You could fill a book with Dr. Whitaker's diabetes success stories--and, in fact, Dr. Whitaker's Reversing Diabetes is being re-released in paperback on November 1.
Since this groundbreaking book was first published, your supplement arsenal for controlling blood sugar--and beating syndrome X, pre-diabetes and even type 2 diabetes--continues to grow, as more research emerges that shows drugs and insulin aren't the only answers anymore.
One of the more exciting herbal blood sugar supplements is Gymnema sylvestre. This climbing plant native to India has been used since the sixth century B.C. to lower blood sugar, and may actually help repair damage to cells in the pancreas in the process.
Animal studies on diabetic rats showed fasting blood glucose levels returning to normal after 20 to 60 days of treatment, with a rise toward normal in serum insulin. An examination of the rats' pancreatic islet and beta cells, which produce insulin, showed the number of cells had doubled compared to those of the placebo group. As Dr. Whitaker points out, this flies in the face of everything we believed possible. Once beta cells are gone, they're gone...or so we thought.
Human studies have shown similar results: Five of 22 patients taking 400 mg per day for 18 to 20 months as a supplement to oral drugs could discontinue the drugs, and the rest reduced their dosages. There was a significant reduction in blood glucose and other parameters of insulin efficiency. Researchers concluded, "the beta cells may be regenerated in type II diabetic patients on (Gymnema sylvestre) supplementation."
Dr. Whitaker recommends that anyone with diabetes try 400 mg daily of Gymnema sylvestre. Or, if you are at high risk for developing diabetes, he recommends a maintenance dose of 200 mg daily.
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