Re: Supplements and Circulation

[Guest guest]

This is an exchange between Jim Hartmann and Ron Sebol, in the low-carbing

diabetics' group:

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Subject: Re: Vaculance comments

J.C. Hartmann wrote:

>

> I don't think the DEX is the problem, as it requires 3uL of blood and

> " sips " like the ELite strips and the Comforts.

> and my FastTake wants 2.5uL. Despite using all the tricks, like washing

> with warm water, keeping the site below my heart, etc., I guess it must

> just be poor vascularization.

Jim: I didn't want to bring it up but the possibility that your meter

was not the problem did occur to me. The rather ominous alternative of

poor circulation was not something I wanted to scare you with right off

the bat. However, since you have broached the topic....here goes.

As you may know, diabetics carry a risk of heart attack that is about 4X

the normal population. In addition, nearly all of the diabetic

complications have impaired circulation as a significant component

(usually it is impaired microcirculation, meaning capillaries).

I see a marked difference in my ability to get a drop of blood out of

certain fingers, according to whether or not I have skipped taking

certain key supplements. Conversely, when they are resumed the blood

flow improves overnight. The point being, the stuff actually works. If

you are not taking Vitamin E (400 IU mixed tocopherols), Gingko Biloba

(1000 mg), Co Q-10 (300mg), folic acid (400 to 800 mcg), and an ACE like

Monopril or equivalent, that could be the problem solution as far as BG

metering is concerned. Correction of that omission of key supplements

could also save your life by preventing a heart attack, stroke, or

complications that would make you wish you were dead. If these remedies

have been tried to no avail, then you and your doc need to have a

serious chat about a prescription specifically for blood flow

improvement. If that leads to changing docs, so beit; it is that

important! If such readily available measures are taken, beyond the

trivial issue of getting a test strip soaked, I believe that the risk of

heart attack and stroke can be returned to 1X or even below 1X that of a

non diabetic.

Vitamin E was reported in NEJM as halving heart attack risk. ACE

inhibitors were only now reported as reduceing it by 30% (which I have

been predicting for the last year on the basis of improved retinopathy

outlook and some other similar not overly subtle clues). Gingko and Q-10

also have established blood flow roles. Folic acid address homocystine

control. Put them all together and they spell normalization of

circulatory risk. I can't prove that the multiplyer is 1X but it is such

a logical inference I would be willing to bet on it. Maybe next year use

of a combined attack strategy will also appear in the journals and prove

me right.

In the interest of caution, it should be noted that overdoing thinning

agents can cause hemmoragic stroke and internal bleeding. The best way

to handle the matter is to work closely with your doc and have your

blood characterized to make sure that things have not gone to excess or

that other medical history is not a contraindication. Nevertheless, I

think the majority of us can readily tolerate that cocktail of

supplements in addition to the prescription ACE inhibitor and I believe

that it is very important for a diabetic to address control of blood

flow at the same level of priority as BG control.

Ron