Dr. Steven Nissen's recent research at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation called in question the safety of AVANDIA, a pill widely prescribed by doctors to treat type 2 diabetes. Dr. Nissen's groundbreaking research findings suggested that the risk of a heart attack was increased 43 percent among those taking the drug, and that there was a 64 percent increased risk of dying from cardiovascular causes, compared with patients not taking the drug.



If the safety of AVANDIA is questionable, then what should you do if you happen to be diabetic? Can you control your diabetes without drugs?

Diabetes, currently the third leading cause of death in the United States, is a disease in which your body does not produce or properly utilize the insulin necessary for its absorption of glucose (sugar), which then accumulates in your bloodstream until it reaches a dangerously high level.

Essentially, diabetes is a disorder of metabolism ? the way your body uses digested food for growth and energy. Digestive juices break down most of the food you eat into a simple sugar known as glucose, which passes into your bloodstream to be available to body cells to use for growth and energy. However, in order for glucose to get into your body cells, insulin must be present. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas, a large gland behind your stomach.

Whenever you eat, your pancreas automatically produces the right amount of insulin to move the glucose from your blood into your cells. Unfortunately, if you are diabetic, either your pancreas produces little or no insulin, or your body cells simply do not respond to the insulin produced. As a result, glucose builds up in your blood, overflows into your urine, and passes out of your body. Thus, your body loses its main source of fuel even though your blood may contain large amounts of glucose, which then becomes harmful to your body. Because your pancreas is the next "link" in your digestive system, whatever you eat goes directly to this delicate organ. Instead of digesting food and producing insulin, it now becomes your "shock organ," causing you numerous health problems, especially when you advance in age.

Diabetes affects different people in different ways, depending on their degree of diabetic complication, and their age. It is associated with long-term complications, which affect almost every major part of the body. Diabetes contributes to blindness, heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, amputations, and nerve damage. Uncontrolled diabetes can even complicate pregnancy. As you age, the long-term effects of diabetes on your overall well- being are more debilitating and devastating.

The Oriental approach to diabetes is very different from that of Western medicine.

According to Western medicine, diabetes is a disease caused by a combination of genetics and poor lifestyle, in which the body does not produce any or adequate insulin. Diabetics in the West may have to take daily insulin injections to control their disorder. In Chinese medicine, diabetes is known as wasting-thirst disorder, depletion-thirst disease, or sugar urine illness. It is attributable to a range of factors from eating an excessive amount of fatty or sweet foods to emotional disturbances. The treatment is primarily dietary, with supplementary acupuncture. In many cases, Chinese physicians have produced positive results in treating diabetes without the use of insulin.

Since there is only control, but no cure, a healthy diet seems to be the best treatment to control insulin in diabetes. Accordingly, the American Diabetic Association has recommended a conventional "healthy" high-carbohydrate and low-fat diet. That is, a diet consists of 40 ? 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 20 percent from proteins and 30 percent or less from fats.

Carbohydrates are present in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy foods, and starchy foods such as breads and pastas. Buy whole-grain breads and cereals with no trans-fat. Avoid fried and high-fat starches, such as regular tortilla chips and potato chips, French fries, pastries, or biscuits ? they are near junk foods! Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich.

Eat both raw and cooked vegetables with little or no fat, sauces, or dressings. Use a little vinegar or some lemon or lime juice, sprinkled with herbs and spices for seasoning. These flavorings add almost no fat or few calories. Steam vegetables using a small amount of water or low-fat broth. Mix in some chopped onion, ginger and garlic.

Eat fresh or dried fruit, but never canned fruit ? which is loaded with syrup. Buy smaller pieces of fruit. Eat fruit rather than extracting its juice. If you must drink fruit juice, dilute it with water, and drink in small amount so as not to "suddenly shock" your pancreas. Eat high-sugar and high-fat fruit desserts such as apple or cherry pie (not the ones sold at the supermarket) on very special occasions, and only in moderation, if you must.

Buy cuts of organic beef, pork, and lamb with only a little fat on them. Trim off extra fat. Organic pork is hard to come by ? it is best to avoid pork totally. Eat organic chicken or turkey without the skin.

Cook meat in low fat, such as steaming, stir-frying, broiling, and grilling. Avoid deep-frying totally.

If you are diabetic, there are certain foods to avoid.

Avoid all sugar and artificial sweeteners, including honey. Avoid sweets and chocolates, including all sugar-free types. If you must indulge yourself with some chocolates, go for the dark ones (not because they are recommendable but because they may contain more cocoa and less sugar). Read the labels, and make sure the first-named ingredient is cocoa and not sugar. Remember, chocolate manufacturers want you to believe that chocolates are "healthful" for you, and more importantly, they fund most of the research studies for the obvious reason.

Avoid foods which contain significant proportions of ingredients ending in "-ol" or "-ose" ? which are only confusing names for sugars!

If you wish to live long, control your diabetes through diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. Medications are no miracle cures.