Diabetes is in the news again. While we're being inundated with holiday sweets, supplement companies are promoting herbs they say will help lower high blood sugar. It's tempting to think a magic bullet can solve a serious problem like diabetes. But are these herbs effective for controlling diabetes? Are they safe? Do they interact with drugs or other nutrients?
Some nutrients used for diabetes are based on sound scientific studies. Others have little or no science to support either their safety or effectiveness. Instead, manufacturers rely on folk medicine and testimonials from people who have had dramatic improvements.
Frankly, I don't mind testimonials when it comes to weight loss or getting a good night's sleep. But with a serious illness like diabetes, cancer, or heart disease I say, "Show Me The Science!" These diseases are nothing to fool around with. And self-medication of any kind can be dangerous.
Don't get me wrong. I think a lot of good information begins with folk medicine. And testimonials certainly indicate that a particular substance works for some people. But science can help us understand how and why a substance works. It can also identify toxic levels. Sometimes taking more nutrients is toxic, not better. Let's look at what we know, and what we suspect, about three herbs being touted for diabetes. In some cases, there's a huge difference between the two.
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia)
What they say: Cinnamon is generally recognized as safe by the FDA. It shows promise in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. Just one-quarter of a teaspoon of cinnamon can reduce high blood sugar in diabetics.
What we know: Cinnamon is very safe when it's used as a spice. However, we don't know how safe it is to take from one-and-a-half to three teaspoons of it a day, every day for two months or longer. This is the amount a recent study found to improve blood glucose levels. The study suggests that even less than one-and-a-half teaspoons may be effective, but it's too early to know if this is true.
Cinnamon has antimicrobial activity. So we know it kills bad bugs. In addition, laboratory cell studies found it to have a compound (MHCP) that increases glucose metabolism. But Richard Anderson, a cinnamon expert with the USDA, believes that it's cinnamon's Type-A polymers that help make insulin receptor sites more sensitive to insulin. Which is it? Only time and more studies will tell.
Meanwhile, Anderson cautions that cinnamon contains toxic compounds and shouldn't be used in high amounts. What's high? As much as half a gram is safe, says Anderson. However, the higher amounts used in other studies may not be.
Concerns about cinnamon's safety resurfaced with the publication of an Indian study that found raw Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) caused cells to mutate and promoted several forms of cancer. What about other species of cinnamon? The jury is still out.
What I suspect: Using cinnamon to regulate blood sugar may work, but with conflicting study results, we don't know how much is safe and effective. There are too many unknowns for me to feel comfortable. I want to know how and why it works. I need to know how much can be toxic and if this amount is the same for everyone. I need to know if it's contraindicated when taken with other substances. My suggestion: Wait for more studies on its safety and efficacy. It looks promising, but I'm not convinced of its safety. For now, stick with using it freely and often as a spice. It's unlikely you'll take too much this way.
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum)
What they say: Fenugreek seed, or its defatted powder, may improve glucose tolerance. But fenugreek seed is bitter and the amount you need to take is rather high, so use an extract instead of the seed. (Note: Extracts are notoriously more expensive than seeds.)
What we know: There have been a number of good studies on fenugreek seed that show it significantly reduced blood sugar in people with both type-l and type-2 diabetes.
Fenugreek seed probably works by slowing down the intestinal absorption of glucose. It also decreases insulin resistance. This lets your body respond when blood sugar levels are too high.
While the seed is bitter, defatted fenugreek powder is not. The problem is you need a lot of it to control blood sugar levels. The suggested doses vary greatly, from 15-25 grams of seed or powder a day for type-2 diabetes, to two servings of 50 grams a day for type-1 diabetes. This is not only a lot of powder — or capsules — it's also expensive. Fifteen grams equals about half an ounce, so a four-ounce bag of the powder, costing around $5, will last only a little over a week. Or you could take 30 capsules (500 mg each) a day.
What I suspect: Because there are a number of scientific studies on fenugreek and diabetes, I expect we'll see more tinctures and extracts on the market in the future. Manufacturers of capsules will probably use powders containing a standardized extract of its active ingredients. This should reduce the quantity of capsules you'd need to take each day. A word of caution: Only use a product that has been subjected to sound scientific studies. Presently, we have studies on the whole herb powder, but not on extracts.
If you decide to use fenugreek seed to help regulate your blood sugar, please have your doctor monitor you carefully as you try various amounts of the seed, powder, or extracts.
Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia streptacantha)
What they say: Prickly pear cactus (nopales) regulates blood sugar when its fruit is eaten daily. It's used throughout Mexico to control diabetes.
What we know: Much of the information on prickly pear cactus is based on several studies by Alberto C. Frati-Munari and is far from conclusive.
In one study, 16 diabetic patients were given 500 grams of broiled nopales stems to eat each day. The cactus caused a drop in blood sugar, possibly by increasing insulin sensitivity.
In another study, Frati-Munari gave some diabetics 10 capsules of ground cactus powder three times a day. There was a slight benefit on glucose levels, but the researchers found it was impractical to take this many capsules every day.
A third study by other researchers found that when prickly pear cactus was given to diabetic rats on insulin, their blood-sugar levels normalized. After seven weeks on this combined therapy, the cactus extract alone was enough. This is a promising study, but we need more information before rushing to use it.
What I suspect: Like fenugreek seed, prickly pear cactus appears to help regulate blood sugar in diabetics by increasing insulin sensitivity. It may work best when it's eaten daily as a food. This is practical if you live in Mexico.
Otherwise, I suggest you wait for more studies on its extracts. You have to eat too much of this food to get the desired effect now.
For more information on this food, pick up a copy of Prickly Pear Cactus Medicine by Ran Knishinsky (Healing Arts Press, 2004). You'll find recipes, suppliers of the raw material, and additional information on its uses for diabetes, high cholesterol, and low immunity.
Bottom line
Herbs can cause sudden impacts on blood sugar levels that vary from person to person. Only a health care practitioner experienced in their use should use them.
It's also important to know that herbs should not be used alone, but as part of a comprehensive lifestyle program. Frankly, if I had diabetes, I'd lose weight, exercise daily, and remove refined carbohydrates from my diet before reaching for any supplement.
If you're taking any medication at all and want to try using an herb to regulate your blood sugar, please talk with your pharmacist first. He or she can make sure there are no known contraindications between your drugs and nutrients.
Next, take this information to your doctor and tell him or her what you intend to do. You should be closely monitored if you're using any herb to regulate blood sugar. Drug, herb, and nutrient interactions vary from person to person. Report any fluctuations in your blood sugar to your doctor immediately. Diabetes is nothing to fool around with. There's no quick fix.
Balachandran, B., and V.M. Sivaramkrishnan. "Induction of tumours by Indian dietary constituents," Indian J Cancer, September 1995.
Frati-Munari, A.C., et al. "Evaluation of nopal capsules in diabetes mellitus," Gac Med Mex, July-August 1992.
Frati-Munari, A.C., et al. "Hypoglycemic effect of Opuntia streptacantha Lemaire in NIDDM," Diabetes Care, January 1988.
Head, Kathi, ND. Everything You Need to Know About Diabetes, Prima Publishing, 1999.
Khan, Alam, PhD, et al. "Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type-2 diabetes," Diabetes Care, December 2003.
Knishinsky, Ran. Prickly Pear Cactus Medicine, Healing Arts Press, 2004.
McCook, Alison. "A spoonful of cinnamon helps treat diabetes," Diabetes News, 2003, Reuters Health.
Trejo-Gonzalez A., et al. "A purified extract from prickly pear cactus (Opuntia fuliginosa) controls experimentally induced diabetes in rats," J Enthnopharmacol, December 1996.
Ungsurungsie, M., et al. "Mutagenicity screening of popular Thai spices," Food Chem Toxicol, October 1982.
Werbach, Melvyn R., MD and Michael T. Murray, Michael, ND. Botanical Influences on Illness, Third Line Press, 1994.
Eliminate Pain With Help From This Under-Used Technology
There's a simple, non-invasive, painless, non-toxic diagnostic test that can often locate the source and cause of chronic pain. Once you know where your pain is coming from — not just where it hurts — it can be treated effectively.
But even the best doctors are working in the dark without an accurate diagnosis. Surgeries and other treatments may fail, leaving you with unrelenting chronic pain.
Well, I've got good news for you. The same technology that can detect early breast cancer may help identify the source and cause of your pain.
I'm talking about thermography, also known as digital infrared imaging (DII).
How thermography can uncover your source of pain
If you remember, I've explained in the past that cancer needs a constant food supply to thrive and grow. The body sends out blood vessels to feed a tumor when food isn't available. Blood vessels are warmer than surrounding healthy tissues, and thermograms — which are infrared pictures of heat patterns — register this unexpected heat.
Increased blood vessel activity is not the only reason for unexpected heat. Inflammation is another. This is how thermography becomes a valuable diagnostic tool for locating the cause of pain.
If you have chronic pain that no one has been able to help, ask your doctor for a thermogram to help identify its cause. Especially if you have chronic burning pain called reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD).
One reason for unrelenting pain
With RSD, pain is caused by an abnormality occurring somewhere along a nerve pathway. It can happen to anyone at any age, but RSD affects more women than men. We think that nerve damage occurs in the nervous system where the diameter of blood vessels is controlled. The result is swelling, changes in blood flow, or changes in the tissues surrounding the effected nerve. Simply speaking, this translates to inflammation, and thermography is great at detecting inflammation. It finds nerve and blood vessel abnormalities, which are the underlying causes for many types of RSD.
Thermography can show if a treatment is working. It tells doctors whether or not pain-blocking medications will be successful and where to inject them. For instance, is the pain in your hands caused by arthritis or poor circulation? If a thermogram shows hot spots, you have an inflammation that could be arthritis. If it shows cold areas, it's an indication of poor circulation. Each requires different treatment.
Some doctors have found thermography useful in diagnosing diabetic foot pain. Poor circulation registers as cold areas on the thermogram. In this case, a proper diagnosis can save a patient from unnecessary amputation! It can also prevent unnecessary surgeries for carpal tunnel, spinal disc problems, and TMJ by identifying the source of the pain.
Thermography is particularly useful in helping to diagnose chronic pain from chemical burns, infection, and postherpetic neuralgia (pain that occurs after hepatitis). But it also has been used to help define other sources of pain. Here are just a few.
Lower back pain: You may think you're on your way to better health if an MRI discovered a bulging disc. Perhaps not. That disc may be pinching a nerve, but has the function of that nerve been altered? A thermogram can tell by identifying unusual hot or cold spots. French doctors found that sciatic pain was almost always accompanied by abnormal blood vessel flow. That is exactly what thermograms identify so easily.
Facial pain: Researchers at the UCLA School of Dentistry found that thermography can help identify the cause of facial pain. They compared clinical diagnoses with thermograms over six years. People with "hot" thermograms had TMJ, sinusitis, and peripheral nerve pain. Those with "normal" thermograms had cracked teeth and trigeminal or pretrigeminal neuralgia. Ninety-two percent of the diagnoses agreed with one another. If the cause of your facial pain can be identified early, you'll get the proper treatment. Otherwise, an acute pain can become chronic.
Headaches: Most of nearly one thousand people with all kinds of headaches — those that occurred daily, migraines, cluster headaches, and post-traumatic headaches — had abnormal thermograms. Other studies identified their source as either coming from muscle contractions or vascular instability. In some cases, a cold spot, not heat, helped diagnose the type of headache and led to its successful treatment.
Carpal tunnel syndrome: Among those diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, there are more people who don't have the problem than those who do, suspects Dr. William Amalu, a board certified clinical thermologist. He examined hundreds of thermograms and found only a fraction of people with wrist pain actually had carpal tunnel syndrome. "Their pain didn't originate in their wrist," he told me. "It was in their forearm, neck, or shoulder. No wonder so many carpal tunnel surgeries fail!"
Your next step
Most thermography centers can help you locate the cause and origin of your chronic pain. You can find a list of thermography centers in my special report, "The Life-Saving Breakthrough That Goes Beyond Mamograms." Or, you can call Dr. Amalu, president of the International Academy of Clinical Thermology (650-361-8908). While his list of thermography centers is less extensive than mine, all of those on both lists do excellent work.
Ford, R.G. and K.T. Ford. "Thermography in the diagnosis of headache," Semin Neurol, 1997.
Gratt, B.M., et al. "A six-year clinical assessment of electronic fascial thermography," Dentomaxillofac Radiol, November 1996.
Hooshmand, Hooshang, MD, et al. "Infrared Thermal Imaging as a Tool in Pain Management – An 11 Year Study."
Hooshmand, Hooshang, MD. Chronic Pain: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Prevention and Management, CRC Press, 2000 NW Corporate Blvd, Boca Raton, FL 33431 (www.crcpress.com).
Mongini, F., et al. "Thermographic findings in cranio-facial pain," Headache, July 1990.
Simple Steps to Be Happier and Healthier During the Holidays
Life is so complex these days that we often overlook simple solutions. You can't even buy a cookie without being inundated with "low carb," "low net carbs," sugar, no sugar, wheat, no wheat, fat, low fat, no fat. It's enough to drive anyone crazy.
Instead of choosing a good solution, we look for the perfect one. Well, I have news for you. There is no perfect cookie! Follow this advice: "Forget perfection. Aim for excellence."
It's especially difficult to find simple solutions this time of the year. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy even in the midst of shopping, baking, cleaning, and entertaining.
Simplify your diet
Begin by eating clean, whole foods: fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. "Clean" means organic produce, grass-fed beef, free-range chickens, and wild (not farmed) fish whenever possible. Do the best you can.
Once you've made this important change in your diet, you can decide on your next step. It depends on your priorities. Do you need to control your sugar cravings? Then eat more protein. Do you need to find an easy way to eat more vegetables? Buy baby carrots or prewashed and cut vegetables. They may have lost a few vitamins, but you'll gain whatever they still contain.
Simplify your supplements
Look for formulas rather than individual vitamins and minerals. Begin by taking a good multivitamin/mineral. Vitality Plus (800-728-2288) is one I like for balance and quality. It's the one I take. It comes in individual packets I can carry with me and contains a capsule of essential fatty acids (EFAs), so I don't need a separate EFA supplement.
When you're ready, take another step. Add formulas designed to address your particular needs, like your memory, vision, immune system, or joints. Begin by adding one formula. When a single nutrient is appropriate, take that single supplement. But if a nutrient can be found in a complete formula, use the formula.
Simplify your exercise
Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart. Resistance exercise strengthens your bones. You need both. Walking is not enough. At best, it's only aerobic. If you stroll, or stop at the corner to cross the street, your exercise is not aerobic. To help your heart, you need to walk briskly without stopping for 20-30 minutes. To add resistance training, carry light hand weights. Swing your arms as you walk for best results. This simple exercise combines the two types of exercise you need.
Simplify your medications
When you exercise, improve your diet, and take supplements, your needs for medication may change. You may be taking more than you need. Have your doctor review all of your prescriptions now, and at least once a year, to see if you can take fewer drugs or lower dosages. Do not make these changes on your own.
Some drugs are incompatible with particular nutrients. Give a list of your drugs and supplements to your local pharmacist and ask him or her to check their database for any drug/nutrient interactions.
Simplify your focus on life
There's a wonderful little book that can help you refocus. It's called Don't Sweat the Small Stuff ... and it's all small stuff (Richard Carlson, PhD, Hyperion Books, 1997). Here are a few of his ideas I particularly like:
"Let others be 'right' most of the time." Let them enjoy the happiness that comes when you listen to them and don't criticize their comments. Even when they're wrong. In the long run, it doesn't matter who's right.
"Do one thing at a time." When you focus on cooking a meal or talking on the phone or doing the laundry, you're being present. It's difficult to enjoy doing any of them when you do two or more things at once.
"Think of what you have instead of what you want." Is your glass half full or half empty? Do you think of how much happier you'd be if you had more energy, more money, a bigger house, more clothes? Even if you're going through hard times, you have a roof over your head. You have enough to eat. Be grateful for what you have, enjoy whatever else comes to you.
Simplifying is the key to a happier, healthier life. Years ago, someone suggested a slogan for my nutritional counseling:
"Keep your life simple, and your carbohydrates complex." It's better than a good slogan. It's good advice to live by. And I do.
Nutrition Detective
Food Fad or Way of Life?
Sales of low-carb foods are slipping, much to the disappointment of manufacturers who try to charge more for low-carb foods than for their regular counterparts. Consider Bestfoods. This company planned to charge 25 percent more for its Carb Options salad dressings ... until Kraft Foods introduced its CarbWell line at a lower price.
For manufacturers, low-carb foods have been a way to increase revenue. Profit is the name of the game, not your health. They jump on any and all food fads with a host of new products. And that's what the low-carb craze is for some — yet another diet to try until they can't continue eating that way because it's tasteless or too confining. For others, reducing carbohydrates is the key to feeling better and losing weight. In which category do you belong?
Reduce carbohydrates sensibly. Eliminate as many refined carbs, such as white flour and sugar, as you can. This will restore balance to your diet. And that's what good nutrition and a good weight-loss program are all about: eating a balanced diet of whole foods. If you have difficulty lowering your carbohydrates, pick up a copy of The Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman, MS, CNS (McGraw-Hill, 2002). It outlines a sensible lower carb way of life based on eating good-quality whole foods. Her Fat Flush Fitness Plan, written with fitness expert Joanie Greggains (McGraw-Hill, 2004), incorporates exercise and lifestyle changes that enhance the effects of a healthy diet. That's balance!
If you lower your carb intake by eating low-carb processed foods, you're buying into a food fad and making food manufacturers wealthy. Ultimately, it will not work for you. Find a way to eat that gives you the taste and nutrients you need to stay healthier and maintain your weight.
Tip: At holiday meals, when some carbs are too tempting to pass up, take a supplement containing Phase2, or Phaseolin, before your meal. This substance, made from white kidney beans, blocks the absorption of most starches, allowing you to eat some stuffing or a roll today without wearing it tomorrow.
Adamy, Janet. The Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2004.
Ask Dr. Nan
Q: Would you check out the allegations that Zicam Cold Remedy causes loss of smell and is dangerous? It's been a lifesaver to our family, so I'm not ready to give it up on the basis of an allegation from someone I don't know. — L.B., e-mail
A:This allegation began in 2003 when a doctor from the University of Colorado gave an anecdotal presentation concerning a 55-year-old man with lupus and allergies who was using pharmaceutical drugs as well as Zicam. He lost his sense of smell, but there was no evidence that Zicam caused it. No one could prove the two were related.
The distributor, Matrixx Initiatives, gave an independent panel unrestricted grants to investigate whether or not Zicam causes anosmia (loss of smell). There are now three studies with 3.7 million people. The first study found that one to two percent of all people have anosmia, which can occur with aging, regardless of whether they used Zicam or not.
The second study found that the zinc gel in Zicam can't get all the way up the nose to the olfactory nerves, even when it's sprayed. It would have to reach these nerves before it could conceivably do any damage.
The third study sprayed zinc gluconate into the nasal passages of rats and mice — animals with a keen sense of smell. There was no negative effect.
Based on all of this information, I'm still using Zicam. By the way, some websites say that the FDA is investigating this product. Matrixx has told me that it's not.
Q: I read your recent article with the three recommended probiotic formulas. Is there any danger in ordering these via mail? Is it possible that the product will be scanned and the bacteria harmed during shipment? — J.F., e-mail
A: I wouldn't worry about this. Scanners won't affect the bacteria in probiotic formulas. However, extreme heat could. It's why companies that ship heat-intolerant probiotics put cold packs in their packages.
Remember, all the nutrients that are used in any formula have been shipped from the company that makes raw materials to the company that combines them into a formula. Sometimes an ingredient is shipped a number of times before it reaches your health food store or is sent directly to you.
Q: I'm considering taking HGH, which revives the pituitary gland. What do you think about this? — I.A., Rio Rancho, NM
A: Many doctors of integrative medicine consider human growth hormone (HGH) a major anti-aging substance. However, not every available form of HGH works. My friend, Dr. Uzzi Reiss, gave homeopathic HGH to 200 patients and not one of them had increased blood levels of HGH.
If you're interested in taking HGH, first find a doctor who can get you the hormone itself and who will monitor your progress. If you have exhausted adrenal glands (many stressed people do) or have cancer, this hormone may not be safe for you.
HGH is very expensive. Instead, you might consider taking particular amino acids that help your body make its own HGH. Recommended amounts of these specific amino acids are in Dr. Reiss' excellent book, Natural Hormone Balance For Women.