【Description】
Diabetes has long been a serious health challenge for people around the world. Today, the diabetic population not only shows no sign of decreasing but continues to grow, and now includes a significant number of younger people.
What are the symptoms of diabetes? What problems can occur in severe cases? What kind of diet should diabetic patients consume?
In this lesson, Grandmaster JinBodhi shares his knowledge of diabetes and explains how energy gives rise to it. He also teaches us how to make a simple, healthy drink that is effective at lowering blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.
【You will learn】
- The causes, symptoms and complications of diabetes
- Low-sugar recipes for diabetic patients
- Grandmaster JinBodhi’s healthy drink recipe which helps lower the “3 highs”
- Some common Chinese herbs that are useful in improving the health of diabetic patients
【Content】
To start, I'll be telling a story. Once, Mr. and Mrs. Wang went on an outing with their grandkid. While playing with his grandkid, Mr. Wang kicked a stone in the river by accident, and one of his toes was bleeding a little. This was normal, right? They had brought along some Band-Aids; so, they put one on, and the bleeding stopped. Several days later, Mr. Wang's toe wasn't feeling right. He peeled off the Band-Aid and saw the toe had festered a bit. He then quickly applied some anti-inflammatory cream. And then, about 10 days later, his foot's swelling worsened, and his plastered toe looked bad. It was all inflamed and swelling badly, and the color didn't look right.
The next day, Mr. Wang went to see the doctor, and he was told he had severe diabetes. Mr. Wang was shocked. He never expected it to happen to him. “Anyone can develop this,” the doctor said. As you get older and live a poor lifestyle with a bad diet, it can happen to you. All the tests confirmed that Mr. Wang indeed had diabetes. The doctor told him that the other specialists would look at his toe the next day. Surgery was a possibility. That didn't sound pleasant to Mr. Wang.
So, the next day, the doctors told him that an amputation was the only option. The doctors would only remove his damaged toe. Had he gone to the doctor later, his foot, or even his leg, would be gone. Mr. Wang should have sought out his doctor earlier. A little delay, and, see, his toe had to be removed. Why was he unprepared mentally? In his family, the term “diabetes” did not exist. His ancestors didn't have this disease. He is the oldest in his family, and he didn't have this disease, let alone the children. So he never thought about it and felt his body was in great shape.
(I think many may now be worried that they're like Mr. Wang, who had no idea at all that he was actually diabetic.) (Many have it, but they don't know about it.)
I've done some research on this matter. Let's go through the symptoms. See for yourself whether you have the problems on my list. If you think what I'm saying is a bit serious, it's OK. You can consult a doctor yourself, and you'll know. What I'm about to say is what the doctors say.
First, you'll notice that you're eating, drinking and urinating more. You're also losing weight. This is the first category of symptoms. Next, your wounds are slow to heal. For instance, in your daily life, cutting your finger while chopping, hurting your toe by kicking the leg of a table, shaving wounds, these are common injuries, right? For diabetics, these wounds don't heal.
Next, skin itching. You may ask, “Whose skin doesn't itch?” Not like that; here, we're talking about serious itching, which leads to excessive scratching. This is a serious matter.
Next, numbness of the hands and feet. Some might have a prickling sensation too. When I say numbness, it's not like feeling nothing at all; there is sensation. It's a tingling sensation. There is a sensation. Try not to misunderstand this. (So people feel a numbness or prickling sensation.) Again, there is a sensation; it's not like people don't feel anything at all.
Next, slower reaction. I'm referring to degeneration of the senses. For instance, regarding temperature, say, when you wash your face or do the laundry, the water is either very cold or very hot, and you don't feel the difference in temperature. This numbness is a dullness, not a tingling sensation. The senses have become dulled. Say, a lady's high heel steps on my foot. That's painful. We may see a grandpa who has been stepped on by someone feeling nothing at all. He was indeed stepped on but felt nothing due to sense degeneration. It's the degeneration of the sensory nerve endings that causes slower reaction to all sensations, such as heat, cold, itching, etc. This is troublesome. The ability to sense pain is a self-protective mechanism. When one reacts to pain slowly or has no reaction at all, it's very dangerous.
Next, eyesight degeneration. As one ages, vision declines. At this time, when reading the newspaper, I can read with reading glasses. But for eyesight problems caused by diabetes, nothing can help. They can't see at all. (It's not caused by your age, OK? This has nothing to do with your age.) Diabetes can cause cataracts or corneal exfoliation or eye congestion. In short, diabetes can cause ophthalmic diseases.
Diabetes can cause one more eyesight problem. Our eyes can see a bit in the dark, when it's not very dark, with the presence of light sources such as lamps, stars, moon, etc.; healthy people can still see things, such as houses, a dog or a person walking. Rough shapes are still visible, even if not the exact details, right? Diabetics with eyesight degeneration can't see the shadows that healthy people can see. So they'd fall or bump into things.
Next, you get tired easily. You feel weak or drained all the time, to the extent that you think you're getting old. This is one of the symptoms too. You feel exhausted all the time and find it hard to concentrate.
Next, it's about your skin tone; it's either pale like you're sick, or it could get dull, not dark. It's not bright skin, OK? It's pale skin. Many Westerners have white skin, and they're not sick, OK? The pale skin one gets from diabetes and heart attacks is unpleasant to look at. When people are sick, their skin becomes pale. “Pale” is the term, OK? Not bright. Pale, typically due to anemia, feeling weak; that's how it is.
Your skin could be pale, or it could be dull. The color to describe a sick person's skin is grayish-purple. Diabetes could make your skin pale or grayish-purple. Grayish-purple is usually related to stagnant blood in the body. Your blood vessels are stuck, or your body has trouble pumping fresh blood. It shows on your skin. When your skin looks grayish-purple, your blood is somewhat stuck; this is dangerous. A stroke could follow. One could die 3 days later from a severe stroke attack in the brain. Someone could appear healthy and active, but a stroke could end everything. It could be very quick. So, it shows on your skin, OK?
Next, diabetic people have thicker nails or uneven nails. It affects fingernails but toenails even more. The toenails are affected more severely, even showing color changes. They could be blue-black, or green; they could also get chipped, become tilted, slanted or curled up. Before this, your nails get thicker. Spoon-shaped nails are a sign of illness. Healthy nails are slightly curved with a smooth surface. Those are healthy nails. The nails would curl up like this, similar to an apple, coming down in a round shape. That can be very troublesome.
There's also a line on one of the toenails which is called Beau's line, a horizontal line. It's right on the toenail, a horizontal line, Yes, just like a cut made by a knife, especially on the feet, the toes. The line on the feet indicates more severe disease; it’s easier to spot. Not many people have such lines. If you do, you'd better visit a doctor.
And also, paronychia. (It's a kind of nail inflammation; the causes could be trauma, irritation or infection.) For severe diabetics, the skin on their feet appears strange, swollen, or with dark, grayish and purplish spots. (In short, to know if someone has diabetes, we look at their legs.)
In this lesson, we first learn to spot whether one has high blood sugar, high urine sugar, etc., through their external symptoms. If one has 3 or more symptoms, they need to be careful. For the foot issues I mentioned just now, even if you have one of them, you should definitely get checked. Next, we will conduct some research. Look at the big data of diabetics worldwide, so everyone can have a bit of understanding about this.
(In 1980, the global diabetic population was only 108 million. By 2021, 537 million adults had diabetes, meaning one in every 10 people lives with diabetes. In 2007, the United Nations designated November 14th as World Diabetes Day, establishing it as a UN day. Diabetes has become one of the significant global threats.
In 2021, the top 5 countries with the most diabetic adults: China, India, Pakistan, United States, Indonesia. Pakistan has the highest prevalence of diabetes among adults: 30.8%. That means one in 3 people has diabetes. In the past 10 years, low- and middle-income countries have seen a faster growth rate in diabetes prevalence than high-income countries. Diabetes has become one of the world's top 10 leading causes of death and disability. The greatest harm of diabetes is not diabetes itself, but the various complications.)
And it can lead to other diseases, as we mentioned just now, for example, issues with vision. I just mentioned eyesight problems. What about kidney problems? If the kidney problem gets serious, dialysis becomes another big problem. When one gets diabetes, it could lead to a heart attack or stroke; either one might kill you. Speaking of kidney problems, it's bad once it progresses to kidney failure; it leads to death. So, the complications triggered by diabetes are terrifying.
(The stats also show that diabetics are 12 times more likely to develop brain clots. It also causes a condition called diabetic foot. So, in the end, like Mr. Wang who we mentioned earlier, many, when it's advanced, have their entire feet turn black, swell, and necrotize. As such, amputation is the only way.) (Yes, the blood can't circulate anymore.) (Amputation is done to save one’s life. Some diabetic patients in the late stages, even after amputation, can't survive.)
(Cases of blindness caused by diabetes happen a million times each year. That's how serious it is. Here's another problem: infertility. People who have diabetes, men and women, tend to struggle with infertility. Diabetes also affects the reproductive system. If a pregnant woman suffers from severe diabetes, she could have a miscarriage or give birth to a deformed child or a premature baby. The child and the mother are both in danger. It's very serious.)
Let's try to summarize things.
First, obese people are more likely to get diabetes. Remember to eat a healthy diet and do more workouts. Also, let's talk about genetics. Diabetes could be running in your family's genes. If one of the members of your family, a parent or a sibling, has diabetes, then you should be careful. This health issue leads us to analyze what the fundamental cause of diabetes is. The root cause of diabetes lies in a weakness in one's vital energy. When your internal organs are weak, evil energy, or illness, will surface. This tends to happen when you begin to get weak. When do you start getting weak? It's usually after middle age, when you're over 40. If you have an unhealthy lifestyle, you'll have a higher risk of developing diabetes.
I just suddenly remembered, I had a neighbor when I was little in Qinghai. A girl in the neighbor’s family was 2 or 3 years older than me. Our homes were just 20 meters apart, so close. Unfortunately, after we'd lived side by side for several years, it was suddenly announced that the girl had died. She died at 16 or 17, from diabetes. For this child, it wasn't a question of lack of exercise. In that era, there wasn't a child who didn't run. So, it came from her family medical history. It was a pity to lose a young girl like her. We all felt very saddened hearing about her death.
(So, for this kind of juvenile diabetes, I think, maybe this little sister, the neighbor of Grandmaster, might have had type 1 diabetes.)
(Stemming from different causes, diabetes is generally divided into the following types: Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, requires insulin injections to regulate blood-sugar levels and is mainly related to genes. It mostly occurs in children and adolescents, so it's also known as juvenile diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, is the most common type of diabetes, accounting for about 90% of all diabetes cases. The affected population is usually adults, (but in recent years, it is showing a trend toward younger ages. Its main causes are usually overweight, lack of exercise, or unhealthy lifestyles. In addition, there are gestational diabetes and some other types of diabetes.
Research shows that type 2 diabetes is usually preventable, and that for other types of diabetes, if diagnosed and treated early, we can delay or avoid the occurrence of severe complications. Type 2 diabetes is also closely related to dietary habits. Preventing diabetes through dietary choices is a very effective method. Master, could you introduce some low-glycemic index (GI) foods?)
I mentioned oat before, right? Oat is low in sugar content. Foods that prevent diabetes and the 3 highs are more or less the same. (They are low salt, low fat and low sugar.) Grains processed using traditional methods still retain the bran, similar to whole wheat or brown rice. In Ancient China, millet was the best-selling grain. There is also oatmeal, which is relatively good, as it contains less sugar. Then, there are whole grains; it's healthy to mix some legumes into staple foods.
Then there are vegetables: cucumber, broccoli, celery, tomato and okra; these have relatively less sugar. Then there are soy products. (Soy is not suitable for patients with kidney disease. For instance, if your blood sugar is high, but the kidneys are still OK, no problem; soy is a very good source of protein. Also, I remind online friends to quit smoking and drinking. If you have diabetes, or if you're on medication, you should continue to consult your doctor.)
Remember to exercise more. In many parks worldwide, there are practice sites for Energy Bagua, the method I've imparted. Just like Mr. Wang who I mentioned, right? His wife is with us. Mrs. Wang had a bit of Parkinson’s. She was shaking; doctors couldn't do anything. A relative of her doctor happened to practice Energy Bagua and benefited from doing so. The doctor heard about it and suggested that Mrs. Wang try to learn Energy Bagua. After she'd practiced for a year, her Parkinson's condition improved.
Then she brought Mr. Wang along, and they practiced together. Sure, Mr. Wang doesn't need his insulin shots anymore; but unfortunately, he lost a toe, which is bad. They practice at 5am on the dot at the park every day. Every day at 5am; they never skip a day. They've truly benefited from it. They're not giving up their practices. They're now even stronger than their son. They can move things around at home. When shopping, they don't need their son to help with carrying things. That's how strong they are. Thanks to Energy Bagua, no more Parkinson's or insulin shots.
(So, practice Energy Bagua for 99 years of life.) Check out the testimonials. I am not trying to bluff. I hope that our health can be improved through various ways, such as healthy diet and proven home remedies.
I'll show you an effective home remedy today. I call it Mulberry Chrysanthemum Drink. First, mulberry leaves. It's effective at lowering the 3 highs. If something is effective against the 3 highs, it can also help you lose weight and improve facial appearance. What a miraculous leaf. The ancients called it “Leaf From Heaven.” It's medicinal value is remarkable.
The next ingredient: white chrysanthemum. Only the white variety is considered a medicinal herb; we don't use the yellow, pink or green ones as those are for viewing, not herbal use. I'll give you some examples of herbal white chrysanthemum. First, the Hangzhou chrysanthemum (Hangbaiju). And then, there's the tribute chrysanthemum (Gongju). Their flowers are quite similar, but they're different in terms of medicinal benefits. For this recipe, I recommend the tribute chrysanthemum.
The next ingredient is American ginseng. This is another useful ingredient. (It's a cooling and qi-nourishing herb. It's an excellent nourishing supplement with a cooling attribute. It's used mainly to improve immunity, calm the mind, eliminate fatigue, enhance memory, reduce blood pressure and blood sugar, and regulate insulin production.) What an effective herb.
Next, dried hawthorn. It strengthens the spleen and stomach, and helps with digestion. Next, lotus leaves. Fresh lotus leaves are not available all the time. I think the herb stores sell the dried ones. Next, corn silk. Yes, the hair-like substance is called corn silk. It may not look important, but, in fact, it matters a lot. It offers very good health benefits. It's good for the kidneys, relieving kidney inflammation and edema, reducing high blood pressure and high blood sugar, and calming down our brain and nerves. That's what corn silk does for our health.
Alright, here's how you make it. Mulberry Chrysanthemum Drink. This drink helps prevent diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Get 5 grams of dried mulberry leaf, 15 buds of tribute chrysanthemum, 3 grams of American ginseng, 7 grams of dried hawthorn, 7 grams of dried lotus leaf, and 10 grams of dried corn silk. The suggested amount makes tea for one for a day's consumption.
Rinse all ingredients thoroughly, place them into the clay pot, and pour in 6 bowls of water (about 1.5 liters). Bring it to a boil over high heat, then switch to medium heat. Simmer for around 45 minutes, until it reduces down to 4 bowls; it's done. This drink helps reduce the 3 highs. I recommend you give it a try.
If you don't feel any side effects after drinking it, you may have it for 5 consecutive days. And then, take a 3-day break. During the break, if you feel OK and feel like drinking it again, feel free to do so after the break. This is my suggestion. For this recipe, I'm recommending a safe amount for each herb used. These herbs are suitable for all body constitutions. For those showing signs of diabetes, or those with a slightly high sugar level, it is better to drink this.
Let's talk about some do's and don'ts. It's best not to use a metal pot for this recipe. A clay pot is the best. Clay pots are suitable for Cantonese soups and herbal soups. Using such ceramics for cooking soup or brewing medicine is somewhat better.
(Q: Can we reuse the ingredients by adding water to boil and simmer once more the next day?)
The used ingredients spoil easily during summer. Don't use them if they smell putrid. If you can keep them fresh and well-preserved, then yes. But don't keep them for the next day. There might still be some medicinal properties in the used herbs, so can you keep simmering them? When I was young, I had a lot of Chinese medicine. Usually, my mom would brew the medicine a second time. She'd pour the first decoction of the herb into a bowl and add water right away to the pot, making the second decoction. Then I'd get more servings, and nothing was wasted.
(Q: Master, regarding diabetics who are on diabetic medication, can they drink this?)
Everyone is prescribed different medication, and I don't know how every medicine works. Medications are given based on the patients' conditions, in amounts that are suitable. If you're on medication and drink this, you're consuming more medicine than you should. I think you need to be cautious; I don't recommend drinking blindly. You should consult and consider various aspects before deciding.
(Q: Can we make this drink and the Bodhi Liver Detox Tea and drink them on the same day?)
Better not. Herbs used in diet therapy have their specific functions. All herbs and foods must be paired accordingly. When combined, they need to contain cooling elements to lower the 3 highs. Having cooling herbs in large quantity is not good for your health. If used properly, such herbs can cure diseases; but if used excessively, there can be side effects. For whatever we recommend to you, whether it's tea, medicine or drink, each of them has specific effects. If it can lower the 3 highs, it has a cooling attribute. So don't overdose.
(Q: Master, there is another question. We're growing mulberry trees. When is the best time to pick the leaves?)
This is a very good question. It is in the autumn, even until winter. The leaves of the mulberry tree are often especially robust. Almost no leaf from other trees survives the cold winds of autumn. If the winds of autumn were blowing the night before, the leaves of other trees would have filled the pits. The mulberry leaves are different; they'll still be hanging on the trees. When the wind blows past dried mulberry leaves, you can hear sounds of metal clanging. That's how mulberry leaves got their name: Iron Fans.
So, when to harvest them? When is the best time to harvest? It is after the frost in autumn. The medicinal properties of the frost-hit mulberry leaves are very strong. If not hit by frost, their medicinal properties are weak. In spring, their medicinal properties are even weaker. So, the mulberry leaves hit by the autumn frost have the best medicinal properties. (After the frost, harvest them. Then, dry them and store them.) After drying, some people keep them as they are. Some grind them into powder, store the powder in sealed boxes or plastic bags, and use the powder when needed.
Thanks a lot for the support from our online viewers. I've shared everything I know with you. I hope the remedies I share can offer the best help to everyone. But are they suitable for you? Firstly, you need to think seriously. Secondly, you can consult a doctor. I always hope they can help you gain health and longevity.
I wish you health and happiness. (Received.) May everything go well for you. (Thank you, Grandmaster.)