Healthy Blood Sugar Medication

Chronic diabetes can cause various forms of nerve degeneration (also known as diabetic neuropathy). The digestive tract can be negatively impacted when the nerves of the stomach become damaged from chronic diabetes, a condition known as diabetic gastroparesis. Diabetic gastroparesis is the partial or incomplete paralysis of the stomach muscles, preventing the stomach from emptying properly and from absorbing nutrients properly (also called malabsorption).

Gastroparesis is most often associated with type 1 diabetes; however, it can also occur in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Symptoms of gastroparesis include:

• Acid reflux and/or heartburn
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Bloating
• Feeling full quickly after eating

There are a number of complications that can be associated with gastroparesis. With food unable to travel away from the stomach, there is a possibility of a bacterial infection occurring if the food spoils. Food can also form into a hard mass, called a bezoar. Bezoars can then cause blockages and serious intestinal distress. Those with diabetic gastroparesis should always manage their blood sugar closely, as the condition can make it difficult for individuals to consistently control their blood sugar levels.

Self Help

Ultimately, the best self-care that you can practice if you are diagnosed with gastroparesis is to vary how and when you eat your meals. By experimenting with different portions and meal times, you can learn to better understand your body and to fine tune your meal plan to fit within your spectrum of treatment. As with most gastrointestinal ailments, food that is high in fat content should be avoided as high-fat foods are more difficult to digest.

Also if you are diagnosed with gastroparesis due to your type 1 or 2 diabetes, you should work with your health care practitioner to educate yourself on proper insulin administration and blood sugar maintenance. By addressing the underlying cause of your intestinal issues, you can begin to heal more effectively.

Western Treatments

There is a common pharmaceutical that is often administered to those suffering from diabetic gastroparesis. The name of the drug is Metoclopramide and its function is to increase gastric emptying and to alleviate nausea. Unfortunately, Metoclopramide does not work for all patients, leading many to seek out alternative treatments. If the patient develops a bacterial overgrowth, antibiotics are commonly administered on a cyclical basis in order to control diarrhea. There are a slew of other pharmaceuticals that can be prescribed, but as always, they all come with their own set of possible detrimental side effects.

Western medical procedures that help treat gastroparesis include gastric electrical stimulation for symptoms of nausea and vomiting and gastrostomy-tube decompression (also known as PEJ/PEG feeding), for symptoms associated with malabsorption and malnourishment.

A Case in TCM Treatment

There are a few ways that an individual can address their most acute symptoms. Based on the individual’s symptoms and constitution, treatment based in traditional Chinese medicine can be applied to help relieve many of the painful side effects.

• Diarrhea can be treated using an herbal mixture containing bovine colostrum complex.
• Tonify the blood by seeking an herbal formula with potential antibiotic properties containing isatis extract leaf & root, astragalus root, bupleurum root, laminaria leaf, codonopsis root, epimedium leaf, lycium fruit, and dioscorea root.
• Help break down food by taking a mixture containing poria sclerotium, coix seed, barley shen qu, magnolia bark, angelica root, pueraria root, red atractylodes rhizome, vladimiria souliei root, and pogostemon herb before every meal.
• Kidney tonics can be made from a combination of astragalus root & seed, ligustrum fruit, ho-shou-wu root, lycium fruit, cooked rehmannia root, eucommia bark, cuscuta seed, and ginseng root.
• Circulate blood with a mixture of pueraria root, ilex root, salvia root, lonicera flower, eucommia bark, acorus rhizome, cistanche salsa herb, ho-shou-wu root, morus fruit, rose fruit, lycium bark, and zizyphus seed.