Cajun
We members of the D club are always evaluating and reevaluating our regimens.That is what we must deal with to be
healthy and have long lives.
Live long and prosper
Eddie

So true Eddie...

I dream of the day I can eliminate all supplements and might not have to evaluate so much...... perhaps its just a dream!

It was most likely the nuts by the way... I ate two extra bananas and skipped nuts and the dry stool quickly went away.

Even with a cold, my BG control is still pretty good.

I'm going to cut my Gymnema Sylvestre in half for the next few days and see what happens, then if I still have control, I'm going to cut my Berberine down to 300mg from the current level of 400mg...

I'm more impressed with my one hour after meals numbers then the FBG numbers. Hopefully that won't change when I reduce, but if it does, I'll be uping it again...

and the experiments continue.......

A web link providing information about Berberine studies....

http://www.naturalnews.com/019833.html

I discontinued my berberine 4 days ago. My numbers went from in the 80s' to in the 90s' for any average BG level during the day. My FBGs' went up about 3 to 8 points during the last 4 days.

This morning, my fiancee, realizing I'm stressing myself worrying about the discontinuance of the berberine and my possibly losing my glucose control, suggested I add the berberine back in just once a day for the next few days and see what results I get. I thought about it and at lunch time, decided to add 300mg just once a day, so I just took a dose at lunch time....

I'm wondering if I stressed over the elimination of the berberine and my BG was just slightly elevated, how much of the elevation was from stress? There is probably no sure way to know, so....

the experiments continue.......

I've noticed that the smaller doses and less frequent doses of berberine only help in getting my BG back to pre-meal level, but my numbers would probably never get into the 80s' at this rate and in my present state of health. I've slowly added extra doses and increased the amounts. I'm at 400mg per dose and at 3 times per day. I managed to get into the low 90s' today and if I don't see the 80s' tomorrow, I'm going back to 500 mg per dose, three times daily as before.

If I can do without the herbal supplements one day, I believe it won't happen until I've reduced my weight even further and learned to fine tune the way I eat a little more.

the experiments continue.....

I started the day with a 92 BG, was happy with it and forgot to take my morning dose of berberine hcl until just a few minutes ago. So, maybe my testing today won't be a good indicator of the 400 mg level dosage, so I'll continue again tomorrow... Hopefully, I'll get my numbers into the 80s' later today...

ref: http://www.cmj.org/periodical/Paper...418385999403473

I've been having pretty good results with Berberine HCL to control blood sugars. I don't understand all of its actions on how it works, and I've been searching to learn more. This article explains how some of its actions work, in rats at least.

Example of how Berberine is currently helping me:

I've been sick for the past couple of days, some type of intestinal infection. I had fever on and off for over 24 hours. I've been eating off plan as my stomach is just too upset to eat my regular diet. My food list for the last couple of days: yellow rice, red and green soybeans, white edible fungus, bananas, 1 apple, 1 peach, bread... Carbs are probably 50-60%, but calories are probably about 1200 daily the last couple of days.

BG levels at 2 hrs or more after eating have been between 95 and 105. That is about 10 points higher than I've been controlling it and I'm sure in part, most of the rise can be attributed to the internal stress of the infection. My FBG this morning was 87 which is about normal for me.

CanjunBoy,
I was thinking if berberine hydrochloride somehow is killing some unwanted bacteria or virus and decreasing your body's load of germs and reducing stress on the body and therefore the blood glucose level lower accordingly.
Hmmm..too winded a hypothesis.

The mind can conjure up all sorts of hypotheses when we don't have definite answers. I won't say you are wrong, because it is a plausible thought.

However I am in China and stomach infections, bacterial or viral are much higher than in America, especially in summer weather. This is the first stomach problem since I'm here, almost 4 months now. I live with 3 other people and they are currently well, however, each have had stomach infections 2 or 3 times in the same amount of time and they don't use berberine. I started using Berberine in December. On my previous trips prior to that time, (from Feb 07) I had stomach infections about once a month.

I would like to hypothesize that because of Berberine, I've been protected from bacterial/viral infections, but it isn't a cure all medication, so it can't save me from everything, everytime.

Anyway, today is my third day. Last night we realized that since nobody else in the household has this, it must be bacterial instead of viral and I started an antibiotic treatment. I'm taking it orally, but if not better tonight, my fiancee will give me an antibiotic injection. I do feel somewhat better this morning and will continue with the antibiotics for 3 or 4 days to make sure. This is my first use of antibiotics since the 1980s'...

Canjunboy,

I found this. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2079677

It seems to kill fungi so may be it has a significant impact on your immune system...less stress and better blood sugar. This hypothesis has been tested. Infact Dr Atkins sayas the Fungi can increase insuline resistence.

This is very interesting though.


ohh my god. I have this old ayurvedic book where they have mention of most of the herbs. They say that berberine hydrochloride is similar to turmeric and used in liver detoxification and reducing ama( cause of disease). I can definitely try turmeric just need to check my spices.

Any cause for alarm over my immune system is over. I took 4 doses of an anti-biotic over a day and a half and my body functions have been normal since last night. I'll continue the anti-biotic today and tomorrow just in case.

On Sunday, just before my problem started, I ate in a restaurant that served "YuNan" foods, which come from the south of China near the border with Thailand. I never ate this food before and in that meal, there were very strange ingredients for seasonings such as; powdered seasonings made from tree bark, leaf stems, dehydrated plants and probably several other things of which I'll never know what it was. This food is nothing like the food I've been eating. Also, it was in a back section on the west side of the city, not a very sanitized restaurant. Servers have habits of carrying the dishes with their thumb or fingers hanging in your plate, bowl, glass or cup. You have to have a strong desire to live here to be able to tolerate the sanitation you're exposed to in this city. I avoid restaurants as much as I can normally and I usually choose the restaurants, but lately, we're being taken to many different ones as guests and I've lost that control. I'm sure now, it was a bacteria. I have 3 weeks to go, vowed to not eat in a place when I feel suspicious as I did in that restaurant. To say something nice about the place though, the food tasted good and the atmosphere was different; as the walls, ceiling, furniture and decorations were all made of bamboo.

In smaller doses which I used from Dec to Mar.. Berberine gave me an ability to go many hours between meals without snacks, as much as 8 hours or more, but when I'd eat, my appetitie was normal. Since being here this trip, I listen to what my fiancee has been telling me all along. I take the berberine in a larger dose and three times daily, whereas before was smaller and only two times. That has had a significant impact on my weight...

I want to mention that since Mar, 2008 I don't skip meals, eat at regular times, eat 3 snacks a day and average over 2,000 calories a day....

I started my weight loss in early October, 2006 at 212 pounds. When I joined this forum, in late Octoer, 2006, I was at 210 pounds. I had achieved a weight loss to 176, but when I returned to the USA in Jan, 2008, I paid no attention to diet, had to use glipizide intermittently and skipped my berberine on many occassions until my return in Mar, 2008. When I arrived here in Mar, 2008 (110 days ago) I weighed 186 pounds. I started the berberine used as I've just described. My weight this morning is 157 pounds. My blood sugar has been totally normal during this illness and with all the meals in restaurants I've been eating at lately. My blood pressure readings are as low now as 105/65, but have mostly been around 120/70. My cholesterol test done here about 6 to 8 weeks ago was below 200... It's posted in my journal as to the exact number and on the day it was taken.

I don't think the berberine had anything to do with this bacterial infection I had. But, if I would have to jump to conclusions, I'd say my condition might have been worse if I had not been taking the berberine.... I'll be 61 tomorrow. I feel like I'm in my 30s'. 2 years ago, one flight of stairs was exremely difficult. I can run up our 4 flights of stairs and not be out of breath. I have energy and health that I thought I'd never see again. Berberine is only part of what I take and I do many things to achieve the health feelings I now enjoy, but I feel I owe a great deal of appreciation for berberine and my finacee for helping me with my health....

I have a question about the berberine sulfate you were using. Berberine sulfate and berberine hcl are essentially the same thing as long as they have the same purity... 98% pure is usually the standard. The latest study on berberine was prepared using sulfate as well. So how much were you using and what brand and purity?

I never used berberine sulfate. I've only used the Berberine HCL. The name brand is a Chinese name, only available in China. I brought back a two year supply. It comes with 100 pills per bottle and a strength of 100mg per pill.

I was taking 500mg, three times daily. I don't think it makes a difference if you take it before or after meals, just so it is taken within 30 minutes of a meal.

From my experience, I'd recommend 3 months on it, 1 month off of it, so that it keeps it's effectiveness better. I don't say this from having had any problems with it, just from things I've come to believe from herbal use in general.

I don't know if you read any of my other posts, but it, in conjunction with gymnema sylvestre has completely controlled my blood sugar. The berberine also lowered my blood pressure from 135/85 down to 120/65 (averages). It also lowered my cholesterol from around 300 to 135. I've lost weight with and without its use, but specifically, my weight loss accelerated to 1 pound every three days when I began using berberine at the dose specified.

You might want to read in my journal to learn of all the things I did to get where I'm at today. I don't believe we can do just one thing to improve our health and I do believe we can do it with a combination of things and a lot of trial and errors...

Good luck and let me know how you're doing. I also, don't think the sulfate and the hydrochloride are the same thing, but it might produce the same results, I just don't know that from having experienced it.

Berberine hcl is available on the internet from about $5 to $9 per bottle of 100 pills....

"Berberine hcl is available on the internet from about $5 to $9 per bottle of 100 pills...."
Ron,do you have a link?Googling "berberine hcl" found a few
overpriced berberine(not berberine hcl) products.From your
journal,I remember that you baught a different type of berberine from a health store in Houston and were going to evaluate.
I have been using gymnema for about 3 months now.It has
completely wiped out my cravings for sweet things and had
major impact on lowering my triglycerides.
Cheers
Eddie

I've got it stored on my external hard drive as to where to buy it at $5 on the internet, but I can't get to it today as I'm busy preparing for this storm. First chance I get, I'll post it here....