Berberine. I was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago following years of doctoring for high blood pressure. About that same time, my doctor decided my cholesterol level was too high(206) and needed to take a statin drug. For diabetes, he prescribed Metformin. It gave me stomachaches. He said it shouldn’t, also prescribed Glipizide. I couldn’t control my blood pressure and was getting sicker. I decided to start researching natural means of better health. I found out that many drugs deplete needed nutrients from the body leading to a host of other diseases. I started supplementing, a lot. Magnesium was first.
I discovered berberine and started taking it and quit the Metformin, etc. I never did take the Simvistatin drug. I also changed my diet, cutting out bread, pasta, all soda pop, limited processed foods, etc. Also would take a short ten minute walk after a meal.
My A1c dropped to normal and so did my cholesterol, all done by natural means.
Here are a few links. Some of the best ones I had were no longer available but these will give you a good picture.
http://www.raysahelian.com/berberine.html
http://nutritionandhealing.com/2014/11/20/metformin-cant-touch-berberine-for-diabetes-treatment/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/06/22/berberine-benefits.aspx#!
http://www.life-enhancement.com/magazine/article/2455-berberine-gives-diabetes-the-12-punch
I have two brothers and a sister who take insulin for diabetes. IMO, they wouldn’t need to if they’d change their lifestyle. Many people “shoot up” in order to keep eating the junk they always have. Taking insulin stops the normal insulin receptors in the body from working properly. In other words, drugs treat the symptom and not the problem.
btw, my blood pressure is also down. My joints are no longer aching. My regime is in taking care of the whole body because one thing leads to another. Healthy blood, healthy gut, healthy brain. Sorry for rambling. I’m quite passionate on this subject.
http://www.life-enhancement.com/magazine/article/2439-berberine-is-superior-to-metformin
Missed posting this one. Great info on the benefits of berberine.
Thanks for the info. I went through a bottle or two of berberine last year and saw no effect. I will try it again.
I’ve had diabetes for about 5 years. Take metformin and glipizide for glucose control, simvistatin for cholesterol and fenofibrate fir triglycerides. Maybe I’m fortunate, but I’ve never noticed any side effects from metformin.
About 8 months ago, my doctor suggested I might want to consider injections, so I got serious about diet and exercise. I cut out diet soda, cut way back on processed carbs, and eat lots more fruit, salad and nuts. A1c went from 7.4 to 5.6; cholesterol went from 240 to 150; triglycerides went from 400 to 84.
For me, diet and exercise have a lot bigger impact than medications. My original goal was to get off all medications, but having read more about it, I want to keep taking metformin. metformin is made from a lilac plant and has been used for centuries as a herbal remedy. Just because it comes in a pill, I don’t see any difference between that and cinnamon, turmeric, fish oil, or green tea, all of which I include in my diet now.
Re: Mouse studies. You don’t want to rely exclusively on research using mice. All kinds of substances can be shown to do near miraculous things in mice (r.g. cure cancer), yet when tested in humans results are disappointing. Happens all the time.