Download American Diabetes Association Guide to Herbs and Nutritional by Laura Shane-McWhorter C.D.E PDF

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John’s wort, which people often take for depression, can interact with antidepressants, as well as many other prescription medications. In Part II, you’ll find more examples of side effects and drug interactions for individual supplements. Your health care provider is the best resource for assessing the risks and benefits of taking a dietary supplement. He or she should know the potential side effects of supplements—and the risk for interactions with your other medications. TALKING TO YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER Despite the risks, people generally don’t tell their health care providers that they take dietary supplements.

Some scientists never examine the actual contents of the studied products, so their results could be unintentionally skewed. For these reasons and others, the Natural Standard, an independent group of scientists who evaluate complementary and alternative medicines, has given most dietary supplements for diabetes a grade “B” or lower in terms of efficacy. In Part II, you’ll find summaries of the best studies done on each individual supplement, as well as tips for evaluating the results. Keep in mind that some supplements have been more rigorously studied than others.

2. Diabetes—Diet therapy. 3. Dietary supplement. 4. Herbs—Therapeutic use. I. American Diabetes Association. II. Title. III. Title: Guide to herbs and nutritional supplements. RC661. 4’6206—dc22 2009033623 eISBN: 978-1-58040-385-6 CONTENTS Title Page Copyright Page Preface Acknowledgments Part I. Introduction Part II. Supplements Aloe Alpha-Lipoic Acid Banaba Benfotiamine Bilberry Bitter Melon Blonde Psyllium Caiapo Chia Chromium Cinnamon Coenzyme Q10 Fenugreek Fish Oil Gamma-Linolenic Acid Garlic Ginkgo Ginseng Glucomannan Guar Gum Guggul Gymnema Holy Basil Ivy Gourd Jambolan Magnesium Milk Thistle Nicotinamide Nopal Pine Bark Extract Policosanol Red Yeast Rice St.