After 4000 Years, Honey Dressing is in USA

The Egyptians applied honey to heal wounds more than 4000 years ago. Now honey is made into a dressing that is approved by FDA and sold in USA the last fall. Read the details:
Honey makes medical comeback - More health news- msnbc.com


To read about use of honey to help maintain body health, you can read :

1-Honey Easily Kills Hospital Resistant Strains of Bacteria

2-Honey for All wounds

3-Honey and other Foods for Abscesses and Boils :

4-Diabetes wounds, How To use HONEY to Avoid Amputations

5-Diabetes wounds, How To use HONEY to Avoid Amputations.

6-The Proof of My Honey proposals comes from Wisconsin University

7-How to Use Lemon and Honey to Cure Cough

8-Honey Recipe to Lower Cholesterol

9-Honey, Pollen, and Propolis can Relieve Your Allergy

10-Yogurt and Honey Recipe to alleviate Constipation and Diarrhea

11-Honey Home Made Cosmetics

Honey for Diabetes?

12-Foods for Sex

How to eat during pregnancy if you have Gestational diabetes

If you have never complained extreme thirst, hunger, and fatigue and you only recognized them at any stage during pregnancy, then chances are you will be diagnosed to have gestational diabetes, which in most cases will go away after delivery, as it involves resistance by the body's tissues to the effects of insulin. 3-12 % of all pregnant women
may develop gestational diabetes between week 24 and 28 of their pregnancies.

If you are diagnosed to have gestational diabetes, you should maintain your blood sugar within the normal range for pregnancy. To achieve that you should eat all the day within the following scheme:

# Eat no less than 10 servings every day of whole fruits and vegetables
that are more nutritious and less calorie dense than dried fruits and juices. Increase your fiber intake and eat whole grains and dried beans.

# Avoid foods that are known to be high in cholesterol, so that your daily intake of cholesterol should not exceed 300 mg/day.

# Avoid Soda and fruit drinks which usually contain high content of sugar. Minimize alcoholic beverages to the least.

# When shopping read the labels carefully to make sure they fulfil the follow inf criteria:
* No more than 10 percent of your total daily calorie intake should come from saturated fat. Buy foods with less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving.
* No more than 5% of the "daily value" per serving (less than 140 mg of
sodium per serving). Avoid too much salt.


Keep your blood sugar level as possible as you can to be consistent after and between meals. Learn what type, amount and time of the meals
you eat through the day that keeps blood sugar level within a consistent range. You may need to keep due diligence with your dietitian or doctor
to consult him about any change you need to do.

After all, those recommendations help you keep your body within a normal built, and overcome any health hazard accompanying pregnancy like overweight and or gestational diabetes.

Artificial Sweeteners Raises Blood Sugar The Same Way

University of Liver pool- Press Room

Researchers at the university of Liverpool-UK- found that the sweet taste receptors are present also in the intestine and not only in the tongue.

Dietary sugars absorption is documented to be by a protein - sugar portal or gateway- the activity of which is regulated by the sugar content of foods. In an unknown way, the intestine senses how sweet is the food and consequently opens the sugar gates leading to increased absorption of dietary sugars.

Professor Soraya shirazi-Beechy from the faculty of veterinary Science-Liverpool university- said "Surprisingly we found that the sweet taste receptor was able to to detect artificial sweeteners in foods and drinks resulting in increased capacity of the intestine to absorb dietary sugars, which would explain why these sweeteners are unsuccessful at helping people lose weight.

She added “We are now researching mechanisms in which these receptors can be adjusted to benefit those with diet-related disorders. Diabetes for example, is where the body’s blood sugar level is higher than normal; if we could use the taste receptor like a dimmer switch we could set it so that the appropriate amount of sugar is absorbed in the body.

Jockeys can directly benefit from this discovery - although many of them know it traditionally- and give the race horses dietary supplements before and during the race, so that increased absorption of glucose can offer the high glucose levels horses need in long races.


Diabetics and obese people have to wait until the mechanisms in which these receptors can be adjusted to benefit them, when they can be used to control the amount of sugar that is absorbed.

Finally I am obsessed about a question that is not answered, if all the sweeteners we know will lead to the the same result, why don't we take advantage of the healthy properties of honey and use it as a sweetener?
If you like to read about using, you can go here,
honey for diabetics and overweight

or here,Living with Type II Diabetes?

Wheat may Increase Insulin Sensitivity

Past research revealed that people who consume high-fiber diets have lower rates of diabetes type 2. To find out how insoluble fiber reduces diabetes risk, German researchers gave a group of 17 overweight and obese women without diabetes a specially designed bread in amounts that supplies them the recommended 20-35 g per day. After 3 days of eating that bread, the women's Insulin sensitivity improved by 8%.

Fibers are known to have positive effects on blood lipids (total cholesterol,LDL (low density lipoproteins), and triglycerides), all of which increase the risk of developing diabetes complications.

Fibers are present fluently in fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
You can find a recipe that is rich in fibers and Magnesium that
is proved to prevent diabetes type 2 here

Glycemic Index Food

Glycemic Index of food is one of its most important traits.

*** What is Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is a conventional measure of how quick a food can raise our blood sugar. Foods are given a rating from 0 to 100 on the glycemic index with glucose in the highest position.
The more the simple sugar - such as glucose, sucrose or starch - a food contains, the higher is its glycemic index rating, and vice verse, where food containing complex carbohydrate increases blood sugar slowly, and thus it has a low glycemic index rating.
If we are to assist weight loss or control diabetes we should be concerned about glycemic index of food we eat.

*** How does our bodies respond to different Glycemic Index ratings :
There are individual variations in response to different types of food with different glycemic index ratings. Factors controlling the body response to glycemic index may be divided into two sets:
* Factors related to the body includes:1- Age 2- Activity level 3-Time of the day when eating 4-Insulin activity 5- Body metabolism

* Factors related to food include :
1- Amount of fibers, fats and proteins in a food.
2- Ratio of carbohydrates to fats and proteins in a food.
3- How refined is a food,i.e. a food contains less fibers.
4- How processed is a food (are fats leaked out or added to a food, since fats slow down gastric motility).

The response of the body to glycemic index is determined by the carbohydrate form and content in a food on the one hand, and how quickly the intestines deliver glucose to the blood on the other hand.The intestines are the fixed element for 1 person and the changeable one is the food entering it.

The food either contains simple or complex carbohydrates. By simple we mean that carbohydrates are simply digested, and complex carbohydrates are indigestible.
If we look at the chemical structure of both starch (simple) and cellulose (complex), we find that the building unit is one and the same molecule (glucose), yet the way these building units are linked to each other determines its stereo shape, and consequently their reaction to enzymes. Animals including humans can only digest simple carbohydrates (starch), while complex carbohydrates (cellulose) can only be digested by bacteria, which digests cellulose for the ruminant animals, and then the animal digests bacteria.

Besides the low content of the complex, they have another property that affects glycemic index of a food, that is their ability to absorb a good deal of water which makes them move in an apathetic lagging pattern, and this in turn makes them:
1- Deliver their trapped digestible content slowly.
2- Consume calories along their way inside the digestive canal (that is what happens with negative calorie foods)

Food that contains starch, like pasta , white bread, and Potatoes will rate high on the glycemic index. More ratings for foods that contain simpler sugars such as soft drinks, sweets, candies,chocolate bars..etc
Foods that contain complex carbohydrates like whole grains, Rye bread, breakfast cereals (which are based on wheat bran, barley, and Oats),fruits, Lentils, Soybeans, baked beans...etc. have low glycemic index ratings.

The complex carbohydrates with low glycemic index may not necessarily be present in food as is in nature, rather it can be admixed with other types of food as made by some food manufacturers, and this incurs a new property to the food known as glycemic load , yet this is another story.

How to utilize Glycemic index :
1- If you appreciate what is in this article (hopefully you dig it), then you will find that glycemic index may be a helpful planning tool, specially when you watch your body response to types of food with different glycemic index ratings.
2- Low glycemic index food will release glucose over a longer period of time, and you will feel less inclined to eat, because energy is slowly released into the blood stream, a good tool for those planning to lose weight.
3- High glycemic index food is good for raising low blood sugar after intense exercising, whereas low glycemic food is good for maintaining blood sugar levels for longer periods of exercise.
4- A diabetic person can use glycemic index in conjunction with other meal programs to assist in managing diabetes.

LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX = 55
INTERMEDIATE GLYCEMIC INDEX = 55 - 70
HIGH GLYCEMIC INDEX = MORE THAN 70.

Stop cravings with GI Diet at eDiets.com

Glucose Recycling and Obesity and Diabetes

Surplus glucose is the precipitating factor of obesity and diabetes type 2. Ingestion of glucose rich foods like Rice, Potatoes,Bread, Bakeries and table sugar is the primary factor in precipitating obesity and diabetes in genetically predisposed people.

Although all foods can produce energy in the human cell after entering its energy house -mitochondria-, yet it is only glucose that can be fermented to produce energy without Oxygen, before it enters the mitochondria to be oxidised to produce energy, consequently, it is the
indispensable energy source for some tissues that can not accommodate lack of energy like nerves and muscles.

By virtue, the human metabolism is adjusted so that glucose can never be deficient for these tissues, and it is so designed that the skeleton of glucose molecule formed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen is available in all food categories, and except fats which would stress respiration by taking a lot of oxygen- had it required to form glucose-, actually carbohydrates, proteins, and glycerol split from fats, all can be recycled to produce glucose.

Moreover, the muscle stores some glucose in the form of animal starch-glycogen- and it never releases glucose into circulation, rather it releases amino acids resulting from break-down of muscle protein under extreme conditions. The brain stores its glucose in the blood-ready for use- and it keeps its concentrations within a narrow range. Finally, the liver recycle all nutrients susceptible to recycling to replenish its glycogen store on a daily basis.

For glucose to produce energy, it should enter first into the cell and this entry is controlled through Insulin hormone, and once insulin secretion is inefficient or the cell responds to it below normal response,
a plenty of glucose is circulating in the blood without broken down, this surplus glucose is either involved in what is called -glycation-reactions
which can deteriorate blood vessels and participate in other aging phenomena, or it is built-up into fats.

Some diet plans make use of this theory and cut down carbohydrate intake, thus the body is forced to recycle other metabolites to produce glucose needed.

Glucose is as sweet for our bodies in the thin and thick, as money is sweet for our children to feel some freedom, yet as soon as they become
largely abundant, money spoils the kids and glucose spoils our bodies.

Biology is full of such easy yet unachievable missions!

Vitamin C and Diabetes

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin needed for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of the body.Vitamin C is essential for the healing of wounds, and for the repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants that are present normally in a balanced diet, other antioxidants include vitamin E, B-carotenoids, Selenium...etc.

Vitamin C deficiency can lead to dry and splitting hair; gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and bleeding gums; rough, dry, scaly skin; decreased wound-healing rate, easy bruising; nosebleeds; weakened enamel of the teeth; swollen and painful joints; anemia; decreased ability to ward off infection.A severe form of vitamin C deficiency is known as scurvy, which mainly affects older, malnourished adults.

The body does not manufacture vitamin C on its own, nor does it store it. It is therefore important to include plenty of vitamin C-containing foods in one's daily diet. Large amounts of vitamin C are used by the body during any kind of healing process, whether it's from an infection, disease, injury, or surgery (In case of burns, blood content of vitamin C was found to be Zero). In these cases extra vitamin C may be needed.

Vitamin C may be helpful for people with diabetes in a number of ways. First, some studies suggest that people with diabetes have high levels of free radicals (the damaging metabolic by-products, associated with many chronic illnesses) and low levels of antioxidants, including vitamin C. This imbalance may contribute to the fact that those with diabetes are at greater risk for developing conditions such as high cholesterol and atherosclerosis.

Secondly, insulin (which is low in type 1 diabetics and does not function properly in type 2 diabetics) helps cells in the body take up the vitamin C that they need to function properly. At the same time, lots of circulating blood sugar (glucose), as is often the present in diabetics, prevents the cells from getting the vitamin C that they need, even if eating lots of fruits of vegetables. For this reason, taking extra vitamin C in the form of supplements may be helpful in those with diabetes.

Researchers found that women with diabetes consuming at least 300 mg of vitamin C/day faced 2-3 times the risk of death from stroke and twice the risk of dying from coronary diseases, as did diabetic women with less
intake of vitamin C.
Similar assessments for the study with 32,500 other participants, none of
whom started the study with diabetes, showed no link between heart disease and high intake of vitamin C.

Many antioxidants can,at high doses, increase the harmful oxidation's rather than reduce them, and that is what may be happening in diabetic women.It is , by far, better for them if they maintain good blood sugar control, because that is going to prevent of oxidation stress.

Glucose and vitamin C share a common transport mechanism in human blood cells, thus prolonged exposure to high blood glucose in diabetes might lead to intracellular deficiencies of Vitamin C.
Results of studies employing animal models of diabetes (induced diabetes in animals) suggest that these low levels, when are not due to low intake,are caused by increased urinary excretion of the vitamin and defective transport across cell membranes along with increased oxidation
of vitamin C to De-Hydro-Ascorbic Acid ( DHAA).

Vitamin C supplementation has been shown to improve glucose tolerance and lipid profiles in non-insulin-dependent-diabetes-mellitus (type2 diabetes),and to reduce cutaneous capillary fragility, ( in an open trial, each gram of oral vitamin C taken daily, permitted a 2 unit reduction in daily insulin requirements for insulin-dependent-diabetes-mellitus(type 1).

There is some evidence that supplementation may reduce the non-enzymatic glycosylation of proteins, a process that plays an important role in the
development of diabetic complications. Moreover, after continued vitamin
C administration, DHAA( de-hydro-ascorbic-acid) disappears.

Don't forget your Oranges,Lemon,Cranberry and other vegetables and fruits that are rich in vitamin C.

Living with Type II Diabetes?

What Are These Synthetic Trans Fats?

Are there natural trans fats?, are they as harmful as synthetic trans fats?, how much we take of each of them?

Actually, there are trans fats that occur naturally in meat and dairy products. They mainly contain the trans fatty acid " Vaccenic acid", but they are essentially harmless in the amounts encountered. They represent 15-20 % at maximum, of the trans fats we take, moreover, Vaccenic acid can be metabolized by humans to the trans isomer of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) which has a specific role in promoting health. CLA is considered to balance any harmful effect of natural trans fats. Natural trans fats have not been shown to share the harmful properties of the synthetic trans fats.

It is fair to suppose there is wide range in the toxicity in the synthetic trans isomers arising from hydrogenation of oils, and that some of these synthetic trans fats have specially high toxicity.
Then why humans synthesize these harmful trans fats?, what is the need for them?

In fact, humans do not plan to synthesize trans fats, they do their best to reduce their production, but it is difficult to prevent their formation altogether. Typically40-50% of the oil will end up as trans isomers after hydrogenation.

Food industry is concerned about shelf period as well as taste and consistency of fats. Oils are vulnerable to rancidity on storage, in addition, some trans isomers(Elaidic acid, the trans isomer of Oleic acid, the main constituent of olive oil) has a melting point has a similar temperature of the human mouth ( mouth watering?).

How I s Trans Fat Produced?
Glycerol( Glycerin) is common to all triglyceride edible fats, to this glycerol molecule, 3 fatty acid molecules are attached. The fatty acid consists of many carbon atoms, each of which is attached to the adjacent carbon by a SINGLE bond and bearing 2 Hydrogen atoms in saturated fats. I f the 2 adjacent carbons bear1 Hydrogen atom each, they coordinate to share a second bond to become bound by a DOUBLE bond, then this fatty acid is said to be unsaturated FA, if it contains more than 1 double bond, it is a polyunsaturated fatty acid.
The configuration of double bond in an unsaturated fatty acid determines the description of fatty acid, thus if the 2 Hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the Carbon chain it is a CIS isomer and this predominates naturally, in the other uncommon TRANS isomer, the 2 Hydrogen are on opposite sides of the chain.

The CIS double bond forces a kink or bend into the Carbon chain, so the unsaturated fatty acids are unable to pack closely together so readily as saturated fatty acid, and this why unsaturated fatty acids containing oils are mostly liquids at room temperature, while more saturated fats( such as Tallow) are hard. Upon hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acid containing oil, 2 Hydrogen are bound to the vacant double-bond site removing the double bond and retaining the straight chain form and the molecule becomes more saturated.

The food industry neither needs completely hydrogenated fats which are waxy, nor it needs the polyunsaturated oils, rather it needs partially hydrogenated fats which are in between.
During hydrogenation conducted at high temperature( 260 C), the unsaturated fatty acid is subject to structural transformation. Double bonds which are naturally in the CIS configuration, can flip to TRANS configuration ( Geometrical isomers). Another possibility is that the double bond migrates along the molecular chain ( Positional isomers).

TRANS fats are involved in the pathogenesis if cardiovascular system, and lately it was found to be involved in Diabetes and Obesity.

Onion,Garlic and other Herbs to Lower Blood Sugar

Since antiquity, diabetes has been treated with plant medicines. Recent scientific investigation has confirmed the efficacy of many of these preparations, some of which are remarkably effective. Only those herbs that appear most effective, are relatively non-toxic and have substantial documentation of efficacy are covered here.

Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia):
Bitter melon, also known as balsam pear, is a tropical vegetable widely cultivated in Asia, Africa and South America, and has been used extensively in folk medicine as a remedy for diabetes. The blood sugar lowering action of the fresh juice or extract of the unripe fruit has been clearly established in both experimental lab and clinical studies.

Bitter melon is composed of several compounds with confirmed anti-diabetic properties. Charantin, extracted by alcohol, is a hypoglycaemic agent composed of mixed steroids that is more potent than the drug tolbutamide which is often used in the treatment of diabetes. Momordica also contains an insulin-like polypeptide, polypeptide-P, which lowers blood sugar levels when injected subcutaneously into type 1 diabetic patients. The oral administration of 50-60 ml of the juice has shown good results in clinical trials.

Excessively high doses of bitter melon juice can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Small children or anyone with hypoglycemiashould not take bitter melon, since this herb could theoretically trigger or worsen low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. Furthermore, diabetics taking hypoglycemic drugs (such as chlorpropamide,glyburide, or phenformin) or insulin should use bitter melon withcaution, as it may potentiate the effectiveness of the drugs, leading to severe hypoglycemia.


Onion and Garlic:
( Allium cepa and Allium sativum) Onion and garlic have significant blood sugar lowering action. The principal active ingredients are believed to be allyl propyl disulphide (APDS) and diallyl disulphide oxide (allicin), although other constitutents such as flavonoids may play a role as well.
Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that APDS lowers glucose levels by competing with insulin for insulin-inactivating sites in the liver. This results in an increase of free insulin.APDS administered in doses of 125 mg/ kg to fasting humans was found to cause a marked fall in blood glucose levels and an increase in serum insulin. Allicin doses of 100 mg/kg produced a similar effect.

Onion extract was found to reduce blood sugar levels during oral and intravenous glucose tolerance. The effect improved as the dosage was increased; however, beneficial effects were observed even for low levels that used in the diet (eg., 25 to 200 grams). The effects were similar in both raw and boiled onion extracts. Onions affect the hepatic metabolism of glucose and/or increases the release of insulin, and/or prevent insulin's destruction.

The additional benefit of the use of garlic and onions are their beneficial cardiovascular effects. They are found to lower lipid levels, inhibit platelet aggregation and are antihypertensive.
So, liberal use of onion and garlic are recommended for diabetic patients.
You can get odorles Standerdized Garlic here


Blueberry leaves (Vaccinium myrtillus):
A decoction of the leaves of the blueberry has a long history of folk use in the treatment of diabetes. The compound myrtillin (an anthocyanoside) is apparently the most active ingredient. Upon injection it is somewhat weaker than insulin, but is less toxic, even at 50 times the 1 g per day therapeutic dose. A single dose can produce beneficial effects lasting several weeks.
Blueberry anthocyanosides also increase capillary integrity, inhibit free-radical damage and improve the tone of the vascular system. In Europe, it is used as an anti-haemorrhagic agent in the treatment of eye diseases including diabetic retinopathy.


Asian Ginseng:
Asian ginseng is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes. It has been shown to enhance the release of insulin from the pancreas and to increase the number of insulin receptors. It also has a direct blood sugar-lowering effect. A recent study found that 200 mg of ginseng extract per day improved blood sugar control as well as energy levels in Type 2 diabetes (NIDDM).Ginseng Varieties


BilberryBilberry:
It may lower the risk of some diabetic complications, such as diabetic cataracts and retinopathy.Billberry


SteviaStevia:
has been used traditionally to treat diabetes. Early reports suggested that stevia might have beneficial effects on glucose tolerance (and therefore potentially help with diabetes), although not all reports have confirmed this. Even if stevia did not have direct antidiabetic effects, its use as a sweetener could reduce intake of sugars in such patients.Get Stevia


Ginkgo Biloba:
Ginkgo biloba extract may prove useful for prevention and treatment of early-stage diabetic neuropathy.


Cinnamon :
It triples insulin's efficiency..Standerdized Cinnamon


Barberry :
One of the mildest and best liver tonics known.
Dosage: tincture, 10-30 drops; standard decoction or 3-9 g.


Nigella Sativa Oil( NSO):
NSO significantly lowered blood glucose concentrations in diabetic rats after 2, 4 and 6 weeks. The blood lowering effect of NSO was, however, not paralled by a stimulation of insulin release in the presence of NSO,or its active ingredients, nigellone or thymoquinone. The data indicate that the hypoglycemic effect of NSO may be mediated by extrapancreatic actions rather than by stimulated insulin release.


Almost all can be easily obtained, or they are already in your kitchen.

Living with Type II Diabetes?

Fenugreek Lowers Glycemic Index and Blood Sugar

Before we discuss the effect of Fenugreek on Glycemic Index (GI), we should understand the effect of GI on blood sugar.
Glycemic Index can only be applied to foods with a reasonable carbohydrates content. Carbohydrates that breakdown rapidly during digestion have the highest Glycemic Index (GI).
A lower glycemic response equates to a lower Insulin demand, better long-term blood glucose control and a reduction in blood lipids. A low glycemic index food will release energy slowly and steadily and is generally appropriate for every one, specially diabetics and dieters.
Several lines of recent scientific evidence have shown that individuals who followed a low GI diet over many years at a significant lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes and coronary heart diseases.
Recently, postprandial (after meal) hyperglycemia presents an increased risk for atherosclerosis in the diabetic population.Recent animal research provides compelling evidence that high GI carbohydrates is associated with increased risk of obesity.

Fenugreek seeds contain nutrients and phyto-chemicals that slow down the time that food takes to go through the intestinal tract. As one result, sugars are absorbed from foods more slowly and blood sugar levels may not rise as high or fluctuate as much as usual. Also, fenugreek contains an amino acid called 4-hydroxyisoleucine, which appears to increase the body's production of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. Higher insulin production may decrease the amounts of sugar that stay in the blood for many individuals. In some studies of animals and humans with both diabetes and high cholesterol levels, fenugreek lowered cholesterol levels as well as blood sugar levels. However, no blood-sugar lowering effect was seen in non-diabetic animals. Similarly individuals with normal cholesterol levels showed no significant reductions in cholesterol while taking fenugreek.

Pregnant women should not take fenugreek by mouth. In animal studies, fenugreek has caused contractions of uterine tissue. Such contractions could result in a miscarriage if they happen during pregnancy. In addition, fenugreek passes into the blood of developing babies.

Major Side Effects
It is possible that taking large amounts of fenugreek for very long periods of time could result in hypoglycemia (blood sugar that is too low). Signs that blood sugar may be too low include shakiness, sweating, confusion, distorted speech, and loss of muscle control. If not corrected, low blood sugar can lead to unconsciousness and even death.

Less Severe Side Effects
Due to its effects on the gastrointestinal tract, most side effects reported from using fenugreek orally are gastrointestinal in nature. They include diarrhea and gas.
Taking fenugreek by mouth may make the urine smell somewhat like maple syrup. A relatively rare serious metabolic disorder also causes a similar smell in the urine of affected individuals. Cases of misdiagnosis have been reported in medical literature when small children or pregnant or lactating women who took fenugreek had a maple sugar-like smell in their urine.

What interactions should I watch for?
Prescription Drugs
Fenugreek contains small amounts of coumarins, chemicals that are used in drugs to increase the time blood needs to clot. When very large amounts of fenugreek are taken with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs, the effect of the drug may be increased, resulting in uncontrolled bleeding.
Antiplatelets include Plavix and Ticlid. Anticoagulants include heparin and warfarin.
Because it may have a lowering effect on blood sugar, fenugreek may increase the effectiveness of medications used for the treatment of diabetes. If you are taking medications for diabetes, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using fenugreek.
When mixed with water or other fluids, fenugreek forms a sticky, slippery gel. In theory, taking fenugreek by mouth could block the absorption of other drugs that are taken at the same time. If you take fenugreek, do not take other drugs within 2 hours.
Non-prescription Drugs
Large amounts of fenugreek taken by mouth possibly may affect the ability of blood to clot after an injury. Aspirin can also delay clotting, so fenugreek should not be taken orally at the same time as aspirin.

Herbal Products
Theoretically, if fenugreek is used with other herbs that affect blood clotting, bleeding may occur. Some of the most common herbal products that might inhibit blood clotting are:
Danshen-Devil's-Claw-Garlic-Ginger-Ginkgo-Ginseng-Horse-Chestnut-Papain-Red-Clover-Saw Palmetto.
Some interactions between herbal products and medications can be more severe than others. The best way for you to avoid harmful interactions is to tell your doctor and/or pharmacist what medications you are currently taking, including any over-the-counter products, vitamins, and herbals. For specific information on how fenugreek interacts with drugs, other herbals, and foods and the severity of those interactions, please use this Drug Interactions Checker to check for possible interactions.

Dosage and Administration
No more than 6,000 mg (6 grams) of fenugreek should be taken by mouth per day.

Commercially, fenugreek is available as whole or ground seed and also as capsules, bulk powder, and a liquid tincture. Common dosing recommendations for fenugreek suggest taking 1,000 mg to 2,000 mg (one gram to 2 grams) three times a day. It is usually taken with food because it has a bitter taste.
Fenugreek tea is prepared by soaking 500 mg of the seed in about 5 ounces of cold water for at least 3 hours. The seeds are then strained out of the liquid before drinking the tea, which can be heated or ingested cold. It can be sweetened using honey to maximize its benefits.

Fenugreek is used in some countries as an official treatment of type2 Diabetes Mellitus.

You can get Fenugreek capsules here

Living with Type II Diabetes?

Foods Increase Insulin and Foods Decrease Blood Sugar

Insulin and blood sugar increase and decrease upon eating certain foods, are very important aspects for weight issue and of crucial importance for diabetics.

Insulin secretion is regulated physiologically ( under normal condition of the body ) by the food elements, hormones, herbs and drugs circulating in the blood.
Glucose, Mannose, B-keto acids, Amino acids ( Leucine, Arginine and others) are the food components that increase insulin secretion.

Glucose is the most important stimulatory agent of insulin secretion, as it is always present in the blood, its concentration is kept withina narrow range and its amounts consumed by humans are the largest ones amongst all nutrients.
Thus sugars and starchy foods that release glucose like Potatoes, Rice, Pasta, Bread...etc, all lead to rapid rise in blood glucose concentration having a high Glycemic Index ( GI) which is an index of the speed of appearance of high glucose concentration in the blood after ingesting food.

Insulin secretion increase is not a good favor for the normal person. For example, if a normal healthy person ingested food that increases insulin secretion sharply, the secreted insulin will cause glucose vanishes quickly from the blood and this person will feel hungry, consequently he will take foods that block this feeling , i.e. foods with high Glycemic Index and this effect will create spikes in blood glucose level. This may lead to overweight of normal person ( having other predisposing factors), as well as it is a predisposing factor to insulin resistance.
Insulin secretion increase on eating high Glycemic Index foods is not the case of a diabetic subject, as his debilitated pancreas may not secrete the sufficient amounts of insulin to meet the requirements needed to meet the sudden glucose load, leading to hyperglycemia.

Pregnancy hormonal levels can increase the blood sugar of a pregnant woman to the point that some people with normal glucose metabolism become diabetic during pregnancy, and although 95% of them recover after delivery yet, consuming much of the high Glycemic foods can exacerbate this case.

Some foods like Garlic and Onions can decrease blood sugar by competing with Insulin for Insulin inactivating sites in the liver, and this results in increase in free Insulin in the blood and this Insulin decreases blood sugar.
Ginseng herb has been shown to increase the release of insulin from the pancreas and to increase the of Insulin receptors, i.e. it enhances the effect of Insulin in decreasing blood sugar.

The list of foods that decrease blood sugar is long and include many foods, thus to discuss their mechanism of action, amounts to be taken, precautions and drawbacks of high intake, I need to write another article.

Living with Type II Diabetes?

Diabetes wounds, How To use HONEY to Avoid Amputations.

How can a blister, a scratch or a wound in the skin of diabetes patients lead to % 50 of all cases of lower leg amputations?

The answer is in the nature of a diabetic skin and the stage at which treatment of the wound starts.Were that wound in the skin of a normal person, his blood would transport all the normal defense and healing elements required for healing the wound and repairing the skin, with the least medical care.

Nevertheless, in diabetes patients, the complications of diabetes involve thick blood, atherosclerosis and vessels fragility, all leading to poor blood supply of the leg specially the lower part inducing a dry THIN skin that is vulnerable to the least mechanical assault.
The other crucially important complication of diabetes that relates to wounds is diabetic neuropathy which affects nerves resulting in a reduced or abolished feeling in the feet, i.e. no pain or no signal to the patient who do not feel the injury.

The unnoticed scratch or wound in a diabetic leg gets bigger and deeper and affects the underlying tissues, such as muscles and tendons and becomes an opened gateway for infection which may reach the horrible stage of "gangrene" with which we may not avoid amputation.
When discovered, the wound receives intensive medical care that may reach skin substitution, in which a carrier material containing genetically engineered growth factors to encourage new tissue growth, and/or a synthetic form of natural proteins that help promote growth.

How can a diabetic avoid foot wounds:
There are many recommendations for diabetes patients to guard against wound formation and to discover them as soon as they are formed, like:
* Carefully dry your feet after bathing, specially between the toes.
* Don't walk around barefoot, not even indoors.
* Don't cut your nails yourself, have it done by a nurse.
* Avoid synthetic socks, wear cotton ones and wear the recommended shoes
* Avoid hyperglycemia and regulate your diet and treatment to adjust your blood Glucose.

The most important recommendations which represents the right clue to fight diabetes wounds and avoid prognosis to amputation stage are:
1- Ask your doctor or nurse to check your feet every visit.
2- INSPECT YOUR FEET DAILY FOR CUTS, WOUNDS, CALLUS OR INFECTED NAILS.
As this represents the starting point of extinguishing a small fire before it expands to burn the whole foot leading to its amputation.

Now, what if you apply a hydrating cream on your soles, feet and legs daily, instead of just inspecting them?. It is more safe and ensures a healthier skin that is not too fragile to break with the least external mechanical assaults.

Moreover, what if you repair any unnoticed cracks or scratches in your feet on daily basis? you want to know how?, it is simple :
Add Panthenol, Methionine, Honey, Propolis to your hydrating cream and this will endow your skin all the requirements for self repair.
Honey is used for wounds since very long times in the east, and now in England.
Propolis is clinically investigated in Europe, Japan and USA for use in wounds treatment.
Panthenol and metionine are nutritive materials that have a vital role in repairing the skin.
The Formula

Panthenol 2 g
Propolis 1 g
Hydrating cream 50 g

Part of this cream is admixed with equal part of honey and applied to the skin daily.

Honey for Diabetes?

Diabetes patients suffer a reduced amount of Insulin secreted in response to any glucose introduced into their blood. Consequently, they have a restricted food amounts and varieties. The restrictions put on their food deprive them of many elements in their natural form.
Diabetes patients are banned from sugar, yet they can't abandon sweeteners. To replace sugar in their food and drinks, diabetes patients use synthetic sweeteners like Aspartam which is a synthetic chemical agent without any nutritive value, and sometimes it is combined with starch derivatives which releases glucose into the blood.

In many countries, diabetes patients use honey in place of sugar.
Apart from the debate about the compared absorbed amounts of glucose after ingesting sugar or honey which favours honey to avoid high concentration of glucose after eating sugar, I will stress 2 points in honey, these are:

1- CALORIE CONTENT:
Honey is 3 times as sweet as sugar, then if one needs 30 g of sugar, he may replace them with 10 g of honey. The needed amount of sugar (30g) produces 120 Kcal, while the equivalent honey amount(10 g) produces 32 Kcal.

2- MICRO-NUTRIENTS: These are subdivided into 2 categories:
l- Vitamins:
Some vitamins are highly needed by diabetes patients and are recommended by physicians to all diabetes patients, they are vitamin B1,B6, B12 ,C ,E and Biotin.
Honey - specially the unfiltered summer honey when the bee only uses nectar to make honey - is a good source of most of these vitamins, at least to supply a part of the RDA in natural form. There was vitaminized honey in the former USSR, where the bee was fed fruits and vegetables juice to produce this sort of honey, otherwise synthetic vitamins were added to honey to be used by diabetic patients.

ll- Trace elements:
* Chromium is a critical nutrient in diabetes. It is presented as a supplement for people with, diabetes, pre-diabetic glucose intolerance and women with diabetes associated with pregnancy.
* Manganese is present in diabetics in 1/2 its amount that is present in normal individuals.
* Magnesium is significantly lowered in diabetes patients.
* Vanadium given to diabetics proved to decrease their Insulin needs.
* Zinc deficiency has been suggested to play a role in the development of diabetes in humans. It is involved in virtually all aspects of Insulin metabolism, synthesis, secretion and utilization.
* Potassium supplementation yields improved Insulin sensitivity.

Honey contains all elements present in the soil, specially if it is not deprived of pollen grains.
If you cut 40-50 g of your carbohydrate intake daily and replace them with honey, you will make a great favour to your body.

Living with Type II Diabetes?