Can Acupuncture Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?

Medical ConditionsDecember 4, 2023

In today’s world, health conditions like cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and diabetes are becoming more and more common. It is extremely important that patients deal with these health conditions by looking for adequate treatments from healthcare professionals. For all three diseases, doctors recommend shifting your lifestyle to a healthier side by incorporating whole foods while adding exercise into your daily routine. However, it is quite difficult for people to make big lifestyle, routine, and/or diet changes. To deal with this issue, people look for other ways to treat the condition while not bringing any sort of significant changes. In the case of type 2 diabetes, there is an assumption that acupuncture can help prevent the disease.

Ryutaro/Pexels | Can acupuncture really help with diabetes?

If you are interested in knowing whether or not it works, keep on reading.

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

In simple terms, diabetes type 2 prevents the insulin hormone from functioning properly, resulting in the blood either getting too much glucose or too little. This type of diabetes is considered to be adult-onset diabetes, but it can affect people from any age group. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes include frequent urination, blurred vision, fatigue, unexplainable thirst, vulnerability to infection, delayed wound healing, sudden weight loss, and sudden bouts of hunger.

Type 2 diabetes has multiple causes, such as genes, metabolic syndrome, and weight gain. When it comes to the risk factors, generally speaking, patients who are 45 or older, the ones who have a family history of developing diabetes type or come from an ethnic background (African American, Native American, Asian American, Hispanic, Latino, or Pacific Islander American), are prone to developing diabetes.

Thirdman/Pexels | If you’re white, diabetes might not be as big a threat to you

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine that consists of inserting needles into certain pressure points of the body to stimulate the areas. The idea behind this procedure is to get rid of any kind of blockages while allowing the body’s natural energy (qi, pronounced chi) to follow through.

Thanks to a recent study, experts believe acupuncture can help improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which is the main cause of diabetes. Acupuncture can help manage the blood sugar levels of people who are diagnosed with prediabetes by allowing insulin to become more effective and efficient. This procedure can also help improve glycemic control in people who have developed type 2 diabetes, and the best part about it is that it has no significant adverse effects.

Ryutaro/Pexels | Unlike diabetes medicines, acupuncture poses no health risks

Not Entirely Impressed

On the other hand, some doctors are not entirely convinced when it comes to acupuncture. While they acknowledge the procedure’s potential in preventing and bettering the situation of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes, they also discuss the fact that it should not be considered the ultimate fix to the problem. The only way diabetes can be managed is through a healthy diet, exercise, and stress reduction.

So, do you think it is worth trying acupuncture?