TEHRAN – In Iranian traditional medicine, to treat diabetes, like other diseases, paying attention to the principles of a healthy life is essential. 

Diabetes is a chronic disease that may involve all people from any age range. There are different types of diabetes, the type that seniors usually get involved in type 2 diabetes. Despite type 1 diabetes, called juvenile diabetes, type 2 diabetes occurs due to a bad lifestyle and obesity.

Watching one’s diet, weight, and sleep play a key role in monitoring diabetes.

Getting a good night’s sleep is very important in regulating digestion, metabolism, and lowering blood sugar.

It is recommended for patients to sleep about 6 to 8 hours (sleeping at 9 -11 p.m.) and getting up early in the morning ( at 5 to 7a.m.). 

New studies have also shown that sleeping less than 6 hours and more than 9 hours, as well as poor quality of sleep, have been associated with increased insulin resistance and risk of diabetes.

Sleeping late in the morning and taking a nap in the afternoon, is prohibited.

The patient’s psychological well-being plays a very important role in the prevention and control of diabetes. It seems that in many cases constant stress, prolonged sadness or even acute and short-term tension and anger can be considered as factors for the initiation or significant exacerbation of diabetes.

Very salty and fatty foods and snacks, beef, fried potatoes, leftovers and frozen foods, foods such as pasta and cheese and other high-fat cheeses and all kinds of sweets and sauces, canned goods, fast Foods such as pizza, sausages, soft drinks, chips should be removed from the patients’ diet.

Replacing sugar with honey, dates or raisins is very effective in treating diabetes.

Although eating fruits is useful, their excessive consumption can raise blood sugar, on the other hand, it is wrong to eliminate or drastically reduce fruit consumption; it is better to consume two to three portions of fruit per day.

It is important to provide carbohydrates using a combined diet of bread and rice.

Using nuts such as almonds (5 and 10 pieces) has beneficial effects in creating a feeling of satiety and preventing overeating and thus regulating blood sugar.

Daily physical activity is one of the best ways to prevent and control diabetes. Overweight people should avoid hard and vigorous exercises.

Light soups containing vegetables such as coriander, fenugreek, parsley, purslane, nettle and spinach with small amounts of barley or rice and lentils can be a suitable meal for most people with diabetes.

Moreover, People with diabetes should avoid exposure to very cold and very hot weather. Breathing fresh air in less-polluted areas is very helpful, paying attention to seasonal changes and observing health tips for each season are other recommendations of Iranian traditional medicine.

Diabetes prevalence

In Iran, diabetics make up about 11.5 percent of the population.

About 6 million people of Iran's diabetic population are aware and the other half are unaware of their diabetes. The figure is 50 percent in the world and 60 percent in West Asia and North Africa region.

Both the number of cases and the prevalence of diabetes have been steadily increasing over the past few decades. As it is expected that by 2030, 578 million people will develop diabetes, and the number of patients may exceed 700 million by 2045.