Naturopathic care can improve blood sugar, mood in diabetes
A new joint study by Group Health Research Institute and Bastyr University Research Institute found that type 2 diabetes patients who received naturopathic care (as an adjunct to conventional care) had lower blood-sugar levels, better eating and exercise habits, improved moods, and a stronger sense of control over their condition than did patients receiving only conventional care.
The findings, published today in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, show that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may have several positive effects on people with type 2 diabetes, which affects nearly 26 million Americans.
“The news is encouraging for those fighting the disease,” said Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH, director of the Center for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Wellness at Bastyr University and its clinic, the Bastyr Center for Natural Health. “Patients involved in the study cited the benefits of trying different approaches to find the best ways to minimize the effects of type 2 diabetes. In many ways, that strategy mirrors our partnership with Group Health in this research study - working together to discover the best possible solutions.”
Forty study participants received counseling on diet, exercise, and glucose monitoring from four naturopathic physicians (NDs) in addition to conventional diabetes care from their medical doctors, including prescription medications. Many of the participants also received stress-management care and dietary supplements. Researchers then compared these 40 participants with 329 patients receiving only conventional diabetes care.
In six months and about four naturopathic treatment visits, participants demonstrated improved self-care, more consistent monitoring of glucose, and improved moods. Hemoglobin A1c rates (a measure of blood-sugar control) were nearly a full percentage point lower for those patients. This compares with a drop of only 0.5 percent over the same time period for 329 clinically similar patients receiving only conventional diabetes care. The encouraging findings from this small observational study will need to be confirmed by a randomized trial with larger numbers of participants, according to Dr. Bradley.
Naturopathic medicine is a unique, whole medical system emphasizing disease prevention and patient empowerment. Chart review of current and past patients with type 2 diabetes was conducted to extract data on characteristics of care of diabetic patients at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health (BCNH). BCNH is the principal teaching clinic for Bastyr University, a naturopathic medical school in Kenmore, WA. The BCNH facility provides sciencebased natural medicine care to more than 38,000 patients a year. The data extracted from the charts of these patients was analyzed for: (1) role of BCNH providers in diabetic patient’s health care, (i.e., primary care or adjunctive care), (2) status of patient’s glycemic control, blood pressure, and lipid measures, (3) characteristics of conventional and naturopathic treatment approaches, (4) level of evidence supporting current naturopathic practices, and (5) potentially efficacious treatment protocols for further study.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the Unites States and incidence is rising. There are over 16 million people in the United States with type 2 diabetes and 800,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.
It is estimated one in three Americans will have diabetes by 2025. The estimated annual cost of diabetes-related medical expenses was $132 billion in 2002, accounting for more than 12 percent of the U.S. health care budget.
Despite this expenditure, national statistics show that only 37 percent of diabetics are in good glycemic control, as defined by a glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) < 7 percent, the standard set by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
In 2002-2004, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) funded a two-year study for the naturopathic medical community to define research priorities for the next 5-10 years. The resulting research agenda identified two foci of priority for the naturopathic community – type 2 diabetes and geriatric care. As descriptions of naturopathic medical care are just emerging in the medical literature, the investigators first sought to characterize the current care delivered for the purposes of future rigorous evaluation.
The identification of unique, efficacious prevention and treatment strategies used by naturopathic physicians would serve individual diabetes patients in their overall health and increase understanding of the role of naturopathic treatment within the medical community at large.
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Ryan Bradley, ND, and Erica B. Oberg, ND
Finding more effective ways of treating type 2 diabetes is important because it is one of the top-10 causes of death in Americans and is costly to treat: $1 out of every $10 spent on health care in the United States is used to fight type 2 diabetes, at a cost of $178 billion every year.
“Our number-one goal is to help patients,” added Daniel Cherkin, PhD, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute. “Collaboration with our research colleagues at Bastyr University allows us to explore a broader range of ways to help meet the needs of our patients.”