When Not to Do What the Doctor Orders

Dear Health Conscious Reader,

In the 20 years that I’ve been practicing medicine, diabetes has gone up every year.

It looks like it will keep getting worse, because medicine is still not focusing on the real solution.

Diabetes is a problem with diet, and the solution must come from food, not drugs.

Yet, new drugs are used in ever-greater numbers.

The new diabetic drugs Avandia and Actos increase a woman’s chance of breaking a bone by 50 percent. If you’re over 65 years old, your chances jump to 70 percent.1

And broken bones aren’t the only problem.

Avandia is linked to over 83,000 heart attacks between 1999 and 2007. If you take Avandia, you have a 43 percent greater chance of having a heart attack. And your risk of dying from a heart attack increases by 65 percent.2

In 2009, Avandia caused 304 deaths in three months. It was the highest death rate of any prescription drug during that period.3

Before you think you can just switch to Actos:

Actos does seem to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. But when it was tested, Actos actually increased the chance of serious heart failure.4

Thousands of people are still on these drugs. If you’re one of them, I suggest you talk to your doctor about the risks, your options, and what it means to you.

A better way to manage your blood sugar is by paying close attention to what you eat and supplementing with the nutrients we are lacking in modern times:

  • Avoid starches: Stay away from bread, bagels, muffins, cookies, and cake. And grains like corn, potatoes, and rice.
  • Choose good-quality protein: Grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, cage-free eggs, and wild salmon are all good choices.
  • Choose low-glycemic vegetables: Above-ground veggies are best. They don’t spike your blood sugar. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and leafy green vegetables are good examples.
  • Eat low-glycemic, whole fruit: Such as berries and those you eat with the skin on. Skip dried fruit and fruit juices, and avoid high fructose corn syrup. It contributes to insulin resistance.
  • Avoid processed foods: They’re loaded with bad fats and carbs, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives.

The main nutrient deficiency causing blood sugar problems in modern America is chromium:

  • Chromium: Chromium makes your insulin work better. It moves your blood glucose from the bloodstream into your cells for energy. Ninety percent of American adults have a chromium-deficient diet even though chromium is in foods like meat, cheese, fruits, and vegetables.5 Chromium isn’t absorbed when you take it by itself. Take 400 mcg in a form called “chromium polynicotinate.” This form contains a carrier molecule to help it get into your blood and tissues.

Before considering medications, I usually try a combination of herbs to lower blood sugar:

  • Gymnema Sylvestre: This herb may reduce your cravings for sugary snacks. Patients who took 400 mg of this extract daily for 18 to 20 months along with their oral medications showed a significant drop in their fasting blood sugar levels.6
  • Cinnamon: The same spice you use in apple pie contains a compound that works with insulin to increase glucose metabolism by roughly 20 times. Take 1-6 grams per day for best results.7
  • Fenugreek: Fenugreek is one of the herbs used in curry. Fenugreek stimulates insulin release. Many studies confirm the seed and herb help stabilize blood sugar in patients with insulin problems.8 Start with 100 mg of powdered seed. You can find it in capsules, or you can soak powdered seed in water or juice and drink it. You can increase the dose to as much as 10 grams.9

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

  1. Morrow, R., Carney, G. et al. “Impact of rosiglitazone meta-analysis on use of glucose-lowering medications.” Open Medicine. 2010; 4(1).
  2. Nissen SE and Wolski K. “Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes.” N Eng J Med 2007; 356: 2457-2471.
  3. Harris, G. “Research Ties Diabetes Drug to Heart Woes.” NY Times. 2010 Feb.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/health/policy/20avandia.html?pagewanted=al
  4. Kaul, S., Bolger, AF., et al. “Thiazolidinedione Drugs and Cardiovascular Risks: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation.” Circulation 2010;121;1868-1877.
  5. Juturu V., Komorowski J. R. ”Effect of Chromium Picolinate/Biotin Supplementation with Diabetes Education on Blood Sugar Levels in Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Program” The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness. 2007; 3(1).
  6. Baskaran, K., et al. “Antidiabetic effect of a leaf extract from Gymnema sylvestre in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients.” J Ethnopharmacology. 30(3):295-305, 1990.
  7. Khan A, et al. “Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes.”Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8.
  8. Raghuram, TC. et al. “Effect of fenugreek seeds on intravenous glucose disposition in non-insulin dependent diabetic patients.” Phytotherapy Research. 2006; 8(2):83-86.
  9. Kassaian N, et al. “Effect of fenugreek seeds on blood glucose and lipid profiles in type 2 diabetic patients.” Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2009 Jan;79(1):34-9.