14) "AS YET UNPROVEN" SUPPLEMENTS
h) Herbal Supplements
More people with type 2 diabetes consume herbal remedies than any other disease in the US. The belief in and use of herbal supplements runs deep and fanatical across the world. It is heresy to many to even suggest that herbal remedies don't work. But putting it quit simply, millions of people are being duped and are wasting their money on herbal supplements. They want to believe so they do believe. The use of "herbal supplements" is not supported by scientific double blind clinical studies that we could find. "Natural", "herbal", "holistic", "naturopathic" remedies and the like are all in the same "herbal supplement" category. There is just no meaningful statistically valid research which supports their use. Most herbal supplements base their claims on anecdotal evidence, i.e. what one or several persons allegedly experienced when they took the supplement. This is not meaningful statistically significant double blind research. Now this market is a 2 billion dollar per year market in the US alone so the herbal remedy folks are very good in their marketing.
Certain natural health products and herbal supplements might have some value, but the label “all-natural” doesn’t necessarily mean “safe.” Don’t feel too bad if you’ve leapt to that conclusion, though. There are many all natural plant products that are poisonous, such things as the green portions of tomato, potato, rhubarb and eggplant leafs. It’s such a common mistake that the Canadian National Health Network began an education program aimed at making sure consumers were aware of the risks inherent in natural health products. According to the CHN, some natural health products might be toxic if you take too much, others can trigger unexpected allergic reactions, and still others react badly with medically prescribed drugs or with individual health issues, like pregnancy or heart disease. And, while the CHN reviews and labels natural health products for safety, most of the ones in the U.S. haven’t been tested or proven effective. They can be sold as long as they don’t claim to be able to treat or cure a specific disease. The best thing to do, before you start taking any herbal supplement or look into any alternative cure, is to talk to your doctor. He or she will be able to help you make the best decisions for your body. Other than fish oil, flax seed oil, aspirin, phytosterols and magnesium supplements, we cannot recommend any "natural" herbal supplements. There is just no scientific statistically significant data which indicates they effectively treat anything.
The danger in many of these products is that using herbal remedies such as this can encourage persons with diabetes to ignore the approaches which have been shown to work by meaningful double blind multi-center medical research. And this can cost the person with diabetes their life! Now this isn't to say you shouldn't take these herbal supplements because you believe they do have benefits as part of a "holistic" approach. But under no circumstances should these herbal supplements be used as a replacement for those measures which have been shown to be of value by meaningful research. There are thousands of people taking herbs rather than the blood pressure medication their doctor prescribed. And then they're not measuring their blood pressure and not going back to their doctor. This "holistic" approach can kill!
You may have received a flyer in the mail which had the following product listing in it:
"Miracle Formula … is a Powerful Weapon that Fights High Blood Pressure without Drugs or Side Effects!
High Blood Pressure is a condition you can help control - without the need for dangerous drugs that can damage your sex drive and maybe even your life. All too often, "Modern Medicine", i.e. high blood pressure drugs, will transform an energetic, viral man into a depressed, fatigued, impotent individual. Don't let them do that to you or someone you love. Drugs are NOT the only option for fighting high blood pressure. Better Living Formula #9 120 over 80™ gives you a healthier safer option that is ignored by conventional doctors. 120 over 80™ will not only support the equalization of your blood pressure, but will make you healthier and stronger, not sicker and weaker"
BE CAREFUL OF THE "WEASLE WORDS". Note that the write up does not claim this herbal supplement will "cure" or even "treat" high blood pressure (that would be illegal per the FDA). Instead it says this supplement will "support the equalization of your blood pressure". To put it bluntly, that is gibberish, it has no meaning. And the write up makes statements such as "High Blood Pressure is a condition you can help control - without the need for dangerous drugs that can damage your sex drive and maybe even your life" and "Drugs are NOT the only option for fighting high blood pressure." These statements are true but not in the manner the authors intend for it to be interpreted; diet, weight loss and vigorous exercise are often more effective long term remedies than drugs at treating high blood pressure and impotence. The authors obviously intend for one to believe that their supplement is an effective replacement for drugs, but their tricky wording is such that they don't actually make that claim (again, such a claim is illegal!). If an individual really believes in herbal remedies they might take this 120 over 80™ as a supplement, but no one should ever replace proven medical medications with herbal remedies. That quite simply can kill a person, especially if that person has both high blood pressure and diabetes. A person should stop taking medicines only when their medical doctor says that their diet, weight loss and vigorous exercise program have done such a good job that they can stop taking their medication. Or, if a medicine is giving problems with something such as someone's sex life, they should go back to their doctor and tell them. There are many alternative drug options available.
The same flyer has something just for persons with diabetes. A "new medicinal plant formula is hailed as a miracle breakthrough…. This remarkable plant compound helps support the increased activity of the pancreas". BE CAREFUL OF THE "WEASLE WORDS, again it says "supports", not "treats" (it would be illegal to use the word "treats"). This "miracle breakthrough" is composed of juniper berries, uva ursi leaf, garlic bulb, dandelion root, capsicum pepper fruit, mullein leaf and licorice root. Sounds like a good flavoring for an exotic liquor (juniper berries are used to flavor gin, capsicum is jalapeno peppers, and licorice root is the flavoring in licorice)!
One website we found talked about something which "reduced the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy":
Completely Natural! Neuropathy Breakthrough. The WSN® Nerve Support Formula is a medical food specifically formulated for the dietary management of neuropathy. Reduce the symptoms of your neuropathy, safely and effectively with absolutely NO SIDE EFFECTS !! GUARANTEED !! Clinical Studies validate WSN® Nerve Support Formula Ingredients! Studies show a significant reduction in neuropathy symptoms!
The claims made here neither say that the "Formula" "treats" or that it "cures" neuropathy. These are the two words to hunt for. These are the words the FDA allows a company to use when the clinical studies conducted meet the FDA's very rigid standards. We couldn't find any peer reviewed statistically significant legitimate clinical studies which supported using this supplement.
The proof that herbs are not very effective in treating diabetes lies in the economics of the situation. All manufacturers naturally want to make money. All herbs have hundreds if not thousands of compounds in them that might be useful. One of the bigest myths promoted by the herbal remedy manufacturers (who also want to make money) is that pharmaceutical companies cannot patent the active ingredients in herbs so the pharmaceutical companies aren't interested in pursuing herbal compounds as drugs. This is simply not true! If a pharmaceutical manufacturer can isolate the particular compund that is the effective ingredient, they can patent it. These patented extracts can then be tested by the rigorous standards of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Patented herbal extracts which pass these standards can claim to be "cures" and "treatments" for diabetes and give the producer exclusive rights to that compound. These legal rights can generate hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars in revenues as doctors will then prescribe them, even at a very high price. Metformin is after all closely related to the extract of the French lilac bush, and produces hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for its manufacturer. Unpatented untested herbs cannot make such claims and can only produce much much smaller revenue streams. The herbs and their extracts cannot pass the rigorous tests of the FDA (i.e. they don't work as claimed) and thus cannot produce the revenue streams the pharmaceutical manufacturers want.
Borage oil, sesame seed, mullein leaf, licorice root, pomegranate extract, banaba leaf extract (supposedly acts like insulin), gotu kola, burdock, Indian celery seed, mulberry, green-lipped mussel (yes, you read it right, the green lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus, supposedly supplies an anti-inflammatory compound called Seatone), turmeric, uva ursi leaf, nettle leaf extract, chile, St. John's wort, bitter melon (supposedly acts like insulin), soy, fenugreek, ma huang, guarana, garcinia, cayenne, milk thistle, curcumin, Gymnema sylvestre (supposedly a powerful herb which both acts like insulin and which regenerates beta cells in the pancreas), Eugenia jambolana, Tinospora cordifolia, royal jelly (bee pollen), Pterocarpus marsupium, Momordica charantia, juniper berries, cedar berries (sometimes poisonous), dandelion root, papaya seed extract, virgin coconut oil and golden seal are other herbs often recommended for diabetes. No meaningful research we could find supports their use.
Herbs are not regulated by the FDA. This means the potency and even the contents of the herbs can vary considerably. Several herbs from China were found to be adulterated by actual real drugs and several people were made very sick. Then there were the deaths attributed to a manufacturing problem associated with L-tyrosine in the 1990s. Take herbs at your own risk.
Current Chapter: 14) "AS YET UNPROVEN" SUPPLEMENTS
a) Introduction
b) The Good and the Bad
c) Vitamins and Antioxidants
d) Calcium and Dairy Intake
e) Potassium
f) Phytonutrients, Catechins and Flavonoids
g) Cinnamon
h) Herbal Supplements
i) Other "Panaceas"
j) Alcohol and Coffee
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