A little over a month ago I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with what I thought was a heart attack. It was the scariest moment of my life and it was all due to taking cinnamon capsules for my pre-diabetic condition. I’m writing this article in the hopes that I can save someone else the pain, anxiety and expense that I went through.
At my last doctor visit my blood was tested for diabetes and my fasting blood glucose number was 110. My doctor explained that number was a little high and it put me in the pre-diabetic category. He told me to watch my carbohydrates, lose weight and he’d order another test in 3 months. Not knowing anything about blood glucose testing or pre-diabetes, I got on-line and started researching it. I came across several medical articles that suggested a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon daily could lower a person’s fasting blood glucose number by up to 10% and that cinnamon could also lower LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels. To me it sounded like a win/win situation. The thought of eating cinnamon every day sprinkled on food didn’t appeal to me, so I headed out to the health food store and got it in 500 mg capsules. The directions said take 2 per day with meals. I started my regimen the following morning with the idea that a 10% reduction in my fasting blood glucose level would put me in the normal range.
I suffer from acid reflux and am on prescription Zantac, 150 mg. twice a day. I noticed that my GERD wasn’t being controlled as well as it should be and wondered what was making it act up. I cut back on coffee, diet pop and tomatoes, thinking they were to blame. I started taking Mylanta at night before bed. This went on for around 2 weeks. I did my best to control it, but it seemed nothing was helping.
It got so bad one night that I laid awake, tossing and turning and finally got up at 6:10 to get ready for work. While at work, I started to get stabbing chest pains that started on my left side and shot across to my right side. I had burning pain in my upper back near my shoulder. I felt lightheaded and dizzy. Over the next few hours the pain got worse, so I left work and came home. I got on-line and typed in “symptoms of heart attack in women”. Symptoms can include: Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, indigestion, anxiety, sweating, lightheadedness or dizziness, unusual or unexplained fatigue.
I was having 5 of the 8 symptoms, so I yelled at my husband to call 911. I was in a panic, which didn’t help, and sure I was going to die. After 4 hours in the ER and a multitude of tests, it was determined that my heart was fine. Then it came down to “what did you eat?” Nothing I ate that day or the day before could have been responsible. I was given something for severe heartburn and sent home. I made a follow up appointment with my doctor 2 days later. I was still having chest pain and I wanted to find out what was causing it. My doctor asked me if I was taking any herbal supplements, and then it dawned on me–the cinnamon! He told me cinnamon can do that to some people and to stop taking it for a few days. Within 24 hours the chest pains were gone, never to return.
If you’re thinking of adding any type of herbal supplement to your diet make sure to ask your doctor first.
