“An herbal drink balanced my blood sugar!”

Army veteran Carla Drumbeater struggled with type 2 diabetes and chronic stress, until she discovered an ashwagandha drink mix that prevented glucose spikes and increased her energy

- —Elisabeth Dunham

As she rushed from one hospital emergency room to another in her role as an ICU respiratory therapist, 53-year-old Carla Drumbeater, a US Army veteran, felt a familiar wave of dizziness and anxiety sitting heavy in her chest.

Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Carla struggled to manage her blood sugar levels. Chronic stress kept her cortisol levels elevated, which triggered her liver to release extra glucose into her bloodstream and made her cells less responsive to insulin. The result was consistently high blood sugar and ongoing fatigue.

It feels like my body is going to give out on me, she thought during a particularly brutal shift. I’ve got to find something to help me feel like myself again. A week later, as she talked to her doctor, she heard the words she was dreading: “You may have to just start taking insulin.” I’m not ready for that,