When most of us think about treating diseases, we immediately go straight to prescription pharmaceutical drugs. The reasons behind this are plenty including efficacy, bias, an of course money. What if there were ways to treat disease other than prescription drugs? What if there were natural ways? What if there were “natural” drugs that might be even better than prescription drugs? There are! A few years ago during medical school I was reading an endocrinology journal and came across an article called “Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.” Figuring that this was a new drug that was coming out I decided to give the article a read. What I found is that it wasn’t a drug they were studying, it was a natural plant alkaloid that has been used for decades in China for treating infections. What they found is that this plant alkaloid, berberine, was actually pretty potent at regulating blood sugar in those who have diabetes. What was interesting is that they actually compared this natural herbal supplement to metformin, which is what is considered first line treatment when you go to the doctor. What did they find? Berberine was just as good as metformin for controlling blood sugar. Was it truly possible that a natural plant alkaloid could be just as good as a prescription drug for treating a disease that is running rampant in the world? According to this study, YES. But if this is the case, then why isn’t this powerful agent not more known? I suppose we could all come up with theories on why this is the case with money probably being high on the list, but at this point what does it matter? I think the focus now should be on getting the word out there about berberine and what its potential is. So a research trial is fine and dandy but does this stuff really work in the real world and could it work for someone that you know who is diabetic or insulin resistant - that is the question. The answer is that it can! I have personally seen patients come off of their prescription medications after starting berberine along with a good diet and exercise plan. Some do it even without good nutrition or exercise (but I never recommend one does that). The potential for this natural substance is very large considering the diabetes epidemic we have before us and the amount of people that cannot tolerate prescription medications. This give just yeat another option for those out there looking for something other than big pharma drugs. If you do decide to look for berberine for your blood sugar problems, make sure you look for at least 97% pure. Also make sure the dosage is large enough to make a difference, which is about 500 mg two to three times a day. For more information regarding Berberine, Please visit Berberine.net
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