!Hello, I have diabetes in the family. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, and it went away after first 2, but stayed after my 3rd baby. So I have type 2 diabetes now. I was trying to get rid of it by losing weight and doctor did not put me on any medication hoping I could lose weight and get rid of it. I wanted to do it without the drugs....After I lost 40 lbs (about half of what I needed to lose) I got pregnant again and had to take insulin during pregnancy. Now the baby is out, she prescribed Metmorfin, but after doing research on it, I read that it could rarely, but still cause a potentially fatal desease called lactic acidosis. Well I dont want to take the risk (what if I'm one of the rare cases? - I have 4 kids that need me!)
My doctor says this medicine is considered the safest out there for diabetes, and she seems annoyed by the fact that I dont want to take it. I told her I would rather take insulin... why are doctors such pill pushers anyways?
So I started doing research on alternative medicines, I see that chromium, magnesium and other possible supplements could be taken. I also went back to working out last week, so I can start losing weight again.
I was wondering if any of you had tried any alternative medicine or supplements and were successful at managing your diabetes...
Thank you
A co-worker of mine changed his diet to no meat/vegan diet after losing lots of weight he is now off all meds and his "diabetes" is gone, but they are still monitoring him.
I think it was the vegan diet.. no meat or animal by products.
Good luck.
Your doc was probably annoyed because the chances that you will have serious and potentially life changing complications from untreated high blood glucose is much higher than having a fatal reaction to Metformin. Exercise and a healthy diet is your best bet at not needing insulin or pills, but in the meantime it's imperative to manage your blood sugar levels. After years of taking care of people in the hospital that have lost limbs, their vision, and ultimately their lives to a preventable disease I encourage you to take this seriously and not put off treatment!
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I was diagnosed at age 55. I maintained a fairly normal glucose range for 9 more years strictly through diet and exercise. My diet basically consists of avoiding just about all carbohydrates except for those that occur naturally in low-glycemic vegetables. Veggies and meat/fish/poultry/egg/soy protein are basically the safe foods that control blood sugar and allow weight loss for many Type II diabetics.
In the past several months my blood sugar finally became harder to control (this is usually a progressive illness as the pancreas gradually gets exhausted from over-producing insulin), and now I'm taking a low dose of metformin daily. There are some risks, as with any medication including aspirin, but the risk is far less dangerous than uncontrolled diabetes, which causes a whole range of harmful effects in the body and often leads to early death.
I do take several supplements that are believed to help the body control glucose, including chromium, cinnamon, banaba extract and a couple of others. These may help people in the very earliest stages, but they do NOT significantly lower my glucose. I still need the metformin, which helps my body use the insulin I produce more effectively (lowers insulin resistance). And I still need a very careful diet and exercise.
There are some studies that suggest that high doses of insulin are toxic to the body and cause long-term damage, and I hope to stay off insulin for a few more years. All the research I've done shows that metformin is a safer treatment for as long as it works. I also had the wonderful side effects from metformin of having more energy, less hunger, and it seemed to help me lose a bit of weight that had just been sticking to me no matter how little I ate. Plus, it's inexpensive.
So before you reject it, I hope you'll do some careful research. There's plenty of information online.
some ideas & thoughts: my dermatologist actually suggested that I start on Metformin to aid in losing weight since I'm pre-diabetic as the result of having gestational diabetes (no meds/insulin required, controlled thru diet only) & I'm PCOS. He swears it will stabilize my body quicker & safer than any other diabetes drug. My DH takes Metformin.....as did both my Dad & MIL. Zero known side effects on any of them!
With my gestational diabetes, I was able to control it thru diet only. Consulting with a nutritionist was the best thing I've ever done! The skills I learned have carried me thru the past 15 years.
The only supplement I would trust would be increasing the amount of cinnamon in your diet. There are cinnamon capsules also available, but I prefer adding it into my foods/drinks. Don't do it often, just occasionally. :)
If you have a moniter and can strictly follow a low glycemic load and always exercise everyday without fail, keep your weight in check all the time, eat balanced so that the majority of your vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are done food based then only suppliment with pills(vitamin/mineral/herbal) and maintain a blood sugar between 80 to 110 then go for it. However if you fail to do this then you are hurting kidneys, blood vessels, liver, eyes at a faster rate then metformin would do. The damage occurs when the unmetabolized glucose catches a ride on the red blood cell and injures these areas. Skipping to straight insulin for a non pregnant controlled with a pill diabetic is not a great idea read up on insulins and all of the issues with it on top of that if you accidentally inject too much you may go unconcious and unable to regain it, you will have a medical pen with a needle in the home with small children. Try your way for a bit and be accepting of the pill if you just can do it with all the mommy stuff you have to do.
Check out the movie, Forks over Knives. There is a lot of good info on Dr. Oz's website.
Are you exercising?
I helped my mother manage her diabetes with supplements. I can send you some information if you like. Make sure the supplements you choose actually have proof they are safe and effective.
I am not a doctor...nor do I play one on tv...I did have a type I diabetic mother and myself had gestational diabetes.
You NEED to keep your blood sugars in the healthy range usually about 80-110...if you can do this with diet and exercise then my all means go for it. If you cannot, Metmorfin can help you keep your sugars in check...pretty much every drug causes side effects and can cause a life threatening reaction.
Research insulin side effects are they better or worse?
I would think a rare three or four out of 100,000 risk would be better than an constant slow killing of your veins and arteries. Diabetes is a circulatory disease...it causes you to lose blood circulation from your extremities in towards your core. It is slow...but constant when your blood sugar is too high.
My mom who was insulin dependent would have loved to only have to take a pill everyday. She died at 57 from diabetes complications, after having to have her leg amputated. She fell and broke her leg...anyone else would have gotten a cast and been fine. She didn't have enough blood circulating in her legs to allow the break to heal and her foot started to die from lack of circulation. Then after amputation the stress on her body shut her kidneys down and she needed dialysis...they finally got up and running again. Then a few days later, her heart stopped...it couldn't take any more stress.
She checked her blood sugar...she watched what she ate...she maintained her weight...it caught up with her. She lived with it 50 years...but had she not been so careful it would have been half that time.
It is a disease that sneaks up on you...you don't see it until it hits you hard...please take care of yourself!!
I highly recommend reading up on the Atkins diet, the south beach diet, and also a book called the 8 week cholesterol cure by Robert Kowalski. These books will explain how foods interact with each other and offer lots of vitamin ideas.
You can greatly reduce your risk of it by focusing on raw fruits and veggies as the 80% bulk of your diet............not only has it been proven to reduce the chances significantly it has also shown to reverse the onset.
I assume you already know to steer clear of white flour and sugar products and focus on lower spiking carbohydrates such as whole wheat and low glycemic sugars.
You can also try Chromium picolinate, bitter melon extract and cinnamon extract serums or pills....they also are proven to lower blood sugar, but use carefully because they so effective you could accidentally lower it too much.
