Cures In The Kitchen For Diabetes
Dear Pharmacist,
Last week I learned from your column that my medicine is derived from a reptile! I would like more information about the drug Byetta and some of its side effects. I would also like some natural remedies to try. –
M.T., Boston, Massachusetts
ANSWER: Byetta (exenatide) is fascinating because it’s derivedfrom the saliva of Gila monsters. Researchers, who didn’t mindgetting chummy with the giant lizards, extracted their ‘spit’ and found a hormone called incretin that is 50 percent identical to a human hormone needed to lower blood sugar. Long story short, a cleaned-up, powerful rug came to fruition in April 2005, when the FDA approved Byetta as an add-on therapy for type 2 diabetes. I’m still stuck on how they make Gila monsters salivate—do they dangle juicy rodents in front of them?
Byetta is an injectable drug which exhibits many of the same effects as the human incretin hormone called GLP-1 and works on the pancreas, liver and brain. In plain English, this means that it helps you digest that 12-inch sub. Without enough incretin, you wouldn’t make enough insulin and then your blood sugar levels would remain too high. Voila, diabetes.
If you already take insulin, you shouldn’t take Byetta. Side effects may include soreness at the injection site, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or the jitters.
A few natural alternatives can be found in the kitchen:
Red Tea: a.k.a. African Red Bush—it protects the tiny capillaries that lead to your heart, kidneys and brain preventing microvascular complications like kidney failure. Since it’s herbal, it won’t aggravate kidney stones.
Cinnamon: It reduces blood sugar; sprinkle 1 teaspoonful in tea, cocoa, smoothies, cereal or oatmeal.
Garlic: Cook with 2 freshly-minced garlic cloves every day or supplement with aged garlic, like Kyolic’s brand sold nationwide at health food stores (www.kyolic.com)
Gymnema sylvestre: An Ayurvedic herb which is remarkable because it can normalize blood sugar, control cholesterol and reduce carb cravings. Take 300 – 800 mg before each meal.
Alpha Lipoic Acid: A nutrient that helps prevent and relieve painful neuropathies
Chromium: It has a balancing effect on blood sugar
Bitter Melon Extract: Sold as an oral supplement or tea (www.charanteausa.com), this powerful natural herb acts like insulin and also reduces cholesterol.
White Flour: Eliminate white-flour pastries and breads because they spike blood sugar, plus white flour may contain “alloxan”—a chemical which can destroy your pancreas which makes insulin. Whole grains are better for diabetics, provided you are not gluten (wheat) sensitive, or have Celiac disease.
Gluten-intolerant people (and full-blown Celiacs) may have a higher risk for developing diabetes or pancreatitis. If you would like a little more information on gluten intolerance and how it may masquerade as an auto-immune disorder, watch me on this youtube video. CLICK HERE TO WATCH SHORT VIDEO.
I'm a graduate of the University of Florida and have been a licensed pharmacist for nearly 20 years. People call me “America’s Most Trusted Pharmacist” because I've spent the last 10 years writing a syndicated column on health which reaches millions of people each week.
Read more from Suzy at http://www.dearpharmacist.com
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Comments
Anonymous
In the mini-article "Big Pharma wants to export vaccines to Africa," the good Dr. Douglass reports that: "there's a simple solution to malaria, and it's not a shot in the arm. It's DDT." He then proceeds to blame the U.S government and "environmentalist cuckoos" for stopping the use of this chemical in the battle against malaria, further saying that "DDT is deadly to mosquitoes but not to any mammal, fish, or foul." I would beg to differ.
I suppose he would call me an "environmentalist cuckoo," but he's completely ignoring the fact that DDT is responsible for the near extinction of our national bird (the bald eagle), as well as pelicans, and peregrin falcons. If the good doctor had bothered to do any research (I strongly suggest reading Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring), he would never share this lie with anyone ever again.
Furthermore, no insecticide--regardless of its strenght--has proven 100% successful at eliminating ANY insect pest. This is due to the fact that, while initially killing a great part of a population, some of the animals prove to be immune to the chemical, and will then pass on this immunity to proceeding generations, rendering the chemical mostly useless. This is why the agricultural industry has to resort to stronger and stronger insecticides to keep harmful insect populations under control.
I strongly suggest Dr. Douglass do a little research before he goes around making such dangerous statements. I'm extremely disappointed.
Anonymous
Byetta is the latest FDA-approved diabetes drug to be linked to organ damage and death. Rather than banning Byetta (which has been shown to cause pancreatitis), the FDA has announced it would simply require stronger warnings on the product label.
As as type 2 diabetic I have tried ALL the alternatives you mention (and BTW, you fail to differentiate between culinary cinnamon, which can be dangerous, and true cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum), and I can testify that none has worked for me. The only strategies to lower my A1C - and I AM lowering it - are careful monitoring of the diet, including weight loss, and physical activity.
Pegg Gannon
Byetta is the latest FDA-approved diabetes drug to be linked to organ damage and death. Rather than banning Byetta (which has been shown to cause pancreatitis), the FDA has announced it would simply require stronger warnings on the product label.
As as type 2 diabetic I have tried ALL the alternatives you mention (and BTW, you fail to differentiate between culinary cinnamon, which can be dangerous, and true cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum), and I can testify that none has worked for me. The only strategies to lower my A1C - and I AM lowering it - are careful monitoring of the diet, including weight loss, and physical activity.
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