Doctor shares holistic approach to cholesterol and diabetes

ONE of the world’s leading holistic practitioners on cholesterol and diabetes, Dr Geert Verhelst, shared his insights into the prevention and treatment of these conditions at a seminar at the Durban Country Club.

Belgium-based Dr Verhelst is in demand in Europe for his holistic approach to preventing and treating diabetes and high cholesterol levels. He is a trained physician, a medical homeopath and author of a leading Dutch book on medicinal plants. He is also a scientific consultant, a medical journalist and a lecturer in phytotherapy (the use of plants for medical purposes).

He discussed cholesterol: shocking global stats and how to manage this condition; type two diabetes: latest staggering stats on this pandemic and what individuals should be doing to combat this; statins: how these cholesterol lowering drugs are contributing to diabetes; red yeast rice: how this miracle grain can help lower cholesterol levels and cinnamon: how this spice can help address type two diabetes.

It is estimated that more than five million South Africans are at risk of cardiovascular disease, partly due to high cholesterol levels and about 50 per cent of all heart attacks are associated with high cholesterol.

Between five to six million South Africans are estimated to be living with type two diabetes, most of them undiagnosed.

Dr Verhelst explained how red yeast rice has been used for centuries as a Chinese traditional medicine and has now been recognised for its cholesterol lowering effects by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

He also talked about how cinnamon can help address diabetes and how statins are contributing to the diabetes pandemic.

Red yeast rice is found in Diabecinn Cholesterol, a food supplement which is part of the Diabecinn range, which also contains a unique water-based cinnamon extract for regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels and which is available in South Africa.