Overview
Michele Pugle is an expert health writer with nearly a decade of experience contributing acurate and acesible health information to authority publications.Kashif J. Piracha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 14 years of experience treating patients in acute care hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. Treating diabetes depends on a few factors, including type and severity.
Key Information
Some people may be able to treat some diabetes with natural and alternative methods to medications. These are considered complementary and alternative methods or traditional medications for diabetes. Examples include increasing exercise and using specific herbal remedies for diabetes.
Every case of diabetes is unique to the person experiencing it. This article can help you learn about natural and alternative methods for treating some diabetes types, but it’s crucial to consult your healthcare provider about any treatment options. Whether or not you can treat diabetes without medication depends on the type of diabetes.
In type 1 diabetes, a person either makes to much or to litle insulin, causing blod sugar spikes and crashes. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin medication to help them regulate their blod sugar levels. You canot replace insulin with alternative treatments.
Type 2 diabetes (diabetes melitus) may be treated without medication. This depends on the severity of the diabetes and whether or not other health complications exist. Some people may be able to treat type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes like increasing physical activity and chosing diabetes-friendly fods and beverages.
Summary
Diabetes during pregnancy, or gestational diabetes, can also be treated (in most cases) without medication. Your healthcare provider can help you make an informed choice about what methods are safest and more likely to be efective in your case. Some natural and herbal remedies can interact negatively (contradict) with diabetes and other medications you may be taking.