Diabetes, Heart Failure and Possible Kidney Problems
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Name not given
Posted on: October 25, 2000

My husband has been a diabetic for 12 years and is on oral medication. Four years ago he had a heart attack. He has just been diagnosed with CHF and has increased his Lasix to two times a day. The doctor is concerned about his kidneys right now. He is also anemic. Is there any herbs and/or vitamins that you can suggest that might help him overall.

Kidney problems can occur with diabetes due to the restriction of blood supply to the kidneys. I recommend that your husband visit a qualified natural practitioner, who can take a full case history, advise you of precautions in taking herbs with your husband’s particular medical condition, and monitor progress with diet, herbs and supplements.

The usual natural approach with diabetes is to use herbs to improve blood circulation and herbs to help resist infection. This natural approach is described in an item called "diabetes" on our website at http://www.richters.com. Choose "Q&A" from the main menu, then choose "Search Richters Q&A", and enter the word "diabetes" for the search. If your doctor has determined that your husband has iron deficiency anemia, you can search for "anemia" for herbs, supplements and diet that can help.

Lasix is a diuretic that comes with the precaution that it is to be used cautiously in diabetes. The herb Dandelion root, which is used in diabetes to support the liver and pancreas, is a diuretic that supplies potassium. Although it should not be used in addition to the prescribed diuretic without professional supervision, you may find a practitioner of natural medicine who can work with your doctor to decrease the dosage of Lasix by replacing part of the dosage with dandelion root.

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