Treating diabetes with Chinese medicine

Written by Sophia Tang, L.A.c , www. sophtangacupuncture.com

Do you suspect that you could have diabetes?  If you are having the following symptoms you may already have diabetes.

Some diabetes symptoms include frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability, and so on...
Western medical professionals do not know the real cause of diabetes. The solution for people with high blood glucose is providing them with medication for lowering the blood glucose levels. Doctors are directing their treatment towards the symptoms of diabetes instead of the source of those symptoms. Since the treatment is not addressing the root of the problem you would need a greater dosage later on when the current one can no longer keep the blood glucose at a normal state. Once the medication is unable to control the rising of blood glucose an insulin injection would then be required. The side effects of those medications will be extremely toxic for your body, especially your liver and kidneys.  If kidney failure develops you will then be required to go on dialysis treatment 2-3 times a week.  The toxins in the liver will eventually cause blindness.  Your whole quality of life would dramatically drop once the complication of the diabetes has developed into this advanced stage.

Chinese medicine has already had the solution for diabetes dated back 2000 years ago!
In one classical Chinese medical text, compiled around 100 B.C. by Huandi Neijing, it mentions the condition know as Xiaoke, which is referring to diabetes as Wasting-Thirst syndrome. According to this ancient text the symptoms of Xiaoke or diabetes arise from consuming too much fatty, sweet, or rich food. Improper diet and sleeping after finishing a late dinner are the main contributors for the development of diabetes.

In another classical Chinese medical text written around 220 A.D. by Jingui Yaoluem it has a detailed description of symptoms and characteristics of uncontrolled diabetes.  There are also two formulas given in this book for diabetes treatment.

What can the Chinese herbal treatments do for diabetes?
When we can get a deep understanding of diabetes and the symptoms it causes we can then use customized formulas based on the teaching from those ancient Chinese medical texts. These medical practices can also diagnose and get an understanding of people on an individual basis.  The formula could be slightly altered to target a person with individual needs. These methods are not practiced by most Chinese medical practitioners nowadays.  They have been somewhat lost due to the western medicine influences on Chinese teachings.

What are some of the differences between the traditional Chinese treatments and the western approach?
According to western medicine the high blood glucose will damage the kidneys. From the point of view of Chinese medicine the high blood glucose and the treatment will damage the kidneys.  Once your spleen and your pancreas start having problems the next major organ to be targeted is your kidneys.  From the perspective of the high blood glucose causing the problem the west and east pretty much have the same point of view but the treatment of the diabetes is where the two systems differ. In Chinese medicine we use herbs to strengthen your kidneys so the high blood glucose won't cause damage to the kidneys.  These herbs will also resolve the problem of frequent urination.  The main reason someone will experience excessive thirst and hunger with diabetes is the increase in speed of the intestine and stomach squirm. This creates a lot of heat and friction in the digestive tract resulting in a need for food and liquid replenishment sooner than normal. This heat then starts causing problems to the nearby pancreas so it also won’t be able to function normally.  Herbs have the ability to cool the excessive heat and add nutrients to the digestive system.  This will then calm down the intestines and stomach and bring the pancreas back to a normal state resolving the issue of excessive thirst and hunger. Once the disharmony in the organs is taken care of your blood sugar will go back to normal. In cases that the diabetes is in an advanced stage, having tingling and numbness in your hands, legs, and feet, and blurred vision, the herb treatment can help with this as well.

How long does it take for the herbal treatment?
It really depends on the complications of your diabetes. For type II diabetes it generally takes 2-8 weeks for a raw herb treatment. For some people it may take a shorter time, others it may take longer. After the raw herbs we will use herbal powder or tablets for about a month to solidify the treatment. For people who is in the stage of injecting insulin with the pancreas cease to function  and people who has type I diabetes ,our treatments may not be able to recover the normal function of the pancreas, but it will help to strengthen your organs to prevent further complications. It will also reduce the blood glucose level so the insulin injection dosage can be reduced to prevent more harm to all of your organs. 

Will it come back again? 
If you still keep bad diet habits and take too many drugs to damage the spleen and pancreases the disease may come back again later on.   We want to point out that the real cause of type II diabetes is the bad diet habit and many harmful drugs introduced to your system.  If the cause of the disease can not be avoided chances are the disease will come back later on in your life.  In conclusion we are trying to emphasize using the traditional Chinese medicine treatments that have been practiced for over 2000 years is the best and most proven way to combat diabetes.