The Sweet Power of Bitter Melon As the world faces deadly and challenging health problems each and every second, scientists are engineering new drugs to combat these lethal diseases and infections. But, instead of producing new medicines with new side effects, what if the key to a cure could be found in natural substances growing right in our own backyard? For years, I have watched my grandfather follow a daily routine of juicing a green, peculiar looking fruit and never failing to drink it every morning. My grandfather is a type II diabetes patient and that peculiar looking fruit he juices is known as “karela” to Indians or bitter melon in English. He drinks the bitter melon juice every morning to lower his glucose level and for his health, …show more content…
Bitter melon is originally from India, but eventually spread to China and other Asian countries during the fourteenth century (“Health Benefits of Bitter Melon” 1). The fruit is green, oblong in shape, and has a very rough exterior. True to its name, bitter melon has a distinctive bitter taste, and is considered a delectable ingredient in cooking (Peng). For hundreds of years, the Chinese have successfully used bitter melon for its therapeutic properties (Bao 2). Many Asians use bitter melon as a part of their regular diet in drinks and meals, for its unique health benefits. Bitter melon is used as treatment for stomach problems, wounds, diabetes and even cancer (“Health Benefits of Bitter Melon” 2). This absolutely amazing fruit could be used as a natural remedy for many diseases across the world that we battle with …show more content…
Diabetes is often a precursor to pancreatic cancer, and the cancer is much more likely to occur in diabetes patients. As mentioned earlier, bitter melon is known to treat diabetes patients for its bioactive compounds. Rajesh Agarwal PhD, co program leader of Cancer Prevention and Control, and other scientists wanted to explore what would happen “if they closed out the middle man of diabetes and directly explored the link between bitter melon and pancreatic cancer” (University of Colorado Denver 1). Experiments showed that bitter melon juice influences the glucose metabolism pathway and causes a limitation of energy. With the energy source being restricted, the pancreatic cancer cells will eventually die. The bitter melon causes a strong influence in the metabolic pathways of pancreatic cancer cells. Through an experiment with mouse models, it was discovered that bitter melon regulates insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells. Results showed that mice with pancreatic cancer who consumed bitter melon juice were sixty percent less likely to get the cancer than the controlled mice (University of Colorado Denver 2). This is an amazing discovery that could lead to new medicines and treatments for cancer. There are various medicines for pancreatic cancer, but they result in serious side effects. Bitter melon is a natural fruit which can have healing properties just as effective
Glucose is a sugar that plays a big part in a human’s health and well-being. This sugar is a major source of energy for the body’s brain and cells. The Cells that receive energy from glucose help in the building of the body’s muscle and tissue. Although glucose may be important to the body too much of this sugar can cause a chronic condition called Diabetes. Diabetes, also known as Diabetes mellitus, is a chronic condition that is caused by too much sugar in the blood. This condition can affect all age groups. In fact, in 2010 a survey was taken by the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, on the number of newly diagnosed diabetes. Out of 1,907,000 people: 24.38% were ages 20-44, 55.17% were ages 45-64, and 20.45% were ages 65 and greater. Diabetes is a very serious condition, and it can be deadly if left untreated. This paper will help better educate the reader on the signs and symptoms, the testing process, and the management of diabetes.
Ngatena IJ, Kapustin JF. Preventing type 2 diabetes: What really works. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. July/August 2011;7(7):550-558.
During the year 1889, two researchers, Joseph Von Mering and Oskar Minkowski, had discovered the disease that is known today as diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the insulin levels (a hormone produced in unique cells called the islets of Langerhans found in the pancreas) in the bloodstream are irregular and therefore affect the way the body uses sugars, as well as other nutrients. Up until the 1920’s, it was known that being diagnosed with diabetes was a death sentence which usually affected “children and adults under 30.” Those who were diagnosed were usually very hungry and thirsty, which are two of the symptoms associated with diabetes. However, no matter how much they ate, their bodies wouldn’t be able to use the nutrients due to the lack of insulin. This would lead to a very slow and painful death. In 1922, four Canadian researchers by the names of Frederick G. Banting, Charles H. Best, John J.R. MacLeod, and James B. Collip had discovered a way to separate insulin in the pancreas of dogs and prepare it in such a way so that it can be used to treat diabetic patients. In the year 2008, there were 1,656,470 people who suffered from diabetes in Canada, and by 2010, it is predicted that this disease will take over the lives of 285 million people . Although there is no cure for diabetes, the treatment of prepared insulin is prolonging the lives of diabetics and allowing them to live freely. The discovery of insulin was important and significant in Canada’s history because Banting was a Canadian medical scientist who had a purpose in finding a treatment for diabetes, its discovery has saved lives and improved the quality of life of those suffering from this disease, and it showed the world Canada’s medical technology was ...
In the short story Taste of Melon, the readers are always on the edge of their seat wondering what's going to happen next. Borden Deal use fear of the unknown and foreshadowing to make his stories have lots of suspense.
* Aloe vera plant has been found to be favorable in the treatment of diabetes; it lowers glucose levels in the blood.
The first work examined is an anthology collected by Maureen Honey called Bitter Fruit: African American Women in World War II, which include multiple types of writing on the experiences of African-American women throughout the Second World War. The sources and included writings are drawn mostly from major African-American periodicals. The compilation is a useful resource for historians, though a clear bias against the federal politics for their discriminatory actions against these writers, both for their race and gender, is nevertheless inherent in much of the texts. Still, Bitter Fruit includes informative analysis of African-American women’s contributions in World War II, albeit the editor, Honey would have benefited from expanding on the
In the past decades the incidence of heart disease has increased, about three million people dying of cardiovascular disease in China per year (according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Health of China), which draws people’s great concern to find ways to take precautions. With the development of element analytical method, some types of chemical substances that are beneficial to cardiac health have been found. Lycopene is a very popular natural anti-oxidants found in recent years (Dai, 2011), as well as capsaicin and dietary fiber. Whilst some research focuses on the mechanism of action, little attention has been paid to usability issues, in particular to the generalization of health-giving chemical substances in ordinary meals. There is a lot of evidence that vegetables can positively contribute to prevent heart diseases, by supplying biologically active components. This article continues previous research in the field of Biochemistry and Medical Science, mainly trying to study the effective components which can prevent heart disease in edible vegetables.
Diabetes is a disease rapidly increasing throughout the world today, and it is often referred to as the world’s modern epidemic. Each year, more than 13,000 young people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes making it an increasing chronic illness. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s own immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, normally the body's immune system fights off foreign invaders like viruses or bacteria. Unfortunately an individual with type 1 diabetes immune system attacks various cells in their body and results in a complete deficiency of the insulin hormone. The rapid increase in the incidence of type 1 diabetes in genetically stable populations implies an important role for environmental factors. Individuals that suffer from type 1 diabetes have an imbalance of sugar and because enough isn’t moved into the cells the insulin isn’t produced. When sugar accumulates in blood instead of cells, the body refrains and seeks more nutrients and other body functions are in charge of providing energy for the essential systems in the body. While the exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown it is often said that it is caused from an autoimmune disorder. Individuals with type 1 diabetes have to be extremely careful because an infection or any other pathogens can causes the body to inadvisably attack the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Type 1 diabetes is also hereditary. While type 1 diabetes eludes both children and adults it gets its nickname Juvenile Diabetes from the prevalence in its diagnosis in children, adolescents and young adults. Imagine having the responsibility of taking on such a sensible role of being insulin dependent for the rest of your life, most being under the age of 5. Al...
Retrieved from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/diabetic/diabetic.htm.
Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic health condition in which the level of glucose in the blood is higher than usual. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not create enough insulin and type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin is produced, but is not adequate in lowering blood glucose levels or there is resistance to the insulin (Edwards, 2007, p. 9). Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease, foot and leg amputations, and new cases of blindness in the United States (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2010, p. 1465-66). People with type 1 diabetes are required to take insulin to manage their glucose levels. People with type 2 diabetes are usually prescribed oral medications such as sulfonylurea agents, meglitinide analogues, or biguanides to help control their glucose levels. Twenty to 30% of people with type 2 diabetes require insulin therapy as well (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2010, p. 1471). In addition to medication therapy, diet and weight control can help manage both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Because diabetes mellitus can cause such severe complications, it is important that people with diabetes understand the importance of certain health and lifestyle choices, such as their diet and weight to manage their disease. Patients with diabetes mellitus should pay special attention to the amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and minerals that are included in their diet. Monitoring these components of their diet, along with weight management, can help control their diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders which is characterized by hyperglycemia due to insulin deficiency or resistance or both reasons. (1) According to that diabetes mellitus can be divided as type I and type II. This is common and its incidence is rising, 171 million people had diabetes in 2000 it is expected this condition to be doubled in 2030. It is spread in all the countries and therefore has become a major burden upon healthcare facilities. (2)
Today people are becoming more aware of the advantages of using natural health products. Apart from it being a cost-efficient solution to maintain and attain healthier body, the products made from herbal and natural ingredients offer a myriad of benefits compared to those made from chemical and artificial ingredients. The followi...
Herbal remedies’ qualities are widespread availability, lower cost, effective for chronic conditions. Herbal remedies are the use of plants or plant extract to treat a person’ overall health. Herbal treatments are prominent for developing countries for instance, “in Africa up to 90% and in India 70% of the population depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs” (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011), due to their low cost and availability. Herbal remedies have gained attention in the past decades, and expanding their uses due to the increased interest of natural therapies (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011). Herbs used on the remedies grow in the wild throughout the world, therefore making it easy to
This clearly shows that the fruits and vegetables play a vital role in maintaining our good health. Fruits and vegetables are seasonal and grown in different parts of our country. They need to be stored for longer period and transported to different places. It makes necessary for us to find out whether there is any damage to the useful contents of the fruits and vegetable during the storage and transportation or due to some preservatives or other factors and what kind of nutrients, minerals, etc. are present in their juices. With this idea in mind, the project has been undertaken.
Diabetes has become a growing epidemic with an estimated 23.6 million people diagnosed with diabetes, and 57 million people diagnosed as pre-diabetic in the United States alone (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, & Camera, 2011). Diabetes is a chronic, multisystem disease in which the body is unable to produce insulin, or the body becomes resistant to the insulin produced. The alteration in insulin regulation in the body results in elevated blood glucose (sugar) levels called hyperglycemia (Lewis et al.). Diabetes is a manageable disorder with the proper blood glucose level control, but when hyperglycemia is not properly managed, diabetes becomes a major cause of morbidity and mortality (Deshpande, Harris-Hayes, & Schootman, 2008). The effects of chronic hyperglycemia in diabetics’ results in numerous chronic complications, but the most disabling include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, cardiovascular disease, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy.