November 14th has been World Diabetes Day since 1991, when it was created by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and World Health Organization (WHO). Raising awareness about diabetes and how it affects millions of people around the world has been the focus of the IDF. While World Diabetes Day aims to raise awareness, it is also about promoting ways to combat diabetes.
World Diabetes Day was created on November 14th because it is the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who won a Nobel Prize for his work using insulin to treat diabetes patients. Up until the 1920s, there was not a treatment option for people with diabetes. Dr. Banting began studying diabetes and the pancreas after returning from his service in World War I.
He began his tests on dogs. After removing the pancreas from one dog, he found that the dog developed diabetes. He removed the pancreas of another dog, but ground up the pancreas to make the first insulin injection (essentially). By giving the dog a couple injections every day, the dog was able to stay healthy.
In 1922, Dr. Banting gave the first diabetes patient, a 14-year old boy, an insulin injection. The discovery of the injection was considered a miracle because it helped save countless lives; thus Dr. Banting’s Nobel Prize award.
There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 & Type 2. The body attacks cells that produce insulin in Type 1 patients, and the body doesn’t respond to insulin in Type 2 patients. Diabetes can be improved, maintained, and it can also worsen. You can apply a few natural remedies to your daily life to help decrease the effects of diabetes.
#1: Diet
Eliminating fried food, processed food, alcohol, meat, dairy, salt, and genetically modified foods and switching to a raw-food, vegan, or vegetarian diet can assist in weight loss, which can benefit Type 2 diabetics. It’s important to refrain from eating fruits that have a high sugar content. Avoid grapes, lychee, figs, mangos, and cherries. Vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains like barley are recommended.
#2: Exercising
Exercising daily can help you to better control your diabetes. This is because exercising can help control your blood-glucose levels. Your muscles can use glucose without insulin. Depending on the on the type of diabetes you have, you have to monitor yourself when exercising as different people can have varied experiences.
#3: Eat Magnesium Foods
Consuming foods that are high in magnesium can help benefit those with diabetes. Magnesium helps regulate blood pressure and a high-magnesium diet has been shown to decrease insulin resistance. Avocados, bananas, brazil nuts, pine nuts, dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, lima beans, artichokes, and pumpkin seeds are all rich in magnesium.
#4: Herbs
Certain natural herbs or plant extracts have been proven to have anti-diabetic properties. Aloe, vera, fenugreek, bitter melon, and billibery extract can help decrease the effects of diabetes. It’s important, though, to make sure that these herbs or extracts don’t negatively affect your diabetes, allergies (if you have them), or medications (if you take them).
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
