I just wanted to start a thread where I could post stuff about diabetes as I run across it.

Nerve changes from diabetes begin earlier than previously known:

http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/ht...s_from_di.html

Malfunctioning bone marrow cells sabotage nerve cells in diabetes:

http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/ht...arrow_cel.html

Could a similar process be involved in other, non-diabetic neuropathy?

Benfotiamine blocks three major pathways of hyperglycemic damage and prevents experimental diabetic retinopathy (benfotiamine is a synthetic variation of thiamine or vitamin B1 - being fat soluble it seems to be more readily usable):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

Interfering with vagal nerve activity in mice prevents diabetes and hypertension.

"'Mice that can't make Ppara don't develop diabetes or hypertension in response to glucocorticoids," says Semenkovich, who also is chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research. "The use of steroids is very common in medicine. People with asthma, arthritis, organ transplants and others rely on those steroid drugs, and many of them go on to develop insulin resistance that can advance to diabetes and hypertension.'

But in these most recent experiments, the researchers showed that both Ppara and the vagus nerve seem to play important roles in the development of these disorders."

http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/ht...l_nerve_a.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1774

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/6/711

http://ip-6.net/WhatsNew.html

IP6 also helps to reduce excess iron.

Very interesting reading:

http://www.survivediabetes.com/hypt2.htm

Go to this author's home page to see the foods he eats, the foods he avoids and the supplements he takes.

The author makes this interesting statement in support of taking supplements - "If someone drinks a huge amount of water, he will lose vitamins and minerals in his excess urine. When a diabetic's blood sugar exceeds his kidneys' 'renal threshold', urine output increases, carrying vitamins and minerals out of the body along with the excess glucose. Even well-controlled diabetics have high blood sugar from time to time, so one might expect diabetics tend to be low in micronutrients, especially those relevant to diabetic complications such as magnesium (heart disease), zinc (poor immunity) and chromium (insulin resistance). And this is what is found." This statement is a reason to do one's best to keep blood sugar under control and to take supplements as well.

The author makes this interesting statement about diabetes and alcohol - "Second, alcohol is empty calories, providing all the stress of, say, sugar (even though its metabolism does not involve insulin directly). There's something addictive about these empty calories that diabetics are drawn to - sugar and refined flour probably cause the condition in the first place, and a disproportionate number of Type II diabetics are either carbohydrate cravers or alcoholics. Alcohol is likely to damage the diabetic metabolism further.":

http://www.survivediabetes.com/contents.htm#without

Shelley,

I have been taking a magnesium supplement with really good results (over the years, I have tried a number of other magnesium supplements). It is called Ionic-Fizz Magnesium Plus. I hear that Peter Gillham Natural Vitality Natural Calm magnesium is also good. I am finally getting muscles to release that have been hard and cable-like for years. Magnesium could be helpful for you in a number of ways:

For relaxing muscles - good for TOS

For sugar metabolism - good for preventing diabetes

For helping to deal with diabetic (and other?) neropathy

For dealing with stress

For thyroid issues -
"Hypothyroidism does not have to be a lifelong struggle with low energy, depression and weight gain. A therapeutic diet coupled with effective supplementation, as well as thyroid medication where appropriate, can reduce symptoms, regulate hormones, and re-establish healthy metabolism. Magnesium supports the conversion of T4 to the active form of hormone, T3. It will also help with any fibromyalgia symptoms that you may have associated with your thyroid disease. "

In addition you might want to avoid soy products.
"Do Soy Foods Negatively Affect Your Thyroid? A Look at the Downsides of Soy":

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/soydangers.htm