6 Alternative Medicines for Type 2 Diabetes

With over 200 million people suffering from diabetes worldwide, and counting, it’s fast becoming the #1 epidemic of modern times. A major cause of end-stage renal disease, preventable amputations and blindness, the efficacy of many alternative medicine treatments in managing diabetes has been explored.

While conventional medicine has prescriptions of endocrine disorder drugs for diabetes, alternative therapeutic approaches to its management include herbs, plant extracts and more.

The following are some naturals and alternative therapeutics that seem promising to scientists studying their effect on diabetes.

1. Fenugreek: This herb is commonly used for appetite loss, and to stimulate milk production in breastfeeding women. And a handful of studies have discovered that fenugreek may help in bringing down blood sugar levels in diabetes sufferers, that’s according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines (NCCAM).

Some time back, the Diabetes UK referred to several herbs being studied, including momordica cymbalaria, gymnema sylvestre and swertia chirayita.

2. Momordica Cymbalaria Roots:This a cucumber-like vegetable was assessed by scientists for its effect on Type 2 diabetes control and their tests on diabetic rats showed an improved glucose tolerance.

3. Gymnema Sylvestre Herb: Originating from the Indian tropical forests, this herb when tested for its effects on the body’s ability to produce insulin, seemed to have a direct impact on the pancreatic insulin producing cells.

4. Swertia Chirayita Bark: Laboratory studies on the bark have found that some compounds separated from it appear to set off insulin production, in addition to enhancing its action.

5. Berberine: Chemically classified as a salt and found in the roots and barks of many plants, it has been documented in Chinese literature for having glucose lowering properties. According to Research Australia, the compound is indeed able to help lower blood sugar levels in animal models of diabetes.

6. Tai Chi Exercises: This isn’t quite a herb, nonetheless, according to the April 2008 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Tai Chi exercises can improve the management of type 2 diabetes via improving blood glucose levels.

Despite appearing promising, experts believe that a lot more research is needed to definitively establish some of these alternative medicines‘ degree of efficacy.

Fred is a journalist with 7 years of experience. Though, as a professional He’s reported on myriad topics, his favorite is the medical industry. Off late he’s been working on different web portals including Themedica.com. Themedica is a comprehensive business-to-business (b2b) information portal and directory, featuring useful information for medical and health care industry professionals and businesses. It showcases resources such as trade shows, industry overviews, trade associations, global business listings, industry news, tenders, medical publications, informative articles and more that help professionals/businesses stay abreast with the latest and grow. He now blogs at Smiling Health.

Complementary Medication And Alternative Medicines for Premenstrual Syndrome

Okay ladies, its time to talk about PMS. Premenstrual Syndrome is something that happens once a month and the severity definitely varies among women. Some women have emotional and physical symptoms that completely disrupt their lives while others experience minimal symptoms.

The typical treatments for PMS are over the counter medications that can help with the bloating, irritability, headaches, and other symptoms.


The most common of these medications is Midol and Tylenol PMS. However, there are plenty of complementary medication and alternative medicines that can help. Although any man who lives or knows a woman who suffers from PMS will most likely complain about it, the woman definitely has it worse. It is terrible feeling bloated, ugly, irritable, unstable, depressed, not to mention the pain and discomfort as well. Complementary medication and alternative medicines are available so that this time of the month does not have to be so disruptive.


Complementary medication is taken in conjunction to the traditional medications. Therefore, this could include drinking a chamomile tea to relax the muscles and help with the sleep deprivation while taking an over the counter medication or birth control pill. Alternative medicines are used instead of traditional medications. Therefore, women who are not on a steady birth control pill or do not want to take over the counter medications should look into the alternative medicines.


Alternative medicines do not have to be something that is ingested. Complementary medication and alternative medicines can consist of relaxation methods, exercise, diet change, and other treatments. Relaxation techniques usually involve breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation. This can help reduce the irritability as well as the mood swings. For women who get depression with their PMS, something called sleep deprivation therapy could help. It has been proven that women who experience at least one night of recovery sleep typically do not experience as much depression with their PMS. This means that at least one of the nights during PMS or the actual period, it is helpful to get around three or four extra hours of sleep. This helps the body recover from the stresses of the PMS and period.


Another common complementary medication and alternative medicines therapy is bright light therapy. This is when women intakes cool white florescent light in the mornings during the time of PMS can reduce the symptoms. Regardless of what symptoms need to be helped, there are tons of options and choices for complementary medication and alternative medicines for women who suffer from PMS, and let us face it, the men in their lives as well.

Martin Richfield has been involved in online business since 1996. He uses article marketing as his primary traffic source. He has been involved in a number of industries which gives him the knowledge to write on a broad range of subjects. For more details go to: http://anxiety.smartbizzness.com