I spend a huge amount of time on our 800 numbers listing to many great diabetic "success stories." This is the best part of the day. I also spend time talking to people who are reaching out, looking for clarity in this turmoil of drug company's problems--truth or dare. Most all of these questions I hear fall into 10 clear categories.

Let's Talk About the Number One Question..."Does this stuff really work?"

There are 2 components to this answer. The easy part is asking if the nutraceutical is real and does it get results. The second part is about the willingness of the type 2 diabetic to make lifestyle changes.

For managing diabetes, nutritional supplements may be very important. Even with proper diet and regular exercise, it is difficult for even very healthy people to get excellent nutrition without dietary supplements. For those who suffer from diabetes, supplements are even more important. There are even specific supplements that have been shown in laboratory tests to help stabilize blood glucose levels. Some of these dietary supplements for diabetes are enzymes that aid digestion or improve glucose metabolism. Others are minerals such as calcium, magnesium and chromium, which are often lacking in the diet. And, still others are herbs or botanicals.

It is believed by most people that adult-onset diabetes is irreversible. Once you become diabetic, medication seems to be the only way to help you manage the condition to prevent you from getting into more health complications, for example, becomes a possible candidate of heart disease.

However, some health professionals and experts do believe that a low-glycemic load diet, coupled with multivitamin, chromium and cinnamon, plus moderate amount of exercise usually can reverse this condition.

This strategy does not seem to be accepted by many qualified dietitians. They argue that, for the management of diabetes, there is no clear evidence to support the benefits from vitamin or mineral supplementation in people without any underlying nutrient deficiencies.

Along with medical nutritional therapy and insulin, exercise is the third component to successfully treating diabetes. Exercise, like insulin, lowers blood glucose levels, assists in maintaining normal lipid levels, and increases circulation. For most individuals, consistent and individualized exercise helps reduce the therapeutic dose of insulin.

Diabetics should be forewarned that they should never perform exercise during the time that their insulin level is at its peak. The ideal time for a diabetic to exercise is when their blood glucose level is between 100 to 200 mg/dl or about thirty to sixty minutes after meals. They should also avoid exercising when their blood glucose is above 250 mg/dl and ketones are present in the urine.

There are metabolic effects that occur with exercise that type 1 and type 2 diabetics should be aware of. In the case of type 1 diabetes, glucose control can be compromised if proper adjustments are not made in food intake or insulin administration. People with type 2 diabetes who take oral hypoglycemic medications may be at risk of post-exercise hypoglycemia.

The type 2 diabetic condition is brought about by a diet that is too high in carbohydrates and a lack of nutrients, which results in the insulin the body naturally produces becoming less and less effective in keeping blood sugar levels under control and in a normal range.

While change in diet and proper nutritional supplementation have a dramatic effect in bringing blood sugar levels down without the need for drugs or insulin, exercise can greatly contribute to the overall control of the diabetic condition, as can be seen in the following excerpt:

"While many people may begin exercising out of a sense of responsibility - the way children eat vegetables they don't like - the main reason they keep exercising is that it feels good."

Back in the 1950's and 60's most people didn't rate diabetes as a major problem. Back then, all the focus was on dealing with more prominent diseases such as polio and tuberculosis. If diabetes was thought about, it was more in the context of cutting out sugar in your coffee, rather than as a serious threat to your eyesight or your life.

That's all changing. It's not too much to say that diabetes is now reaching epidemic levels in most of the western world. According to the American Diabetes Association there are over 20 million diabetics in the United States alone, with a staggering one third undiagnosed. It's also going to get a lot worse with another 41 million Americans already showing pre-diabetic signs.

Diabetes is a disease that mostly affects blood vessels and in its extreme forms can lead to serious heart disease, stroke and kidney damage. Clearly these life threatening diabetic vascular diseases deserve priority attention, but high on the critical list for diabetics is the risk of serious eye disease and loss of vision.

Diabetes is a killer disease. It can lead to kidney failure, heart disease, neuropathy, blindness, and much more. If you have diabetes, you must take control of it immediately.

Type 1 diabetes is the hardest type to control. It is also called juvenile diabetes, as it is common to get type 1 diabetes when you are a child. For type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, which is needed to take sugar (glucose) from the blood to the cells. This results in very high blood sugar counts and this is the major cause of many of the serious complications that may develop.

A person with Type 1 diabetes needs to take insulin shots to lower the blood sugar. Diabetics need to have insulin called a background insulin, which works throughout the day. Then they need to take extra insulin after eating a meal.

Diabetes is generally found in overweight people. Diabetes and exercise are complementary, since exercise lowers sugar levels and reduces the need for insulin. Exercise also protects the body against heart attacks and strokes, strengthens bones, tones and strengthens muscles, improves how you feel, relieves stress, improves your quality of sleep, and the quality of your life. While you may think the list of benefits might be applicable to anyone, it is even more applicable to diabetes.

Each of the benefits may require a reduction in medication. Lowering sugar levels and reducing the need for insulin can bring your sugar levels down enough that you may not need medication at all. By lowering your risk of heart attacks and strokes, you may also not need medication for cholesterol or high blood pressure, as your body will be fit and healthy.