Treating Diabetes Without Medicine

Filed in archive Exercise on October 29, 2006

As diabetes cases increase, so do medical treatments. However, many people eschew traditional medical solutions, and thus we've also seen an increase in awareness of natural treatments such as bitter melon and cinnamon.

Some of the natural treatments utilize the truly exotic, such as ancient meditation practices or roots from far-away lands. Some are much simpler...such as diet and exercise, adopted by more than 5,000 members of the Indian Health Council's Diabetic Program on the Rincon Reservation.

"Lifestyle as medicine" is the motto behind a national American Indian health program that could help Americans of every ethnic background tackle diabetes without medicine.

Indians living on reservations like Rincon have the highest percentage of diabetics of any population group in the world. Most think there's not much they can do about it.

According to Corinna Nyquist at the Indian Health Council, it's a challenge to change that thinking.

The council runs a clinic to educate people on nutrition. They suggest a culturally sensitive diet that includes buffalo meat and provides free food demonstrations on simple diabetic recipes.

(Photo Source: Eat Well)