The Art of Cuisine

This is great information......

Cinnamon may eliminate the need for drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes

According to Dr. Wright, cinnamon/MHCP might not only help control blood sugar but also,when combined with appropriate diet, exercise, and other supplementation, makepatent medications and their myriad adverse effects (including significantlyincreased cardiovascular mortality and occasional deaths from other causes)totally unnecessary.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes who aren't using patent medications should also consider this addition to their diet, exercise, and supplement plan. If you have a mild case of diabetes, it's quite possible that your blood sugar level will normalize simply by using cinnamon or MHCP. At the very least, it should improve.

And in either circumstance, using cinnamon or MHC should postpone or even help preventprogression of type 2 diabetes and its complications. Of course, always workwith a physician who can monitor your progress and help you withdraw from anypatent diabetes medication you may be taking.

Since insulin and MHCP have been found to be synergistic, taking MHCP or wholecinnamon should make it possible to regulate blood sugar with less insulin.Some complications of type 1 diabetes may come from insulin use itself, sousing less insulin while maintaining blood sugar control could be beneficial.Always work with a physician whenever trying to taper down insulin usage.

But before you start sprinkling it on...

Dr.Anderson noted in his research that all species of cinnamon and numerousbottles of commercial cinnamon were tried and that they all worked to help regulate glucose metabolism in his research teams' experiments.

Coupled with the widespread availability of self-monitoring devices for blood sugar measurement, it isn't hard to tell if cinnamon or MHCP is helpful. However,keep in mind that whole cinnamon, like most plants and other living things, has both fat-soluble and water-soluble fractions. There is some evidence that highlevels of the fat-soluble fractions of cinnamon could be cause for concern.

Someresearchers have found that substances in the fat- (and oil) soluble fractionsof cinnamon may be both carcinogenic and genotoxic (damaging to genes, andleading to an increased risk of both cancer and birth defects). Fortunately,these risks are easily avoidable, and you can still get all the benefits ofcinnamon just by taking a few simple steps.

Dr. Anderson has observed that essentially all toxic materials in cinnamon are fatsoluble. He simply recommends that, to be safe, anyone using more than 1/4 to 1teaspoonful of whole cinnamon daily first boil it in water, then pour off theresulting watery solution for use, and discard the solid remainder, which would contain the fat- and oil-soluble fractions. Since MHCP is water soluble, it's still readily available in the watery solution poured off after boiling the cinnamon.

A helpfulhint for actually going about separating the oils and fats on the surface ofthe water: Try pouring the water through a cheesecloth (cheesecloths areavailable in many supermarkets and other cooking-supply stores).

If youprefer not to take these steps, but still want to try this natural approach tocontrolling diabetes, you can avoid the potential hazard of whole cinnamon byusing the cinnamon derivative, MHCP, in supplement form.

Seeing is believing

Q: Is there any way to tell if I might be predisposed to getting type II diabetes?

Dr.Wright: Absolutely! In fact, just a glance at your skin could tell you ifyou're "programmed" for diabetes. Here are some of the physicalsymptoms to look for on your body that might be trying to warn you thatdiabetes is on its way.

• Shin spots. Slow-spreading, brownish-red (occasionally yellowish) discolorations on the shins are often an early warning sign of impending adult onset (type 2) diabetes.
  
• Skin tags. As the name aptly describes, they're "tags" of skin most frequently found on the neck, under the arms, and in the groin area, and they're a common occurrence on adults.
  
• Dupuytren's contracture. This condition occurs when the connective tissue under the skin of the hand begins to thicken and shorten. As the tissue tightens, it may pull the fingers down towards the palm of the hand.
  
• Excess weight. Obesity is probably the most widely known physical symptom for type 2 diabetes, and it's usually the easiest to spot. If this is a problem for you, make sure to carefully examine your body for the other symptoms as well.
  

In addition to the symptoms you can actually see on your body, you should also beaware of some internal risk factors for type 2 diabetes--namely, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and, of course, familyhistory of the disease.

While these factors may not put you at risk on their own, combined with the otherphysical signs they can be additional clues as to whether type 2 diabetes maybe in your future.