[Smitie]

Hello all,

I've recently been diagnosed with Type 2 and have been trying to find ways to lower my Blood Sugar. My doctor has placed me on Metformin and my first A1C was 13.2.

I've been tracking my Blood sugar since I've been on the med's and I've dropped quite a bit with them and my change in eating mostly sugar snacks.

My question after reading The Saturday Evening Post article "Chasing Diabetes Around the World" is has anyone tried this PGX fiber, Ginseng and Salba combo and does it work?

Along with that does anyone have recommendations for which ones to get and from where?

Thanks in advance,

Dennis

[xMenace]

Welcome Smitie.

Suppliments have never been proven nor disproven. I'd question everything you read. Take Based on studies by Dr. Ashped from Pakistan as a big red warning sign. Often these articles are spammers disguising their products as legitimate.

Follow the big three: diet, exercise, and weight loss. Plus stick to your meds. If you ever do find something that works, awesome! But don't hold your breath.

Stick around and learn. That's actually the best medicine. Knowledge is power!

David Mendosa: A Writer About Diabetes

Oh yea, cinnamon and apple vinegar are two other supposed gooduns.

[Smitie]

XMenace,

Thanks I understand and have done tons of reading and research. I'm not looking for a quick fix and I've already been working on the big three

- I've already dropped weight and have gone down one pants size. I try not to watch my weight daily and look at the long term goals and do an official Weigh in at the YMCA each month.
- Walking everyday that it's nice and on bad days I use the treadmill. Been trying to do a little weight lifting to turn some of those fat cells into muscle.
- Cut out all my sugars and have gone on a high fiber diet.

Hoping to see my BS graph which I do chat daily in the normal range within the next two months. I understand it might take 6 months and my goals of 50 lb of weight loss by end of summer.

Thanks,

Dennis/Smitie

[slipperyelm]

You might get more replies, too, if you use generic names rather than brand names. I had no idea, for example what PGX fiber is, and no wonder, as PGX is merely a trademark name for glucomannan. From the PGX website I read, "Blend contains glucomannan, a soluble and fermentable fiber derived from the root of konjac plant (Amorphophallus konjac)."

Salba is a trademarked name for seed of the plant, Salvia hispanica, a species known so long that it was among those Linnaeus himself classified.

I do recall discussions of glucomannan on this forum long ago. Perhaps it was in the Carbohydrates section or in the Recipes section. Not sure.

Personally I have tried neither. If you are interested in trying these or any other supplements, I reccomend that you wait until your use of other appraoches to daibetes has brought you to some stable point. Then add in only one new supplement at a time. That way you can get a better idea whether the supplement has any effect on you at all, positive, negative, or a combination.

BTW, my A1C upon diagnosis was 13.2, as was yours. I got that down to 5.4 using weight loss and exercise by my second A1C. However in the years since then I re-gained weight and had to add in a couple of meds, metformin & avandia, plus low carb eating to have an A1C of 5.4. I also use Insulow brand r-ALA (yet another supplement) specifically when I eat 30 grams of carbohydrates at a meal (which is not an ideal amount for me.)

[jacobsam622]

Originally Posted by Smitie

Hello all,

I've recently been diagnosed with Type 2 and have been trying to find ways to lower my Blood Sugar. My doctor has placed me on Metformin and my first A1C was 13.2.

I've been tracking my Blood sugar since I've been on the med's and I've dropped quite a bit with them and my change in eating mostly sugar snacks.

My question after reading The Saturday Evening Post article "Chasing Diabetes Around the World" is has anyone tried this PGX fiber, Ginseng and Salba combo and does it work?

Along with that does anyone have recommendations for which ones to get and from where?

Thanks in advance,

Dennis

The only diabetes supplement\herbs that I have heard anything good about is cinnamon. I also take B-super complex, potassium, and Sow Palmetto. Do they work? no clue. My grandfather is 93 or 94 and was only in the past 2 years diagnosed with diabetes. He has been taking herbs and supplements for years.

[TVButler]

Please try the PGX. It is not just glucomannan. It was developed over a number of years and has the highest viscosity of any fiber. They have also conducted clinical trials with this product. The most recent research is available on the PGX.com website and in it's entirety in the book "Hunger Free Forever" by Dr. Michael Murray and Dr. Michael Lyon.

Salba is a very expensive chia seed that is nutritionally no different from black chia seeds which can be found or special ordered for much less. I have seen NO research on why it might be beneficial for blood sugar. Stick to the science. Work with your physician, research information on foods that have a low glycemic index, take your medicine, exercise and try the PGX. It is available from Natural Factors at most natural foods stores.

[Tiger Lily]

LOL

i'm killing myself laughing here

hubby bought some PGX for me, based on a recommendation from a type 2 that he works with

the directions indicate that you should end up taking 3 to 6 of the PGX softgels prior to each meal of the day, along with a glass of water

not bad, eh?

well, we opened the jar, and took ONE softgel out........ i've seen suppositories that are smaller than this honking pill ! ! !

anyway, the advertising on the jar indicates that the fibre content of the pill changes the glycemic index of the food in question, resulting in a lower peak, and a sustained feeling of fullness

i eat using the glycemic index already

but lets go back to 6 pills before each meal......... that's 18 pills a day, and this LARGE jar contains 180 Softgels, or roughly 10 days supply.............. trust me, you do NOT want to pay for 3 jars/bottles of this stuff per month, as it would add up........... good heavens, Metformin is available on the generic lists at WalMart, Safeway and WalGreens in the USA for a mere $3 to $4/ mo

that's my 2 cents

kate