There is no shortage of diabetes information available in these modern times of internet access. Information is everywhere. Most of the interesting facts about diabetes are found off the beaten path, if you will. The associations and national organizations have worthwhile and much needed information. But most of the interesting facts about diabetes are on personal blogs and social sites. These interesting facts about diabetes are not always well researched, but are usually anecdotal and unscientific. Some interesting facts about diabetes are found reading the history of the disease and in earlier remedies and “cures” before the age of modern medicine.

 

Diabetes has been around for a Long Time

 

Diabetes has probably been around as long as humans have been alive. It seems that it wasn’t as prevalent even a century ago, which is one of the interesting facts about diabetes in itself. It is more widespread than ever and seems to be growing at an exponential rate. But insulin wasn’t created, or discovered, until 1921. What did people do before insulin was available? Chances are that many people with type 1 diabetes lived a short life, and that type 2 diabetes wasn’t nearly as common.

The food back in the early 1900’s wasn’t nearly as convenient as it is today, but back then, what people ate is what we now pay a premium for as “organic” or “whole foods”. The food wasn’t processed and cooking and preparation methods provided a more nutritious diet that was high in fiber and natural nutrition. This is one of the interesting facts about diabetes that too many people ignore today.

We are conditioned to look for a cure to all our ailments on a prescription pad, or in a pill that makes us not have to work so hard to maintain our own health. What are some of the natural foods that people ate before insulin to try to control their conditions?

  • Cinnamon, which is a spice derived from the ground bark of an evergreen tree found in the tropics has been shown to be helpful in managing blood sugar levels. Spices like this used to be traded as money long ago – people knew their value even then without understanding the scientific reason for the beneficial effects. But a compound found in cinnamon, hydroxychalcone has been shown to lower blood glucose and help with LDL cholesterol as well.
  • Chromium has been shown to help unlock the body’s cells in a similar way as insulin does to allow the blood sugar to enter the cells instead of building up in the blood. But long before this was shown in any scientific manner, people just knew that foods like liver, whole grains, potatoes, oysters and bran were beneficial to them. And one of the interesting facts about diabetes control is that this beneficial mineral’s best source is brewer’s yeast. Chromium can help you with a lot of common health problems, but is sadly missing from much of our processed foods.

 

Diabetes before Insulin

 

These interesting facts about diabetes are not related to imply that anyone should stop using insulin. The most common treatment before its discovery was a semi-starvation diet. And before 1922, diabetic children usually died within a year of diagnosis, and less than 20% of diagnosed adults survived past ten years. A diabetic’s outlook was indeed grim. But that doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate some of these natural methods to help us as we use the latest in medical knowledge at the same time. Do a little research on your own, and you might just improve your quality of life beyond what modern medicine is doing for you.

One more of the interesting facts about diabetes is that the ancient Egyptians used to treat diabetes with ground up earth mixed with water, wheat, bones, and lead. Doesn’t sound very promising by today’s standards, but they got part of it right. Take care of yourself!