The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Beryl (Nottingham UK) on 04/04/2019
★★★★★
Earlier on today I wondered whether Milk Thistle was sending up my blood sugar. However, it occurred to me whether the culprit was the milk I'd put in my coffee and I've discovered it is. I've cut out milk since breakfast and just done another test and my blood sugar has gone down to 5.4. Who would have thought! Problem is I cannot stand any of the nut and seed milks on offer. and I do enjoy coffee and tea with milk.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Redpanda (New Hampshire) on 06/10/2016
★☆☆☆☆
For the past 5-1/2 weeks, my menu has been the same: one small salad around noon consisting of a cup of mixed greens, a poached egg on top, and a tablespoon of homemade dressing of olive oil, apple cider vinegar and chopped garlic. My dinner is generally the same except for the day we get freshly caught fish from our fish CSA. That fish is less than 3 oz. Every morning my blood sugar is about 200-210. Two hours after every meal it's about 185. I am on no medications. What can I do to help? I've lost about 35 lbs in 5-1/2 weeks as well. I have about 30 to go to get to my goal weight.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Ben (Kansas) on 06/10/2016
Look into the McDougall diet also known as the starch solution. A lot of people are losing weight and reversing their diabetes using it.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil
Posted by Bill (Philadelphia, Pa.) on 04/19/2015
★★★★★
I am a 57 year old prediabetic male and have had FBS readings as high as 120 for quite some time. I recently began using 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil 20 minutes before meals and was astonished to see my blood sugar level drop to normal range and stay there within days. Nothing else in my daily routine was changed but I did also add one hour of exercise per day. Both of my parents died from complications of diabetes; I am determined to avoid that fate and I believe the ACV and CO have the power to do this.
Chromium Polynicotinate
Posted by Jon (Australia) on 03/15/2015
★★★★★
I really like Chromium polynicotinate. I take 100mg, twice a day with meals.
It is helping to reduce my sugar levels.
Chromium is enhances the effectiveness of insulin, needed to process sugars (glucose). Supplemental chromium reduces blood glucose levels.
I read somewhere that it's estimated that more than 90% of U.S. adults have a deficiency of the mineral chromium.
Make sure you take chromium polynicotinate, and NOT chromium picolinate!
"Nobody should take chromium picolinate."
Chromium polynicotinate is much more safe and effective.
Research has found large amounts of chromium picolinate cause chromosome damage, whereas chromium polynicotinate did not.
Since this mineral assists in the production of insulin, it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and can be beneficial both for people with hypoglycemia and diabetes. It is also critical to the synthesis of cholesterol, fats, and proteins.
Chromium Polynicotinateis more effective than any other type of chromium, as it binds the elemental chromium to niacin (vitamin B-3). This provides a biologically active form of chromium, which is safe and more absorbable in the body.
Consumers are urged to switch to a nontoxic form of chromium, such as niacinbound chromium, also known as chromium polynicotinate. Niacin-bound chromium is the safest and most bioavailable form of chromium. Most health food stores carry niacin-bound chromium polynicotinate.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Geevikram (Chicago, IL) on 02/12/2015
★★★★★
Today is my first day on ACV. My post-prandial sugar was off the charts. I would hit 200's and come down slowly. My A1C has never been less than 6.6. Yesterday (2/11/15), my pp sugar was 172 after 2.5 hours. I also took one glipizide (5mg) before food and 1000 mg of metformin after.
I read about the benefits of ACV in this forum and buy the one with mother in it. Two spoons of ACV diluted and had before food. I also took metformin 500 mg before and after food. (Didn't want to stop suddenly) 1 hr after lunch sugar was 125.2 hrs after lunch, sugar was 118.3hrs later, sugar is 134. This tells me that sugar is being released slowly into the blood stream. Interestingly, I typically work out(not a lot) everyday. Today, I did not and still got this result. I can only imagine the effect, if I were to actually work out.
As an aside, how do you guys manage to drink ACV before lunch at work?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Llc1952 (Mo) on 03/10/2017
Just add it to a little water and put a pinch of baking soda in it. It neutralizes the taste and will still be effective.
High Blood Sugar Recovery Drink
Posted by Anon (Anon) on 12/10/2013
★★★★★
High blood sugar recovery drink: I've never been diagnosed as diabetic, but when I eat a lot of sugar I get sick and achy all over and a sore throat. This is my rescue remedy, first thing in the morning when I wake up feeling icky.
2 cups hot milk, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Imagine yourself sitting by the fire place under a red plaid flannel blanket all toasty warm. It's like that. :)
Thai Herb Kratom
Posted by Pat (Oregon) on 07/27/2013
★★★★★
I have not been able to get my prescription for metaformin renewed due to no insurance and the cost of blood test etc. (I am trying to get into services of the free clinic)
My problem is that I am 320 pounds, and without the metaformin my blood sugar avers at 190 to 200 in the morning.(this is with an hour walking everyday)
My son gave me an herb called Kratom. I have reserached the amount and caution for the effects, etc. Last night I took a teaspoon before I went to bed and my blood sugar was 126 this morning. I got the same results a few days ago when I went to bed with 250 blood sugar, the next morning it was 135.
I would like to take small portions of this herb, maybe every other day, just teaspoon at night to help keep my blood sugar low until I can get a prescription for metaformin. (I takes about two months to get into free clinic here)
My question: would this be a safe way to keep my blood sugar balanced? ( also take 250 g of effexor, but have researched and it seems safe with my medication.) I would appreciate any information on this. Thank you.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Michael (Athens, Ohio) on 11/25/2012
★★★★★
Eating 1 T of virgin coconut oil and then doing moderate exercise like walking for 15 to 30 min will also bring your BS down possibly even more than ACV. ACV does nothing for me but VCO will bring me into the 80's from 170. If you read Dr. Richard Bernstein or Ron Rosedale you will learn that eating that a high carb roll is really bad for you and not woth doing because it is whipping your beta cells to produce more insulin and they will eventually burn out and die and then you will become a type 1 diabetic and need insulin.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Shin (Santa Clara, Ca, Usa) on 10/21/2011
★★★★★
I have family history of diabetes so I watch my Blood Sugar too. I heard about ACV and for a month now I always take 2 tblspoon before I ate a roll or high carb bread. But today, I intentionally ate a cinnamon roll without ACV and one hour after my BS spikes to 170 and that freaked me -- normally with ACV, it was 110 an hour after eating that bread. So this morning I freaked because I understand that we should not go over 140. So I immediately took 2 tblspoons of organic ACV to drag the BS down and 55 mins after my BS read 114. I now decide to always have ACV before eat high carb bread because it obviously worked for me -- I am now a believer that ACV can help slash the sugar spike after carb eating. Good luck to all.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Luigi (Mesquite, Tx) on 01/06/2010
★★★★★
Am using raw honey and cinnamon as well as acv. I do see a reduction in glucose reading! I mix by the gallon using alkaline water.
My formula is :
4 tablespoons of raw, unfilered honey
1 oz ACV
5 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
I DRINK 8 OZS BEFORE BREAKFAST
My glucose reading is now 135,
down from average of 155.
Trying to get lower (119 or lower)
Peppermint Oil
Posted by Ratgirldjh (Austin, Texas, USA) on 10/09/2009
★★★★★
i am a diabetic on insulin and i recently discovered that peppermint oil lowers blood sugar - a LOT.
how i found this out is i took a bath with 5 drops of peppermint oil and i also have a tooth powder that i mixed up with several drops of peppermint oil and powdered sea salt.
after soaking in the bath - which felt wonderful - i brushed my teeth with the tooth powder and also rinsed my mouth out with a little in water.
after this i started feeling weird. i had eaten whole grain pasta and veggies for dinner and couldn't believe my blood sugar was low. but it was 81 - and it continued going lower even after i ate 1 1/2 kashi cereal bars - 1 teaspoons of karo syrup - and 1 whole wheat gingerbread cookie. i ended up eating another cereal bar and finally got it up to 120.
this morning it was still lower than usual after all those mid night carbs - it was 177.
usually the morning after something like this happens it will be in the 200's - since it finally all catches up again.
so be careful with peppermint oil if you are a diabetic on insulin.
i plan to still use my tooth powder - but i have lowered my insulin doses!!!
i am also taking ACV and water a very small amount 2 x a day.
Turmeric
Posted by Reid (Herrin, IL) on 08/06/2008
★★★★★
Diabetes:
I was diagnosed about a year ago. I was put on metformin. I found that taking 2 caps of turmeric with each meal dropped my sugar levels to normal after 2 hours of eating. I found that taking 4 cap. of turmeric with metforman once a day dropped my sugar levels too low around 60.
I now am off all prescription diabetes medicine. The way I did it was I took chromium normal dose for 30 days. Tumeric with food for 30 days. Ginger and cinnamon with meals for 30 days. After that I stopped the metformin.
I watch my diet and don't over eat and stopped ALL sodas. My levels I check once a week now in the morning (fasting) and they are allways under 100. Before over 130.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ramesh Bhatnagar (Irving, Texas, USA) on 03/29/2008
★★★★★
I read about Apple Cider Vinegar online so I tried it. The first day my sugar level lowered from 235 plus to 110. I am taking two table spoons in a 1/4 glass of water, this is a miracle remedy to lower sugar level. I have not taken any metformin etc. for nearly two weeks. I am to have my lab test done next mid April 2008, let's see what the results shows! My diet is besan (gram flour) and soya flour pan cakes with sour cream and salad (onion, cucumber, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, celery, lemon juice, bitter melon and Habanero and lite salt) twice a day and boiled tilapia fish in the evening. I am very happy with ACV, I just ordered 12 (32oz) bottles of ACV with the Mother, Organic and unfiltered. This will remain in my cupboard always! Thank you for having a wonderful informative website. God Bless!!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Teady (Columbus, georgia) on 11/26/2007
★★★★★
I drank vinegar after my meals today and my blood sugar was great almost immediately Thanks for your great suggestions!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Tim (Winnipeg, Manitoba) on 10/20/2007
★★★★★
I am a Type II Diabetic and I am 43 years old. I have been of Medication for 3 years now and I am managing my Diabetes by eating a healthy diet and exercise. I am writing to commend you folks and tell you that Apple Cider Vinegar works wonders in terms of controlling my blood sugar levels, its amazing. As awful as it tastes the benefits are truly amazing. Start of with 1 teaspoon and record the results and take as many times as needed otherwise you may lower you blood sugar levels to low.
Cinnamon
Posted by Moe (Apple Valley) on 08/26/2016
Yes. Cinnamon does help but it needs to be the Ceylon type and not the Cassia that is the most common one found in the supermarkets. A half teaspoon is the recommended dose. The cheaper Cassia cinnamon has high levels of coumarin and can be toxic to the liver if taken excessively. You can buy the Ceylon at most health food stores or order it online. I too have had amazing results with cinnamon but will be buying the Ceylon which is safe.
