Diabetic Supplement Warnings, Using Common Sense

Diabetic supplement warnings did not concern me when I went looking for a diabetes cure. If I had read something in a book, I simply believed it. And today online supplement ads are growing as fast as type 2 diabetes.

We have such a strong need to find answers that we want to believe what we are told. Fear of dying mixed with distrust of the whole medical establishment makes a feeding ground for a whole new industry of supplement sellers disguised as information websites.

An Example Taken From the News

The newspapers in San Antonio on January 2, 2012, reported the arrest of two men who were running a stem cell scam that targeted people with terminal illnesses, promising to save their lives.

Apparently they gave the impression that their stem cells had been approved by the FDA. Of course, it was not true, but the men took in about $1.5 million from hopeful victims of ALS, cancers and other incurable diseases.

One of the men, who called himself a doctor, was profiled on the TV show Sixty Minutes in 2010 because of the promise of healing with stem cells. Now he is wanted by the FBI.

This illustrates the need for wisdom. There is nothing wrong with looking for a cure, but caution and common sense have to be your constant companions.

Anything that really works is going to be trumpeted to the skies in these days of free internet access. If something helps I think a real cure will show up everywhere, not just in some obscure site that claims there is a conspiracy to silence them.

Outright lies are only one of the dangers you and I face as we look for natural things to help us with type 2 diabetes. Here is another of the diabetic supplement warnings you should heed.

Diabetic Supplement Warnings About Overmedicating

You are aware of the dangers of taking too much medication, right? Of course you are. But anything that is taken into your body can damage and even kill you if you use too much. Water, salt and oxygen are examples. Pick any one of those and look at the side effects of overdoing it.

Anything is lethal if you take it in a large enough dose. One world-famous medical examiner who has her own TV show was looking into a mysterious death and found that the woman had overdosed on vitamin supplements.

This was an extreme case, and it took a huge amount over some time, but she was able to take enough supplements to die from them. It is true that death by vitamin overdose is rare at about 1 in 40,000 accidental poisoning reports.

Vitamins are complex. Many of them work well together. For instance, calcium is absorbed better if you take it with some vitamin D, and it doesn't take a lot. Vitamin C increases your absorption of iron, and many GI doctors who diagnose anemia tell their patients to take orange juice with their iron supplement.

The multivitamin producers who understand how vitamins work together can give you a daily pill or liquid that uses this information. Find a good company and it'll be easy to supplement your daily vitamins without having to figure out safe and adequate dosing by yourself.

B-complex and C are water soluble vitamins, and they are not stored in your body, so any you don't use is filtered out through your kidneys. Fat soluble vitamins like A and D, however, are stored in your fat cells, so it is possible to overload your body with them.

That does not mean take all the Bs and C you want. Anything that makes your liver and kidneys work harder puts stress on a system that already is dealing with type 2 diabetes complications. So it makes sense not to overdo even the water soluble vitamins.

Another fact - all vitamins and minerals are better for us in their natural vegetable form. But the synthetic vitamins labs crank out are cheaper. And the metallic minerals are often used in supplements because they are cheap and readily available.

So eating superfoods in the form of vegetables and fruits as well as whole grains and unprocessed meat is the best way to get your vitamins and minerals. There is a page about the superfoods on my website if you want to find out more.

Diabetic Supplement Warnings About Cinnamon

While researching the benefits of cinnamon, which seem well documented, I found out that there is more than one kind. One is called cassia and another is Ceylon or "true" cinnamon. Since Ceylon cinnamon is more expensive you'll probably have to find it at a health food store.

The one we are most familiar with is the hot, spicy cassia cinnamon we get from our local grocery store. Its heat comes from coumarin, and this substance has effects you need to understand if you are going to use it as a daily supplement and not just a flavoring.

A few people are allergic to cinnamon, developing swollen lips and ulcerations. If this happens to you, you should not use it as a supplement. But that allergy is pretty rare and is not the reason some Europeans are warning people not to use it.

Coumarin was used in the form of bicoumarin as a chemical model for the medication warfarin, brand name Coumadin, because it has amazing blood thinning properties. Bicoumarin caused free bleeding in rats; it kept their blood from clotting.

Coumarin has been banned as a food additive in the U.S. because of this. Of course it is going to be hard to get enough coumarin to do any damage of that magnitude in the cinnamon you sprinkle on food, and research says it does not turn into bicoumarin in a human body as it did in rats.

But if you plan to take cinnamon pills long-term for diabetic blood sugar reduction, be aware that cassia cinnamon has coumarin at a 5% ratio, while Ceylon cinnamon has a 0.004% ratio, practically none.

Since cinnamon really does have an insulin type reaction in your body it will lower blood sugar a certain amount. But if you use it, know what you are getting and how your body will react. Talk to your doctor about it and tell her how much you are using. And watch your blood sugar carefully.

There is a lot of interest in coumarin as a cancer medication, and we'll keep watching it closely to see what happens next. Coumarin may be something you actually want to be taking, but the amount that's safe has not been determined yet.

We Need Diabetic Supplement Warnings

Our desire to find things that will cure, or at least help control, our type 2 diabetes has to be balanced with an equal amount of common sense and caution. And I have learned that no supplement provides a way around the need for exercise and a healthy diet. This is the proven road to remission for a type 2 diabetic.

It is the road I have chosen, although I am going to try taking Ceylon cinnamon for a month or so and see what it does for my blood sugar control. Everyone is different, and one person's success with cinnamon may not be matched by another. Still, I will report what happens on my website.

If you are doing the same I would be excited to hear what your results have been. Let's find the way through type 2 diabetes together.

Type 2 Diabetes - The Importance Of Using A Blood Sugar Meter

The device necessary for calculating blood sugar levels is known as a blood glucose meter, a glucometer or monitor. Using a glucometer is a simple process and this convenient device provides reliable results in only a few seconds. It makes sense for almost everyone with diabetes to have a monitor on hand. This is the fastest and simplest way to detect whether you have higher or lower than normal blood sugar levels. They're quick... you'll know your numbers within seconds. By helping you keep your blood sugar in line, your monitor can help you ward off diabetes-associated conditions such as heart disease and neuropathy.

Until manufacturers come up with a needle-less lancet device that is affordable, a blood sugar check will involve a needle prick. Finger-prick testing is usually performed on the four fingers, not the thumb. When using a glucometer, the blood is dribbled onto a special paper test strip and then inserted into a convenient opening in the monitor. As technology has advanced, so have the requirements for blood sampling. Now, only a tiny speck of blood is required.

It is important to consult with your health care provider to determine what an accurate reading is for you. As individuals differ, so does diabetes itself. What is a comfortable level for one person might not be accurate for another. Appropriate target blood sugar levels are often determined on a case-by-case basis. The acceptable range two hours after the start of a meal is usually less than 180 mg/dL or 10 mmol/L.

Although all readings are helpful, readings taken in the morning, before meals, two hours after meals, and before bedtime, give particularly valuable clues as to whether your diabetes management is on track. You and your doctor will come up with a testing schedule that will give sufficient information without you having to test your blood sugar constantly.

Following this type of close monitoring, peaks and valleys in blood sugar can be detected quickly so that the appropriate action can be taken. This reduces the level of stress your body goes through with abnormal levels.

When blood sugar is carefully monitored, people with Type 2 diabetes are in a position to choose the type and range of food they need to keep levels balanced.

Using a glucometer has become simplified and easy. Some are unusually small and light with large displays or audio readouts for those who are visually impaired. Make sure you talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or diabetes instructor about your preferences. What matters more than the brand or the features the glucometer offers, is that you use the proper testing technique and record the information consistently.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments

Using Diabetic Supplies As a Preventative Measure Against Diabetes Complications

Complications from disease are never a fun event. In the case of diabetes, complications can be difficult to manage, irreversible and life threatening. It follows that the advice that all diabetic patients should learn about and take preventative measures against complications arising is so important and should be taken seriously.

An example of a serious complication is nerve damage which occurs when there is too much blood sugar in the blood stream. Neuropathy, a type of nerve damage, occurs when the covering of the nerves is damaged by high blood sugar levels. The nerves then are unable to send signals appropriately. High blood sugar levels occur when the pancreas of a diabetic patient is unable to produce enough insulin or properly utilize the insulin it produces. With the lack of sufficient glucose absorption in the blood stream, the excess sugar can also lead to other severe medical conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts.

Low blood glucose levels can also be problematic and should be treated immediately. If not promptly treated, some diabetic patients with low blood sugar can have seizures or go into comas and in some instances, death could occur. It is vital not to allow low or high blood sugar levels to persist. Low blood glucose warning signs include blurred vision, excessive sweat, experiencing confusion, nervousness, irritability, anger and sadness. Diabetic patients themselves may not readily connect these signs to diabetes. Ignoring low or high blood sugar warnings can be potentially dangerous indeed.

Although, there are a number of red flags symptoms such as unusual weight loss and blurred vision that could indicate the presence of high blood sugar in diabetic patients, these high blood sugar warning signs could go unnoticed. As in the case of low blood sugar, diabetic patients can easily attribute high blood sugar warning signs such as an upset stomach or headaches to less severe ailments and may not understand the urgency of the situation. Both low and high blood sugar should be treated immediately and the best way for diabetic patients to determine that they have low or high levels of glucose in their blood stream is to actually test their blood.

The use of diabetic testing supplies lets diabetic patients know when their blood glucose levels are low and, as in the case of high glucose levels, trigger the patient to find techniques for rectifying the situation without delay. Mail order diabetic supplies and diabetes supplies online suppliers are a convenient no-fuss way of ensuring adequate supply for the home and for office kits. Using diabetic supplies such as meters help patients understand triggers that generate abnormal blood glucose levels and learn more about the foods or medications that keep complications away. When patients use diabetes supplies to determine that they have low or high blood sugar, immediate treatment is required. The right type and quantity of supplies on hand and immediately accessible are vital for diabetic patients to have a way of keeping essential records to help manage the disease.

There is benefit in being able to test blood glucose levels immediately and in the comfort of a patient's home. There is no need to book a doctor's appointment and absolutely no need to develop severe complications that could result in comas or other life threatening conditions. Diabetic testing supplies such as accurate blood glucose meters, lancets and test strips meters kept conveniently to hand are among the most effective preventative measures against complications from diabetes.