Key steps to preventing diabetes

15 key steps to stave off devastating consequences of diabetes revealed

London, May 14 (ANI): Following a series of simple health steps could be a key to avoiding potentially life-threatening consequences of diabetes, say experts.

The fresh advice came as part of a damning report warning that the country has drifted into a "state of crisis" in which fewer than half of sufferers get the minimum care they need.
The state of the nation 2012 report by Diabetes UK has highlighted 15 key checks, essential to staving off devastating and sometimes deadly consequences of the condition,

Natural Remedies for Diabetes

Diabetes is among the most debilitating of lifestyle diseases, often the precursor to many other types of health disorders such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and chronic illnesses of the eye. Most diabetics tend to depend upon taking medications, many of which include hormone supplementation injections and drugs for controlling the sugar levels. Though these aids are often critical for managing cases where diabetes seems to have turned into an incurable condition, it is always better to seek natural cures. These natural remedies don’t put forth the kind of side-effects associated with stronger medications and can be resourced from our everyday supplies.

Using Methi Seeds: Fenugreek or Methi seeds are considered the most effective of natural cures that can help alleviate typical symptoms of diabetes. Methi seeds should be soaked in water overnight. The water concentrated with the seeds’ juices should be consumed early in the morning on an empty stomach. For making this natural concoction stronger, you can crush the seeds and sieve them through a cloth or filter paper.

Using Natural Juices: Some juices have been found to be effective in controlling high sugar levels that can prove fatal for diabetics. These are juices of fruits and vegetables that are further enriched with antioxidants and many rare micronutrients. The most recommended variety here is the Bitter Gourd or Karela juice. Other options include grape juice or the juice-like extract made from boiling mango leaves in water.

Aloe Gel Remedy: An effective, natural concoction for diabetes can be prepared by adding a few teaspoons of ground Bay Leaf (Tejpatra) with one teaspoon of turmeric. This mixture should be mixed with an equal amount of aloe vera gel and consumed daily, before lunch and dinner.

Using Chapattis to Your Advantage: Another useful way of managing diabetes is increasing the daily intake of fiber in the natural form. This includes increasing the fiber content in chappatis that tend to be eaten with regularity in Indian homes. The refined flour should be mixed with a combination of flours procured from different cereals, particularly those high in soluble fiber. This includes flours of barley and lentils like Chana Dal and soya bean.

Using Jarul or Banaba: Diabetics can use Banaba or Jarul plant extract. Banaba is among the lesser known of herbal plants in India. Along with India, it is grown in only a handful of other nations. The herbal powder of Banaba extract can be used to make herbal tea. This plant contains high concentrations of contains Corosolic acid—the most potent of biochemical compounds that stimulate faster glucose metabolism and help to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels that is very useful for combating diabetes.

Jamun: Jamun is one of the rarest plants where nearly each part, the leaves, berry and seeds are known to help in controlling blood sugar levels. Neem leaves are useful in a similar manner. Amla or the Indian goose Berry is similarly effective in managing sugar levels. Instead of using only Neem leaves, you can also add leaves of Tulsi and Bel Patra. All these leaves can be boiled together for increasing the potency of the filtered extract.

Nine of the checks are recommended by the health watchdog, the national institute of Health and Clinical excellence.
They are regular blood sugar measurement, cholesterol checks, blood pressure checks, measurements of weight, smoking status, eye examinations, foot and leg checks for possible diabetic complications and analysis of kidney function in both urine and blood.
But Diabetes UK says these are just the basic checks needed and have come up with "15 Healthcare essentials" it says every patient should receive.
The report has revealed there are some areas in England where just six per cent of people with diabetes are getting the regular checks and services recommended by nice.
This has helped fuel a rise in complications such as amputation, blindness, kidney failure and stroke.
These account for about 80 per cent of NHS spending on diabetes, which is almost 10billion pounds - or 1million pound per hour.
"Every person with diabetes has a right to the basic levels of care. We know what needs to happen as it is spelled out in our 15 Healthcare essentials...this would make a huge difference to the prospects for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes," said Bridget Turner, head of policy for Diabetes UK.
"As well as more support, we need to raise awareness that being overweight, physically inactive and being black or of south Asian origin are all risk factors for type 2," Turner added.
There are at least 3.7 million people with diabetes in the UK, but just 49.8 per cent get the checks and services recommended by nice.
Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "This report shows that diabetes healthcare has drifted into a state of crisis."