For many Americans, the idea of daily insulin injections is a daunting prospect. But, if you are a diabetic, you often don’t have a choice. If you are one of the 16 million Americans who have diabetes, then you may be interested to know that there are a variety of diabetic supplements that can help eliminate the need for daily insulin injections or pills. Extensive research has been conducted regarding the benefits of using diabetes supplements, with some very impressive results. If you are interested in a more natural way to treat diabetes, here are some of the recommended diabetes supplements:

Top 8 Diabetic Supplements

Note: Unless stated otherwise, the diabetic supplements listed here can be found online, at health food stores and grocery stores, and in assorted mail order catalogs anywhere in the United States.

• Bilberry and Gingko - These herbal diabetes supplements are used to improve circulation and decrease the risk of retinopathy.
• Vitamin E - This is a natural way to help reduce and balance your blood sugar levels. In addition, vitamin E has been shown to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol. It is suggested that you take between 600 – 1,200 IU a day.
• Vitamin C - Like vitamin E, this diabetes supplement is an antioxidant known for its ability to lower and maintain blood sugar levels. Vitamin C is also beneficial in preventing diabetes-related vascular problems.
• Ginseng Tea/ Green Tea - Both of these teas have been shown to lower your blood sugar levels.
• Magnesium - This is a very important diabetic supplement because it helps with glucose metabolism. It also improves blood pressure, in addition to nerve and muscle function. You can take up to 600 mg a day via capsules, or you can follow a diet that is rich in nuts, seeds, whole grains and green leafy vegetables.
• Coenzyme Q10 - When taken daily (80 mg), this diabetes supplement has been shown to improve circulation and stabilize blood sugar. Research has shown that many diabetics have lower levels of coenzyme Q10, so it may be important to replace this nutrient.
• Gymnema Silvestre - This diabetes supplement (also known as gurmarin, gurmar booti, or gurmar) is available primarily at health food stores or online. In studies at Harvard University and at King’s College in London, it has been shown that when taken daily, gymnema silvestre reduces insulin resistance, as well as lowers and regulates blood sugar levels. Consequently, this approach is especially helpful in managing diabetes.
• Banaba – According to studies at the Southeastern Institute of Biomedical Research in Bradenton, Florida, the corosilic acid found in the banaba leaf works similarly to insulin and will lower glucose levels—in some cases by 20 percent-30 percent. This, too, is most easily found online or in health food stores.

Diabetes supplements provide a healthy alternative to managing your diabetes without daily medication. Talk to your doctor to see how you can begin to implement these diabetic supplements into your routine.

Saponins, polysaccharide glactomanan, fenugreek, alpha Lipoic acid and volatile oils — no, these are the not the components of a mad scientist’s test tube. Rather, they are vitamin supplements and herbs that can aid in managing (and even reversing) the effects of diabetes. Nutrition has long played an important part in the life of a diabetic, but thanks to many studies—especially by those in the field of holistic medicine–diabetics are turning to vitamin supplements to treat their diabetes. “So what vitamin supplements and herbs should be a part of my diabetes nutrition?” you ask. Read on to learn more.

The Top 5 Vitamin Supplements for Diabetes Nutrition:

• Cinnamon - Recent studies show that as little as a 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon a day is all it takes to regulate and even normalize your blood sugar levels. You can take it in capsule form, or use it in your cooking as a flavor enhancement for savory items like squash, sweet potatoes, and in Indian or Thai cuisine.
• Chromium - Available in vitamin stores all across the country, as well as mail order catalogs and on the Internet, chromium is a vitamin supplement that has been shown to improve glucose levels because it increases your sensitivity to insulin. It is recommended that you take between 400 and 600 mcg (micrograms) per day.
• Apple Cider Vinegar - For many years, people have cited the importance of vinegar for maintaining good health. In regards to diabetes nutrition, apple cider vinegar is used to bring down blood sugar levels. You can purchase it in capsule form or take a tablespoon of it daily. In addition, an extra benefit of apple cider vinegar (as well as vinegars like red or white vinegar, balsamic, white wine vinegar, or even lemon juice) is that vinegar significantly lessons a food’s affect on your blood sugar. So, by simply adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar to your coleslaw, potato salad, greens and many other dishes, you will not only add a new level of taste to your dish, but you will be reducing your blood sugar as well.
• Fenugreek - Research shows that the components of this sweet maple-scented herb will help regulate your blood glucose. It is composed of polysaccharide glactomanan, saponins, mucilage, volatile oils, and alkaloids, which all help to lower blood sugar and increase insulin protection. To be effective, it is recommended that you take 2.5 grams of fenugreek 2 times a day with meals.
• Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) – This is one of the most important vitamin supplements you can take as part of your holistic diabetes nutrition plan; however, it has been known to lower blood sugar too much, so be careful and only use the amount recommended by your physician. Studies by Eberhard-Karls University in Germany on ALA have shown this vitamin supplement to normalize blood sugar and cure insulin resistance by as much as 51 percent in just 10 days. As for dosage, it is recommended that diabetics and non-diabetics over the age of 40 take at least 200 milligrams a day.

So, talk to your doctor about diabetes nutrition and vitamin supplements. With just a few simple changes, you may soon be on your way to a diabetes treatment-free way of living.

I am not real fond of diabetic medications, but that is probably partly because the one I used did not work, and for me, the others are all too risky to use in conjunction with pregnancy. I have had to choose between pills and insulin, and I chose insulin for that reason. But what was right for me is not what is right for everyone.

Basically, there is little advantage or disadvantage between prescription medications and herbs as far as safety or side effects is concerned. Either can cause unpleasant or dangerous problems. Either can work, and either one can fail to work for you. It all depends on your body chemistry and the dynamics of your particular diabetes.

Medications are usually the more expensive of the two, but older medications may cost no more to use than herbs. Affordability depends on which medication you use, and whether you have insurance. If a specific medication is too expensive, sometimes your doctor can work with you to find a less costly one that works as well, sometimes the only one that WILL work for you is the more expensive one.

Medications are generally for use with Type II diabetes or insulin resistance. Most are aimed at helping the body use insulin more efficiently, while some do encourage release of more insulin. They can be very helpful for Type II diabetes, but will not have benefits for true insulin insufficiency that accompanies Type I diabetes. This may change with time, because new options are being researched all the time.

Preferring a natural means of controlling diabetes does not preclude the use of medications. It just means that you should concentrate on doing all you can with diet before you resort to medications. Once your options for dietetic control are exhausted though (and this will be different for each person), medications can help you keep it under control better. And good diet will always enhance the ability of the medications to work.

Many people feel that if they take medication for their diabetes that they do not have to worry about diet. This is untrue. It is just as important to control diet, and to monitor blood sugar levels if you are using medications, and may in fact be more important. Consistency in diet can be a major helpful influence in enhancing the effectiveness of diabetic medications.

They can have side effects, and you are the only person who can determine whether they are worth it for the benefit of reducing the risks of uncontrolled diabetes. Generally, if the medication is effective for you, you should see significant reductions in blood sugar levels. If that does not happen, then you need to go back to your doctor and discuss other options. The one that I used only lowered my blood sugar by about 5 points when taken at a fairly high dose, so it was not considered an effective drug for me. You are the one who has to monitor the results though, through consistent blood sugar testing, and you are the one who needs to say so if you feel the results are ineffective. You have to work with your doctor in partnership to control diabetes, and if you don’t do your part, the doctor cannot do their part.

If you add supplements after you are already taking medications, it is important that you discuss it with your doctor before hand, and that you monitor carefully while you take them. If blood sugar levels change, your medication may need to be adjusted.

There is no question that the available diabetes medications have lowered the long term damage from diabetes. They are not the best thing for everyone, but for those people with Type II diabetes that they work for, they can be a good tool for improved control.

We’ve been using Acidophilous for several things – Vitamin K absorption at first, and then because we heard good things about it for Crohn’s Disease. I can personal attest that it does stabilize intestinal function.

Since milk is off limits (upsets my stomach), I cannot get acidophilous in yogurt. I’ve taken to making my own, using about 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 small container of DanActive (for some additional bacteria), and 2 quarts of lactose free milk. The small amount of milk in the yogurt is little enough to not bother me. We heat the milk to scalding, cover it, and cool it to lukewarm (you should be able to hold your hand against the side of the pot with no sting). Mix it all together well (make sure your utensils and containers are very clean), and pour it into a flat container. We use a 9 cup Ziploc storage container. Set it in a warm place (top of the fridge is good in the summer time – not quite warm enough in the winter), and let it culture for 8-12 hours, or until it is set. You can make it in smaller batches – I make this much at a time because that is what we use.

Daily smoothies with yogurt really help the digestive tract – the the better your intestines work, the more likely you are to get the nutrients that help to control blood sugar. Blood sugar imbalances are more likely to occur when you are nutrient deficient, and some of the first things to get deficient with bowel irritation are the very ones that affect blood sugar.

Acidophilous is also not directly associated with blood sugar control, but may in fact be very helpful for some people. It has not affected mine in a way I can measure, but it did have a major health effect for me which was very persuasive in letting me know that it DOES do what it was suggested to do. And for some people, it might help their blood sugar for that reason, or help to reduce some of the affects of long term diabetes.

In certain people, there are vitamins and minerals that do not absorb correctly in the intestinal tract. For some of those, acidophilous can act as a catalyst and compensate for the malabsorption. This may have to do with the interaction between the bacteria and the food, or it may have to do with an interaction between the bacteria and the intestines. However it works, it WORKS.

I had problems for 20 years with heavy bleeding associated with menstruation and with miscarriage. Vitamin K was suggested to me over and over, but I did not take it, because for one thing, vitamin supplements more often than not give me headaches, and because my diet was already rich in vitamin K. There was no reason for me to be having problems due to a deficiency in anything.

I began using acidophilous as a result of an intolerance to regular milk. I made the change about the second day of a miscarriage. The bleeding had already reached flood stage by that afternoon when I began using the acidophilous. I knew I had another 24 or more hours left of very heavy bleeding, but it slowed down and became controlled in the middle of the night. It did not get out of control again. This was the only dietary change I made during that time. Further research turned up that vitamin k is one of the specific elements that acidophilous is a catalyst for. Very convincing for me that I had indeed had a deficiency of vitamin k, since vitamin k deficiency is widely associated with uncontrolled uterine bleeding.

It is not unreasonable to assume that it can help with diabetes in two ways: First, by helping compensate for malabsorption syndromes which might be contributing to poor blood sugar control, and second, by helping to compensate for reduced intestinal function which may be caused by diabetes.

You can get acidophilous from a couple of sources. I use plain yogurt in my smoothie every morning, plus I take an acidophilous supplement with lunch and dinner. You can also get acidophilous milk. Acidophilous is best used with meals, because the bacteria thrive better with food.

Acidophilous can also help to ward off fungal infections which are often associated with antibiotic use. It can reduce diarrhea which comes as a result of antibiotic use also, because it helps to take the place of good bacteria in the intestines which are destroyed by the antibiotic.

I have a son with a compromised immune system, because he is on chemotherapy. If he uses an antibiotic long term, he always has to use yogurt with it or he develops thrush. Diabetes can reduce immune response also, increasing the need for antibiotic use, and also reducing your ability to fight fungal infections.

This is a supplement I feel comfortable with using during pregnancy, and one that I am convinced has good results for me.

Some people prefer to make their own yogurt. There are many ways to do it, but the simplest is to heat the milk just until it steams and a faint bit of foam appears on top (careful not to scorch it). Then cool it down to warm temperature. Use about 2 tablespoons of plain live culture yogurt as a starter, and stir that into your milk – if the milk is still too hot, it will kill the bacteria, so make sure it is not so hot that you cannot hold your pinky in it without getting burned. Put the milk mixture into containers, and maintain it at a warm temperature overnight. You can place it directly on top of the fridge (where the heat of the fridge will help it culture), or set the containers on a heating pad that is set on low, or you can turn the oven on WARM, then turn it off, and put the containers in the oven with the door shut all night. If you use the fridge top or heating pad method, a towel over the top of the containers will help to keep the heat in around the containers. There are yogurt makers, but they usually make small quantities, and personally, I feel that if I am going to go to the trouble to make yogurt, I am going to make enough to be worth the trouble! You can place a tablespoonful of sugarfree jam in the bottom of your containers before you pour the milk in, so you can just stir and eat later. Yogurt should be cooled completely before it is served, or it will separate.

Yogurt may also be made from lactose free milk.

Another supportive supplement, you can purchase enzymes either with a prescription, or as a dietary supplement.

In cases where diabetes is caused by pancreatic deterioration, insulin production may not be the only thing affected. The parts of the pancreas that produce digestive enzymes may also deteriorate, interfering with healthy digestion.

Additionally, in many diabetics, over time, the intestines may suffer damage, and digestion may slow down for other reasons.

When digestion becomes inefficient, or slows down dramatically, it can make it more difficult to control blood sugar levels. Additionally, inefficient digestion can lead to dietary deficiencies, because some of the elements you need may not be breaking down properly, or absorbing properly.

Digestive enzymes may be helpful in speeding digestion up a little, or in supplementing low levels of pancreatic enzymes. They can be taken with meals, and generally some kind of positive or negative affect will be apparent.

Overuse of these has its own potential risks though, so avoid overusing them. Follow the lowest recommended dosage until you know whether you should increase it. If you experience diarrhea, abdominal cramps, heartburn, or other negative digestive tract affects, you may wish to discontinue use.

Talk it over with your doctor, and determine whether or not you have reason to believe that there is an underlying problem which would benefit from their use before you take these, and then be cautious.

Dietary fiber helps to slow down carbohydrate absorption, speed the passage of food through the intestinal tract, and it helps prevent constipation. Diets high in fiber have been linked to lowered blood sugar, and the affect seems to be cumulative – it takes a month or more to feel the full effect.

It isn’t just fiber – Diets high in fiber tend to also have more trace elements in them, which help to regulate blood sugar, appetite, and metabolism. A high fiber diet has also been linked to lowered cholesterol and blood pressure, and a lower risk of colon and breast cancer.

High fiber diets tend to contain more whole and fresh foods. Such foods can benefit your health overall, and not just help with diabetes control.

Choose fresh vegetables, eat the skins on your apples and potatoes, and choose whole grains whenever you have the ability to do so. Taking a fiber supplement will help to control constipation, but it won’t give you all the benefits that a diet that is naturally high in fiber will.

Psyllium husks are used as a bulk forming laxative, and consumed primarily as a fiber additive. Recently though, there have been suggestions that they may have more than just a laxative effect.

Psyllium is the fiber used in Metamucil, and other mucilaginous laxative types. It has been hotly debated in its time, but is now considered safe by most sources. Because it is a fiber laxative, it reacts in a much more natural way in your body than harsh chemical laxatives.

Recently, there have been other studies done that suggest that psyllium may have a minor blood sugar lowering affect as well as gaining the benefits of increased fiber in the diet. It is also useful for encouraging weight loss, helping you to feel full with a meal, and in reducing risks of colon cancer due to frequent constipation.

Not bad for a husk that would normally be thrown away.

One problem diabetics may have with it is that most commonly available forms are flavored, and often with high amounts of sugar. Sugarfree versions are available, but daily consumption of sugar substitutes is not always wise either. I have no real solution to that, you sort of have to choose whether you will adjust for the sugar, take the risk of the sugar substitute, or find an unsweetened version to add to a glass of juice or other beverage.

This is a reproduction of a popular article I wrote for another publication.

There is a lot of hype around about various natural substances, each one touted as a miracle nutrient or miracle drug. Coconut oil has taken center stage in a lot of areas lately, and you, as I, might be wondering whether there is any truth to the claims.

First of all, you need to understand that I am very skeptical about most claims of miracle potions. Especially if they claim too many things that don’t relate to one another. I prefer to see scientific evidence of efficacy before I jump in.

I am very careful about what I consume. Some people who decide to “go natural” will use anything that claims to be natural. I don’t. I generally avoid herbs unless I have personal experience or a very high assurance that they won’t harm. I don’t use much in the way of over the counter medications either.

So this fall, when my blood sugar started to climb, and we had no health insurance, I started asking questions about possible natural options to bring it down. You see, I am allergic to insulin, so I could not use that, which I did in fact have a prescription for. The amount that I could safely eat dropped, and my weight spiraled downward (I had it to lose, but still…). We could not get insurance for another two months, and I did not want a pre-existing diagnosis of diabetes if I could help it, so I really had to wait (the insulin was from a pregnancy, and I did not have a diagnosis of diabetes).

When people began telling me to try coconut oil, I was very skeptical. After some intensive research online, where I found all kinds of claims, I was able to find just enough information that sounded like it had been given some solid testing, that I felt it was worth trying. Since it was suggested to help blood sugar, heart disease and high blood pressure (all of which are frequently interrelated), it sounded like it was plausible. It was also mentioned that it is suspected to speed up metabolism.

I went looking for a brand, and ended up, of all places, on Amazon.com. I checked the features of each brand, and found one that was both cold-pressed, and fresh pressed. This category of coconut oil is classed as “extra virgin”. It is reputedly the healthiest. The Nutiva brand also happened to be one of the most economical, so I bought two jars.

When it arrived, I began mixing it into my morning hot chocolate (sugarfree, of course). I started with a tablespoon, because I was warned that it could be very laxative. It was not for me, so I increased it to 2 tablespoons within a few days.

The first thing I noticed is that about 20 minutes after using it the first time I felt a flush of heat. It lasted about 10 minutes and then went away. The next day it was less. The third day it was not there at all. Cayenne, which also reportedly speeds up metabolism, will do the same thing.

Two days later, I noticed that my blood sugar levels were lowering. From 190 (2 hours post prandial after 15 gms of carbohydrate), down to under 140 on 30 gms of carbohydrate. Within a week my blood sugar levels had normalized (120 at 2 hours post prandial after 60 gms of carbohydrate)– or at least normal for me, which means I can eat fairly normally as long as I don’t have excess sugar or concentrated carbohydrates.

After about a week, I noticed my skin was oilier. I also have sceborrhetic dermatitis, which causes scaling and itching, and can cause scabs on certain areas of my face and scalp. That began to improve. (borage oil also helps this, so I could see a connection). This is not a condition of dry skin, but certain oils, if used internally, do help it. It appears that for me, coconut oil is one of them. I had to change from conditioning shampoo to regular shampoo to keep my hair looking good.

After about two weeks, I developed a raging appetite. Now, I am overweight, and pretty self-conscious about my appetite, especially since I try to control my diet for health reasons. I was hungry all the time though! I knew I was eating more… a LOT more. But I did not gain any weight, and in fact, lost a couple of pounds.

I ran out of coconut oil, and had to do without it for about two weeks. My appetite reduced again, my blood sugar started to go off, and my skin got scalier again. So I ran around Cheyenne looking for some, and finally found a tiny bottle (astronomical price) which I started using at half the amount I had been before (hoping to make it last until I could order some more online). Even at that, my blood sugar is fine, my skin is improving, and my appetite has come back full force – not sure what to do about THAT!

I don’t have any more energy than normal, but my blood sugar now consistently balances better, and I still get hungry frequently. My weight is stable in spite of the increased intake, and I have only noticed one negative side effect: If I use more than 2 tbsp in a day, I get a headache. This happens to me with a range of foods, if I eat more than a certain amount I develop a raging headache, so apparently it has something in it that is similar to the other foods that do this to me. It seems to be an individual thing, because I have not heard of anyone else having this problem, and some of my family members are trying it.

I don’t believe in miracle drugs, foods, or nutrients. But I am persuaded after testing it that coconut oil is a helpful supplement for me. You can purchase the brand that I use here.

I have continued to use coconut oil long term, and feel that it is safe enough even to use when I am pregnant. One of the reasons I determined to use it is that it has long been a major food item in certain parts of the world. It has a long history as not just something people use now and again, but something that people use in large quantities.

I use coconut oil once a day, in my breakfast drink. It can be stirred into hot chocolate, or blended into a smoothie. I also purchase a cheaper brand at my local grocery store, which we use for cooking. We use it as a replacement for shortening in all our baked goods. I save the expensive brand for use as a supplement. My husband now uses it in his daily chocolate milk as well. We order it in larger quantities to reduce the shipping costs.

There is a difference in coconut oils – If the oil smells coconutty, and looks white and clean, it is good oil. If it looks slightly yellowish and has a barely transparent appearance, it is hot-processed, and not as healthy. If you heat coconut oil in a pan on the stove, you can first smell the coconut smell – as it heats though, it is replaced by an oily almost chemical smell, which is the same as the smell of hot-processed coconut oil.

We use the cheap hot-processed oil in cooking, where it is going to get overheated anyway. But as a nutritional supplement for the benefit of the oil, we use extra-virgin oil.

Fennel also fits one of my criteria for a good supplement, in that it is a commonly used food that is considered safe for use in larger quantities. But it was precisely those larger quantities that prevented me from using it.

The sources I found regarding fennel referred to a need for large amounts of it with more than one meal a day. This seemed to me to be quite impractical out here in Wyoming where anything but the most common vegetables are simply not available fresh. The references were to the fresh vegetable, not to fennel seed, so I have no idea whether any other form would contain the elements which were effective.

Fennel was studied though, with some evidence of efficacy for lowering blood sugar. It seems to me you’d have to be pretty creative and determined to make it work though, because it would have to be served at least once or twice a day in significant quantities.

I have, in general, avoided testing items which would be so inconvenient that I’d not use them consistently. I prefer items which I can use once a day, or add to my meals with some degree of simplicity within the way I already cook and eat (which is not all that convenient for most people but works for me).

If you need every single edge you can get though, and if this is an item that is readily available and easily usable for you, it is another option worth trying. Talk to your doctor first, of course.