Herbal

[Lizzie60]

Hi is there anyone on here who is not on any meds from Doctors but use herbal supplements like Ceylon cinnamon or berberine are they worth looking at ,do they help in the management of lowering sugar levels ?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Unfortunately I think the promises made by the people selling the supplements far outweigh the effects.

Diabetes UK don’t recommend herbal supplements, as there is not sufficient evidence that they are effective, or even safe, for people with diabetes to use.

Herbal and food supplements

Many people rely on traditional herbal and complementary remedies, which are said to help with blood glucose control. These remedies can be homemade or bought from local shops, and while they may have benefits, they should not be a substitute for your medications.

www.diabetes.org.uk

However we do have lots of members who successfully treat their diabetes without medication, with a combination of weight loss, exercise/activity and a low-carbohydrate or moderate-carbohydrate way of eating.

Many members here find reducing their total carbohydrate intake is almost as effective as some oral meds in terms of their blood glucose management. 🙂

If you are considering herbal supplements, please do chat with your Dr, to ensure that they are safe for you to take.

 

[Lizzie60]

Thank you for the reply just had a reading of 48 on my latest HB1AC don’t want to go on meds so have been watching my carbs ,drinking 1/2 body weight in water eating in a 6 hour window & getting in 10000 steps a day was told by my drs that I didn’t need a blood glucose monitor just to be sensible but I bought one anyway so that I can keep an eye on myself you read so many conflicting stories about how many carbs to eat a day some say 20 some 40 per meal plus 2 x15 snacks it can be a bit of a minefield

 

[bulkbiker]

Thank you for the reply just had a reading of 48 on my latest HB1AC don’t want to go on meds so have been watching my carbs ,drinking 1/2 body weight in water eating in a 6 hour window & getting in 10000 steps a day was told by my drs that I didn’t need a blood glucose monitor just to be sensible but I bought one anyway so that I can keep an eye on myself you read so many conflicting stories about how many carbs to eat a day some say 20 some 40 per meal plus 2 x15 snacks it can be a bit of a minefield

I suggest you go as low as you feel able and then look at your blood glucose results.
You may be fine or you may need to reduce more.
Personally I aimed for 20g of carbs per day or less when first diagnosed.
I changed my eating pattern to have only 2 meals a day.
However 48 mmol/mol isn't so high (mine was 87) so you might get away with mild dietary changes to achieve your aims.

As for herbal supps I found changing diet was far more effective than my medication which went in the bin.

 

[Leadinglights]

The suggested amount for following a low carb regime rather than Keto (which is indeed very low, less than 30g or so per day) is no more than 130g per day but spread between meals, drinks and snacks if any). As you have a monitor then you can check the amount per meal you can tolerate by testing before you eat and after 2 hours and it may be different at different times of the day.

 

[Drummer]

Thank you for the reply just had a reading of 48 on my latest HB1AC don’t want to go on meds so have been watching my carbs ,drinking 1/2 body weight in water eating in a 6 hour window & getting in 10000 steps a day was told by my drs that I didn’t need a blood glucose monitor just to be sensible but I bought one anyway so that I can keep an eye on myself you read so many conflicting stories about how many carbs to eat a day some say 20 some 40 per meal plus 2 x15 snacks it can be a bit of a minefield

I suspect that the water (I don't think you mean that amount though) the walking or the time restriction eating are not all that important.
Absolutely crucial though is to find out how to keep your levels down in the normal range. For that you need to know what you are eating in the way of carbs and a blood testing meter.
These days I eat at around 12 hour intervals, make sure that I drink about half a pint of water morning and evening and do what exercise I feel like doing.
A few years ago now I found that my Hba1c was at the top end of normal when eating no more than 50 gm of carbs a day but thought I'd try to lower it and reduced to 40gm maximum - my Hba1c was unchanged.
I have heard that berberine can help if (like me) Metformin causes dreadful side effects. I do use all sorts of herbs and spices in my cooking, but simply for the taste of them rather than expecting some sort of medicinal effect.