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Alternative medicine for diabetes?
I have suffered from depression and anxiety and have taken antidepressants for many years. It seems that they are causing my sugar and insulin levels to rise. I am at a point in which my depression is lifting, but I have taken antidiabetic pill to control my sugar/insulin levels. Is there any alternative medicine I could use for keeping my sugar levels balanced?
Best Answer
Generally, the reason anti-depressants can cause blood sugar rise is that they slow down the metabolism, which is why they often cause weight gain. It's usually thought it's the weight gain that causes the blood sugar problems, not the anti-depressant itself. You don't say that these problems have risen to the level of diabetes, but different anti-depressants have different effects on people. Of course, switching anti-depressants is very hard and other drugs might now work, so it's not so easy to just switch around for many people. The proper way to deal with this is to work on you diet. There's a book called the Anti-Depressant Survival Guide that might give you some help with this, though I don't think the particular diet recommended in the book is a good one because of its overuse of wheat and dairy, which can be problematic in anyone but particularly those with mental illness, but it's a good place to start to learn how anti-depressants can affect our bodies. There are many supplements which are reputed to help with lowering blood sugar, including ashwagandha, holy basil, American ginseng, eleuthero, cinnamon, chromium and many others. Since many of these are also supports for the adrenals, they are good adjuncts to anti-depressants in other ways as well.
That is very helpful information. I have heard of ashwagandha to help with depresion, it is great to know that it also helps lowering sugar levels.
Thank you so much. I actually do yoga and love it. Will do the yoga positions that you mentioned
These pranayam exercises will help control the diabetes and the side effects.Build up the timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after about a minute.The benefits will be noticed in weeks as the sugar level is checked daily.Over the long term the diabetes will be in full control.
Kapalbhati -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for 15 to 30 minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 10 to 15 minutes twice a day.
Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently(once in 2 seconds).
Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril
then -keeping the left nostril closed deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 15 to 30 minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years - do 10 to 15 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.
Also everyday, press the centre point of the palm of both your hands 40 times with the thumb and press the tips of all fingers 40 times each.
To stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin: mandukasan(not for pregnant women) - kneel down(with feet pointing inwards,and sit on the ankles/heels, Vajrasan position), breathe in and breathe out completely and hold your breath, pull the stomach in, press both your hands on stomach, bend forward as much as possible keeping the head straight, hold for 5 to 15 seconds and come back up while breathing in.Do this asan 3 times daily before meals, to stimulate the kidney and pancreas.Mandukasan2 - Repeat the whole process(mandukasan) 3 times,but this time with with fists of both hands pressing against the stomach(by the navel).Mandukasan can be done sitting on a chair, if you cannot bend the legs.This asan should be done before meals.
Continue the breathing exercises once a day, after the diabetes is in full control.
February 14, 2011
Kapalbhati -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for 15 to 30 minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 10 to 15 minutes twice a day.
Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently(once in 2 seconds).
Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril
then -keeping the left nostril closed deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 15 to 30 minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years - do 10 to 15 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.
Also everyday, press the centre point of the palm of both your hands 40 times with the thumb and press the tips of all fingers 40 times each.
To stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin: mandukasan(not for pregnant women) - kneel down(with feet pointing inwards,and sit on the ankles/heels, Vajrasan position), breathe in and breathe out completely and hold your breath, pull the stomach in, press both your hands on stomach, bend forward as much as possible keeping the head straight, hold for 5 to 15 seconds and come back up while breathing in.Do this asan 3 times daily before meals, to stimulate the kidney and pancreas.Mandukasan2 - Repeat the whole process(mandukasan) 3 times,but this time with with fists of both hands pressing against the stomach(by the navel).Mandukasan can be done sitting on a chair, if you cannot bend the legs.This asan should be done before meals.
Continue the breathing exercises once a day, after the diabetes is in full control.
February 14, 2011
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