Reducing calories as part of a dieting bout is common fare for type 2 diabetics. However, a new research study conducted by scientists at the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre found that a short-term intervention of extreme calorie cutting can improve symptoms of type 2 diabetes dramatically.

The study assigned a group of long-standing type 2 diabetics to a very low calorie liquid diet that consisted of only 600 calories per day for 7-days. Remarkably, blood sugar levels returned to normal by the end of the 7-day bout. The researchers note that the mini-fast allows the pancreas and liver to clear out excess accumulated fat –which pushes the reset button on carbohydrate metabolism.

More natural ways to fight type 2 diabetes (and win)…

All the Best,

Shelly Manning

Cholesterol-lowering medications such as Lipitor are popular among doctors because they work quickly and have relatively few side effects. However, a pair of research studies published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” has raised serious questions about the safety of statins.

The researchers found that those that regularly took statin drugs had a significantly higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to a similar group that treated their cholesterol with lifestyle changes. They found that statins upped diabetes risk by approximately 8 percent. Importantly, the individuals taking the highest doses of cholesterol-lowering meds were also at the highest risk of diabetes –a finding that confirms the connection.

Here are simple and natural alternatives to reduce cholesterol…

To Your Health,

Scott Davis

Like heart and kidney disease, type 2 diabetics are at heightened risk of suffering from depression. Depression makes managing diabetes more difficult and studies show that depressed diabetics are at heightened risk of diabetic complications. Fortunately, a new study presented at this month’s American Psychiatric Association annual meeting found that consuming adequate amounts of the B-vitamin folic acid is enough to reduce rates of depression in type 2 diabetics.

The researchers investigated the connection between folic acid levels in the blood and rates of depression in a group of 58 type 2 diabetics. They found that low folate levels doubled depression risk. The researchers also note that folic acid may help prescription antidepressants work better. Sources of folic acid in the diet include whole grains, fresh vegetables and beans.

More ways to make managing diabetes simple and easy here…

To Your Health,

Jodi Knapp

Yesterday, a reader wrote in to us offering a helpful story of a difficult time he had getting a proper diagnosis when he had developed some unsettling symptoms.

This isn’t uncommon, since there are a wide variety of symptoms that are present across a huge spectrum of diseases.

While there are a lot of clinical tests that can be run for different diseases, sometimes it can be difficult to know which tests to run if a person doesn’t exhibit enough symptoms for a particular disease.

Have you seen Medicine Man with Sean Connery? It was a predictable but engaging tale about how a scientist found a cure for cancer in the jungles of the Amazon Rain Forest, and how the cure was being destroyed by deforestation.

There are examples everywhere as to how a miracle pill started out as a plant…most notably with Digitalis. This plant-based drug is used to treat heart failure.

However, it is also known to be horrendously toxic, especially to children, pets, pregnant women, and animals.

So careful control over its use is required. But not all plant-based formulations are as readily obvious in their toxicity and contra-indications as foxglove.

Take Emulin, for example.

Type 2 diabetes is often considered an incurable disease that one has to manage throughout their life. However, a new research study out of Newcastle University found that cutting back on calories is enough to help insulin producing cells in the pancreas reproduce.

In this research study, 11 people with type 2 diabetes were asked to cut their calories to approximately 600 calories per day for 8-weeks. They found that just one week of this low-calorie diet brought blood sugar levels back to normal. By the end of the study their pancreas were able to produce insulin relatively normally –nearly to that of non-diabetics.

More natural ways to reverse type 2 diabetes…

To the Best of Health,

Jodi Knapp

We have been spending a good deal of time lately on sleep issues and the key reason is this: summer is in full swing and for a lot of us, especially in the US, that means late nights at the ball park or watching fireworks.

It means days spent exerting muscles with yard chores and swimming, along with the added lactic acid buildup that comes from water skiing and hiking, among other sports and summer fun activities.

Add to that the other muscle issues that might be keeping you up at night as well and you’ve got a perfect storm brewing for sleep-wrecking muscle pain, twitching, and other nuisances.

Halting, or at least reducing, the ache that comes with exercise or general nighttime leg cramps doesn’t have to mean eating 5 bananas before bed. You can still absolutely do that if you want, but you might want to also consider one other little fruit.

So we had a flood recently of people emailing in, asking for more information on how and when to use ginger. The research study we looked at a few days ago seems to have hit a nerve.

Ginger is one of my all-time favorite foods, because it can be used in SO many ways. It is used in cuisine all over the world in almost every culture where it grows…which is all over the place since it’s so hearty.

So I thought in honor of Independence Day coning up, and to celebrate a staple of 4th of July picnics, we would look at a great recipe that combines both ginger and watermelon.

Every diabetic knows the importance of exercise for reducing high blood sugar readings. However, a new study by a team of Australian scientists found that it doesn’t take much exercise to reduce the risk of high blood sugar.

The study team asked a group of volunteers to wear a pedometer –a portable device that tracks the number of steps that you take in a day—for 5-years. They found that just 10.000 steps per day reduced the risk of elevated blood sugar by 13 percent. They note that current type 2 diabetics and pre-diabetics could benefit greatly by including 10.000 steps per day as part of their healthy lifestyle.

More natural methods do fight type 2 diabetes…

To Your Health,

Jodi Knapp

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We always get a lot of response at Blue Heron whenever an article or research study comment is posted, and several recently had me wondering if newly diagnosed diabetics or those suffering metabolic syndrome are fully aware of what is good to eat, what should be avoided, and what can be eaten in moderation.

A reader wrote in recently asking this very thing because her husband’s physical turned up some disquieting results. His triglyceride levels are beginning to creep toward the high side and he is now in a borderline area, as his result was about 190 mg/dL.