These days, there are so many ways to lower blood sugar without insulin. But for most people, insulin is one of the scariest things a doctor can say.
For starters, here are a couple of things to keep in mind.
Insulin only makes up a very small percentage of a doctors prescribing regimen when it comes to type 2 diabetes. Insulin is only used for a couple of main reasons.
Three of the biggest reasons why a doctor may put you on insulin have to do with one of the following:
- You’re older and you’ve had diabetes for a number of years and your pancreas isn’t making enough of it [insulin]
- Your blood sugar is so high that insulin is the best option
- Oral drugs are no longer working
I’ve heard of many of the doctors that I work with threatening their patients with insulin. I think this is a bad approach. All it does is make people fear insulin even more.
I talk about how to get off of insulin if you are already on insulin in another article. But insulin therapy is a big issue with diabetes therapy.
Not to mention many associate insulin with worsened diabetes, amputations, and dialysis. And let’s face it, insulin does come with side effects such as edema and weight gain to name a few.
But remember, as I mentioned already, insulin is usually a small part of most primary care doctors’ prescribing regimen.
Usually they will prescribe an oral drug for diabetes and after 2 or 3 different drug combinations and your blood sugar levels are still out of control, then most doctors will prescribe insulin.
So having said that, here are a couple of ways to control diabetes without insulin:
- Oral drugs for diabetes
- Diet and exercise
- Supplements
Here on my site I share many ways to control diabetes naturally. And in a minute I’ll share more natural ways to control your blood sugar. But at some point, insulin is needed if years of high blood sugar levels persist.
So the key is to find a way to control your blood sugar by one or more of the ways listed above to avoid having to go on insulin later on.
So let me walk you through a couple of ways to tackle this…
First, you should always have an idea of your blood sugar levels and you want to keep them normal.
Here are 4 reasons why your blood sugar may be high:
- You haven’t taken your diabetes medication(s)
- You ate more than usual
- You are less active than usual
- You are under stress or sick
Here are 7 symptoms that your blood sugar may be high:
- More thirsty than usual
- More hungry than usual
- You’re sleepy
- Blurred vision
- Dry skin
- Having to urinate more than usual
- Infections or cuts that heal more slowly than usual
Next, you’ll want to try to modify your lifestyle. And when it comes to natural ways to control blood sugar without insulin, your diet is KING.
So step two is to start to incorporate a few foods, herbs and supplements into your diet that are well known for their blood sugar lowering abilities.
Foods & Supplements That Lower Blood Sugar
- Beans
- Artichoke hearts
- Onions
- Citrus
- Buckwheat
- Onions
- Chromium
- Olive oil
- Tarragon
- Fenugreek
- Cilantro
Step three is to start to add a few basic, fun ways to get your body moving. Exercise is a great way to control your blood sugar without insulin.
And last but not least, remember to take your medication. If you don’t take your medication regularly, this can affect you in a BIG way. Drugs aren’t as effective if they aren’t taken as directed.
You have to understand, when you go to see your doctor and if you are already on 2 or 3 medications and you aren’t taking them as you should be, your test results may be higher.
Your doctor may interpret this as these drugs aren’t working anymore when really you just haven’t been taking them. Now your doctor may feel like insulin is your best option.