DID you know that diabetes can change the shape of your face? Many of us are only aware of the effect that diabetes has on our small, pear-shaped pancreas, but scientists now agree with naturopathic consultants that the skilful examination of the face, skin, hair, and eyes can assist in diagnosing diseases.

Diabetes disfigures or changes the shape of your face: The right side of the face gets longer, the eyebrow droops, the skin area of the eyes folds downwards, and the face becomes compressed towards the centre, confirms a report by the Internet Journal of Endocrinology.

Diabetes will also change the frequency and taste of urine. Ancient healers called the disease “sweet urine” and observed ants’s attraction to it to confirm the disease in individuals. This old knowledge has been converted and a urine or blood sugar test is done in conventional medicine.

Also, the breath of diabetics is said to smell like acetone (nail polish remover).

Medical detection dogs are now being trained to detect high blood sugar levels. Pretty soon, you will be able to buy your own electronic nose to detect the disease if you do not train your own.

Diabetes is a dangerous disease that claims lives, if left untreated. It can also cause great inconvenience such as more frequent visits to the doctor, expensive medication, repeated injections, coma, amputation of limb or limbs, erectile dysfunction, and general weakness. This is because consistently high levels of blood glucose can cause damage to your body, such as:

1. Poor blood circulation creating blockages in arteries, especially of the heart, brain and the legs;

2. Nerve damage causing numbness and tingling, usually starting in the hands and feet;

3. Damage to other organs, including kidney.

Today, most doctors treat diabetes by simply giving their patients insulin, made in the lab or taken from the stomach of pigs or cows, which carries harmful side effects. Though not spoken about very often, diabetes can and has been successfully treated with herbs.

Ancient Chinese healers have treated diabetes using the plant ginseng for more than 2,000 years. Today, scientists confirm that the American ginseng and the Asian ginseng contain the compound ginsenoside that helps to balance blood sugar levels.

Many of the erectile challenges associated with the disease can be overcome with bitter herbs and aphrodisiacs like ‘ram-goat-dash-a-long’.

Old methods of detecting diabetes are still used by many naturopathic doctors. They allow earlier detection and treatment of diabetes. The old herbal combinations are still the best and safest way of ridding the body of diabetes in three months. Preserve the shape of your face and choose to be free of diabetes today.

Maureen Minto is the chief naturopathic consultant at the Healthy Living Herbal Clinic and president of the Caribbean Natural Remedies Association. Contact her at 940-1197 or e-mail healthylivingjamaica@gmail.com