Caring for Diabetes with Reiki and Energy Work

Article on Reiki Treatment of Type I, II and Gestational Diabetes

Living with Diabetes the Reiki Way

Author’s Key Points

• Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic health conditions we face in the US.
• Contrary to the common assumption, the condition is not just a nutritional disorder of glucose (sugar), but of carbohydrates as a whole, fats and proteins. (All need insulin to work properly.)
• There are three major types: Type I, Type II, and Gestational.
• Reiki treatment or self-care can help with the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of caring for diabetes.

Energy Work’s Take on Diabetes

Louise Hay, pioneer of energy work and affirmations, describes the negative mental patterning behind this condition as: “Longing for what might have been. A great need to control. Deep sorrow. No sweetness left.” (Hay, 164). Fundamentally, diabetes is a dysfunction of the Solar Plexus or Navel Chakra.

Role of the Solar Plexus

The Solar Plexus, or Navel, chakra is the seat of our personal power. When it is balanced we feel:

• Powerful
• Willful
• Driven
• Responsible
• Prosperous
• Able to accommodate differences

When it is out of balance, it can manifest in our life as power-struggle, misuse of power, helplessness, anger, bitterness, and digestive complaints (among other things).

Affirmation Work for the Solar Plexus

To counter the negative cycle of sorrow and perceived powerlessness, Hay recommends an affirmation I’ve adapted to incorporate Solar Plexus attributes from Davies (50):

“I am open to joy in my life. I now take command of my life, respecting others to command their own. I now choose to experience the sweetness of today.”

For more on affirmation work, see: How to Use an Affirmation Mala.

Supporting the Solar Plexus through Diet

When it comes to regulating blood sugar with diet, I always start by looking at everything else:

• Fiber: How much are you getting?
• Protein: Are you getting enough protein at each meal? The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine suggest pregnant moms consume 1.1 g/kg/day (71 g). The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for (an adult) average joe. Athletes are looking more at 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg/day. It’s my experience when folks lack sufficient protein, they crave sugars to compensate for low energy.
• Hydration: Are you drinking enough water throughout the day? There’s no easy answer for how much is enough. To quote the Mayo Clinic: “Generally, if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and your urine is colorless or light yellow — and measures about 6.3 cups (1.5 liters) or more a day if you were to keep track — your fluid intake is probably adequate.”
• Lastly, simple sugars: What kinds of simple sugars are you consuming, how often, and with what other foods? Simple sugars can be sneaky — including milk, soda, white breads, white-bread relatives, white rice, all-natural and artificial sweeteners, fruit juices, and starchy snacks (e.g. corn chips, crackers, potato chips). It’s not just calories that are concerning — saccharin (a.k.a. Sweet‘N Low), sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda) and aspartame (a.k.a. NutraSweet and Equal) have all been found to raise blood sugar.

In addition, aimed to specifically promote slow sugar metabolism, Dr. Minich in Chakra Foods for Optimum Health suggests the following (102):

Low-Glycemic Foods to Support the Solar Plexus

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Supplements for Blood Sugar Regulation

There are a number of natural options when it comes to blood sugar regulation and supplementation: Vitamins, minerals, herbs, medical mushrooms, antioxidants, etc. However, most of them have not been studied in pregnant populations. For this reason, few are considered safe to take during pregnancy. You may consider talking to your healthcare provider about:

• Chromium (found safe in study at 4-8mcg/kg in pregnancy)
• Magnesium (considered safe in pregnancy in doses below the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 350 mg daily)
• Vitamin B6 (some but not all studies have shown women with gestational diabetes who also have a pyridoxine deficiency improved glucose tolerance and blood glucose levels when taking 100 mg of vitamin B6 daily for 2 weeks)

For everyone else, talk to your healthcare provider about choosing additional supplements that would be right for your constitution and condition.

Need more help?

Consider trying a Reiki session (they can even be conducted over the phone!) to unpack any emotions or thoughts that are contributing to your condition. Did you know electroacupuncture can also help regulate glucose?

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References

• Davies, Brenda. The 7 Healing Chakras Workbook. 2004.
• Hay, Louise. You Can Heal Your Life. 2004.
• Minich, Deanna. Chakra Foods for Optimum Health. 2009.

Acupuncture for Regulating Glucose and Insulin in Type II Diabetics

“As a result of recent findings, researchers conclude that a combination of electroacupuncture with an insulin sensitiser may be a new treatment for type 2 diabetes.”

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Article Cited

Acupuncture Regulates Insulin And Glucose In Diabetics

Author’s Key Points

• Metformin (an oral diabetes medication) when combined with electroacupuncture resulted in improved glucose-lowering performance in a 2015 animal study, as well as improved regulation of insulin secretion.
• Insulin levels were higher when electroacupuncture therapy was added to metformin treatment (as opposed to levels found in the metformin-only group).
• “adding electroacupuncture therapy to metformin intake ameliorates ‘insulin resistance caused by FFAs [free fatty acids].'”
• Electroacupuncture at acupoints Ren 12 and ST36 in previous studies have shown to reduce plasma glucose levels in diabetic rats; and to “stimulate the release of insulin-signalling proteins” via stimulation of the cholinergic nerves and adrenal glands respectively.

Regulating Glucose and Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese herbal medicine goes hand-in-hand with acupuncture treatment as an effective take-home medicine. Some of the most popular Chinese herbs for assisting the treatment of diabetes mellitus include:

红参 (Hong Shen)

Also known as Korean Ginseng, this herb “elevated mood, improved psychophysical performance, and reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG) and body weight” in newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients.

苦瓜 (Ku Gua)

Also known as Balsam Pear or Bitter Melon, Ku Gua when prepared as an aqueous extract was shown to drop blood sugar 54% after three (3) week’s therapy.

番石榴叶 (Fan Shi Liu Ye)

When it comes to regulating glucose, Guava Leaves have been used as a simple tea infusion or tablet. Prepared as an infusion, Guava Leaves were shown to reduce blood glucose levels at 9 g/day. Tablets were also made from an flavonoid-rich isolate extracted from this herb, that when delivered at a total daily dose of 7.2-14.4 grams produced hypoglycemic action.

Before Choosing Herbs

It’s important to remember that herb-drug interactions are real, and each person is unique in their constitution and lifestyle. One size does not fit all. When actively regulating glucose, always consult with a licensed herbalist before seeking out herbal remedies.

 

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Studies Cited

• Electroacupuncture plus metformin lowers glucose levels and facilitates insulin sensitivity by activating MAPK in steroid-induced insulin-resistant rats.
• Release of beta-endorphin from adrenal gland to lower plasma glucose by the electroacupuncture at Zhongwan acupoint in rats
• Electroacupuncture at the Zusanli (ST-36) Acupoint Induces a Hypoglycemic Effect by Stimulating the Cholinergic Nerve in a Rat Model of Streptozotocine-Induced Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
• Ginseng therapy in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients
• Antidiabetic and adaptogenic properties of Momordica charantia extract: An experimental and clinical evaluation
• Understanding and treatment of diabetes mellitus by traditional Chinese medicine

A Sweet Life

With life comes the opportunity to create, to stand in awe, to contribute, to receive. It often also comes with bills, stress, and inconveniences… illness, death, and great suffering. We are bombarded with images and stories on the news and internet of the injustices occurring around the world. It would be hard not to have a visceral response to so much suffering. So, how and where do we find sweetness in this life? Can we still feel good about indulging in it?

Renowned author and self-help veteran, Louise Hay has long bridged the gap between body and mind. Her first book on the subject, Heal Your Body, was published in 1976 and is still one of my favorite books to recommend to patients. It’s more of an index than anything, in which she lists the mental causes for various ailments/illnesses and affirmations one can use to heal them. The belief is, what you concentrate on, you become. This is a common theme seen often over the last few years– what with The Secret and the renewed interest in the Law of Attraction; but it can be seen earlier, as in Napolean Hill’s works of the 1920s and 30s (e.g. Think and Grow Rich). In this book Hay writes that feeling “longing for what might have been,”–or that there is “no sweetness left” may in fact contribute to a disease of sugar imbalance in the body: Diabetes. The statistics on this disease are astounding–with over 25% of people over the age 65 experiencing symptoms; and the numbers grow among populations known to face considerably more discrimination than non-Hispanic whites. Coincidence?

We all know eating sugar isn’t going to fix our problems, but it sure can feel comforting in the face of stress! The truth is it’s not uncommon that when our need for ease, joy and celebration goes unmet, we often turn to coping mechanisms. For many, this means indulging in food, or other pleasure-producing activities. And the big companies are aware of our inherent need for sweetness as they plump up our foods with corn syrups–high fructose corn syrup (see below).

People think they can cheat the system with artificial sweeteners – but the studies are showing low-glycemic sugars are only bitter-sweet. I recently read this great article by Marlene Merritt, DOM, LAc, ACN, “Think Fructose is Safe? Think Again,” in which she explains how fructose is processed through the liver, unlike glucose. Since fructose never triggers insulin, the body doesn’t know when it’s full. Likewise, when we eat falsely-sweet foods, our body surges out insulin in expectation of the incoming energy burst.  But when the energy burst from broken down carbohydrates never comes– we just end up craving them instead [to balance our insulin overload].

While the cause of sugar craving can be explained with a longing in life, or basic science, Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at the relationship of organs involved and their level of functioning. When our body is running optimally, and our emotions even, health naturally follows.

The best way to enjoy a sweet life? Love, share gratitude, extend kindness–and when necessary, see your acupuncturist.

PS. Some suggest that the “first” artificial sweetener may have led [note the pun] to the fall of the Roman Empire – too bad the article didn’t also mention how aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde in the body…