Maybe your doctor recently broke the news that you have diabetes. Or you have learnt that you are at risk of getting diabetes. And so now you are worried ? scared of what diabetes will do to you. Worried about the drugs you have to take and their side effects. Its not just you who alone is worrying. There are about 21 million American adults and children who suffer from some form of diabetes. Though insulin and other anti diabetic drugs are available, many are now resorting to alternative medicine.

What exactly is diabetes?

Diabetes is condition in which the glucose in your blood is higher than normal either because the hormone insulin is not secreted at all or whatever insulin is secreted does not work properly. This increased blood glucose affects almost all the important organs in our body including the heart and kidney. It is said that diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death. Insulin and oral anti diabetic drugs are routinely prescribed to treat diabetes.

Alternative medicine ? the new trend

The faith in alternative medicine is rising very steeply and it is estimated that as much as 50% of the American people are using some form of alternative treatment. One of the surveys conducted on alternative medicine concluded that people felt there were added benefits from alternative medicine use, lower cost, and perceived fewer side effects.

The alternative medicine for treating diabetes is basically divided in to two categories:

*Those that can control the blood sugar levels

*Those that help in weight loss and thus indirectly control diabetes.

To control blood sugar levels

Vitamin and mineral supplements help the body to secrete insulin well that helps in controlling diabetes. It is said that minerals like chromium, magnesium, vanadium and zinc help control the blood sugar levels.

Many plant foods decrease the blood sugar levels by virtue of their fiber content among other mechanisms. Some of the popular plant foods that are used to control blood sugar are fenugreek seeds, peas, brewer's yeast, buckwheat, broccoli, garlic, ginger, ginseng, hawthorn, nettle and okra.

To control weight

Type II diabetes is associated with obesity. It is said that maintaining optimum weight is the single most important factor in controlling blood sugar in Type II diabetes. People use many substances as part of alternative treatment to bring down their weight and thus indirectly control diabetes. Some of the popular substances used to control weight are extract of Hoodia gordonii, chitosan, camsogia garcinia, pyruvate, germander, Momordica charanta, Sauropus androgynus and aristolochic acid.

The other alternative therapies being used to treat diabetes are - faith healing, reflexology, macrobiosis, astrotherapy (tying pieces of coral around the arms), pearl therapy (oyster pearls boiled in milk and then drinking the liquid), meditation, ayurveda and homeopathy.