Diabetes and its symptoms have been effectively treated with traditional Chinese medicine for a very long time.
Since the first century BCE, the ailment known as xiao-ke, which is marked by persistent hunger and thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss, has been recorded in the medical book Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic).
Its exact meaning is “wasting thirst,” and it was thought that eating an excessive quantity of fatty, sweet, or rich food would cause it.
TCM practitioners today believe that the excessive asthenic fire in the body, together with the depletion of yin energy, a cold, dark, and earthy energy, is one of the four primary contributing elements to the core cause of diabetes.
In addition to fatty, sugary, spicy, and alcoholic foods and beverages, which all weaken the spleen and promote the damp-heat formation, there are three more common causes of yin depletion and excessive fire in the body:
- Emotional instability prevents the body’s energy from flowing and leads to qi stasis, which increases internal fire;
- Birth-related energy imbalances and disturbances;
- Excessive sexual activity depletes renal essence, reducing the kidney’s ability to deliver yin to the body as a whole.
Symptoms lead therapy in the right direction.
Contrary to traditional treatment, TCM Singapore pays more attention to a patient’s symptoms than their blood glucose levels. Upper, middle, and lower wasting are the three basic types of wasting symptoms.
Excessive thirst is the most obvious symptom of upper wasting. Other common signs include a quick heartbeat, a dry mouth, and a red tongue with a thin yellow coating.
The Lung Heat with Depletion of Jin syndrome, which is characterized by an increase in internal heat, mostly in the lungs, brought on by a lack of yin jin, may be diagnosed by a TCM practitioner if these symptoms are present (body fluids).
Coptis Chinesis (Huang Lian), Ophiopogon Japonicas (Mai Dong), and Radix Rehmannia may all be used to cure this (Sheng Di Huang).
An increased appetite is the main sign of Middle wasting. Bad breath, weight loss, recurrent oral ulcers, increased thirst and urine production, constipation with dry stools, a red tongue with a yellow coating, and an accelerated, powerful pulse are typical symptoms.
Lower wasting is characterized by frequent, turbid urination, which is frequently accompanied by lower lumbar discomfort and knee weakness. Other symptoms of lower wasting include fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus (ear ringing), dry lips, dry and itchy skin, a red tongue with little or no coating, and a thin and quick pulse.
These indications and symptoms of a yin deficit lead to a renal syndrome, which is generally treated with six-flavor Rehmannia tablets prepared from Schisandra (wu wei zi), Chinese yam (shan yao), and wolfberries or goji berries (Gou Qi Zi).
According to Tang Yue, senior physician at Eu Yan Sang, “the basic goal of TCM treatment for diabetes is to energize the spleen (pancreas) and regenerate the kidneys.”
TCM is being used to get better results.
Scientific evidence, especially in the last 10 years, has backed the use of Tuina massage as a complement or addition to mainstream medicine in the treatment of diabetes and to reduce the dangers connected with certain drugs.
In a 2013 research, 800 participants were given either glibenclamide monotherapy or the “Xiaoke Pill,” a combination of the drug and Chinese herbs. Medication-induced hypoglycemia has been linked to the anti-diabetic drug glibenclamide, which is often administered to treat type 2 diabetes.
After 48 weeks, those who used the Xiaoke Pill had equivalent glycemic control improvements and a much lower risk of hypoglycemia than those who used glibenclamide. The double-blind, carefully monitored trial was conducted in China by the American Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
It is vital to emphasize that the use of TCM in combination with western medicine must always be done with the knowledge and advice of both a qualified TCM practitioner and a western medical professional.
To improve your health, consume more fruits and vegetables.
Herbal medicine is one of the main, if not the only, components of the therapy.
Maintaining a nutritious diet, in Senior Physician Tang’s opinion, is crucial with or without medicine.
He urges patients to consume fewer fats, grains, and high-sugar meals like sweets, chocolate, and pastries. He also suggests cutting down on sweetened drinks and desserts.
Since a substitute, they should eat foods with a low glycemic index (GI), as this will reduce blood sugar increases. These foods include items like oats, whole-grain bread, brown rice, lentils, soy, and walnuts.
In addition to these healthy ingredients, soups may also include black fungus, Chinese yam, barley, American ginseng, and wolfberries.
Other necessary lifestyle adjustments include scheduling cardiovascular activity and switching to a low-fat, low-sugar, and low-salt diet.
Senior Physician Tang says that doing so raises the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
Watch what you eat and exercise since failure to do either is the most prevalent cause of type-2 diabetes, as we say in Mandarin (Gun zhù Zu mài ki tu).
Maintain a BMI between 18 and 23, and get 150 minutes or more of exercise per week. She claims that it will assist you in managing your blood sugar levels and enhancing your overall health.
