Stuff works says this RN
"People that know me, know that I am a 73 yr old retired RN. I have always been available to family and friends for any medical questions. If I don't have an answer, I know how to find it. I try to give them the best advice I know from my 51 yrs in nursing. I was a Critical Care nurse in a variety of units over the years so I have seen and done alot. I was also a national chart auditor for almost 20 years. That exposed me to advanced medical practices outside my own small community.
That said, I would not give anyone advice that I would not follow myself. I have been a Type II diabetic for about 25 years.
I learned about a supplement from my cousin that she says helped her immensely. I do take some supplements, especially when recommended by one of my docs and after I have thoroughly researched it. Soooo . . . I decided to take a good look at Berberine. I researched it, asked my doc about it and felt like I needed to give it a try. I've been on Metformin, Insulin, Farxiga, Januvia and a couple other of the newest drugs. All with major side effects.
For the last 3 years, my A1c was about 9.x despite trying to eat right. I started on 500mg of Berberine twice a day. My A1c dropped to 7.4 last March and now 6.7 last month. Doc said it wouldn't hurt me but to take a probiotic with it. OK.
I'm seeing alot of ads on FB about diabetic supplements. Always expensive and always "better" than what the other guy is offering. Yeah, right! Read "more expensive"!
Anyway, I have been on Berberine for 6 mos now and am ecstatic with my fasting sugar each AM. I've had to come off my insulin because of hypoglycemia episodes. I'm now down to a half dose of my Amryl for the same reason.
I'm not saying this will definitely work for everyone and it does not work overnight. It appears to make the cells more receptive to your own insulin. Berberine is made from Barberry plants and has been around roughly 2500 yrs in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. When you think about it, Western medicine hasn't really been around very long in the grand scheme of things. There are a whole lot of people in our world who don't have access to modern Western medicine and most are doing fine.
Don't just take my word about Berberine, research it online from as many sources as you can find and then ask your doc about it. Some will adamantly pooh-pooh the idea of any supplements except maybe multiple vitamins. Do some critical thinking and decide for yourself. As they say, it's your body and your decision!
BTW, don't think you can just pig out on carbs while taking this and you'll be fine. I've already done that "research" and it doesn't work! My middle name is "cookie monster" and I just couldn't help pushing the envelope!
This does not work overnight! It takes several months for it to open your cells to using your own insulin. It was 2 months before I saw a drop in my A1c (7.4) and then another 3 months to get me to 6.7. The 125 days' worth of doses in the bottle I buy from Amazon is good for 4 months.
My cousin who is 85 and was a brittle diabetic now has an A1c of 5.1 after a year on this supplement.
I've had absolutely no side effects from this supplement and I have some other significant medical problems besides diabetes. No interference with any non-diabetic medications. Just the hypoglycemia as my cells start using my own insulin. NOT FOR TYPE I DIABETICS!!!!
UPDATE: I am down to 6.3 A1c! I have gotten several other friends to try this. One lady has dropped her fasting sugar from average of 300 down to 150 after just a few months on Berberine. A man in Texas sent word to me that I had saved his job! Employer won't allow diabetics on insulin to drive for them. Doc wanted him on insulin. Using Berberine has dropped his sugars and doc has shut up!
My daughters are both doing very well. My plumber has dropped his insulin dose. I am so happy for these folks. And I learned in Feb that my doc had started her own mother on it after she saw what it did for me."
