Lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant that, unlike most antioxidants, is both water- and fat-soluble, making it active in virtually every cell in the body. In addition to neutralizing harmful free radicals, lipoic acid regenerates and increases levels of vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, and glutathione.

But that’s not all. Lipoic acid is also a mitochondrial powerhouse. It not only protects your energy-producing factories from free radical damage, it also helps “prep” the fuel burned in the mitochondria and increases the amount of energy generated. Furthermore, it has a unique ability to neutralize toxins, chelate heavy metals, and protect against DNA damage. These multiple actions make lipoic acid a valuable ally against diabetes, liver damage, cancer, and a host of other diseases — it even slows down aging.

Diabetics’ Best Friend. I had to limit lipoic acid to just one use, it would be for the treatment of diabetes. This supplement not only improves insulin sensitivity and lowers blood sugar, it is also an excellent treatment for deterioration of the arteries, eyes, and especially the nerves that plague so many patients with diabetes.

Bill, a former patient, had such severe diabetic neuropathy that he had constant pain and limited sensation in his limbs, his left leg dragged when he walked, and he was continually dropping things. He started taking lipoic acid after reading about it in this newsletter. Shortly thereafter, the pain subsided, his sensation improved, and his coordination returned.

Incredible as this may seem — especially for a condition that patients are told cannot be treated — it’s an everyday occurrence at the Whitaker Wellness Institute. Used intravenously or as an oral supplement, lipoic acid very effectively reduces pain, numbness, burning, and other unpleasant sensations of neuropathy.

A Lifesaver for Failing Livers. Lipoic acid also shines in the treatment of liver problems. This is most dramatically illustrated by the story of John and Eunice, who were admitted to the hospital in acute liver failure after inadvertently eating Amanita verna, the highly toxic “Destroying Angel” wild mushroom.

Lucky for them, their care was turned over to Burton Berkson, MD, PhD, a medical resident and one of the few doctors in the US at the time who was familiar with the use of lipoic acid for the treatment of liver failure. Although he had been told by the hospital’s chief doctor that nothing could be done for them and that John, who had eaten several mushrooms, would definitely die, Dr. Berkson tracked down some lipoic acid and treated John and Eunice with IV infusions. Within days, they left the hospital completely well. I interviewed them 20 years after this incident, and both were doing just fine.

By using this unconventional treatment, Dr. Berkson ruffled a few feathers. The chief doctor dismissed the role of lipoic acid stating, “They would have come around anyway.” He also refused to allow Dr. Berkson to administer lipoic acid to another couple with the same diagnosis soon thereafter. Dr. Berkson treated them anyway, and it saved their lives. For this good deed, he was rewarded with a furious admonition and labeled a troublemaker.

Rejuvenate Your Liver with Lipoic Acid. We need more troublemakers like Dr. Berkson. Today, he is an internationally recognized clinical expert in the use of lipoic acid, and has helped thousands of patients with liver problems such as hepatitis B and C, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis. We use several of his protocols here at Whitaker Wellness, including “triple therapy,” a combination of lipoic acid, silymarin, and selenium that reliably lowers liver enzymes and viral loads and improves symptoms.

A few years ago, I told a teacher at my kids’ school who had hepatitis C and was not responding to conventional treatments about “triple therapy.” Within a couple of weeks of starting on it, he began to feel much better, and his blood workup showed marked improvements. His doctor’s response when he told him what he was doing? “That can’t be true.”

Many More Benefits. This short newsletter can barely scratch the surface of this remarkable supplement. Lipoic acid is also an excellent preventive and adjunct therapy for cardiovascular disease, AIDS and immunosuppression, vision problems such as cataracts and glaucoma, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Other current areas of research include lipoic acid’s ability to increase energy, decrease appetite, and inhibit inflammation-related bone loss.

For all of these reasons and more, I recommend that everyone over age 45, no matter how healthy they are, include alpha lipoic acid in their daily supplement regimen.

The only thing that can save your eyes, legs, kidneys, heart—and your life—is you. Yes, that’s right, you!

Antioxidants Protect Against Complications. The increase in urination that is characteristic of diabetes causes nutritional deficiencies. Subpar levels of vitamin D, vitamin C, magnesium, B-complex vitamins, zinc, and other essential nutrients are very common in this group. Did you know, for example, that metformin, the most popular diabetes drug, impairs vitamin B12 absorption and leads to deficiencies in 30 percent of patients who take it—and that a B12 deficiency can cause nerve damage? Or that patients with diabetes who have the lowest levels of magnesium are at greatest risk of retinopathy and vision loss?

Antioxidants are particularly important because diabetes unleashes a storm of oxidative stress, or free-radical damage, which plays a key role in the vascular and nerve damage that underlie diabetic complications. That’s why I recommend you take extra antioxidants (in addition to those in your multi). There are many excellent “designer” antioxidants, including coenzyme Q10, acetyl-L-carnitine, and N-acetyl-cysteine. But if I had to choose just one for people with diabetes, it would be alpha lipoic acid (ALA).

ALA has the unique ability to work in both water- and fat-soluble mediums and to regenerate vitamins C and E and other antioxidants. Furthermore, it actually improves the diabetic condition by enhancing glucose uptake, increasing insulin sensitivity, and protecting against beta cell destruction. Most important are ALA’s effects on diabetic complications. Studies show that daily doses of 600 mg or higher of ALA reduce pain, burning, numbness, tingling, and other symptoms of neuropathy. Benefits also have been demonstrated for diabetes-related eye, kidney, and cardiovascular disease.

The Damage Can Be Reversed. We’ve treated thousands of patients at Whitaker Wellness over the years who’ve come to the clinic as a last resort after being told by their conventional doctors that nothing else could be done. We put them on a lifestyle program and supplement regimen for lowering blood sugar, which is extremely important in addressing complications. And we treat them with safe, effective, noninvasive therapies that all physicians should be using.

Use of antidepressant drugs has more than doubled in the past decade. In 2008, 164 million prescriptions were written for these medications, and pharmaceutical companies raked in a whopping $9.6 billion from their sales. These drugs are required to carry the most severe warning, a black box label stating that they increase risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. Imagine, doctors prescribing a drug that increases suicide—the one thing they most want to prevent!

Additionally, researchers examined the medical records of nearly 166,000 patients over the age of 30 who had no initial history of diabetes and who had been prescribed at least one drug to treat depression. They discovered that using an antidepressant for two or more years increased risk of developing diabetes by 84 percent! The most problematic drugs were the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine (Paxil and Seroxat) and the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline (Endep and Elavil). Patients taking more than 20 mg of paroxetine daily experienced a fourfold increased risk of diabetes.

This is bad news on many levels. Studies reveal that these drugs have minimal effects on relieving depression. They also have unacceptably dangerous adverse effects. In addition to the suicide link, antidepressants are associated with sexual dysfunction, weight gain, headache, sleeping problems, fractures, emotional apathy, and violent, sometimes murderous outbursts.

We’re already experiencing an epidemic of diabetes in this country. Unbridled use of antidepressants, which are notorious for causing weight gain—the likely link with diabetes—is simply throwing fuel on the fire. There’s no need to open yourself up to the risks of pharmaceuticals when safe, natural therapies can provide similar, if not better, results.

Today, however, we’ve just gone overboard. Americans consume a whopping 165 pounds of sugar per year, most of it coming from candy, sodas, and the like. We guzzle nearly 57 gallons of “liquid candy” per person annually, and 99 percent of all US households purchase candy at some time during the year. Now, that’s a lot of sugar.

In the late 50s, scientists opened a whole new can of worms: artificial sweeteners with low or non-existent calorie counts. This was music to America’s ears. In 1963, Tab, the first diet soda, debuted, and, over the next few decades, thousands of diet products flooded the market. The nation was hooked.

Problem was, numerous studies conducted in the 1970s linked these artificial sweeteners to serious problems, including cancer. Yet these findings were swept under the rug as these chemical additives were accepted with open arms by the FDA and approved for use by the general population. Today, it seems new sugar-free products are introduced almost daily and each claims to be the best, safest, and tastiest. But as far as I’m concerned, artificial sweeteners are not the answer—especially when far safer natural alternatives exist.

Topping my list of favorite natural sweeteners is stevia. This herb has been used for over 1,500 years in South America and continues to boast world-wide popularity. It is calorie-free and does not affect blood sugar levels, making it safe for people with diabetes. Just a few drops of a liquid concentrate or a dusting of powdered stevia is all you need to lend sweetness to any dish. It’s the sweetener of choice at the Whitaker Wellness Institute, and if you haven’t tried it yet, you should.

Running a close second is xylitol. This sweetener looks and tastes like sugar, making it ideal for baking. Better yet, it’s good for your teeth: Xylitol actually reduces cavity and plaque formation, a dental claim approved by the FDA. Although xylitol is not calorie-free, it is metabolized much more slowly than regular sugar and has an extremely low glycemic index, so it too is safe for diabetics. The only reported side effect is gastrointestinal (GI) distress when large amounts are ingested.

Finally, there’s erythritol. It looks like sugar, it tastes like sugar, and you can even cook and bake with it just like sugar. But unlike sugar’s 16 calories and 4 carbohydrates per teaspoon, it has zero calories, no carbs to speak of, and it doesn’t affect glucose levels, which makes it perfect for diabetics and people watching their weight. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol naturally present in many fruits and vegetables. While many sugar alcohols are notorious for their laxative effects, erythritol has far less potential for causing GI issues when consumed in moderation. As for safety, an entire issue of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology was dedicated to this sweetener, and only minimal side effects were noted at high doses.

I know as well as you do that cravings for treats aren’t going to disappear, but there are good and bad ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. An occasional sugar splurge isn’t going to hurt you, but overindulgence can contribute to a host of health problems. When the urge hits you, get your “fix” with stevia, xylitol, or erythritol. You can find these natural sweeteners in health food stores, some grocery stores and supermarkets, and through various online retailers.

1. Plan your meals and make a list. Before you head out to the store sit down and plan your meals for the week. Once you have your menus written out, create a new list of the items you will need to make these meals. Some people find it helpful to group the list by grocery store sections, i.e. all the produce first, dairy next, etc. Preparing your list this way will help streamline your shopping experience and keep you from running back and forth all over the store.

2. Try health food stores. As a general rule of thumb, health food stores tend to carry a bigger variety of nutritious items, from organic produce to hormone- and antibiotic-free meats. Whole Foods and Henry’s are two popular national chains that may be in a city near you. Don’t worry if you don’t have access to one of these stores. It’s still easy to find healthy foods in regular grocery stores.

3. Stick to the perimeter. One of the best tips I can give you is to stick to the perimeter of the store. The outside edges are home to produce, poultry and fish, dairy, and fresh deli items, while the inner aisles are chock-full of processed foods. Doing the majority of your shopping on the perimeter will ensure healthier food options. (A few exceptions to this rule include frozen and canned vegetables and fruits, provided the canned varieties are packed in water.)

4. Read labels. Reading labels can be a little tricky until you get the hang of it. Here’s a website to give you a general overview of what to look for. Healthy meals should consist of adequate protein from sources such as eggs, tofu, reduced-fat dairy, lean poultry, or seafood, plenty of fiber-rich vegetables or legumes, a little fruit, and occasional whole grains. (If you are trying to lose weight or maintain healthy blood sugar levels, I recommend eliminating starches from your diet.) Try to stay away from excess sugar, high fructose corn syrup, additives, and chemicals. And the fewer ingredients listed on a product’s label, the better.

5. Go organic. Going organic is a great way to eat healthy. But it can be pricey. Some vegetables and fruits are more heavily treated with pesticides than others. If you have to be choosey about when to buy organic, be aware that the following tend to contain higher levels of chemicals: apples, celery, cherries, domestic blueberries, imported grapes, lettuce, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, spinach, kale and collard greens, strawberries, and sweet bell peppers.

6. Ask for help. Ever wondered which cuts of meat are leaner or how you should prepare those pork chops or fish? Don’t be afraid to ask your local butcher or deli manager for help. They can often clue you in on healthier ways to make meals or let you know how the items in the case have been prepared or cooked. This valuable information can aid in your quest for healthy eating.

7. Don’t shop hungry. It should go without saying but if you shop when you’re hungry, you’re more likely to fill you basket with impulse items and unhealthy foods. Eat a nutritious meal or snack before you head to the store, and stick to the items on your shopping list.

I hope these tips will help you become a savvy and healthy shopper.

Chelation. Chelation is an intravenous therapy that binds to metal ions in the blood, carrying them to the kidneys where they are excreted in the urine. Used for heavy metal poisoning, chelation also improves circulation, which helps alleviate symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.

Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP). EECP increases blood flow to the extremities and reduces symptoms of diabetic and peripheral neuropathy. During 35 one-hour sessions, pressurized cuffs are placed around the lower extremities. With each beat of the heart, the cuffs contract, squeezing blood up toward the heart and throughout the body, increasing circulation.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). HBOT is administered in a specially designed, pressurized chamber. When 100 percent oxygen is inhaled in this environment, it is easily absorbed, even in areas where blood supply is limited. This infusion helps boost circulation and improves a wide number of conditions, including diabetic neuropathy.

Infrared Light Therapy. Infrared light therapy (brand names Health Light and Anodyne) delivers special wavelengths of infrared light through the skin to the affected tissues, increasing the production of nitric oxide (a signaling molecule in short supply in diabetics). This painless procedure enhances blood flow, improves circulation, and has restored sensation in 93 percent of patients in eight separate clinical trials.

Alpha Lipoic Acid. Also known as lipoic acid or ALA, alpha lipoic acid is my top supplement recommendation for treating diabetic neuropathy. ALA is an extraordinary antioxidant that, in addition to quenching free radicals, has been shown in clinical studies to improve pain, burning, numbness, and other symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. The suggested dose is 600-1,200 mg per day in divided doses.

High-Dose Antioxidants.  Because oxidative damage plays a large role in diabetic neuropathy, high doses of antioxidants are imperative. Aim for 300-800 IU of vitamin E, a minimum of 1,000 mg of vitamin C, and 15,000 IU of vitamin A (as mostly beta-carotene.) A high-quality multi should contain these levels.

B-Complex Vitamins. When it comes to supporting nerve health, B-complex vitamins are essential. Suggested minimum doses are 800 mcg of folic acid, 150 mcg of B12, and 75 mg of B6. Again, a good multivitamin/mineral supplement should contain these doses.

Fish Oil. Inflammation is also a factor in diabetic neuropathy and fish oil is just the supplement to counteract this symptom. For best results, take 2-8 g of high-quality fish oil daily.

Mentioned in Chinese texts dating back to 2700 BC, cinnamon has made appearances in the Bible, graced the tables of ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians, and been deemed at one time a gift fit for a king. Today, cinnamon’s medicinal benefits, as well as its culinary uses, keep it in high esteem—and for good reason.

This spice improves insulin sensitivity and has profound effects on blood sugar. German researchers gave patients with type 2 diabetes who were on oral drugs either an aqueous extract of cinnamon (the equivalent of 3 g of cinnamon powder) or a placebo daily. After four months, the group taking cinnamon experienced a 10.3 percent reduction in blood sugar, compared to the placebo group’s drop of 3.4 percent. This effect was even more pronounced in an earlier study, in which blood sugar levels fell 18 to 29 percent with doses of 1 to 3 g of cinnamon per day.

A recent study confirms that cinnamon also lowers blood pressure, a benefit I’ve been hearing about for some time from my patients and readers. Marsha, a Health & Healing subscriber from Memphis, reported that taking a cinnamon extract and drinking cinnamon tea lowered her blood pressure from 215/110 to an average of 125–135/60–70! In addition, it has been shown to drive down triglycerides 23 to 30 percent and LDL cholesterol 7 to 27 percent over a 40-day period.

Cinnamon’s other purported benefits range from curing the common cold and relieving arthritis to improving memory and warding off insects. Although I’m not certain these claims will pan out, the wide-ranging benefits of this spice make it a worthy addition.

But don’t just add ground cinnamon to your food. Research suggests that chemicals in saliva render it ineffective. Furthermore, whole cinnamon contains some undesirable compounds that are eliminated when it is mixed in hot water. Therefore, I recommend taking a water-soluble cinnamon extract, drinking cinnamon tea, or adding cinnamon to ground coffee before brewing. The suggested dose is a quarter to a half teaspoon twice a day.

If you have type 2 diabetes, avoid this drug like the plague. Diet, exercise, weight loss, and targeted nutritional supplements are the best way to control blood sugar. And to protect against diabetic complications, nothing beats nutritional supplements. Approximately 40 percent of people with diabetes have a gene variation (haptoglobin (Hp) 2-2 gene) that increases oxidative stress and doubles or triples their risk of cardiovascular disease. Israeli researchers found that when these people took 400 IU of vitamin E daily, their risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and death fell by 50 percent! Vitamin E’s benefits were so profound the study was terminated early so all study participants could benefit.

Genetic tests are available, but my recommendation to anyone with diabetes is to take at least 400 IU of natural vitamin E every day. In fact, because other studies suggest that this vitamin protects against the onset of diabetes, I encourage everyone, regardless of health status, to take natural vitamin E.

This 10-year follow-up study revealed that high-risk adults following a program of lifestyle changes were able to reduce their risk of developing full-blown diabetes by 58 percent. In contrast, in a comparable group given the oral diabetes drug metformin, incidence of diabetes was reduced by 31 percent.

Though conventional medicine relies heavily on oral diabetes drugs, these medications are replete with serious side effects including cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke as well as substantial weight gain. To find out that they aren’t even all that effective–on top of these risks–makes you question why such medications are ever prescribed. But that’s another story.

Here at the Whitaker Wellness Institute we focus on the following natural diabetes treatments to get blood sugar under control once and for all.

• Weight Loss: Hands down, losing weight is the best therapy for type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet for weight loss. It requires diet changes, an exercise program, and determination.
• Diet: The most therapeutic diet for diabetes is a low-glycemic, Mediterranean-style menu with lots of vegetables and lean protein, such as fish and poultry; modest amounts of fruit (one serving per day); and healthful fats like olive oil. Stay away from sugar and starches—pasta, cereals, and other grain-based foods drive up blood sugar and increase appetite.
• Exercise: I recommend a brisk 10-minute walk after meals and several sessions of resistance exercise weekly. Walking and other forms of aerobic exercise lower blood sugar and burn calories, while resistance exercise such as weightlifting builds muscle and improves long-term insulin sensitivity.
• Nutritional Supplements: To guard against complications of the blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys, take a potent, antioxidant-rich daily multivitamin to replace the nutrients that are inevitably lost as a result of the diabetic condition. To lower blood sugar, take vanadyl sulfate 100 mg, alpha lipoic acid 600 mg, chromium 200 mcg, cinnamon 500–1,000 mg, and Gymnema sylvestre 400 mg daily. They may be taken individually or in combination formulas.

Losing weight and getting in shape can be difficult, especially if you turn to starvation diets, insane workout regimens, or other drastic measures. But we’ve recently instituted a program at the Whitaker Wellness Institute that helps patients shed pounds, get their diabetes under control, lower blood pressure, and improve health overall. It’s a mini-fast coupled with exercise and it’s so easy, just about anyone can do it.

• When you wake up in the morning, drink a glass of water or a cup of coffee or tea. It’s okay to sweeten your AM beverage with a little low-calorie sweetener such as xylitol or stevia and to add a small amount of creamer but don’t drink or eat anything else.
• Next, get out and exercise moderately for 20-45 minutes. You can walk, cycle, or jog—anything aerobic.
• After your workout, continue on with your day but do not eat or drink anything other than water, coffee, or tea until lunchtime. (You may also take your nutritional supplements if they don’t upset your stomach.) You will probably have to try it to believe it but the combination of exercise and fasting actually blunts your appetite, and the caffeine in tea and coffee helps to put the brakes on hunger as well.
• Your mini-fast ends at lunch. You should eat sensibly for the rest of the day, focusing on lean protein sources such as turkey, chicken, fish, and eggs, and low-glycemic carbohydrates like beans and legumes, fiber-rich veggies, and a little fruit.

Skipping your morning meal not only cuts down on the calories you take in but adding exercise burns additional calories and helps kick-start fat burning in a process called ketosis.

In a recent study of obese individuals, participants who followed this mini-fast protocol for 12 weeks lost 16 pounds of fat (25 percent of their initial fat mass) plus three inches around the waist. The biggest losers were a man and woman who respectively lost an astonishing 44 and 31 pounds of fat! Additionally, the group’s fasting insulin fell by one-quarter, into the normal range.

Try the mini-fast/exercise combo yourself and let me know how it works for you. Don’t be surprised if you see improvements in all aspects of your health—from lower blood sugar readings and better blood pressure to improvements in energy, weight, and so much more. Good luck to you and here’s to starting 2010 off right.