Is honey good for diabetic people?

Dear Doctor: I am diabetic and I have been taking honey instead of sugar. Is it recommended? Mikairi Kabwijamu

Dear Mikairi: Diabetes is a condition in which the quantity of glucose in the blood is too high, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, produces no insulin, or because the body tissues do not respond properly to the insulin that has been produced.

This results in too much glucose building up in the blood and body, leading to fat being used for much of the energy needs. This excess blood glucose eventually passes out of the body through urine, sweat and saliva. So, even though the blood has plenty of glucose, the cells are not getting it for their essential energy and growth requirements.

Much as honey is superior to ordinary sugar, it is not suitable for diabetic people because it raises blood sugar.

Any food that pushes too much sugar quickly into blood should be avoided by diabetic people. Ordinary sugar is broken down into smaller sugars, glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed by the body to reach the blood stream. Honey contains the same sugars, fructose and glucose, which are immediately absorbed, causing a rise in blood sugar.

Honey is good at raising blood sugar when a person has low blood sugar due to the diabetic drugs they are taking.
Honey should therefore be on the shelves of people with diabetes since low blood sugar is dangerous and can cause death within a short period of time if not urgently managed.

Dear Doctor: Why do I develop diarrhoea whenever I am in my periods? I also suffer from a lot of pain. Alfonsina Mbabazize
Dear Alfonsina: Periods result from the shedding of the inner lining of the womb, so that it is replaced by a new one in preparation for pregnancy. To shed and expel this membrane in the form of a period, substances produced locally in the membrane called prostaglandins are helpful.

These substances contract the womb, causing abdominal pain. When these prostaglandins leak into the general blood circulation, they may cause a myriad of symptoms including headache and vomiting. Prostaglandins also trigger contractions in the bowels, resulting in diarrhoea, especially during the first few days of the period.

Over-the-counter drugs that reduce prostaglandin production, such as ibuprofen, can help stop the diarrhoea. These drugs should, however, not be taken as a prevention method because of the associated side effects such as inducing peptic ulcers.
A diet rich in kalo, bread and white rice can also prevent the diarrhoea.

Dear Doctor: I ate fish and the bone got stuck in my throat. I took a lot of water but this was not helpful. I have now developed stomach pain, and I think it is the bone that is piercing me. Do I need an operation? I want to stop eating fish.
Isaac Newton Gunda
Dear Isaac: Fish is a nutritious food which you should not abandon just because a fishbone got stuck in your throat. Eating fish requires a person to be alert so that they do not risk swallowing any sharp bones.
Many people usually eat a banana to slide a fishbone down the throat, which is better than using water.

Once the bone leaves the throat and enters the stomach, it gets digested by acid and the piercing pains you are feeling could be as a result of fear, and not necessarily the presence of the bone in the stomach.

It is only in a few circumstances, such as taking drugs for peptic ulcers, that stomach acid production (omeprazole) is likely to affect the digestion of fishbone, with the likelihood of it (the fishbone) escaping the acid stomach.

This bone may then pierce the intestines and cause obstruction.

Please visit a doctor who may do an x-ray of the abdomen to see if the bone is still in the stomach.

Dear Doctor: Does natural family planning involve the use of herbs? How effective are they (herbs) in family planning?

Zura Komuhendo

Dear Zura: Abstaining from sex during the fertile period to prevent pregnancy is called natural family planning. This is the method of family planning which is agreeable to some religious beliefs.

To use it successfully, however, a woman needs to calculate her fertile period and avoid sex during that time.

Body temperature and changes in cervical mucus are also some methods used to calculate a fertile period. Because of illiteracy in some cases, women do not have the courage to deny their husbands (who rarely participate in family planning) sex during their fertile periods. As a result, it becomes difficult to practice the natural family planning method.

Many women use the lactation amenorrhea method, where they are advised to exclusively breastfeed every three hours. This method, however, is only effective for the first six months after birth.

The benefit of using herbs as a family planning method may not be known because there are different types that women use. However, it is not advisable to use herbs since their effectiveness and side effects are not known.