Diabetes is not a new disease. It has been around for thousands of years but in the last 20 years it has become a worldwide epidemic in adults and in children. The number of diabetes in the United States has increased to an alarming rate in the last 20- 30 years claiming younger innocent victims each year. (1) What are we doing wrong to bring this onset of a silent killer? Can it be prevented or reversed and how?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body fails to produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a protein hormone secreted by the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. It helps the body use carbohydrates, which are the starches and sugars found in the food we eat. Type II diabetes can quietly wreak havoc inside a person’s body long before symptoms become serious.(2)
The first step to diabetes is insulin resistance which is characterized by high blood pressure, abdominal fat, high blood fats, low HDL or “good” cholesterol, obesity and high uric acid associated with increased heart attack. Insulin resistance syndrome is also called metabolic syndrome or syndrome X. Insulin resistance can be corrected with weight loss and exercise,(3) although, it’s primary factor is being overweight.
When a person overeats the cells are continuously bathed in large amounts of insulin which causes the cells to multiply in order to store the extra glucose. Weight control and exercise is a vital weapon against diabetes. (4)
Since junk food, pop sodas, chips and processed meats are plentiful in the US, they have become a daily dietary means for many adults and children. They are easily accessible and very affordable for the unsuspecting public. These foods and drinks are high in calories and very low in nutritional value. The basic Western diet characterized by higher consumption of red meat, processed meat, French fries, high fat dairy products, refined grains and desserts combined with low physical activity contribute to the onset of diabetes type 2 in most people.
There are four key factors that promote obesity and type 2 diabetes:
1. Eating more calories than are used by the body.
2. Eating refined carbohydrates instead of high-fiber sources.
3. Eating the wrong type of fats.
4. Eating an insufficient intake of antioxidant nutrients. (5).
For many years, people with type 2 diabetes believed they had been inflicted with a disease that was permanent and degenerative. The best that they figured they could hope for was good management. This would include a daunting diet, and special diabetic foods.
Today, reports of dramatic improvements, and even reversal of type 2 diabetes are giving new hope to people with this disease. (6)
IMPROVING AND REVERSING DIABETES
Along with natural supplements a colon cleanse followed by a liver cleanse diet for 8 weeks is ideal to remove toxins and improve the function of the liver. Scientist have examined pollution levels in humans, and research proves our bodies are not capable of eliminating all of the toxins so they accumulate in our fat cells, tissues, blood and our organs indefinitely until we take some action and assist the body in eliminating them. Everyone can benefit from the Liver-Cleansing Diet as it is designed to improve overall health and immune function. Those who are in greatest need of this diet are persons with 1) excessive body weight, 2) gall bladder disease, 3) many chronic diseases 4) hypoglycemia or unstable blood sugar levels, 5) chronic fatigue syndrome, 6) headaches and migraines, 7) depression, 8) allergies, 9) high blood pressure and /or fluid retention, 10) liver disease.
The Chinese call the liver the “General of the army of the body”, in charge of body strategy and harmony. They say that although the heart stores the spirit, it is the liver that can unbalance the spirit. (7)
THE LIVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FOLLOWING:
1. Regulates carbohydrate metabolism – it turns glucose into glycogen for storage in the liver. Live glycogen can release glucose into the blood to maintain normal blood sugar levels if needed. If the body is low in carbohydrates, the liver can manufacture more carbohydrates from fat or proteins.
2. Stores glycogen, vitamins A & D, iron, and copper and many of the B complex vitamins.
3. It manufactures many body proteins such as albumin and blood clotting factors such as prothrombin and fibrinogen that cause the blood to clod when needed.
4. Detoxifies many toxic substances either by the Kupffer cells or by adding a chemical substance to a toxin for its elimination or deactivation. It metabolizes or bio-transforms drugs, steroid hormones, and waste products.(8)
Now that the liver’s function has been explained in detail let’s examine a healthy diet to improve the liver function according to Dr. Sandra Cabot.
Although Dr. Cabot does not include a colon cleanse as part of her protocol, it is very important the toxins leaving the body have an easy and quick elimination. You can find a colon cleanse of your choice on the internet or your local health food store and follow their instructions. You should consult your physician before you begin the cleanse and the diet.
Essential Fatty Acids ( Omega 6 and Omega 3) should be included in your diet on a daily basis. Other beneficial mono-unsaturated fatty acids can be obtained from avocados, fresh unshelled peanuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, pecan nuts, and cold pressed virgin olive oil.
LIVER CLEANSE DIET:
Session I – Follow for two weeks:
First thing in the morning drink two glasses of purified water with the juice of a fresh lemon, lime or orange to cleanse the liver followed by a raw vegetable juice made with carrots, cabbage, beet, celery, apple, ginger root, spinach etc.
Not allowed: white bread, sugar, diet drinks, red meat, alcohol, all dairy products, butter, fried foods and margarine.
Allowed: organic eggs and chicken, cold water fish, whole grain breads, legumes, soups, brown rice, muesli, cooked rolled oats, honey, lots of fruits and fresh vegetables, always have a salad with your main meal. Make your own salad dressing with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice or organic apple cider vinegar. 40% of your diet should consist of raw vegetables and fruits.
Each day add 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds to your meal. Follow these instructions:
3 cups of organic flaxseed
2 cups of organic sunflower seeds
1 cup of raw almonds.
Use a coffe grinder to process the above in a powder form that’s easily absorbed by the body.
Chicken and fish may be broiled, poached or baked. Not fried. Stews are great so are soups.
Session II – 4 weeks
Begin the day with the lemon water as described and the raw vegetable juices.
Not Allowed:
Same as session I but no egg yolks and no chicken.
Session III- 2 weeks
First thing in the morning drink the lemon water as instructed.
Not Allowed: Same as session one.
Allowed: Same as session one. Eggs and chicken are allowed.
Although the diet ends in 8 weeks you can continue with a sensible diet indefinitely. (9) You can add organic red meat on occasion.
The famous physician Thomas Willis attributed the onset of diabetes to a problem with the nerves. We know that the hypothalamus controls most metabolic functions. Hormones released from the hypothalamus control appetite, metabolic rate, fat storage and blood sugar. These hormones also control stress. By controlling your responses to stress, you can help regulate your metabolic control. (10)
By learning relaxation methods you can significantly influence blood sugar control. This is very important because in a “fight or flight” response the hypothalamus sends messages to the pituitary gland, which sends messages to the adrenal gland to release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, among others. During fight or flight, blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and blood flow to the muscles all increase. Intestinal activity slows, and blood sugar is released from the liver and muscle stores, getting the body ready to fend off an attacker. For people with diabetes, this creates a potential problem because of their inability to produce enough insulin or use the insulin they have, their blood sugar goes up and does not come down. (11)
In conclusion, diabetes may be reversed by following a good nutritional diet, drinking lots of water, exercise daily, and by supplementing with good quality whole food supplements. Just as the brain can set off the flight response, it can also reverse the effect. Part of the hypothalamus controls the parasympathetic system which can counter the fight or flight response by producing the opposite effect. (12) If one learns how to master relaxation and give the body what it needs, the body will heal itself. How incredible!
In 400 B.C., Hippocrates, the “father of Western medicine”, recognized the relationship between health and food. He said, “Let thy food by thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food”. In recent decades, research has proven the truth of his words, raising nutrition science to a level equal with medicine. (13)
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Eleni Michael received a BA in Sociology, has experience as a social worker, entrepreneur and retirement accounts manager. Her interest in Holistic Medicine began when she watched three of her loved ones sent home to die when conventional medicine failed. Devastated, angry and determined she set out to find natural ways to heal the body and help those that want to be helped. Presently she is working on her certification as a Holistic Health Practitioner.
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Bibliography:
1. Defeating Diabetes by Davis RD, Brenda & Barnard, MD, Tom
Healthy Living Publications – Summertown, TN, 2003
2. How To Prevent Treat Diabetes With Natural Medicine by Michael T. Murray, Michael R. Lyon – Riverhead Books, NY, 2003
3. Defeating Diabetes by Davis RD, Brenda & Barnard, MD, Tom
Healthy Living Publications – Summertown, TN, 2003
4. Defeating Diabetes by Davis RD, Brenda & Barnard, MD, Tom
Healthy Living Publications – Summertown, TN, 2003
5. How To Prevent Treat Diabetes With Natural Medicine by Michael T. Murray, Michael R. Lyon – Riverhead Books, NY, 2003
6. Defeating Diabetes by Davis RD, Brenda & Barnard MD, Tom
Healthy Living Publications – Summertown, TN, 2003
7. The Liver Cleansing Diet by Sandra Cabot
S.C.B. International, Inc. Glendale, AZ 1997
8. The Liver Cleansing Diet by Sandra Cabot
S.C.B. International, Inc. Glendale, AZ 1997
9. The Liver Cleansing Diet by Sandra Cabot
S.C.B. International, Inc. Glendale, AZ 1997
10. How To Prevent Treat Diabetes With Natural Medicine by Michael T. Murray, Michael R. Lyon – Riverhead Books, NY, 2003
11. The Mind Body Diabetes Revolution by Surwit, Ph.D., Richard with Bauman, Alisa
Free Press, NY, 2003
12. The Mind Body Diabetes Revolution by Surwit, Ph.D., Richard with Bauman, Alisa
Free Press, NY, 2003
13. http://pbi-ibp-nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/en/media/advance3.htm
http://pbi-ibp.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/en/media/advance3.htm (let thy food be thy medicine)