Plant kingdom offers natural Rx for type-2 diabetes
There has been a lot of press lately about drugs like Avandia and Actos for type-2 diabetes and their lethal side effects. Especially with Avandia, the FDA refuses to do its job and yank that risky sucker right off the market and toss it on the trash heap where it rightfully belongs.
I've been working to keep you up-to-date on all thea latest shenanigans regarding this drug. And between the FDA and GlaxoSmithKline (Avandia's daddy)—there has been plenty to keep track of.
Unfortunately, the mainstream media has done nothing but flame the fires of confusion and panic—and offered no true answer as to what patients with type-2 diabetes should do.
I've recommended that you immediately talk to your doctor about getting off of Avandia completely. Here's some information you can take with you when you go for your appointment.
A study was done that found that silymarin, a milk thistle extract, can reduce blood glucose level. When 51 adults with type 2 diabetes were given 200 mg three times per day for four months, the average fasting blood glucose level fell 15 percent. In the placebo group, which did not receive silymarin, there was actually an increase of 13 percent in levels.
Addition markers were looked at as well, such as hemoglobin A1c, triglyceride levels, cholesterol and LDL "bad" cholesterol. The results were an improvement in these markers for the silymarin recipients, whereas the placebo group maintained.
So what is it with milk thistle? Its seeds are used to detoxify and protect the liver in order to improve its ability to function. (Some use it for damage control after a night of overindulgence of alcohol and rich foods, but better to not get to that point in the first place.) Silymarin is extracted from the seeds and used to make capsules, extracts, and teas.
Silymarin is rich in flavonoid antioxidants, which help fight cell damage. This is important for someone with diabetes, because high blood sugar levels increase the oxidative damage to cells, causing nasty complications such as increasing insulin resistance and damaging the kidneys and blood vessels. Antioxidants have been found to reduce insulin resistance, so this would explain why silymarin—with its antioxidant properties—would have the same effect.
I usually recommend a widely available, high-quality German product called Thisilyn, made by Nature's Way. Check with your local grocery or health food store.
