Those who have been reading this blog for awhile know I’m not one to suggest that taking nutritional supplements and/or herbs alone is enough to restore one’s health back to normal. And I’m also critical with regards to companies or individuals promoting a single supplement or herb as the solution for a specific condition. One example I have given in the past is the thyroid support supplements and boosters sold on the market, and how just taking a single supplement or herb won’t cure one’s condition, and in many cases won’t even do a good job of managing the symptoms.
However, there are certain nutritional supplements and herbs which can have a profound difference when it comes to certain symptoms, which in turn can help with someone’s recovery from their thyroid or autoimmune thyroid disorder. In this post I’m going to discuss an herb which really does a wonderful job of eliminating a person’s sugar cravings, at least in most cases. This is an extremely important herb, as there are many people with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions who have severe sugar cravings. And eating foods high in sugar on a frequent basis can lead to problems with the adrenal glands, and eventually the pancreas, thus leading to conditions such as insulin resistance and diabetes.
I’ve spoken about this numerous times in the past, as many people with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions have compromised adrenal glands. And in many of these cases, the compromised adrenal glands are responsible for the person’s condition. When this is the case, if the adrenal gland problem isn’t addressed, then there is just about no chance of restoring the person’s thyroid health back to normal. And if a person has severe sugar cravings which has led to the adrenal issues, then these cravings obviously need to be addressed in order to correct the problem with the adrenal glands.
This is where the herb gymnema comes into play. This is an herb that does a wonderful job of balancing the blood sugar levels. And it also is very effective in eliminating one’s sugar cravings in a short period of time. Typically people will have their sugar cravings under control within one week of taking this herb in the appropriate dosage, although for some people it does take longer.
Although this herb is very effective in most people, the quality of the herb is extremely important. I personally use the MediHerb line, as they have a good quality gymnema that has worked very well for my patients. There of course are other companies which offer quality herbs, but the reason I bring up MediHerb so frequently is because they are one of the companies I have used for many years, and both myself and my patients have received excellent results while taking their herbs.
As for how many gymnema tablets you should take each day, this is something you should discuss with a natural healthcare professional. To no surprise, patients who have severe sweet and carb cravings will need to take a higher dosage of this herb when compared to those people who have mild to moderate cravings. Other factors also come into play when it comes to recommending the dosage, such as one’s body weight.
Just as is the case with other herbs, gymnema is also available in a liquid form. In fact, in the past I attended one of the nutritional seminars, and the presenter told the doctors attending to swish a small amount of liquid Gymnema in our mouth for a few seconds, and then immediately gave us a grape to eat. After doing this the grape no longer tasted sweet, as it tasted bitter after consuming the liquid form of gymenma. The tablets don’t work this way, as they don’t instantly anesthetize the taste buds, which is probably a good thing. But they still are very effective.
Can someone just avoid taking gymnema and go “cold turkey” when it comes to consuming refined foods and sugars? Sure they can, as I don’t recommend this herb to all of my patients who have sweet and carbohydrate cravings. However, some people are unable to resist eating refined carbs and sugars and need the extra support. When I followed a natural treatment protocol I personally didn’t take gymnema, even though I considered myself to have a sweet tooth. But I didn’t consider my sugar cravings to be too severe, and so I was able to avoid eating refined foods and sugars on my own. And eventually the changes I made in my diet, as well as other lifestyle factors, helped to balance my blood sugar levels and eliminated my sweet and carb cravings.
So it really depends on the person. Let’s not forget that taking gymnema isn’t just about eliminating the sweet and carb cravings, but its main goal is to balance the blood sugar levels, and the reduction in the sweet cravings is essentially just a side effect of this herb. So truth to be told, looking back it would have benefited me to take the gymnema, although I can’t complain since the end result was fine. But once again, whether someone should take gymnema or just rely on their willpower is something that should be considered on an individual basis.
So those people who have mild sugar cravings might not need to take gymnema, or they might need to take a low dosage of this herb. On the other hand, for someone who has moderate to severe sweet and carb cravings, Gymnema can do a wonderful job of addressing their cravings and will help balance their blood sugar levels, which will in turn help with their adrenal health, and this will improve the chances of having their health restored back to normal through natural thyroid treatment methods.