Can Diabetes Be Cured?

Diabetes is a condition that affects the levels of blood sugar and can lead to more serious complications such as heart attack and kidney disease if not detected in time and managed well. Type 1 diabetes develops when insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have been damaged and the body can’t produce insulin anymore. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, reduces sensitivity to insulin causing your body to use less of the all-important hormone than it requires. The latter is the more common of the two types of diabetes.

So, is diabetes curable?

Medically speaking, diabetes cannot be cured. However, lifestyle changes have been shown to lower blood sugar to near-normal levels in some cases of type 2 diabetes. Patients can achieve this state of remission by exercising more and shedding a few pounds if they’re overweight.

That being said, if you regain the weight in the future, chances are the glucose level will shoot back up to where it was prior to the weight loss. The same applies to activity-induced remission.

That is not to say that if you lose weight and maintain an intense workout regimen you will be safe from a future glucose escalation. Diabetes develops gradually and the initial insulin resistance or underproduction will almost always intensify even if at a very slow rate. In time, a patient who depended on exercise and diet may discover that they need oral medications and/or even insulin shots to maintain standard blood glucose levels.

As for type 1 diabetes, there is virtually no other remedy besides insulin injection. Patients may sometimes live through what is known as the “honeymoon period”, where the diabetes seems to go away for quite some time after diagnosis, but in a number of cases this has proven to be the calm before the storm.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when around 90% of all the insulin producers in the pancreas have been damaged. The “honeymoon period” makes use of the remaining 10% of the cells before the same process that destroyed the 90 percent engulfs them. Eventually, the patient will have to depend entirely on insulin shots to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood.

Are there natural therapies that can cure diabetes?

Natural therapies aimed at taming diabetes triggers can be used to manage the condition. For instance, abdominal breathing and guided imagery can be used to relieve emotional stress and indirectly keep your blood sugar in healthy levels.

Some people prefer to use supplements to calm their nerves and help them relax, but this may not always be advisable as some supplements react badly with diabetes medication and may cause complications or even lower the potency of your medication. If you have to take supplements, consider consulting your primary care provider or diabetes doctor to ensure you’re not creating a problem trying to solve another.

For diagnosis, checkups and more professional advice on how to keep your blood sugar levels in check, call 818-986-7399 now to schedule an appointment with Dr. David Zarian in Encino, CA.