# Herbals for Diabetes for when the SHTF



## Bandurasbox (Aug 21, 2011)

My sister was dx with Type II diabetes about four months ago. Her A1C level was 11 at the time, which is off the charts for someone in her vocational position (Nuclear security supervisor). Needless to say, they pulled her weapons and put her on gate duty. Since that time, we have both done some research on natural herbal measures to have as back up when/if the SHTF.

The most dominant one that I can find is blueberry leaves as a tincture, or tea. It seems to have the most positive documented research for glucose moderation. 

I know there are many others including Cinnamon, and N. American Ginseng (not the same as Asian Ginseng, btw). 

I am wondering if anyone has researched and/or tried any of these herbal treatments in place of regular meds, or thought about a herbal plan for the time to come when our Rx are not available.

Thanks a bunch!

Salena

The girl without a cool tag-line.


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## alergyfree (Feb 15, 2011)

Bandurasbox said:


> My sister was dx with Type II diabetes about four months ago. Her A1C level was 11 at the time, which is off the charts for someone in her vocational position (Nuclear security supervisor). Needless to say, they pulled her weapons and put her on gate duty. Since that time, we have both done some research on natural herbal measures to have as back up when/if the SHTF.
> 
> The most dominant one that I can find is blueberry leaves as a tincture, or tea. It seems to have the most positive documented research for glucose moderation.
> 
> ...


Heh Salena
The trick with cinnamon is 3x/day about 1/2 tea spoon/.
One guy I know worked, with lifestyle changes and cinnamon got off his Meds and that keep in mind is an isolated case.
The key is making enough changes. Some foods we just should not be eating at all.
The thing is a supplement will not do much by itself got to do it all.
Also do some research on bitter melon and prickly pear cactus.
David


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## rextex (Sep 14, 2011)

I buy cinnamon capsuls at Sams and take 2 per day and it seems to help.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Biggie ~ lifestyle changes ~

Lots of foods, herbs and such out there ... but lifestyle is the first thing I would look at ...


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Hub's got diagnosed about 4 years ago and was put on high amounts of meds and I started researching and reading and put together his diet and exercise and poked him three times a day(even tho the Dr. said it wasn't necessary to even poke him and check!) chronicled what he ate and his blood sugar reactions etc...
Cuz you know hubs just wanted to "take a pill and get on with it".  :gaah:
But after we got him eating better and walking and walking and walking not only has he been put on lower dose meds he even got to change to the mildest type there is! and lucky for us our local Meijer store (to get more folks in) gives it out for free to everyone who is prescribed it! 
But one big thing with hubby was the deep fried potatoes(hashbrowns from fast food places and french fries) they shot his blood sugar levels sky high. Pasta and bread and even white rice were all big on shooting that level high. The only potato that didn't do that was the baked russet potato. so he got to have one baked potato with all the fixens a week.
But I did fill the plate with several veggies each dinner and we tried to cut back a bit on the size of his meats too. 
His nurse and Dr. both have asked him what he is doing to make his blood levels so much nicer, he couldn't tell them.. he told them to ask me.. which they did.. lol I have been drilling it into him tho as his levels have been good even tho he works away from home during the week. But his weight has crept up a bit cuz he has started snoring again.. gonna have to tell his mom to cut back on the goodies..

For your sister, try to get her to just walk, fast enuf that she is feeling it but not so fast she can't keep up a conversation. one mile a day and then if possible work her way up to 3 a day. Cut out starches and fill the plate up with veggie. 
I've also heard that blueberry leaf tea is supposed to be good for leveling blood sugar.. going to have to do some more studies!


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## alergyfree (Feb 15, 2011)

Emerald said:


> Hub's got diagnosed about 4 years ago and was put on high amounts of meds and I started researching and reading and put together his diet and exercise and poked him three times a day(even tho the Dr. said it wasn't necessary to even poke him and check!) chronicled what he ate and his blood sugar reactions etc...
> Cuz you know hubs just wanted to "take a pill and get on with it".  :gaah:
> But after we got him eating better and walking and walking and walking not only has he been put on lower dose meds he even got to change to the mildest type there is! and lucky for us our local Meijer store (to get more folks in) gives it out for free to everyone who is prescribed it!
> But one big thing with hubby was the deep fried potatoes(hashbrowns from fast food places and french fries) they shot his blood sugar levels sky high. Pasta and bread and even white rice were all big on shooting that level high. The only potato that didn't do that was the baked russet potato. so he got to have one baked potato with all the fixens a week.
> ...


Way to go! Thanks for the post


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## Bandurasbox (Aug 21, 2011)

alergyfree said:


> Heh Salena
> The trick with cinnamon is 3x/day about 1/2 tea spoon/.
> One guy I know worked, with lifestyle changes and cinnamon got off his Meds and that keep in mind is an isolated case.
> The key is making enough changes. Some foods we just should not be eating at all.
> ...


Thanks David. That's very encouraging!!! :2thumb:


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## Bandurasbox (Aug 21, 2011)

Emerald said:


> Hub's got diagnosed about 4 years ago and was put on high amounts of meds and I started researching and reading and put together his diet and exercise and poked him three times a day(even tho the Dr. said it wasn't necessary to even poke him and check!) chronicled what he ate and his blood sugar reactions etc...
> Cuz you know hubs just wanted to "take a pill and get on with it".  :gaah:
> But after we got him eating better and walking and walking and walking not only has he been put on lower dose meds he even got to change to the mildest type there is! and lucky for us our local Meijer store (to get more folks in) gives it out for free to everyone who is prescribed it!
> But one big thing with hubby was the deep fried potatoes(hashbrowns from fast food places and french fries) they shot his blood sugar levels sky high. Pasta and bread and even white rice were all big on shooting that level high. The only potato that didn't do that was the baked russet potato. so he got to have one baked potato with all the fixens a week.
> ...


This is great Emerald!!!! Thank you!! I'm still trying to figure how I will fit this to sis's routine. She has a pretty strong regiment in her area of work which is nuclear security and they have to stay very active and fit. I think her biggest problem is genetics. She (and I) are third generation Type II and both of the previous generations were slim (like us). It's total diet then? I so have to read up on this!! 

Let me know what you find out about the Blueberry leaf tea. Sounds yummy to me, but then again, so does cinnamon.


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## davjan4 (Nov 24, 2010)

I had the same problem about 5 years ago. The answer is perminent lifestlye changes. Without that, there will be no success.
I'm an RN and at first I folowed the ADA advice. My advice about that now is DON'T FOLLOW THE ADA ADVICE FOR DIET. You will get sicker! They get millions in funding from drug companies and have no interst in fixing blood sugar issues with diet.
What I did:
1. Eliminated grains. Period. No going back. Grains are one of the worst foods for the human body, especially if you have blood sugar issues.
2. Eliminate sugar.
3. Go very moderate on fruit. Make it a rare treat. Stick to berries.
4. Stop using vegitable oils. That is, industrial seed oils. Corn, canola, margarine etc. They are not real food.
5. Start using real butter or coconut oil for cooking. Use olive oil for making your own dressing.
5. Stop using artificail sweeteners and drinking diet soda's. Even artificial sweeteners raise insulin levels.

So what do you eat?
1. REAL FOOD. Meat. Vegitables. Water, tea or coffee to drink. Eat salmon (canned or wild caught only). If it says "Atlanic Salmon" put it back. All atlantic salmon is farmed. And trust me yo don't want that stuff!
2. Do not fear eating fat. The whole "saturated fat causes heart disease" is bogus.

That's how I fixed mine. Dropped all labs to normal in 4 months. That was 5 years ago. I'm an RN, and I know what diabetes does to people. It's a slow death. *Make no mistake, you are in a fight for your life*. Make the perminent lifestyle changes you need to. And do NOT follow any government advice on how to eat! 
Walking is good, but you must do weight training, and I'm not talking about little pink 5 lb weights while walking. I'm talking about challenging yourself with heavy weights. Get a trainer or go to Crossfit. They will teach you to lift properly. Check out the book "Starting Strength".

To learn a lot, get Tom Naughtons movie "Fathead". Here's the website" Fat Head - Blog site for the comedy-documentary Fat Head it talks alot about diet and why we started to fear fat, and how the original study was a fraud.

Oh, and when you go to the doc, get a fasting insulin level too. Many docs ignore thsi important test. Type ll diabetes is a disease of metabolism, not of blood sugar. A high blood sugar is jujst the end result of chronically high insulin levels (for type ll). Eventually the cells get "deaf" to the insulin and insulin leveles go up, leading to insulin resistnace. Later stages include wearing out the pancrease to the point that you need insulin.

Good luck to you. *You can beat this *like I did. You just have to know what you are facing and make the dietary and excersise changes needed.


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## davjan4 (Nov 24, 2010)

I forgot to mention,along with the lifestyle changes, useful herbs are gymena sylvestra and milk thistle. 
Be careful with the cinnimon. It has oils in it that the kidney doens't like long term. I use Dru Era cinnimon, which is different than the Vietnames Cinnimon that can be had at the grocery store.
My fisrt post has a link it. That's where all the good info is. Guess you can't see it until it goes through the mod


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I have type II diabetes. I was having trouble with my blood sugar too. What's helped me the most is exercising after every meal. I ride an exercise bike for 20 minutes after breakfast and lunch. I walk for 40 minutes after supper. I snack mostly on whole carrots. I like almonds but they have 170 calories per ounce. A 6 ounce can has 1000 calories.

I can still eat potatoes. When I go to Perkins for breakfast I still have bacon, eggs, pancakes, and a muffin. I just make sure I use sugar free syrup. I have to stay away from Dairy Queen though. If I go there I'll be up during the night every hour to go to the bathroom.

A few months ago I found out that just exercising in the morning and evening wasn't enough. My AIC was at least 9. It got to where I couldn't do two walks around the mall in the evening anymore. So when I started riding the exercise bike every day after breakfast and lunch I started to feel better and I was able to walk longer in the evenings too.

I don't exercise every day. I take Saturdays off along with Friday night or Sunday nights.


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## davjan4 (Nov 24, 2010)

You've *got* to stop eating those pancakes and muffins, and grains in general. They are killing you.

Any HA1C over 7 is slow suicide.

And stop worring about calories. Worry more about getting grains and processed food out of your diet like I said in my previous post.

There are times I think that people do not understand what diabetes is doing to them. If they did, they'd make the dietary and lifestyle changes they need to overnight and never look back. But it progresses so slowly it's like the frog in slowly heated water experiment. Drop him in boiling water and they will fight to escape. Heat the water to boiling very slowly and the frog won't move and will boil to death.

Take your meter and test test test. Multiple times a day. Find out how differnt foods affect you.


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## Idaholady (Apr 24, 2010)

Thanks davjan4 for sharing your eating style. I think folks who don't have diabetes should follow the same eating style. Thank you for reminding me what I need to be doing for myself and hubby.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I have type II diabetes also, my A1C went from 13.9 to 6.1-started doing research on plants that may help but was not impressed with most of what I found. 

The one that, I think, had the most promise is Chrysanthemum, I had not gotten around to testing it out on myself because of some concerns about the plant. The plant contains pyrethrums, commonly used as a pesticide. Maybe you could check it out and see if I am way out in dangerous left field.

Just posted a thread on EDTA, it helped me tremendously, read it and see if it is worth a shot.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Have also found that exercise works better than insulin in controling blood sugar.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

dh has insulin dependent. we found stress was a big problem. also his biggest food problem was rice. also when you eat sugars eat them with fat. dh can eat my homemade ice cream made with whole milk and a little heavy cream (half cup sugar) and it does not raise his glucose. also baked potato with butter NOT margarine. the fat helps the starches and sugar to work thru your body slower so it metabolized more completely. his last a1c was at 6. also black licorice works it lowers his glucose by about 10 to 20 points. I am talking about the black licorice whips and (yes) sugared candies. the "real" fats don't seem to hurt as much as the fake margarine and such.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Man, I wish I had access to you people years ago before I had to learn this stuff the hard way. Most of what you all are posting took me alot of test strips, time, money and heart ache(literally) to learn myself, and alot of the things I didn't know I will definitely put into practice asap.

I have known several people who lost their legs, a few inches at a time from diabetes and I vowed that I would not let that happen to me. It makes me furious to hear those people tell me what their doctors and dieticians had them doing. But would they listen to me, a person that went from 13.9 to 6.1 A1C, cholesterol to high to measure to total cholestoral of under 100, no they would not, they just kept loosing a few inches of their legs at a time.

It took a heart attack and heart surgery to get me to take diabetes seriously and that ment to blow off what the doctors and dictates who "know better" and make a living telling us what to do and how to live with it. Well I got some news for em, their track record aint so good and the sooner people start accepting that, the better off they will be.

All this hit a raw nerve with me and I am sorry for ranting on and on, it is easy to forget that here their are like minded people who don't let others dictate their lives and don't blindly sumit to those who think that they "know better", well if I am going to loose my limbs or die from something it is at least going to be because of my own stupidity and not because of the failure of someone else who does not have to suffer the consequences of the flawed canned universally accepted treatment.

I'm finished.


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## cajunmeadows (Oct 21, 2011)

I also read somewhere that adding honey to thr cinnamin helps lower colestorol?
Any thouhgts?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Dont know about the honey and cinnamon but something that works well for me is water soluable fiber. I guess you have heard that oatmeal will help but if you want supercharge that concept, try using Psyllium Husks. It is available at most Health Food stores. Just drink a tablespoon dissolved in water in the morning and it will not only help lower cholesterol, it keep you regular as clockwork.

If you cant find the Psyllium Husks, Metamucil has psyllium in it and it will work the same with the cholesterol.

I think that the psyllium is one of the major players in lowering my cholesterol from "to high to measure" to a total of under 100. 

It costs about $10.00 for about a 1 month supply.


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## SageAdvicefarmgirl (Jun 23, 2011)

davjan4 said:


> I had the same problem about 5 years ago. The answer is perminent lifestlye changes. Without that, there will be no success.
> I'm an RN and at first I folowed the ADA advice. My advice about that now is DON'T FOLLOW THE ADA ADVICE FOR DIET. You will get sicker! They get millions in funding from drug companies and have no interst in fixing blood sugar issues with diet.
> What I did:
> 1. Eliminated grains. Period. No going back. Grains are one of the worst foods for the human body, especially if you have blood sugar issues.
> ...


What about Type I Diabetics (from childhood) My son in law watches his food, eats meats, veg, very few fruits, no processed carbs, but still needs insulin. He has not visited a DR in several yrs, treats himself, excersizes, is not overweight. My daughter and I want to "prepare" if possible for when insulin is not available....


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

SageAdvicefarmgirl said:


> What about Type I Diabetics (from childhood) My son in law watches his food, eats meats, veg, very few fruits, no processed carbs, but still needs insulin. He has not visited a DR in several yrs, treats himself, excersizes, is not overweight. My daughter and I want to "prepare" if possible for when insulin is not available....


insulin was discovered in 1926. it came from the pancreas of pigs. perhapes you could look up how it was made? 
my dh is on lantus and humalog as a type 2.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

SageAdvicefarmgirl, if your son in law has not been to see a doctor in several years, where does he get his insulin? If I could find a source for it without seeing my VA doctor I would drop them in a heartbeat. I manage my type II myself, totally disregard what tell me and just smile and grin when they tell me what a good boy I have been to follow the "program".

I thought that the first source of insulin came from sheep, but pigs seem resonable, they are a major test animal with many similarities to humans(especially the tendency to get FAT, like I was).


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## SageAdvicefarmgirl (Jun 23, 2011)

Davarm said:


> SageAdvicefarmgirl, if your son in law has not been to see a doctor in several years, where does he get his insulin? If I could find a source for it without seeing my VA doctor I would drop them in a heartbeat. I manage my type II myself, totally disregard what tell me and just smile and grin when they tell me what a good boy I have been to follow the "program".
> 
> I thought that the first source of insulin came from sheep, but pigs seem resonable, they are a major test animal with many similarities to humans(especially the tendency to get FAT, like I was).


Sorry for the delay time in answering...haven't been around my computer!
My daughter says they don't need a prescription for the insulin, (she picks it up at Wal-Mart pharmacy) They'd be covered by Ins if he would see a Dr, but they just pay for it out of pocket. He doesn't want to see a Dr as he HATES needles, knows they would want to put him thru a lot of tests and might even try to change his routine, which he is comfortable with now.

I'm going to check into the pig as a source...I always wanted to be the old woman with all the cures in her root cellar, hopefully I won't turn into a mad scientist over this!!


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## hedgeliving (Nov 12, 2011)

American Indians have a higher percentage of diabetes than other ethnic groups. They have been researching this for years and found out that it was directly related to the modern diet. Our cattle, pigs, and chickens are bred for a sweeter fat and their sugars are harder to digest. Even our vegetables are bred to taste better and this breeding often makes their sugars harder to digest properly. Heirloom plants and animals are better to eat but what was found out was if you went to a more "wild" diet you had a better chance to heal from diabetes. Eating venison and bison was much better for diabetes than beef and pork. Eating grouse was better than chicken. Eating sunchokes is better (and sweeter) than eating potatoes. So if you've got a hunter and forager in the family those food sources are better for diabetes and the excercise of actually getting your food in fresh air than in celaphane can save your life.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

hedgeliving said:


> American Indians have a higher percentage of diabetes than other ethnic groups. They have been researching this for years and found out that it was directly related to the modern diet. Our cattle, pigs, and chickens are bred for a sweeter fat and their sugars are harder to digest. Even our vegetables are bred to taste better and this breeding often makes their sugars harder to digest properly. Heirloom plants and animals are better to eat but what was found out was if you went to a more "wild" diet you had a better chance to heal from diabetes. Eating venison and bison was much better for diabetes than beef and pork. Eating grouse was better than chicken. Eating sunchokes is better (and sweeter) than eating potatoes. So if you've got a hunter and forager in the family those food sources are better for diabetes and the excercise of actually getting your food in fresh air than in celaphane can save your life.


Agree %100 that "Type II" diabetes is completely diet and lifestyle related and is completely preventable and curable, am working to that end. 7 years ago I was dead, just didnt have the sence to lay down and stop breathing now am getting ready to kick the insulin habit for good.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

SageAdvicefarmgirl said:


> Sorry for the delay time in answering...haven't been around my computer!
> My daughter says they don't need a prescription for the insulin, (she picks it up at Wal-Mart pharmacy) They'd be covered by Ins if he would see a Dr, but they just pay for it out of pocket. He doesn't want to see a Dr as he HATES needles, knows they would want to put him thru a lot of tests and might even try to change his routine, which he is comfortable with now.
> 
> I'm going to check into the pig as a source...I always wanted to be the old woman with all the cures in her root cellar, hopefully I won't turn into a mad scientist over this!!


I stay away from Wally World as a rule but will go there tonight and check with the pharmacy on the insulin rx, thank you for that heads up.

I dont have many cures in the root cellar but I do have a few treatments that work quite well for some common ailements will send them ur way if interested.

Nothing wrong with being the mad scientist, lots of fun!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

SageAdvicefarmgirl said:


> Sorry for the delay time in answering...haven't been around my computer!
> My daughter says they don't need a prescription for the insulin, (she picks it up at Wal-Mart pharmacy) They'd be covered by Ins if he would see a Dr, but they just pay for it out of pocket. He doesn't want to see a Dr as he HATES needles, knows they would want to put him thru a lot of tests and might even try to change his routine, which he is comfortable with now.
> 
> I'm going to check into the pig as a source...I always wanted to be the old woman with all the cures in her root cellar, hopefully I won't turn into a mad scientist over this!!


I checked with my pharmacist about he insulin and lo and behold, you Do Not Need a prescription to purchase several of the insulin types, Humulin and Novulin, to name a few, the human insulins. For the newer insulin analogs suchas NovoLog and Levemir, because of patent issues, prescriptions ARE required for those.

A ball park price on the Humulin and Novulin (10ml), is about $60.00 a bottle but she did say that they were consideraly cheaper at Wally World because they dont have to pay a middle man like the rest of the pharmacy world does.

SageAdvicefarmgirl, This may well be the single most significant and valuable piece of medical information that I have come across since I found that I had Diabetes.

Thank You


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

hedgeliving said:


> Eating venison and bison was much better for diabetes than beef and pork. Eating grouse was better than chicken.


So, eating "wild" would mean boar's okay in place of pork, right? Gonna hafta google grouse. Sad to say, I don't know what that is. But if we can find eat, might have to learn to cook it.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

googled grouse - looks like quail???? Correct me if I'm wrong, please.


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

I have Type II. Fast, big weight gain last year triggered it. (3 months of chemo with 3 steroids) My AC1 was 10.7. It's 7.5 now mostly. 1st 4 months after discovery, I was on Byetta and Metformin (sp)...did nothing....stopped meds, changed up diet and in 6 months it went to the 7.5. 

I don't eat anything white. It's a bitch sometimes, as I love potatos as much as anyone. But they are sugar bombs. Rice, white bread, pasta and of course sugar are also out of my diet too. 

Am fixing to start a new weight loss product that is made from all natural ingredients. Have lots of folks I know using it and losing weight and making their Type II go away. If it works for me, I'll share with you all.

Jimmy


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

My A1C was 13.9 and after I had a heart attack/stint, and started insulin it dropped to 6.1 . 

Started on Metformin and Avandia when first dxd with diabetes but metformin was extremely rough on the liver and we all know about Avandia. Went to Byetta which worked well but had trouble with nausea so dropped it.

Studies have linked Byetta with an increase in pancreatitis(spelling?) so be careful with it.

As I mentioned in earlier post, found out from SageAdvicefarmgirl that insulin does not require a prescription, priced it at local pharmacy for $60.00 per bottle and bit my pride and went to WalMart to check on the price there - 

Humulin r insulin $24.00, 

I bought a bottle and put it in the fridge.

For those of you who can manage with diet alone, I have found that Summer Squash(zucchini, crook neck..), Okra and Cucumbers can be eaten in just about any quantity without any appreciable effect on blood sugar if eaten wihout a bunch of "bad stuff" added to it.

IMO the best treatment, though, is what Jimmy24 did, dropped the meds that are doing more damage than good, change the diet/lifestyle and for those of you who are like me, Loose Weight and get off your Butts, exercise will drop blood sugar levels as well as insulin.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

As if lowering or completely getting off insulin wouldn't be enough of an incentive, think about storage of the insulin when or if there is no electricity. I'm not positive, but doesn't all insulin have to be kept cold? If that is the case, you will be hard pressed to keep it cold enough in storage even if you have a stockpile of it. I believe there is a certain temp it needs to be kept at in order for it to remain effective. You won't be able to put it in a cooler with ice, because how will you make or get ice?
For Type II folks, the absolute best best is a complete diet overhaul. Trust the advice given about lowering your sugar intake. Not only can you get off insulin by doing a life change like that, but folks on high blood pressure meds and cholesterol meds can see big changes as well. Develop a healthy skepticism for pharmaceutical companies and Dr.'s. Remember, they are in the business that they are to make money, not to tell you about how you can treat your diabetes yourself. It's much easier to put you on meds than to show you how to be healthy on your own. 

I'm not sure what advice to give to Type I diabetics. My understanding is that no amount of diet and/or exercise changes will "cure" you.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I came across this while reading ... Diabetes control with green bean pods. The skins of the green bean pods are said to contain substances that are related to insulin. (Todd)

If looking for a :shtf: insulin, it may be worth the research.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Davarm said:


> I checked with my pharmacist about he insulin and lo and behold, you Do Not Need a prescription to purchase several of the insulin types, Humulin and Novulin, to name a few, the human insulins. For the newer insulin analogs suchas NovoLog and Levemir, because of patent issues, prescriptions ARE required for those.
> 
> A ball park price on the Humulin and Novulin (10ml), is about $60.00 a bottle but she did say that they were consideraly cheaper at Wally World because they dont have to pay a middle man like the rest of the pharmacy world does.
> 
> ...


I was going over some of the old posts on Diabetes and Insulin and saw that I quoted the $60.00 a bottle price from the pharmacy.

I did go and check at Wally World and the same Insulin, Humilin R, U-100, 10ml(If you use insulin you will know what this is), is $24.00 dollars a bottle.

For this price I can stock up a year or two's supply and not have to worry about not having it for a while when TSHTF.

As for keeping it cool if/when the power fails, have come up with a remedy for that also.

One of the Igloo or Coleman coolers that plug into your car cigarette lighter socket will run for days on a battery from my Tahoe. The battery is kept charged by a $60.00 solar pannel. The cooler keeps the insulin in the recommended temperature range for storage and I have purchased some insulin with expiration dates well into 2015.

For those of you who depend on insulin to stay alive, this is one way to do it, at least until the insulin becomes completely unavailable.

Again I would like to thank SageAdvicefarmgirl for the information she provided that no prescription was needed to purchase Insulin. I dont know if everyone that uses insulin is aware of this but it can be a life saver to us who need it.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

*Andi said:


> I came across this while reading ... Diabetes control with green bean pods. The skins of the green bean pods are said to contain substances that are related to insulin. (Todd)
> 
> If looking for a :shtf: insulin, it may be worth the research.


Did you save the link to this info? Not diabetic but have a brother that is and this sounds as though it could be very useful.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Freyadog said:


> Did you save the link to this info? Not diabetic but have a brother that is and this sounds as though it could be very useful.


It was in one of my herbal books by Todd ... I did a search (just now ) under Diabetes control with green bean pods and can up with more than a few hits. So some info is out there. I've added it to my research list because like you, I have family with diabetes.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

Great passing of info and tips here. Gotta agree with examining your lifestyle and replacing the bad with good...it all adds up, either way.

I've had signs/symptoms of pre-diabetes in my late 40's (not over-weight) and ignored them for quite some time. About 6 months ago I made a life choice to keep processed sugars off my plate as much as possible, along with reduced sodium, sat-fats, cholesterol, etc, and stopped smoking tobacco. I slowed my 18-cup/day coffee intake to a halt over about 6 weeks (even though coffee seems to have some benefits) and at the same time, slowly replaced it with decaf teas of different varieties. The anti-oxidants of black/green teas is highly beneficial, while the herbal teas offer a variety of medicinal uses. I also use a cinnamon regimen, because it's easy and readily available, and I like cinnamon on hot cereal, as well as in dry rubs for certain styles and types of my own recipes for smoked meats.

Research the herbal methods before using them, as some can have strong adverse side effects, or, can compound other health conditions dramatically. Recommended dosage quantities, time between doses, and maximum time for repeated use (when applicable) is important also, as certain herbal derivatives can build up in the human body over time causing chronic exposure effects which are best reversed by abstaining from their use.

All things considered, use every food and dietary supplement in moderation. Keeping everything in balance is key to surviving diabetes.


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