New study explores ways to boost insulin secretion without drugs
New science is ROCKING the boat for diabetes management
One out of every 4 Americans with diabetes experience blood sugar woes that are SO serious…
They must ENDURE constant injections of insulin.
Their bodies DON’T make enough of this blood sugar-balancing hormone…
Or they’ve come to RESIST the effects of the insulin they DO produce…
And, needle phobias be darned… they’ve got to get it from an outside source.
Problem is, the price of the injections has SKYROCKETED… leaving some diabetics NO CHOICE but to RATION their supplies.
Even when folks with diabetes CAN afford insulin pens… sometimes and in some places, they’re in such SHORT SUPPLY that they can’t get their hands on them!
Now, I hate to see ANYONE with type 2 diabetes get to the point where they need to INJECT themselves with insulin. But, sadly, it happens.
That’s why I was actually excited to recently see a story that looks at ANOTHER way of improving diabetics’ access to insulin…
And believe it or not, it’s NOT a pill.
It’s not a patch, either.
In fact, it’s not something that you could necessarily get from ANY pharmacy.
It’s good ol’ rock and roll.
Talk about a non-drug alternative!
I know it sounds too good to be true…
And, at this point, it’s too early to tell whether it actually IS true or not.
But researchers are looking into the effect that playing rock music would have on special types of cells – ones that could be “trained” to release insulin in response to specific sound waves.
In a recent study out of Switzerland, scientists tested a variety of musical genres… from classical to pop… and they found something SHOCKING.
While some songs actually DID trigger an insulin release in the cells… even within MINUTES of exposure…
There was ONE particular song that was able to MIMIC the normal rate of insulin release in regular pancreatic beta cells (which is where we get our insulin from naturally).
“We Will Rock You” by Queen.
When the music-controlled cells were implanted into diabetic lab mice… the subjects’ insulin levels completely NORMALIZED after listening to that song for 15 minutes a day.
It even worked on postprandial glucose levels… which is when diabetics typically see a SPIKE after eating.
Now, that song is only about 2 minutes long… and I’m sure you can’t imagine listening to it seven times in a row… even if it woul help OPTIMIZE insulin levels.
Here’s the kicker…
In theory, you WOULDN’T have to listen to it with your EARS. The scientists discovered that the music just had to play near the ABDOMEN of the mouse!
We’re a long way from seeing whether this type of cell implantation… and “music therapy”… is even POSSIBLE in humans.
But mice studies are often a good indication of the potential for success in people…
And I EMBRACE whenever we can think “outside the box” to try to address health conditions… WITHOUT drugs.
The one cause for caution is to make sure this method… or anything like it… doesn’t go OVERBOARD and release too much insulin…
Which could cause a dangerous DROP in blood sugar… and even lead to some long-term health issues.
If you’re not already on insulin… you DON’T want to let your type 2 to progress to that point.
Here are some basic tricks to keeping insulin resistance at bay… and NOT interfering with insulin secretion…
- DODGE drugs that HIJACK your insulin, like beta-blockers and statins
- DETOX from heavy metals and poisons, like arsenic
- SLEEP at least seven hours a night
- KEEP depression and stress IN CHECK, and
- AVOID yo-yo dieting.
If you’re already on insulin… don’t TWEAK your doses… or STOP taking it… without consulting with your doc first.
An integrative physician could work with you on other natural ways to help BALANCE your insulin supply… through nutrition or even herbal remedies.
For better health,
Dr. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.