After yesterday’s article entitled, “Symptoms of Diabetes Mimic Thyroid Disease,” I received hundreds of good questions on both topics, thyroid and diabetes. And a few other questions including whether or not I personally have diabetes. (I don’t). I received over 280 questions, so I can’t answer all of them, but I will do my best. Just in case you missed yesterday’s newsletter please check your inbox again, I am doing a 3 part series on diabetes, and this is article #2 in my 3 part series.
Question: I eat very carefully 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks, but every afternoon (3-7pm) I crash even though my Glucometer says my blood sugar is about 113. And when I am crashing my brain is telling me EAT, EAT, but when I do it doesn’t help the crash. Any idea what is going on here? — Jessica
It sounds like high cortisol or some kind of adrenal hormone imbalance. This causes intense hunger pangs and sometimes sugar binging. I would do a 4 point saliva test to evaluate adrenal hormones. It could also be related to leptin resistance and/or MSH deficiency.
Question: Is this product meant for someone who has a 116 blood sugar. I’m not on any medications yet. They call it prediabetic. — Danielle
Blood sugar levels vary throughout the day, they should be around 80 or 85 ideally, in a fasting state. GlucoScript™ is a safe, effective, over-the-counter supplement that can address various concerns during the prediabetic state, with the hopes that it may prevent a full-blown diabetic condition from following. The ingredients are synergistic and their goal (among many other things) is to help reduce blood sugar. We only warn about hypoglycemia because some people will be on several different diabetes medications when they begin it and the combination may cause hypoglycemia as the body gets healthier and starts to produce more insulin naturally.
Question: I already take ThyroScript. Will GlucoScript replace the need for ThyroScript, as it sounds? Or will both Thyro/GlucoScript be needed for these 2 problems? —Mazell
No this is a completely different product targeting different biomarkers in the body. You could theoretically take both if you wanted. They are not replacements. The goal of my article was to teach people that thyroid disease is a major cause of diabetes, because if you don’t correct thyroid illness, the diabetes will not respond well to medications.
I drink a lot of coconut water, is the sugar in this going to be a problem for me? — Bob
No, I don’t think so, in fact, I recently wrote about the virtues of COCONUT water in this article, and how it could help with diabetes. I drink it myself too 😉
CLICK HERE to read that article, “Coconut Water and 9 Other Brilliant Ideas to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes”
Question: I have never heard of measuring insulin! This is just amazing information to me. What should the level be? How do you evaluate that? Why is it better than the standard test, the FBS? —Jan
Your insulin should be about 5 (microunits/ml). This is evaluated by a blood test, any lab can do it. Above 25, it’s highly likely you have diabetes, so you have to act quickly to reverse the condition. Your insulin is released from your pancreas, in response to a meal that you eat. It will rise naturally, and then fall after your meal is digested. If you tax your pancreas, with sugary foods, beverages and candy, your insulin levels will stay high. When they are elevated, it’s a sign that there’s a ton of sugar in your system that needs to be dealt with! Eventually, when insulin remains high for a long time, due to eating sweets and carbs for years, the insulin receptors on your cells ‘snub their noses’ at the insulin… yep, seen you before, I don’t even care… and they are resistant to the circulating insulin. This is termed “insulin resistance.” That’s when your blood sugar rises, because the cells no longer listen or care about the insulin there. But that insulin has been high for many years, it was an easy biomarker to measure and it would have clued you in that your diabetes was developing. You don’t get diabetes overnight, as soon as your FBS is above normal!
Question: Is this for high blood sugar only? Will your product be free of the 8 most common food allergies? — Shari
GlucoScript™ is for high blood sugar only and yes it is FREE of milk/casein, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat/gluten, and soybeans.
Question: My husband is a sugar fiend. His doctor told him he is borderline diabetic and the day she did his craving for sugary food spiked – backlash, I guess. Is this for people with this kind of scenario? Does it have magnesium stearate? — Lynda
He may have adrenal problems, or Candida overgrowth or some other gut dysbiosis. I recommend a GI Effects test for him, and a 4-point saliva test to determine circadian hormone levels. It could also be his pancreas acting out since he is borderline diabetic. GlucoScript™ may be able to help, certainly no harm in attempting to support pancreatic health. GlucoScript™ is free of magnesium stearate.
Question: If I take Armour thyroid, does that protect me from getting diabetes?
– Ron
It helps to have a medication or supplement on board to control (and increase) the levels of thyroid hormone. When they are low, or erratic (as in Hashimoto’s) that’s when the trouble starts. So a medication that allows you to feel well, and maintain healthy thyroid hormone numbers is going to translate to lower risk of diabetic complications.
Question: My husband has a history of diabetes and is overweight. He has not been diagnosed yet. My question is, can this product be used by men? I’m not sure if men suffer from thyroid problems of if that is just an issue for women. — Susan
Yes, men and women can both take GlucoScript™ (and/o for that matter). These products do not contain any kind of hormones, they allow your body to naturally produce their own.
Question: I have an abnormal heart rhythm and I take 3 different medications, Levothyroxine, Zoloft and lovastatin. Can any of these 3 drugs cause my heart to flutter? — Barbara
Yes, in fact all 3 of these drugs could have an impact on your heart. I don’t know which of the three is doing it though. You’d have to discontinue all three of them, and bring back one at a time. Other medications that cause an abnormal heart rhythm include hydrocodone, enalapril, albuterol, diphenhydramine, loratadine, azithromycin, and any estrogen-containing drug such as birth control or hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Question: What are the side effects of Actos? — Jean
Over time, like about 5 or 10 years, it can lead to bladder dysfunction or bladder cancer, there is a warning about this now. Also pancreatitis risk goes up. But taking it for a few months while you get your diet cleaned up, and start exercising should only cause the most common symptoms such as low appetite, fatigue, ankle/leg swelling, weight gain, muscle aches and hypoglycemia. Yes hypoglycemia may result if your dosage is too high or you take it with another medication or dietary supplement. The two will act better than either one alone.
Question: What herbs can help with high blood sugar? — Kea
There are many including resveratrol, berberine, gymnema sylvestre and curcumin.
Question: Can type 2 diabetes really be cured? — Helen
Of course it can in some people, but obviously not all! It depends on the level of function of those precious beta cells, in your pancreas. It depends on how well you can reduce inflammatory cytokines by dieting and exercising. Eating green foods, like leafy greens and green powdered drinks can be helpful too. These help detoxify you and provide important minerals.
Question: Your discussion on kidney disease in yesterday’s newsletter intrigued me. I have diabetes, but I’m not yet on dialysis. I have Lyme disease too. I take a lot of ibuprofen each day for pain, as well as clarithyromycin and atovaquone for Lyme and simvastatin (Zocor) for cholesterol. I also take about 18 supplements but I’m most concerned about the medicine. Can any of these be hastening my kidney damage? — Joel
Yes, there is a well known interaction with statin cholesterol drugs and erythromycin-based antibiotics (your clarithromycin) known to hasten kidney failure. This is not a combination I suggest you continue with. Ask your physician for something different.
Question: What is the best sweetener for me? I have diabetes. I hate stevia. — Melinda
I don’t think artificial sweeteners are good for human consumption so I am sure this flies in the face of many other diabetes educators. I have an entire chapter on the pros and cons of sweeteners in my book, Diabetes Without Drugs. I really like all of these:
Honey
Coconut sugar
Maple sugar
You will need to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, fructose, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and brown sugar.
Question: Suzy I looked at your GlucoScript™ formula. Why doesn’t it contain curcumin like the brand I take? — Karl
Curcumin doesn’t get absorbed very well and you have to take very high doses of it for you to see an effect so it’s better to take that particular herb as a stand-alone. When it’s combined in a multi-tasking formula, it is often more for “show.” I love the herb, don’t misunderstand, but if it’s needed, it’s best taken all by itself, and make sure it’s in a highly bioavailable form because again, this one is tough to incorporate into your cells. It is often carried in by piperine, a black pepper extract which can help. There are liposomal forms as well.
Question: Do you think that plastic bottles are bad for people with diabetes? — Richard
Ideally, I would use a filtration system in the house rather than plastic bottles all the time. I have a Berkey filter at my house which I love. I’ve had it for years, but I do drink out of plastic myself sometimes. (Hey, just being honest with you!) Anyway, it’s a known fact that certain pollutants can cause diabetes, these include dioxins, DDT, PCBs and chlordane and these can make you 38 times more likely to get diabetes. Also MOLD exposure can damage your pancreas and lead to pancreatitis and/or diabetes. Have you occupied a damp dwelling, or a home with mold? Do you live in a home that was flooded? Do you live in the southeast, like Louisiana or Florida? Mold, a known pathogen and pollutant, could very well be driving your diabetes.
Question: Do you yourself have diabetes? — Elaine
No, I do not. My grandfather Pepe Jack died from complications of it. My mom HAD it and I reversed it by helping her maintain healthy cholesterol ratios WITHOUT the Lipitor her doctor initially prescribed.
Question: My biggest setback is potato chips. I can’t help myself. Any suggestions? — Jason
How about salted macadamia nuts from Kona? Or sunflower seeds? Or pumpkin seeds. You can roast them in your oven on 300 degrees, dust them with organic olive oil and Himalayan salt. If you like garlic, sprinkle them with that too! It can help you get off the potato chips that are probably laden with hydrogenated oils and/or GMO corn.
Question: My husband is on Metformin…would GlucoScript™ help him … would he be able to take this with prescription medicine? — Bonnie
Our sincere hope is that people on prescription drugs will be able to reduce their dosage over time, thus minimizing the side effects associated with pharmaceuticals. So while we don’t think it’s a bad idea at all, we ask several things:
1) Ask his physician to garner his blessings, with GlucoScript™, and any other natural supplement you want to take.
2) Monitor him closely and routinely to ensure he does not become hypoglycemic… remember, GlucoScript™ is intended to help reduce blood sugar values and A1c.
3) As blood sugar values come down, medication dosage gets reduced (again, under close supervision of your physician)
We are not doctors on this site, I am not a physician either, so no one here cannot monitor, or really advise you closely, in the manner that you require. We want you to know that all the compounds in GlucoScript™ are carefully selected to help support overall pancreatic health and beta cell function. We never know for sure who it is right for, as we are all individuals! Hopefully, this helps. Further information can be found at the bottom of my first article on this topic, click here.
Question: Why did you include berberine at such a low level? I saw that it requires about 1,000 mg to have a blood sugar reducing impact. — Brian
Yes, but in those types of doses, it can become neurotoxic, there is a synergy with ALL the nutrients in my formula, so you don’t need such high doses, that could potentially become toxic. Berberine can act as a diuretic in such high dosages. It also happens to have some “killing” action on pathogens, including Lyme, and so I didn’t want to put such a high dose in there that a herx would ensue. The amount in the proprietary blend is approximately 150 mg, strong enough to illicit a response for blood sugar, but not strong enough to cause a herx, or diuresis. We are depending on the synergy of all the compounds in the formula to work, not just this one ingredient.
Here’s a link to a pilot study showing that berberine works comparably to the pharmaceutical, metformin.
I have a forum just below… so please feel free to leave your own comments if you have another “answer” or thought to anyone who has asked me a question above. We’re in this together!
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
