The Colon Club

As some of you may know, I am passionate about supplements and plant-derived alternatives or complements to chemo. In my spare time, I spend hours and hours reading studies about them and the biological processes involved with cancer as well as metabolic syndrome. I had heard about berberine (a major component of goldenseal) in passing at some point recently (probably on Dr. Gary Null's radio program) and how it can help lower blood glucose. My plan is to add it to our arsenal if research supports its use.

This morning, I finally got around to looking it up and I am amazed at what I found. Besides lowering blood glucose and improving one's lipid profile (lowering the LDLs and raising the HDLs), berberine appears to be beneficial for colon cancer: it is a COX2-inhibitor that inhibits CRC invasion and metastasis. There is also evidence that berberine suppresses tumorigenesis in familial adenomatous polyposis, as well as inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in colon cancer cells.

I'm very excited about adding this to my husband's milieu!

Does anyone else use it?

I am taking six of these daily and will let you guys know how it goes with my next blood work. Granted I am doing chemo now two rounds left but it’s not gonna hurt to take this going forward. I also drink a tea my Mom makes me from guanabana tree leaves. She boils the leaves and drops a drop of cinammin for taste and I drink that daily once or twice.

American BioSciences ImmPower | Enhanced Immune Support, Natural Killer Cell Activity & Cytokine Production | 30 Vegetarian Capsules, 500mg of AHCC per Capsule (6 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001E0V9ZA/re ... SCbVP2EQ2B

Mb - add a link to where you get your stuff


Check out the reviews.

Rikimaroo

We buy our supplements from Vitacost.com and lifeextension.com.

I only buy supplements from amazon when the supplier is also the manufacturer and I have vetted the brand. I have bought counterfeit supplements there before I started this practice. I don't want fake or possibly dangerous products.

What's wrong with Vitacost? I have been shopping there for nearly 20 years.

Ok, so, no answer, pryo? I guess that comment was nothing more than snark to cause me confusion and anxiety. Nice.

I started looking into berberine after it was mentioned here, since it may have a positive effect on a couple of crucial things for me--blood sugar and lipid control--but so far what I've seen has indicated that it is safe for up to 4 months at the recommended dosages.

Any information about taking it for a longer period of time?

I believe Pyro was having test on Monday. People don't always respond instantly. I suggest assuming good intentions. It's better for your blood pressure.

boxhill wrote:I started looking into berberine after it was mentioned here, since it may have a positive effect on a couple of crucial things for me--blood sugar and lipid control--but so far what I've seen has indicated that it is safe for up to 4 months at the recommended dosages.

Any information about taking it for a longer period of time?

I didn't know that there was a 4 month recommended limit. Please keep us posted as to any effects you may see from using it.

boxhill wrote: I believe Pyro was having test on Monday. People don't always respond instantly. I suggest assuming good intentions. It's better for your blood pressure.

I don't care about his or her intentions. (On that note, I find exceptionally snarky people don't usually have good intentions.) I do care about the products from vitacost. It would be nice for him or her to answer my question "what is wrong with vitacost?" That kind of ambiguity in making a sarcastic comment about vitacost.com leaves me to wonder if he or she knows something about the site that I don't know! How unhelpful it is to allude to there being a problem with their products in terms of authenticity or dangerousness and then not clarifying oneself! (the behavior of an ill-intentioned person) Now, I need to spend time and energy worrying and researching, when there may be no problem with the company AT ALL!

Pyro wrote:

mpbser wrote: Vitacost.com. I don't want fake or possibly dangerous products.

Maybe I need to draw attention to the comment and provide a "notification" by quoting

My intentions were pure, I rewrote the post a couple of times, erasing it every time I thought it would be taken incorrectly. I did not know that company had been around that many years. My sister just got ripped off by an online vitamin company, so I brought my knowledge here.

Assuming that Vitacost was not the company in question, that's good news. Not for your sister, alas.

Anyone familiar with Diabetes forums would be familiar with Berberine. The most common medication for T2DM is Metformin but unfortunately there is a percentage of the population who suffer from gastric issues with that drug. They can, however tolerate Berberine, though its efficacy is a bit hit or miss.
It is known that low dose Metformin ( 250 mg/day) had significant benefits in preventing colon cancer and preventing recurrence. I recall that the research was Japanese based.

Do you have a preferred Diabetes forum that you visit? I would be interested in learning more, especially about metformin and berberine. I am cautious about Metformin because of the risk of horrible side effects and because it appears to be effective against cancer only for certain people (I can't remember which mutation off hand).

Aside from stomach cramps for about the first fortnight I have had no other issues. Then I was on 2 * 1000mg/day which is the max dose.