Excessive blood sugar levels in diabetes patients is a serious health concern. But for those taking Avandia, this prescription remedy caused other health problems even worse.

It was found by the Food and Drug Administration, in issuing a public warning about using this product, that it posed a "potentially significant increase in the risk of heart attack and heart-related deaths in patients taking Avandia."

In this same safety alert, the Food and Drug people went on to say that diabetics should "talk with their doctor about (evaluating)?available treatment options for their Type 2 diabetes."

Two of the most prescribed alternatives are Metformin and Actos. Both of these products have been shown to help lower blood sugar level. But these two Rx remedies also have their own side effects. -Need we mention diarrhea as a start.

Both note that as a result of taking these prescriptions, diabetics may experience an increase in weight and cholesterol - two problems Type 2 diabetics need to control.

So by taking prescription products, diabetics often find that they are gaining lowered blood sugar levels but at a high cost.

This is the reason that so many people today are seeking out alternative solutions to their problems. Kevin Trudeau, the well-known author of Natural Cures (one of the best-selling books of the last decade) is very popular among diabetics.

And the demand for natural, herbal remedies or 'cures', found in natural supplements or other over-the-counter (as opposed to prescription products) is skyrocketing.

With some effort, one can find some natural products that have a track record of success and support. Two natural and herbal ingredients found to be most effective in lowering blood sugar levels and weight, at the same time, without any documented side effects are chromemate and clinical strength citrimax.

These active ingredients, when combined with additional botanicals and herbs, form the basis of the most clinically-tested, documented effective remedy available to diabetics.

Dr. Harry Preuss, Head of Medical Research at Georgetown University Medical Center has studied these two ingredients extensively and has found them to be both effective and safe.

Using double blind placebo tests (the same testing procedure used by pharmaceutical companies seeking the Food and Drug Administration's approval for prescription drugs), Dr. Preuss found that this specific type of chromium "significantly lowered fasting glucose levels?modest decrease in triglyceride levels and glycosylated hemoglobin."

So there is hope for those seeking some natural help. Both of these key active ingredients were also subjected to short and long term safety testing by independent research groups, such as the Burdock Group, which found that they could be certified GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), a status rarely achieved by non-prescription drugs.

In sum, clinical testing of these two ingredients proved to have a significant impact on lowering blood sugar levels, lowering weight and cholesterol levels, with no side effects.

As a point of cost comparison, these two natural ingredients, when purchased in clinical dosage and purity form (based on double blind placebo dosages and results achieved), it costs a Type 2 diabetic approximately $1.50 per day to take them. Daily costs for prescriptions drugs such as Actos and Metformin cost in the range of $2.00-5.00 daily.

If you are a Type 2 diabetic, get active and start looking over your valuable resource, your Internet and study the natural alternatives. There are products that are proven effective and safe support system to help manage your Blood Sugar Levels; these may be a better and less costly option. Look for the published clinical studies that you can trust.