Type I Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
For practitioners of naturopathic and allopathic medicine, we provide the following clinical protocols for treating patients with diabetes, prediabetic conditions, and diabetes complicaitons. Patients can also bring these protocols to the attention of their health-care provider in a spirit of cooperative education.
Type I Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
Approach
Lifestyle and dietary modifications enable Type I diabetics to more tightly control blood glucose levels. By combining these efforts with botanical medicine, dependence on exogenous insulin can be decreased. Naturopathic approaches to diabetic management also play an important role in reducing the risk of diabetic complications. Quality of life is vastly improved through the prevention of complications that can range from mild to debilitating.
While it is widely believed that all Type I patients will eventually require insulin for glucose control and survival, rare anecdotal reports indicate otherwise with the use of IV hydrogen peroxide, niacinamide, and neuropeptide injections upon diagnosis. There are a few reported cases of completely eliminating exogenous insulin with the use of naturopathic medicine. Patients can also often decrease insulin requirements with the use of herbal medicine.
Lifestyle Counseling
Stress Reduction: Chronic stress plays a major role in the development of IDDM and diabetic complications by causing higher cortisol and blood sugar levels. Lifestyle counseling, meditative practices, such as yoga, and especially thermal biofeedback-assisted relaxation training (BART) have been shown to reduce stress, thereby stabilizing metabolic functions, reestablishing efficient use of insulin, decreasing the requirements for exogenous sources, and making blood sugar control easier to achieve.
Dietary Therapy
Dairy Products: Cow’s milk should be avoided because antibodies to cow’s milk are speculated as a possible etiology for IDDM in some individuals.
Low-Glycemic Diet: This diet helps reduce spikes in blood sugar and results in more regulated blood sugar levels. Over-consumption of highly refined carbohydrates is associated with the development of diabetes and its precursor blood sugar disorders. Based on a measure of how quickly a food affects blood sugar levels, the glycemic index provides numerical values for foods and enables patients to make better choices for managing their blood sugar. See the Glycemic Index of Common Foods chart in Chapter 7, “Dietary Therapy for Diabetes.”
Clinical Nutrition
Niacinamide: High does of niacinamide (25 mg per kg) have been shown to suppress autoimmune disease in recently diagnosed Type I diabetes. Cases of complete remission with this protocol have occurred. This protocol may cause remission of Type I if done within 6 months of the diagnosis. If no effect has been shown within 8 weeks, chance of cure is low. Patients should consider neuropeptide injections, a low glycemic diet, and herbs after the 6-month mark or after trying this protocol without success.
Hydrogen Peroxide: H202 (30% solution), IV 2 cc in 250 D5W, three times a week, will kill microbial causes of Type I diabetes. This dosage needs to be administered immediately after onset. Cases of complete remission with this protocol have been reported.
Dioxychlor and Sulfoxamine: Administered IV three times a week, Dioxychlor and Sulfoxamine will address viral causes of Type I diabetes. Clinically proven in large clinical trials for reducing viral load after 12 treatments. Available from Bradford Research Institute.
Neuropeptide Injections: Administered every 3 weeks, neuropeptide injections have been used in treating autoimmune disease very successfully. Animal studies indicate complete remission of Type I diabetes. Human studies show success in reversing other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Vitamin D: Low vitamin D status has been shown to be associated with a number of autoimmune conditions, such as multiple sclerosis. Since Type I diabetes is also considered to be an autoimmune condition, researchers have investigated vitamin D supplementation and found it was associated with reduced risk of Type 1 diabetes.
Botanical Medicine
Gymnema sylvestra: 2 grams daily helps stimulate insulin production. No cases of complete remission with this approach have been reported; however, it significantly balances blood sugar levels.
Pterocarpus marsupium: 2 grams daily helps stimulate insulin production. Clinical research indicates significantly reduced need for exogenous insulin. No cases of complete remission with this approach have been reported; however, it significantly balances blood sugar levels.
Camal tamala: 2 grams daily helps stimulate insulin production. No cases of complete remission with this approach have been reported; however, it significantly balances blood sugar levels.
Hemopathic Medicine
Autohemotherapy: Molecular mimicry happens in a variety of autoimmune disorders that are triggered by infections and other antigens, such as chronic prostatitis, adrenal disorders, and thyroiditis. Autohemotherapy is a treatment used commonly in Europe by clinicians as a tool in treating autoimmune disorders. This process involves taking the patient’s serum and homeopathically potentiating it. When the modified blood is reinjected in the patient, it is speculated that the patient synthesizes antibodies against the original antibodies.
Conventional Allopathic Treatment
Type I Intensive Therapy: For intensive care in Type I patients, it is recommended to test the blood 4 to 8 times/day to assess blood sugar control before and after eating. The patient is asked to count the exact amount of carbohydrates ingested or use the diabetic exchange system to make exact estimates on insulin adjustments.
Intensive control (micromanagement) of blood sugar levels reduces the risk of developing or progression of microvascular complications. Although optimal control has been defined as HbA1c <= 6.5% by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, striving for an HbA1c of less than 5% is better.
To achieve good results, blood sugar needs to be measured consistently:
- Upon rising
- 5 hours after Humalog or R (if used before meals)
- 2 hours after meals or snacks if no insulin is taken before
- At bedtime
- Whenever high levels are suspected
HbA1c should then be tested every 3 to 6 months.
Goals for Other Blood Tests
Triglycerides <100 Urine microalbumin Negative
LDL cholesterol <100 Urine protein Negative
Fasting Glucose <5.5 Liver Function Normal
Bedtime Glucose <6.1
Nocturnal Hyperglycemia Management: The risk of secondary complications is caused by high blood sugar at any time, regardless of day or night. One way to stabilize blood sugar during the night is to split the insulin dose into one dose before dinner and one before sleeping. The latter injection will cause insulin levels to peak at 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. The levels will maintain through the night, and nocturnal hyperglycemia can thus be avoided.
Troubleshooting the Insulin Regime: Diabetics may often have difficulty in keeping the blood sugar in range. Certain foods, especially high glycemic foods (foods that easily increase blood sugar), exercise, and physiological or emotional stress can temporarily increase blood sugar.
If the patient is taking insulin and hyperglycemia is still occurring, it is important to look at these contributing factors:
- Accuracy of the self-monitoring blood glucose test
- Pharmakinetics of insulin (abdomen>arms>thighs)
- Diet
- Stress
- Use of corticosteroids
- Menses
