You’ve most likely heard about how black tea improves protection and heart health, now studies appearing in the June 30, 2009 issue of the book of Food Science, adds diabetes treatment to the list of illnesses where a cup of dark tea ( without milk or sugar ) might be just what you want.

The up to date research out of Tianjin University in China revealed that black tea contains a substance that works just like oral medicines Precose and Glyset – prescribed drugs now used to manage blood sugar levels for patients with type 2 diabetes.

The natural polysaccharide compound in black tea is at levels greater than in either green or oolong tea.

Haixia Chen and comrades report the polysaccharides discovered in black tea limit the activity of an enzyme known as alpha-glucosidase that changes complex carbohydrates to sugar.

This is how the prescription drugs work also.

Research has demonstrated for some time that polysaccharides might be of value to those with diabetes because they help to stop the absorption of sugar. According to the researchers, the black assortment of tea was also found to possess the best scavenging effect on free radicals, those stressful substances assumed by many to be concerned in the development of cancer and other illnesses.

So are you able to drink black tea in place of an oral diabetic medication?

No – Never make a change without speaking with your own doctor.

Chen’s team must not say for certain that just drinking the tea would be enough . The study used chemical extraction techniques, not the brewing as you could at home, to get the polysaccharides from the teas they’d bought at local marketplaces.

Traditional teas come from the same plant. It’s actually the quantity of processing that makes the difference in the color, the black having oxidized ( interacted with oxygen until the leaves darkened ) as it is going thru all the steps in the tea creation processes. Traditional processing of the black variety is not anything like fermenting, there is no yeast concerned, just the tea leaves and oxygen.

It’s important to understand that due to the way black tea is processed, it does have a far higher caffeine content than the other teas – green, white or oolong. One cup of black tea has about fifty milligrams of caffeine compared to coffee, which has from 65 to 175 milligrams of caffeine per cup.

In fact, in numerous parts of the world tea, not coffee is utilized as the wake-me-up at the beginning of the day.

You can purchase teas at most grocery stores, or try the organic types from online ( or local ) natural health food stores.

Black varieties can be packed as a single tea or as a part of a blend – you’ll be dazzled at the numerous selections. You’ll want to try several brands to find the flavor and depth of color you like best, and be certain to brew the leaves lose in a nice, pot-bellied teapot so they can unfurl all of the way to make a drink that’s's powerful and delicious, and likely good for you too!

The black tea benefits are certainly impressive, and with this research we could be close to another breakthrough for controlling blood sugar levels.

Next – just head on over to the Daily Health Bulletin for more information on how to lower blood sugar, plus for a limited time get 5 free fantastic health reports. Click here for more details on how to lower blood sugar.

The American Diabetes Association is a nonprofit organization that is focused on providing the public with information and research on diabetes. This diabetes association was founded in 1940 and their programs can be found in all of the fifty states and also the District of Columbia.

The American Diabetes Association is clear on its mission, which is to cure those currently suffering from diabetes and to prevent future problems with this deadly disease. The diabetes association is set on making the lives of those who suffer with diabetes better.

This organization can be contacted through their site, by mail, or by phone and all of their contact information along with their yearly report can be found on their website. They are a very open organization and do not hide behind red tape as they are truly a nonprofit group who is out there to make a difference.

What They Do

The diabetes association is out there everyday providing information to those who have diabetes and their families. They also do a lot in order to fund research and help to publish the findings for the public to find and understand. By opening their support center, the diabetes association was able to help more then 350,000 people last year alone. These people who they were able to assist all had questions about diabetes or were in need of support and management help. If they weren’t there, we can only wonder where those 350,000 people would have ended up getting their information, if they would be even able to find any at all.

By allowing others to volunteer, they are able to help raise money through charitable events and memberships. While they do accept donations in order to help the fight for a cure, the diabetes association also has an online store in which the purchases made from there go to help fund diabetes research. Even though it seems that what they do is what anyone would do, the diabetes association is always in need of financial assistance and volunteers. Every effort that can be put in will be put to good use and is greatly appreciated as the life that you save may very well be your neighbor, your mother, or even your own.

And exercise has other health benefits such as help keep your circulation going, your heart strong and your energy levels up.

You don’t have to become a triathlete in order to get benefits from regular exercise if you are diabetic. But you do need to have both your diabetes and exercise plans approved by your doctor.

Weight Loss

The most common type of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes, which is usually triggered by obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. That means put down the Twinkie and get off of the couch and go outside. Don’t look at your diabetes as a curse – see it as a warning sign to strongly motivate you to a healthier and less painful way of living. Managing your weight and your diet can greatly help you manage your diabetes. And exercise is inexpensive, varied and good medicine.

Attitude Of Gratitude

Best-selling author Dr. Anthony Weil has suggested that diabetes – especially Type 2 diabetes – may be an evolutionary advantage to keep us from eating ourselves to death. So, maybe with diabetes you are more advanced than other human beings. The fact you have diabetes can’t be changed, but your attitude towards your diabetes can be changed. That might be all the difference you need.

Diabetes and exercise work together to help try and keep you healthy, alert and active. Along with walking, riding a bike, gardening, swimming or doing household chores, you can find many ways of adding exercise to your daily life. Follow your doctor’s advice and do not exercise to the point where it’s painful. Take it easy at first and gradually work up to longer and longer periods of activity.

In order to help your diabetes and exercise plans, you need to eat a sensible diet, quit smoking and quit drinking. This will give you the energy you need to exercise, manage diabetes and get through the day. Eating more healthy foods takes a couple of weeks to get used to, but you can retrain your taste buds to like almost food. Quitting smoking will also help you taste your food a lot better.

Neither diabetes nor exercise is welcomed by the average person, but they needn’t be so dreaded. One is an alarm call, and the other is your road to recovery. Use them wisely.

That day will surely be a day that will hold a lot of celebration as there are millions of adults and children who are praying that day comes sooner rather then later as their individual happiness is at stake.

With the different medical researchers working on finding a cure for diabetes, you would think that it will not take much longer and the cure will be found.

A Cure Will Be Found

But while the medical professionals and researchers have made great strives in the fight for a cure for diabetes, they are far away from the end. They have already spent years and billions of dollars on this and they are not done yet. It is a lot more complicated then any one person could dare to imagine and that is why every effort that could possible be put in is worth its weight in gold. The cure for diabetes should not be something that we are still trying to figure out within ten years from now. So the more help, be it volunteering or financial donations, that the different researchers and associations receive, the better our chances are of finding a cure soon.

A Natural Cure For Diabetes Is Probably Not In The Cards

While not impossible the chances of finding a natural or organic cure for diabetes are very slim. Diabetes is a complex disease that has challenged some of the best medical minds on the planet. After years and millions of dollars in research diabetes is still only controlled at best. It is unlikely that a natural cure exists.

How To Help

One excellent way in helping in finding a cure for diabetes is to spread the word. Word of mouth advertisement does so much more then anyone could possibly understand. While the diabetes association could still use your donations and personal time, if you help spread the word, you are helping them gain the help of many more people. The key is to get as many people involved as possible. A cure for diabetes does not have to be something that the medical professionals work at alone as we can all chip in and lend a hand.

While most of us are not scientists in any way shape or form, we can help by giving our support, love, and money to those who do have the knowledge to find a cure for diabetes. As many more children are being diagnosed with this each year, this is a disease that is affecting the future of your country, and of our world. By helping to fund the research needed in finding the cure for diabetes, you are helping in securing the future of our children and of our world.

Although I do my best to help spread accurate information about diabetes, I legally cannot call myself a Certified Diabetes Educator.

The “certified” part is for a reason – you have to earn a certificate (that acts a bit like a diploma) from the National Certification Board for Diabetics Educators (NCBDE).

How Do You Get One?

If I wanted to become a Certified Diabetes Educator, first I’d have to switch professions from freelance writer to medicine.  The exams to get the certificate are only available to medical professionals.  The exams are voluntary.  Although the NCBDE hopes that a certificate would not be a requirement for a health care job, it hopes that a certificate might help with promotions.

And even if you are a medical professional, you still have to check with the NCBDE to see if you require to even take the examination.  They require a 1000 or more hours of “diabetes self-management education experience”.  No, I don’t know what that means, either.  But then again, I’m not a Certified Diabetes Educator.

The privilege of taking the examination isn’t for free, either.  You have to fork out a hefty application fee.  Good thing you are already a licensed medical professional so you can afford this.  Your certificate is good for five years.  It’s currently $250 (US) plus a whole lot of paperwork in order to get a renewal.  If you’re late, it’s a $350 (US) fee.  You also need to prove that you are taking continuing diabetes education or take another exam.  These renewal procedures are scheduled to change in 2010.

Are They Making A Mountain Out Of A Molehill?

Granted, there aren’t any Certified Constipation Educators or Certified Sinusitis Educators, but diabetes is very complicated.  Did you know there are now THREE recognized types?  Did you also know that you don’t to completely cut out sugar if you are diabetic?  Did you answer no to both?  Then you probably can see the need for Certified Diabetes Educators.

Diabetes is a very specialized field of medicine, which requires a lot of study and research. Most doctors and nurses have to know about every kind of illness and injury known to mankind, so some knowledge of diabetes treatment might get fuzzy.  But, diabetes is also a common ailment, so the need for Certified Diabetes Educators is tremendous.

This gave a false level of reassurance.  Treatment for diabetes usually wasn’t started, as it wasn’t thought of as being necessary, since you were still in a grace period. Then, the patient usually got worse.

Surprise, Surprise

Why did the patient get worse?  Because there is no such condition as “borderline diabetes”.  It’s like being pregnant – there is no such thing as being only a little bit pregnant.  You are either pregnant or you are not.  It’s the same with diabetes.  You either have it or you don’t.  There are no known symptoms or signs that point to you having “borderline diabetes”.

Unfortunately, decades ago, it was thought that the body put of signs and symptoms that cried out that it was developing diabetes.  This is what “borderline diabetes” was called.  However, that hope has died.  The body does not give off any warning signs before you have to start managing your insulin and diet.  You just fall head over heels right into being a diabetic.

However, you can show worse symptoms with your diabetes than the next diabetic.  Blood sugar levels differ and symptoms differ.  This is kind of like where the myth of “borderline diabetes” got started.  The ones who weren’t too affected in their everyday life and didn’t go easily into comas must be only have “borderline diabetes”.  No, it was because they managed their health better.

It also parallels the myth of being only a little b9it pregnant.  In the first trimester, you don’t look pregnant, you usually don’t start morning sickness and you feel normal, even though you are pregnant.  But by the eighth month you wish you could explode and get it over with already.  By the ninth month, you are ready to bite off heads with your bare teeth.  That was probably what our ancestors thought of as being “a lot pregnant”.

Don’t Believe The Hype

This writer heard the term “borderline diabetes” being used by medical professionals in the early 1990′s, so this is one medical myth that defiantly refuses to die.  If a senior relative or friend insists that they have only “borderline diabetes”, don’t argue.  This is probably what they were told years ago and it’s stuck in their heads.  In time, the terms “borderline diabetes” and “pre-diabetes” can be put to rest.

It is a condition that results from abnormal production of insulin on our bodies or the misuse of glucose in our bodies.

There are many different health problems that arise from having diabetes. The condition itself needs constant monitoring regarding the levels of insulin or glucose we have in our bodies.

Heart Disease And Stroke

Diabetes contributes to heart disease and stroke due to the deposits that accumulate in the arteries. Having elevated levels of glucose can lead to fatty deposits in the interior of our blood vessels. These deposits will restrict the flow of blood and increase the chances of a clogged artery and hardening of the blood vessels. These are warning signs and symptoms of a possible heart attack or stroke.

Nerve Damage Or Diabetic Neuropathies

Nerve damage caused by diabetes result to numbness, pain or weakness in the limbs or extremities. The causes of this condition are the malfunction of the veins and nerves to bring blood to the end destination due to deposits in the arterials walls and some autoimmune factors that contribute to enlargement or inflammation of the veins and nerves.

Eye Disease

Having high blood sugar and high blood pressure can damage our eyes and result to blindness or partial loss of vision. Diabetes can cause the nerves in your eyes to swell and eventually weaken. This will result to restricted blood flow to the eyes prompting the eyes to produce new blood vessels which are weak and break off easily leading to blood leaks in the eyeball causing blockage in vision.

Kidney Disease Due To Diabetes

Kidney failure is a condition where our kidneys can not properly get rid of our bodily wastes. This condition can be caused by diabetes. Our kidneys filter out the wastes of our body and when this function stops or is disrupted our bodies will deteriorate. A combination of hypertension and diabetes can cause kidney failure.

Gum and Tooth Problems

Diabetes can contribute to teeth and gum problems by promoting the growth of bacteria through plaque deposits in our teeth. Elevated glucose can encourage germ growth resulting in more plaque.

Diabetes can cause many complications that can threaten our life. Managing our blood glucose levels and controlling our diabetes can help to prevent or alleviate complications due to the condition. Having a family history of the disease as well as being overweight are signs that you might have it.