I have spent many many hours trying to educate myself on everything there is to know about diabetes and including natural remedies. With diabetes there are many complications or side effects, we never really only have one thing to worry about.
I found taking cinnamon supplements help with lowering blood sugar levels so I take it usually in addition with insulin so I do not have to take too much insulin to bring the numbers down.
I take a super complex vitamin B which helps with metabolism and energy. Vitamin D supplements because I have a deficiency and it gives me so much energy when I do.
Garlic supplements, which does at times seep through your pours even though it says odorless, which helps with my heart and blood pressure. When my sugar levels are high usually I have rapid heartbeats. Garlic is also good for ( men look away) yeast infections which happens often when levels are high.
Aloe-vera , Green, Chamomile teas which helps lower blood sugar, get rid of antioxidants, and calm my tension. I keep tension like it will be worth more than gold one day. Dandelion tea because I also retain water which causes me to swell up and it helps releases it.
Sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon is not only delicious but it helps lower my sugar levels. Eat a small banana or one low carb yogurt a day for potassium, which helps with muscle cramps my potassium is always low.
I do not drink cow milk, only almond or soy, because it produces mucus and with my horrible sinus/allergies it is a guarantee result of high sugar levels. Water I have to drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration, it will increase my levels also.
Medicine is wonderful however I do not think it is needed for everything, there are more natural ways to help your body. I think if you have an issue tries looking it up online first to see if there are other natural simple remedies that could help. Most often there is and you would be surprise how many things you already own. Of course always listen to your doctor and share with them anything you have learned. Monitor your blood sugar levels always. I just wanted to share a few things that I know that has helped me.
I also take a B-100 complex, primarily for B-12. Since I am on a max dose of metformin which can cause a malabsorption of B-12, I compensate. B-12 deficiency can cause neuropathy, I already have enough problems, I don’t need more. Other than that, I’ve never found any “natural” remedies to be of help. It tried all kinds of cinnamon, no help. The closest I came was bitter melon extract which caused a transient lowering of my blood sugar for a week or two, but it just returned to previous levels after that. I take a variety of other supplements, but nothing else worked for blood sugar control.
I found that actually measuring the effect of individual supplements on my blood sugar required careful introduction of the supplement, measurements of blood sugars over a month or more and then stopping the supplement. You can then check the difference. If you do this twice, in a challenge experiment, you can confirm the effect of the supplement. Unfortunately, I’ve not found any natural supplements that were effective for me.
I haven’t found anything natural to help lower my blood sugar consistantly but water. So I have my glasses of that throughout the day. I did try the cinnamon but it didn’t help anywhere noticable. It is supposed to work for Type 2’s. I do not know. I do sprinkle it on my sliced apple, cereal, small sliced banana, on apple sause, etc. Just because I like the taste. I do think that it is helping me somehow. 
Wonderful that you are eating heathy, natural foods. I eat some as you do. I Love almond milk. I also eat almonds. They help to lower the cholesterol, helping the heart and more. I also eat walnuts(12) and a cod liver oil capsule daily to keep colds out and to keep me oiled. Garlic in soups and stews. Lots of romaine lettuce. I Love fruit and it is healthy for us. A lot of antioxidants within. I take a multi vit. every other day. Thanks for sharing.
These remedies only help on a overall basis. I notice when I take these things on a regular everything stays regulated. Cinnamon does not always make a huge drop in your BG levels but every little bit helps
Seagator you are so right! My family is from the south so we use a lot of apple cider vinegar in our cooking and I read about the benefits years ago so I do have my daily dosage…The Super B complex vitamin that I take has folic acid in it.
Yes Rye… like i mentioned before I used to do the natural remedies all the time…but had gotten away from it… not sure why… went through a really dark period in my life, and I just wasnt myself. Didnt know that it was the diabetes along with the depression that was the culprit. But am feeling much better now and back to my normal, healthy self! I was doing a spring purge and clean, and found all my journals and books on the natural teas, potions and tinctures that I used to make for myself and my family. I always new that most herbs and spices take awhile to get into the system and start to work… But based on my results… the cinnimon works immediately and very effective. I know that sometimes what we believe has a lot to do with results. but to be honest I wasnt even thinking about it… as I believe it would take awhile… but it didnt so… my results were it is a powerful tool for my diabetes and the little complications that tend to come with it such as yeast infections, high colesterol, high blood pressure, digestion issues,etc. and there are no known negative side affects…if there were someone would have found them as cinnimon has been used as medicine since ancient egyptian times. I also started taking a multi vitamin that is especially formulated for diabetics. I just cant be bothered to take 50 pills every day… so far I am feeling much better.
I will be going for my A1C in a few days, it will be interesting to see the results… I have only been on the cinnimon for a few weeks so it may not show any difference yet, but we shall see!!!
@Brian_BSC, I realize this posting is from March 2011.
“Brian_BSCType 2Mar '11
I also take a B-100 complex, primarily for B-12. Since I am on a max dose of metformin which can cause a malabsorption of B-12, I compensate. B-12 deficiency can cause neuropathy,”
I would like to know if the B 100 Complex is the Solgar B Complex “100”
I have read that not all vitamins are readily absorbed or used by the body (could be the formulation, brand quality…etc). Therefore I’d like to know what worked for you.
Which bitter melon extract did you use? I’m willing to give it a shot.
Thanks in advance.