When you received your type 2 diabetes diagnosis, it was certainly easy to think you could take care of your high blood sugar levels with Metformin or any anti-diabetic drug actually. However, with any drug there are always risks. Many people who have undergone different surgical procedures often look back and say… “if they had only known, they would never have had the surgery.” The same applies to people taking various medications.

Metformin is a standard drug given to type 2 diabetics. It is taken orally and medical practitioners consider it to be the drug of choice, particularly for type 2 diabetics that are overweight with normal kidney function.

Metformin causes few side effects but, nevertheless, can be associated with:

1. General malaise, fatigue or a feeling of just being unwell. It is estimated 10 to 25% of women who take Metformin experience this as a side effect.

2. Nausea, diarrhea and/or vomiting: These gastrointestinal symptoms usually occur after you eat meals high in fats or sugar. What this means is you really can’t cheat on your eating plan just because you are taking medications; unfortunately you will pay the price with nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.

3. Reduced levels of vitamin B12: Up to 30% of people taking Metformin show a problem with absorption of vitamin B12. Symptoms include:

• memory loss
• an itchy or tingling tongue
• white spots in your skin which usually increase in size over time
• shortness of breath
• eye twitching
• facial pain
• migraine headaches,
• anemia that doesn’t respond to iron,
• depression, irritability and personality changes.

4. Elevated homocysteine: homocysteine is the amino acid associated with coronary artery disease, chronic fatigue, heart attack, fibromyalgia and cervical cancer levels.

5. Hair Loss: In males you may find hair loss at your temples and at the top of your head. Many women have reported this pattern of hair loss also.

6. Reduced levels of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) if you already have low thyroid function. The problem here is many of the population already have low thyroid function. Reducing this hormone further causes symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and a definite inability to get out of bed in the morning.

7. Reduced testosterone production which leads to impotency.

So… knowing all these symptoms, do you still really think Metformin is the best way for you to lower your blood sugar levels? A healthy eating plan will give you weight loss, lower blood sugar levels and lessen your risk of diabetic complications… maybe this is something you want to think about. There are also alternative health and natural healing approaches… these help to build your health as well as aid with reversing type 2 diabetes.

The bottom line is: Why not follow a healthy eating plan and lifestyle… this is more effective than Metformin alone. With weight loss you will be able to reduce your dosage of Metformin or eliminate it altogether.

Is diabetes and yeast infection co-related Well, it is a well known fact that diabetes is a state that has many health problems attached with it. One of such possibilities is the occurrence of infections of yeast through diabetes, although many would not like to be very expressive about it. People believe that having it is an embarrassing situation and would not like to discuss about it.

In order to understand the link between the two, it is important to know how the skin infections occur. A lot of bacteria are present in the gastro-intestinal tract. Due to changes in lifestyle and diet, this balance is disturbed. One of such bacteria present is yeast.

How does this infection take place

One of the main causes of yeast overgrowth is chronic infections. This results on account of presence of too much sugar. Not only that it results in diabetes, but also causes Candida infections. If there are repetitive Candida outbreaks, then it would be well advisable to have the levels of glucose checked in your blood. Although diabetes is not the only reason for the incidence of a chronic infection, a high level of sugar consumption surely triggers this condition. Yeast is fed by sugars present in the body, in the same fashion as yeast type foods and carbohydrates.

Yeast infection and diabetes:

An important complication of diabetes is that the blood sugar levels if not kept under control could trigger such a skin infection. This happens because an increased level of glucose in the body does affect many other bodily mechanisms and has a tremendous influence on the body’s immune status.

If you happen to suffer from diabetes, chances are you will find yourself constantly battling with Candida outbreaks. In its advanced form, along with vaginal infections and thrush, you also experience chronic fatigue, pain in the joints and knees, loss of memory, intestinal problems like constipation and diarrhoea and dizziness. In general you experience bad health at all times.

Depending upon the gravity of the disease, the treatment of this infection coupled with diabetes can often be complex. However, a diet that is low in sugar is an absolute must. This will suppress the yeast fungus by letting it starve and ultimately destroys it. Another precaution to be taken is avoiding the consumption of mushrooms, honey and dried fruits that also help a lot in feeding the yeast. If you can remain on diet for a three to six months period, you can gradually re-introduce them into your diet thereafter depending on your situation.

Apart from the above suggestions, you can also try certain holistic treatments in order to get rid of diabetes and yeast infections. You can also consider following a simple Candida Diet that could help prevent any further recurring infections.