Thistle while you work Like most epidemics, diabetes has proven tough to beat. The constant barrage of unhealthy food choices that defines the Western diet certainly isn't helping matters. But if you have managed to successfully cut those negative factors from your diet and are still struggling to keep your blood sugar under control, you don't have to resort to the diabetes drugs most mainstream doctors dole out like candy (no pun intended). There are dozens of natural approaches to diabetes and blood sugar maintenance. One of the most recent ones to hit the health-news headlines is the herb milk thistle. If it sounds familiar, you may have heard of it in terms of its benefits on the liver. It helps detoxify harmful buildup in this essential organ. But according to the recent study, published online in the journal Phytotherapy Research, supplementing with milk thistle can also have a significant impact on blood sugar levels. Researchers looked at a group of 51 patients who had type 2 diabetes and were taking medication for the condition. They then instructed 25 of the patients to take 200 milligrams of a particular milk thistle extract called silymarin three times a day. The remaining 26 patients were given a placebo. Four months later, they found that the milk thistle group had dramatically lower fasting blood glucose levels, as well as a reduction in the amount of sugar bound to the hemoglobin in their blood. On the flip side of the coin, the placebo group actually experienced a slight increase in those markers. You can find milk thistle supplements in most natural food stores, but, as always, it's a good idea to work with a physician skilled in natural and herbal medicine before starting any new supplement. To locate one in your area, contact the American Academy for Environmental Medicine at (316)684-5500 or www.aaem.com. In the meantime, Dr. Wright has written numerous articles over the years about controlling diabetes -- and even preventing it from occurring in the first place. Visit the Nutrition & Healing website, www.wrightnewsletter.com, log on with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent issue, and use the search function to bring up a complete listing of articles on this topic from the archive. | 
