Dr. Gott and Cinnamon

Cinnamon Update

Links to older articles on cinnamon DEAR DR. GOTT: You mentioned awhile ago about cinnamon being used to treat type II diabetes. You said you were not aware of cinnamon being used this way. I have had type II diabetes for several years now and took Avandia, 8 milligrams per day, to lower my blood sugar. This is a very expensive drug at $5 per pill. I checked six different pharmacies, and $5 per pill was the cheapest I could find. There is no generic drug for it. I had drug insurance at that time, and the company raised the price further to about $1,200 per month. I could no longer afford drug coverage, which included metformin and glyburide, and high blood pressure pills. A friend of mine sent me some research work done at the University of Southern California on the use of cinnamon in water being fed to diabetic mice. It reduced the blood sugar of the diabetic mice. I decided to try it. I take 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon in hot water to dissolve it, cool it down and drink it. The cinnamon in water is taken after breakfast every day. The cinnamon has kept my blood sugar down, usually between 70 and 100, and works very well for me. I went for my yearly physical exam recently with my internal medicine doctor. Taken at the above dosage, cinnamon has not only kept my blood sugar in a good range, but it lowered my cholesterol from 203 to 160; my triglycerides were 160, and my LDL was about 38. I can buy a jar of ground cinnamon for about $1. I am sending a copy of the research that is being done in California and other places. It takes about 40 days of the above dosage to change the sugar level. DEAR READER: I have received several letters from diabetic readers who experienced astonishing results in lowering blood-sugar levels with cinnamon. I do not believe that this therapy is used widely by medical personnel. However, this practice may be appropriate for some patients, so I'm passing on your tip in hopes that it will help diabetics, at least financially.