypoglycemic activity of some medicinal plants of Sri Lanka. J. Ethnopharmacol., 11, 223–231, 1984
- ↑ 3. Roman-Ramos, R., Flores-Saenz, J.L., and Alaricon-Aguilar, F.J.: Antihyperglycemic effect of some edible plants. J. Ethnopharmacol., 48, 25–32, 1995
- ↑ 4. Sheela, C.G. and Augusti, K.T.: Antidiabetic effects of S-allyl cysteine sulphoxide isolated from garlic Allium sativum Linn. Indian J. Exp. Biol., 30, 523–526, 1992
- ↑ 5. Chattopadhyay, R.R., Chattopadhyay, R.N., Nandy, A.K., Poddar, G., and Maitra, S.K.: The effect of fresh leaves of Azadiracta indica on glucose uptake and glycogen content in the isolated rat hemidiaphragm. Bull. Calcutta. Sch. Trop. Med., 35, 8–12, 1987
- ↑ Chakrabarti, S., Biswas, T.K., Rokeya, B., Ali, L., Mosihuzzaman, M., Nahar, N., Khan, A.K., and Mukherjee, B.: Advanced studies on the hypoglycemic effect of Caesalpinia bonducella F. in type 1 and 2 diabetes in Long Evans rats. J. Ethnopharmacol., 84, 41–46, 2003
- ↑ Sharma, S.R., Dwivedi, S.K., and Swarup, D.: Hypoglycemic, antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of Caesalpinia bonducella seeds in rats. J. Ethnopharmacol., 58, 39–44, 1997
- ↑ 8. Acherekar, S., Kaklij, G.S, Pote, M.S., and Kelkar, S.M.: Hypoglycemic activity of Eugenia jambolana and ficus bengalensis: mechanism of action. In vivo, 5, 143–147, 1991
- ↑ Rai, V., Iyer, U., and Mani, U.V.: Effect of Tulasi (Ocimum sanctum) leaf powder supplementation on blood sugar levels, serum lipids and tissue lipid in diabetic rats. Plant Food For Human Nutrition, 50, 9–16, 1997
- ↑ Jahromi, M.A., Ray, A.B., and Chansouria, J.P.N.: Antihyperlipidemic effect of flavonoids from Pterocarpus marsupium. J. Nat. Prod., 56, 989–994, 1993.
- ↑ Stanely, P., Prince, M., and Menon, V.P.: Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic action of alcohol extract of Tinospora cordifolia roots in chemical induced diabetes in rats Phytother. Res., 17, 410–413, 2003
