Tried chocolate. Hasn't worked, but maybe, you know, I just haven't eaten enough ; )

I can't believe some of the "fool-proof" remedies that people try to swing by with. I also heard the one about how a certain herbal tea will eliminate my need for insulin! Wow! (Sarcasm!)

The chrominum stuff for diabetes is junk(sorta). The studies done that showed it was helpful were done on populations that had deficiencies in chrominum, which are more like 3rd world countries. In the US it's not a problem. My endo who is a research nut says not to use it. In my endo I trust.

I eat a lot of cinammon and have noticed no change in my blood sugar. But I like to think that if I eat enough I'll "reverse" my diabetes. Maybe I should switch to chocolate? :-0

I went on a health kick in college...tried ginger, cinnammon, and chromium pretty seriously. I thought chromium had a slight impact on my blood sugar but I could never really nail it down. Then I got to thinking about all the energy I spend calculating for the unavoidable variables in my diabetes life. The more I thought about it, the less I cared about the effectiveness of alternative treatments that may or may not lower my blood sugar. I left it alone in favor of more regulated, quanifiable, and proven treatments...insulin and exercise. Less complicated, less expensive (well...the exercise anyway), more predictable, and more evidence based. Haven't been tempted by the herbal/alternative magic since, unless sporadic chocolate cravings count!

My previous Endo really pushed supplements - she had me taking R-Lipoic Acid and a specially formulated multi-vitamin called Metabolic Supreme which she claimed would lower by blood sugars but I could only get them from her. When I switched to my new Endo, she said there was not enough evidence to prove the effectivness of any supplements on bg levels. Her recommendation was to take a good women's formula multi-vitamin with iron and calcium (which it sounds like you already are with the pre-natals) and a baby aspirin. I have stopped taking the others and have not noticed any changes in my bg levels.

I have been told to try pre-natals to help make my hair look fuller (and to make my nails stronger so I won't bite them).

For what its worth, my sister has always remarked that part of my mother doing so well for so many years during her long bout with cancers (13+ years) was the fact that she was taking pre-natals.

I plan on taking the prenatals before pregnancy, during pregnancy, after pregnancy, and I am considering slipping a few into Chris' protein shake in the morning. If he ends up with boobs, I will be very startled.

I have noticed an improvement in my hair, definitely.

And Jeanette, I'm with you on the "insulin and exercise." I like to stick with what works. But I'm not against exploring additions to my routine. :)

Tried chromium.(as a newbie D) It had a slight impact on my bgs, but as that stuff can be dangerous in large quantities I stopped taking it. And cinnamon-well,I like it, but I've never noticed any effect on my bgs from it..
I've taken alpha lipoic acid for years though, that stuff definatly has an impact on my bgs.I kinda hope its warding off the big N(neuropathy) too.
is it the iron in prenatals that helps the hair/nails? I don't need the prenatal(folic acid)..but I would certainly like some of its side effects.

Over the 8 years since diagnosis, I've tried them all. Final conclusion? It's not what you put in your mouth, it's what you DON'T put there. Nothing works like cutting way back on carbohydrates.

Beyond that, generic extended release metformin does everything the supplement sellers claim their pills do at a fraction of their cost.

I used to give O cinnamon coated apples, but I never really noticed it doing anything. You should ask Jeff Hitchcock over at CWD. I think he's researched every supplement out there. He once told about an email he got from someone claiming that if you bought these special inserts for your shoes and then walked backwards, you'd cure your diabetes. Uh huh.

Oh, and on the prenatals? Don't do the generics. Try to get a good one - Whole Foods has a good selection. It does make a difference. I was taking the Target brand and they did nothing for me, but the Solgar ones I bought have helped a lot more. They stink, but they're good.

what was I smokin' last night? I didn't complete my message. I meant to say that with my thyroid issues, I was recommended pre-natals for making my hair fuller. Because even after having my thyroid treated nicely, I still have thinning hair. Ugh!

I haven't tried any supplements, but my aunt takes cinnamon for her cholesterol and it has, apparently, done wonders. I think the cinnamon thing, though, has to be some "special" form of it. I remember reading somewhere that regular table cinnamon won't do the trick.

What exactly did the L-glutamine do for you?

Hubby has new onset type-2 diabetes....

I LOVE GNC. my bf has a gold card there.... i took L-Glutamine after reading ur blog. not sure if it does anything. might try the pre natal stuff.

Kim, By way of a disclaimer, I have no idea what I'm doing and I finagle the supplements as best I can. It's hardly medical advice. But I can say this: I noticed a distinct pattern of more even bloodsugars when I was taking l-Glutamine in the morning before I had my morning coffee. I usually had that post-caffeine SPIKE afterwards and the glutamine seemed to ward that off. I charted the patterns for myself and they were definitive. When I stopped taking the glutamine, I noticed a spike again.

I'm not sure what works for everyone else, but that worked pretty well for me. I'll be going back on it in a few days (funds finally allow for supplements again!) and I'll let you know if I notice the same trends.

And Vicki - Chris also has a Gold Card at GNC. He's very cute. :) And the pre-natals are working nicely for me, not so much from a diabetes angle, but for life in general. I feel a little better since I've started taking them.