10 Drug-free Ways to

Beat Diabetes for Good

HealthierTalk.com

Copyright 2010 by HealthierTalk.com, 702 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means or for any reason without the consent of the publisher. The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All material in this publication is provided for information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this publication; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The information and opinions provided in this publication are believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to the authors, but readers who fail to consult with appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. The material in this report has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The products discussed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. HTCDPR0110

Toss the Needles, Flush the Drugs: 10 Drug-free Ways to Beat Diabetes for Good
Medicine is an extremely complex science. However, it is astonishing how simple things really are if we just allow them to be. Doctors can make things so very complicated. When the drug companies get involved, the waters get even muddier. Popping a pill may seem like a simple solution, but as weve learned over the years, such quick fixes dont solve the problem very welland all too often, they just create new ones.

More often than not, we find that the healthiest, safest, and simplest solution was right under our noses the whole time.

Skip the drugsstart with simple steps first

Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence is showing that all those drugs and all that analysis may not be necessary. The best approaches for the prevention AND treatment of Type II diabetes are simple, natural ones.

Drug companies have spent astronomical amounts of time and money developing drugs to treat it, but as the numbers show, theyve had little effect. Hundreds of doctors have spent countless hours in meetings, analyzing the data and trying to come up with scientific explanations and protocols for treatment.

Thats becoming more and more apparent in the case of Type II diabetes. Incidence rates doubled in the 15 years between 1990 and 2005. And those numbers keep climbing.

Here some of our knowledgeable contributors share with you their 10 best, all-natural, diabetes-defeating solutions. We believe that with the right tools and information you CAN defeat your diabetes forever.

HealthierTalk.com is a think tank for the natural health community. Bringing together the best minds in natural medicine, we are dedicated to informing you about the best and latest alternative health solutions.

Bringing down blood-sugar levels and keeping them under control is key. The good news is that you dont have to swear off chocolate forever or give in to the needle. There are some simple diabetes-defeating solutions you can begin to use immediately that can help bring that insulin under control and keep those drugs out of your system.

No needles, no injections, no pills

10 Drug-free Ways to Beat Diabetes for Good

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Gymnema: Ancient herbal sugar destroyer

By HealthierTalk.com Contributor - Allen Spreen, M.D.
Chief Research Advisor NorthStar Nutritionals and nationally acclaimed as Americas Nutrition Physician

This association between the physical characteristics of a plant and its potential to heal is known as the Doctrine of Signatures. One of the most profound examples of the Doctrine of Signatures is the Ayurvedic (traditional Indian medicine) herb Gymnema. The Hindi word Gurmar translates in English as sugar destroyer. The translation is literal: When Gymnema is applied to the mouth, it prevents the taste buds from perceiving sweet tastes. Chewing chocolate is like chewing butter. Grains of sugar are like grains of sand. But it is more that just a fantastic party trick. Gymnema is a well-proven treatment for diabetes, and it has been used for this purpose for over 2,000 years. In my own clinical experience, I have found Gymnema to be the best herb available for treating this condition and controlling excessive blood-sugar levels.

Nature often has a wonderful way of revealing to us the therapeutic properties of plants. When, for example, you break the stem of a greater celandine plant (Chelidonium majus), you will see a yellow sap oozing from the broken end. The resemblance of this sap to bile led ancient herbalists to conclude that this herb might be beneficial to the liver and gallbladder. Modern clinical research has supported this traditional use.

Repair diabetes damage in as little as 20 days

Gymnema contains a group of compounds known as gymnemic acids. They appear to be largely responsible for its sweet-taste-abolishing properties and also could contribute substantially to its antidiabetic activity. Many lab studies have verified the antidiabetic properties of Gymnema, but one study in particular made a remarkable finding, which could substantially expand our understanding of the value of this herb for treating diabetes.

Researchers orally administered Gymnema extract to fasting diabetic rats. The Gymnema returned the fasting rats blood-glucose levels to normal within 20 to 60 days. Surprisingly, their insulin levels rose toward normal levels and the number of beta cells in the pancreas (the cells that manufacture and secrete insulin) increased. This suggests that Gymnema might actually help to restore damaged pancreatic tissue, provided the damage has not gone too far. This extraordinary possibility is supported, to some extent, by the clinical trials on Gymnema.

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Reduce insulin requirements by 50 percent

A controlled study on insulin-dependent diabetics found that 400 milligrams per day of a water-soluble Gymnema extract reduced insulin requirements by about 50 percent. Over the duration of treatment, Gymnema lowered fasting blood-glucose levels and long-term blood-sugar levels. In addition, cholesterol was significantly reduced and brought to near normal levels. Triglycerides were also lowered.

Twenty-one of the 22 patients were able to reduce their intake of drugs; five of them discontinued such drugs entirely and maintained their blood-glucose levels with Gymnema extract alone.

A second study by the same research group found that the same Gymnema preparation (400 mg/day) produced similar results for non-insulin-dependent diabetics. Fasting blood glucose and long-term blood-sugar levels were significantly reduced compared to baseline values after 1820 months of treatment. Similar reductions were not observed in patients receiving conventional therapy alone. Fasting and post-meal serum insulin levels increased significantly in the Gymnema group as compared to those taking only conventional drugs.

Gymnema also helps beat cholesterol and triglycerides

As if Gymnemas effects on diabetes werent enough, it has also shown remarkable results against two known markers of heart disease. In the studies mentioned above, the patients taking Gymnema showed significant reductions in cholesterol and triglyceride levels. In addition, there are several studies supporting the use of Gymnema for weight loss. In one of those studies, Gymnema extract decreased weight gain and food intake when added to the diet of rats for 22 days. The extent of the reduction depended on the dosage of Gymnema.

How to use Gymnema

Gymnema can work quite quickly to control blood-sugar levels. Used on its own, it will not drop blood-sugar so far as to cause hypoglycemia. However, there is the risk this could happen if it is used together with insulin or antidiabetic drugs. So in these cases, Gymnema should only be taken under professional supervision. Dose is very important in treatment with Gymnema. The studies quoted above used 400 milligrams per day of an extract. That correlates to about 8 grams per day of the herb in tablet form. Gymnema works best when taken before meals. It is available at most healthfood stores.

10 Drug-free Ways to Beat Diabetes for Good

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Vitamins and Minerals: Essential Diabetes Defeaters

By HealthierTalk.com Contributor - Dr. Jonathan Wright
Editor of Nutrition & Healing newsletter and Director of the Tahoma Clinic

Chromium supplements have also been shown to raise HDL (good) cholesterol. My recommendation for prevention is 500 to 1,000 micrograms (1 milligram) daily, depending on the patients individual needs. Preferably, you should use one of the better absorbed forms of chromium, such as chromium aspartate, chromium polynicotinate, or chromium picolinate. In addition, I have found that chromium supplements have reduced many of my patients sugar cravings. This is especially helpful when you begin eliminating refined sugar from your diet.

Researchers have shown that 200 micrograms of chromium daily is ineffective in lowering blood-sugar in actual Type II diabetes. But when levels are raised to 1,000 micrograms daily, blood-sugar, serum-insulin, and cholesterol levels all decrease.

Although the best food sources of chromium are mushrooms, brewers yeast, and eggs, you should also take a chromium supplement if your glucose-insulin-tolerance test is abnormal. Unfortunately, the quantities youll find in most health-food stores (usually 200 microgram capsules) are much too low to provide adequate prevention or treatment of Type II diabetes.

Chromium appears to be the most useful mineral in the prevention of Type II diabetes. It is a component of a molecule in the body called glucose-tolerance factor, which is known to enhance the blood-sugar-lowering action of insulin. Chromium deficiency is all too common in the United States. One dietary survey revealed that 90 percent of Americans consume less than the so-called minimum daily intake. Animal studies have shown that chromium-deficient diets result in high blood-sugar levels.

The diabetes-preventing mineral 90% of us arent getting enough of

Niacin and niacinamide, both forms of vitamin B3, are necessary in a Type II diabetes prevention program. Niacin is another crucial component of glucose-tolerance factor. Niacinamide helps protect pancreatic islet cells against the ultimate exhaustion that can be created by years of insulin overproduction. Many of the refined foods consumed by Americans are depleted of niacin. In one study, 16 elderly individuals received either 200 mcg of chromium, 100 mg of

Another reason to take your B vitamins!

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Fortunately, many good multiple and B-complex vitamin combinations contain at least 15 to 25 milligrams of niacin and 50 to 100 milligrams of niacinamide, so separate supplementation of these items isnt usually necessary. (The rest of the B-complex group is also involved in blood-sugar metabolism; its just as well to take all the B vitamins together.)

And taking a small amount of niacin along with chromium works even better than taking chromium alone to reduce sugar cravings. Ten to 25 milligrams of niacin daily will help chromium cut sugar cravings.

niacin, or both, daily for 28 days. Fasting plasma-glucose levels and glucose tolerance were unaffected by either chromium or niacin alone. However, when both of the nutrients were supplemented, significant improvements were seen in both fasting blood-sugar and glucose tolerance. Based on the results of this study, it appears that a small amount of niacin should be included in any supplement program designed to regulate blood-sugar.

Biotin helps metabolize blood-sugar once it gets into the cells. Daily quantities of 9 to 16 milligrams have been shown to significantly lower elevated blood-sugar levels in both Type I and Type II diabetes. In experimental animals, extra biotin reduces insulin resistance and improves glucose tolerance. In one study, seven insulin-dependent diabetics were removed from insulin therapy and treated with biotin (16 mg/day) or a placebo for one week. Fasting blood-glucose levels rose significantly in patients given the placebo, but decreased significantly in those treated with biotin.

Boost your biotin levels

For preventive purposes, considerably less than these therapeutic quantities would be necessary. One or, at most, 2 milligrams daily should be sufficient. Although biotin is found in many multivitamin formulations, quantities are usually extremely low, so youll probably need to take an additional biotin supplement each day. There have been no reports of overdosing or of serious side effects from biotin. Coenzyme Q10 is synthesized in every cell in our bodies, but like most other things, the rates of synthesis decline as we get older. One study of 59 individuals with coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, elevated fasting blood-sugar levels, and elevated fasting insulin compared the effects of 120 milligrams of coenzyme Q10 daily to the effects of a placebo.

Dramatically decrease your blood-sugar levels in just eight weeks

After eight weeks, both fasting blood-sugar and fasting insulin levels dropped very significantly in those taking coenzyme Q10 as compared with the placebo group. Although this is only one published study, I have observed these coenzyme Q10 effects for years. At present, for those at risk for Type II diabetes, I recommend 30 to 60 milligrams of coenzyme Q10 daily.

10 Drug-free Ways to Beat Diabetes for Good

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Vitamin D: Light at the End of the Diabetes Tunnel

By HealthierTalk.com Contributor - Jenny Thompson
Director of the Health Sciences Institute

Let the Sun Shine

According to research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vitamin D may play a key role in glucose metabolism. But what are the best sources? The best dietary sources of vitamin D are eggs, liver, fish-liver oils, and oily fish like salmon, sardines, trout, and tuna. But by far, the best source of vitamin D is through sun exposure. When your skin is exposed to ultraviolet light, your body responds by manufacturing vitamin D.

Im not talking about vitamin C or vitamin E, although both of those vitamins have been shown to be essential in helping to prevent kidney disease in diabetics.

If you have Type II diabetes, or have been diagnosed with a prediabetic condition, you may be deficient in one vitamin that could help make a big difference in your health.

Light of day

Of course, the idea of sun exposure runs against the current popular wisdom that you should completely avoid sunlight unless covered scalp to ankles with sunblock. But sun exposure is not only good, its essential. The damage that can set the stage for skin cancer comes when exposure is extreme and results in sunburned skin. Unfortunately, the amount of sunlight needed to prompt the body to create vitamin D is only available in most of the U.S. during the summer months. For the remainder of the yearand for those who live in extreme northern or southern latitudesthe most accessible source of vitamin D is from fish-oil supplements. But before you begin taking a fish oil supplement, there are two important details to keep in mind:
I If you get regular, daily sun exposure during the summer, chances are you

I Choose a fish-oil supplement thats molecularly distilled to ensure that toxins

dont need a D supplement during those three months of the year.

The current RDA for vitamin D is only 200 IU for people under 51, 400 IU for adults 51 to 70, and 600 IU for those over 70. However, unless you have a hypersensitivity to vitamin D experts often advocate higher, proven-safe, doses of 700 IU up to 4,000 IU per day.

are kept to a minimum.

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Diabetes Solutions Straight from Your Spice Rack

By HealthierTalk.com Contributor - Alice Wessendorf
Managing Editor of HealthierTalk.com

Why not start with the most simple solutions first? There are proven all-natural food cures in your kitchen right now, that have been shown to have a lowering effect on glucose levels.

The quick fix of glucose-lowering drugs, of course, works. But they come with a cart-full of side effects ranging from weight gain to constipation.

Its a common story. Your doctor diagnoses you with Type II diabetes, dashes off a prescription, and sends you home with the advice Take your meds, dont eat sugar, and lose some weight!

The Pumpkin-pie Surprise

This diabetes fighters insulin-like effect, cheap cost, and easy availability makes it a good choice for anyone wanting to shield himself against diabetes.

Researchers, led by Dr. Richard Anderson, uncovered a connection between cinnamon and glucose levels when they found a group of 30 Type II diabetics who were given cinnamon capsules for 40 days saw a significant decreasea drop of anywhere from 18% to 29%in their blood-sugar levels. Participants also saw drops in triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels.

Turns out that cinnamonyes the same spice used in pumpkin piehas been hiding a diabetes-fighting secret in its sweet bark.

The Pickling Prodigy

Studies have shown that fenugreek can help stabilize blood-sugar in diabetics. In one double-blind placebo-controlled study, 25 Type II diabetics were randomly divided into two groups and given either a fenugreek-seed extract or a placebo for two months. At the end of the testing period, the researchers determined that those receiving the fenugreek wound up with improved glycemic control and a decrease in insulin resistance. As a happy side benefit, you may find that the spice improves your cholesterol levels as well.

Fenugreek is native to southeast Europe and west Asia. The plants small seeds are used in pickling and to spice food and can often be found in Middle Eastern and North African dishes.

You can get fenugreek in seed, capsule, powder, and gum forms. A word of warning, however: Fenugreek can sometimes work so well that it drops sugar levels too drastically. Be

10 Drug-free Ways to Beat Diabetes for Good

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sure to talk to your doctor before trying it.

The Mustard Miracle

Turmeric has an anti-inflammatory effect, and several animal studies have shown it to lower blood-sugar levels. The active ingredient in it is curcumin, and it is believed that this ingredient is the part of the spice that has shown promise in lowering glucose levels. One animal study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that mice that were given curcumin had lower blood-glucose levels and even lost weight. All signs point to its being a useful spice for diabetics. Start adding it to your favorite dishes today.

Turmeric is a member of the ginger family and is native to South Asia. The stems of the plant are ground into a deep yellow-orange powder that is often used in curry dishes and in mustards.

The Soft-drink Stunner

Ginger has been used in Asia for over 3,000 years both as a spice to flavor foods and as a medicinal herb. And, of course, it is the spice used in fizzy ginger ales. Several animal studies hint at gingers ability to lower blood-sugar as well as serve to ward off metabolic syndrome, a condition that often precedes Type II diabetes. One recent animal study, published in the journal Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, concluded that there is indeed evidence to support using ginger to ward off metabolic syndrome. Another study, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, found that ginger led to better glucose tolerance.

You can get fresh ginger at your grocery store. It can be added to dishes ranging from salad dressings to pasta. You may also find ginger-root supplements your local drugstore or natural-food store.

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Sources:
Antony Q. et al. Cinnamon Supplementaion in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Pharmacotherapy 2007: 595-599 Chiu KC. et al. Hypovitaminosis D is Associated with Insulin Resistance and Beta Cell Dysfunction. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004; 79: 820-825 Ceriello A, et al. Vitamin E reduction of protein glycosylation in diabetes. Diabetes Care 1991; 14: 68-72 Anderson RA, et al. Chromium intake, absorbption and excretion of subjects consuming self-selected diets. Am J Clin Nutr 1985; 41: 1,177-1,183

Coggeshall JC, et al. Biotin status and plasma glucose in diabetics. Ann NY Acad Sci 1985; 447: 389-393 Douglass D. Low Vitamin D Linked to Insulin Resistance. reutershealth.com, 6/29/04 Gupta A. et al. Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) seeds on glycaemic control and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. J Assoc Physicians India 2001: 1057-61

H A Bischoff-Ferrari et al. Fall prevention with supplemental and active forms of vitamin D: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 2009: 339 Islam MS et al. Comparative effects of dietary ginger (Zingiber officinale) and garlic (Allium sativum) investigated in a type 2 diabetes model of rats. J Med Food. 2008;11:152-9 Kato A. et al. Protective effects of dietary chamomile tea on diabetic complications. J Agric Food Chem 2008: 8206-11 Jarvill-Taylor KJ et al. A hydroxychalone derived from cinnamon functions as a mimetic for insulin in 3T30L1 adipocytes. J Am Coll Nutr 2001: 327-36

Mercola J. Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency. mercola.com, 2/23/02

Khan A. et al. Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People with Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2003: 3215-3218 Nahas R. et al. Complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Can Fam Physician 2009: 591-6

Nammi S. et al. Protective effects of ethanolic extract of Zingiber officinale rhizome on the development of metabolic syndrome in high-fat diet-fed rats. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2009;104:366-73

Toepfer EW. et al. Preparation of Chromium containing material of glucose tolerance factor activity from brewers yeast extracts and by synthesis. J Agric Food Chem 1977; 25: 162-166 Vieth R et al. Vitamin D supplementation, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations, and Safety. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999; 69: 842-856

Seo KI et al. Effect of curcumin supplementation on blood glucose, plasma insulin, and glucose homeostasis related enzyme activities in diabetic db/db mice. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008; 52: 995-1004 Urberg M. et al. Evidence for synergism between chromium and nicotinic acid in the control of glucose tolerance in elderly humans. Metabolism 1987; 36: 896-899

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