NoMoreDiabetes

Copyright©2013byGaryNull

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10987654321

eISBN:978-1-62873-517-8

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataNull,Gary.

Nomorediabetes:acompleteguidetopreventing,treating,andovercomingdiabetes/GaryNull.

 pagescmIncludesbibliographicalreferences.

ISBN978-1-62636-155-3(hardcover:alk.paper)

eISBN:9781628735680

1.Diabetes—Popularworks.2.Diabetes—Alternativetreatment.3.Diabetes—Diettherapy.4.Naturopathy.I.Title.

RC660.4.N862013

616.4’622—dc23

2013013718

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

mailto:info@skyhorsepublishing.comhttp://%20www.skyhorsepublishing.com

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter1 PushingBackAgainstDiabetes

Chapter2 TraditionalApproachestoTreatment

Chapter3 TheNaturalApproach

Chapter4 TheExpertsSpeakOut

Chapter5 DoVaccinesContributetoDiabetes?

Chapter6It’sNotYourFaultYou’reFat

Chapter7 SweetSuicide

Chapter8 SuperFoods

Chapter9 YourRecipeRepertoire

Chapter10 NoMoreExcuses

Testimonials

ReferencesandResources

Index

Preface

Thisbookistoserveasathoroughresourcemanualaboutdiabetes,itscauses,prevention,andtreatment. Throughout the text, scientific research onmedical complications and the causesthereof when people suffer from diabetes—the majority having been published in peer-reviewedmedicaljournals—wasreliedupon.Thepreventativeandtherapeuticapproachthatisprovidedisbasedonanaturalsystemsapproach.Inadditiontosuggestednutritionanddietaryregimens, this also necessitates lifestyle changes, including exercise, mental composure, andlivinghabits. Invaluable informationonparticularsuperfoodsandrecipesareoffered tohelpyoubeginalteringtheattitudesandwaysinwhichweeat.

Having authoredmore than ninety books, I have discovered that personal testimonials bypatientssufferingfromparticularillnessesareverymotivatingforpeople.Therefore,achapterhasbeen included tooffer individual storiesbypeoplewhohavebeaten this seventh leadingcauseofdeathintheUnitedStates.

There aremanypeoplewho contributed toNoMoreDiabetes. JimFeast,whohas editedseveral ofmy other publications, performed his usual expert job in developingmany of themore complex scientific data into a manner readable to the layperson. Special appreciationgoes tomy research assistantsMitzi Flade Sampson,NadiaAbdo, PorochistaKhakpour andJeremy Stillman who have devoted hundreds of hours individually to gathering the mostcurrentandpastscientificdataaboutdiabetesandnaturalwaystopreventandtreatit,andtomy producer Richard Gale who provided insights from his medical background andcoordinated the publication. Doug Henderson and Jennifer Shagawat gathered testimonialsandrecipes.ThanksalsotomyArtDirectorJayGraygorforhisexcellentworkonthecoverdesign.

Chapter1

PushingBackAgainstDiabetes

“Thinkingstartsfromdoubtoruncertainty.Itmarksaninquiring,hunting,searchingattitude.”

—JohnDewey,DemocracyandEducation

Americanslovetomakelists,butsometimestheselistsarejusttooshort.Takethelistoftheleadingkillerdiseases. If Iaskedyouwhichdiseaseswere theprimarycausesofdeath in theUnitedStates,youwouldprobablycorrectlyidentifycancerandheartdisease,andstopthere.It’s more than likely you couldn’t name the seventh top cause—in fact, you might even besurprisedtolearnitisdiabetes.

This book is an in-depth study of diabetes, of the physical, behavioral and even mentalcausesthatleadstoitsemergence,andofthepracticesthatwillblockandreverseit.

AnyonefamiliarwithmyideascananticipatesomeofthepointsIwillcover.Threethingstheycouldcorrectlyputonthat listare:1)apresentationof the latest,cutting-edgeresearchon the topic, including lengthy and fact-packed interviews with doctors who have made astudyofandsuccessfully treatedthedisease,2)anemphasisonhowyoucanbeproactive inensuringorregaininghealththroughsuchpracticesasexercisingandadoptingamorenatural,vegetarian or near-vegetarian diet, and 3) a list ofmouth-watering vegetarian recipes, alongwithavitamin,mineral,andherbalsupplementprotocolthathasprovenuseful inhelpingtoabateorforestalltheillness.

Thereismuchmoreinside,includingsomethingsthatwillnotfitonanylistofmyfavoritetopics.NotmanypeoplerealizethatinmyleisuremomentsIliketoindulgemypenchantforreadingAmericanliteratureandphilosophy,andonephilosopherwhohasprovedparticularlycongenialtomywayofthinkingisJohnDewey,awriterwhowasprominentfromtheearly1900sto1950,andwaslongafixtureatColumbiaUniversity.Broadlyspeaking,inhiswholelife hemade one argument:Wewill destroy ourselves unless we see life whole. This is themainreasonIadmirethisman.Thathasalsobeenoneofmyowndrivingthoughtsandcanbereformulated for this text along these lines: the scourge of diabetes will only be conqueredthroughanultra-holism that sees truebodilyhealth asone componentofnatural living thatincludesnotonlyavegetarianorsemi-vegetariandiet,exercise,andanawarelifestyle,butalsotheshapeofourcommunities,ourrelationships,andourleisureandworkhabits.

Allofthatwillbetouchedonhere.However,don’tbeapprehensive.Youwillnotsuddenlycomeuponalectureonmetaphysicsstuckinthemiddleofatalkonhealthyliving.Thatwon’thappen, but you will find, at key junctures, we are suddenly glancing off the thought ofDewey.

Nowthatyouhavesomeideaofwhattoexpectinthisbook,letmebeginwithsomefacts

about this disease, the illness that few people recognize as belonging on the list of leadingkillers.

Diabetesmellitusaffectsover24millionchildrenandadults intheUnitedStates,andeachyear theproblemworsens.Toput it in the starkest terms,onesprovidedby theCDC, everytwenty-fourhours,fourthousandadultsarediagnosedwithdiabetesandtwohundredpeopledie from it. If things continue as they have been, roughly one quarter of the Americanpopulationisfacingafutureofdiabetes.Furthermore,over57millionAmericanadultshaveahealth condition known as pre-diabetes. “Pre” is something of a euphemism. Make nomistake,pre-diabetesisaseriouscondition,andthosewhosufferfromitarewellontheirwaytofull-blowndiabetes.

That’s theUS. Ifwe think of the rest of theworld,we find the problem is found almosteverywhere. Partially as one of the unexpected byproducts of globalization, which hasencouraged fast-fooddiets incountrieswheresucheatinghadbeenpreviouslyunheardof, in2000 throughout theworldover171millionpeoplewerediagnosedwithdiabetes.By2030,TheWorldHealthOrganizationpredictsthatover360millionpeopleworldwidewillhaveit.Thisisanincreaseofmorethan40percentinindustrializednations,wherefastfoodandotherunhealthy lifestyle choices reign supreme, and a 170 percent increase in developing nations,wheredietsarebeginningtochangefortheworse,helpingthespreadoftheillness.

Diabetes disproportionately affects certain ethnic groups. In Native Americans, HispanicandLatinoAmericans,andAfricanAmericans,thediseaseismuchmoreprevalentthaninthenon- Hispanicwhitepopulation.

Thediseaseisdevastating,toputitlightly.Ifyouhavetheillness,youcanexpectyourlifetobecutshortonaveragebyfourtoeightyears.Diabetescanleadtoblindness,renaldisease,peripheral nerve damage, and non-traumatic amputations. Further, a person suffering fromdiabetesisalsoindangerforheartdisease,stroke,cancer,inflammatorydiseases,depression,andobesity.

Causes

Whenadetectivearrivesatacrimescene,thefirstquestionsheorheasksis“Whodunit?”Inthesameway,whenadoctor findssomeonehasadisease, the firstquestion thepractitionershouldaskis“Whatisbehindthismanifestation?”

Tocontinuewithmymetaphorforonemorestep,ifthe detectivefoundfourpeopledeadatarestaurantdinnertableandtheonlydishtheysharedwasthedessert,thesleuthmightwellsuspect the chocolatemousseofbeing the culprit.A similar suspicionmightbe caston foodand eating habits in relation to diabetes since it has been found that the incidences of bothdiabetes and heart disease skyrocketedwhenAmericans began to change their diet. The latecomplementary physician Dr. Robert Atkins put his finger on this when he paraphrasedsomethinghehadreadinthebookTheSaccharineDiseasebyDr.T.L.Cleave(whohadbeena surgeon in theBritishRoyalNavy).Atkinsnoted thatCleave cited“‘the lawof20years,’whichsaysthatafteryouintroducerefinedcarbohydratesintoaculture,twoillnessesemergetwodecades later:diabetesandheartdisease.”Atkins elaborated,“WeknowaThirdWorlddietwithoutrefinedcarbohydrates leadstosubstantiallyreducedheartdiseaseanddiabetes.”However, once a Third World culture is “civilized” by its people being encouraged to eat

refinedcarbohydrates, the levelsofthese illnesses increases.“Moreoftenthannot,whenoneillness emerges, so does the other,” Atkins goes on. Sowhat is the connection between thethree:refinedcarbohydrates,diabetes,andheartdisease?Tosimplifymatters,let’sconcentrateonjustthefirsttwo.

Carbohydratesaremadeupofsugars,starchesandcellulose.Thebodybreaksthemdownsoastoturnthemintoglucose(bloodsugar).Refinedcarbohydratesaresimplyonesthatthroughfoodprocessinghavehadmanyoftheirnutritionalelements,suchasiron,fiberandvitaminB,removed.However,let’sputthisdifferencebetweenrefinedandunrefinedcarbsasideforthemomentandjustlookathowthebodydealswithasituationwheresomanycarbshavebeenbrokendownthatthebloodisoverstockedwithsugar.Undernormalcircumstances,insulinisreleased by the pancreas to handle this situation. Insulin helps direct the glucose to storagesitesinmusclecellsandvarioustissues, loweringbloodsugarlevels.Inadiabetic,somethingis going wrong with the process either because of insulin deficiency, insulin resistance orinsulininsensitivity.Iwanttoexaminethesedifficultiesinturn.

InsulinDeficiency

For years,medicine ascribed diabetes to deficiency. It was thought the body didn’t produceenoughinsulintotakecareofanyexcessofbloodsugar.Muchrecentresearchhasestablishedthe result, one that came as a surprise to those who believed in the old model, that manydiabeticsproduceenoughinsulin—it’sjustnotbeingproperlyabsorbed.Theproblemwasnotthattheylackedforinsulin,buttheircellseitherwereinsensitiveorresistedtakingitup.

InsulinInsensitivity

Sowhatwouldmake a cell insensitive or resistant? Insulin enters the cells through receptorsites.Whenthesesitesarepluggedduetoanadherenceoffatorcholesterol,notalltheinsulinseeking entry can get in and it bounces back into the bloodstream. Think of amischievouschild, caught fighting in theplayground,who is toldby theprincipal to go to thedetentionroom. However, once there, he promptly climbs out the window and rejoins the outdoorsscuffleinsteadofstayinginthebuilding.

Whentoomuchglucosegetsinthebloodbecauseithasbeenturnedawayfromthecloggedreceptors,thiscreateshyperglycemia(highbloodsugar).Chronichyperglycemiaisthedefiningcharacteristicofdiabetes.

If this uptick in blood sugar is caused by cells not being able to take in all the glucosedirectedtheirway,thentheculpritcausingthediseaseisnotlackofinsulininthebodybutitsinabilitytoaccomplishitsmissionofenteringcells.And,sofarasthisistrue,theremustbeafundamental shift in how diabetes is treated. Doctors who have responded to this newunderstanding have changed their emphasis from increasing insulin production to enhancinginsulinsensitivity.

InsulinResistance

While insensitivity to insulin occurswhen the cells are partially blocking the inlet of bloodsugar,thecloselyrelatedphenomenonofinsulinresistanceisfoundwhenallergicresponsesor

other factorshinder insulin’sactivity.Again, thereareadequateamountsof insulinavailableforthebodybut,mostcommonly,aparticularfoodallergyisinterfering.Thereisnoonesetofallergy-creatingfoods.Thesevarybyindividual.Wheat,forinstance,maycreatesymptomsofhighbloodsugarinonewoman,whilecornmayaffectanother.

TypesofDiabetes

Diabetes is generally classified into types I and II,with themore devastating form I havinglongbeen thought (until recently) tobeconfined toonset inchildhoodorduring the teenageyears.

TypeIdoesinvolvelackofinsulin.Thepancreas,whichproducesinsulin,isdamaged.Thiscould be because of a viral infection, extreme toxicity (from being exposed to poisonouschemicals,forexample)or,accordingtosomeresearchers,excessvaccinations.Thepancreaticdamagemay also be connected to a genetic inheritance. In any case, this damage is tied upwith a continued assault on the pancreas by a disturbed immune system.While the body’simmune system usually functions by targeting and eliminating viruses and other types ofgerms, here it gets off the track and actually begins attacking and destroying the beta cells,whichproduceinsulin,inthepancreas.

(Onemightimagine—thisisonlymyspeculation,notsomethingbackedupbymyresearch—thistypeofscenario:thebodyisfightinganinfectionofthepancreas,andsomehowinthecourseofthis,theimmuneresponseistriggeredtoalsoattackthehealthy pancreaticcells.)

Withthepancreasundermined,therereallyisnoinsulintoprocessbloodsugar.Therefore,someonewith type Idiabeteshas toget the insulin fromoutside,perhapsbydaily injection,forlife.UsuallytypeIisdetectedinpatientsbeforetheirtwentiethbirthday.Thisformofthedisease though, is not the one responsible for the burgeoning increase in cases mentionedearlier.AccordingtotheAmericanDiabetesAssociation,typeIdiabetesisresponsibleforonly5percentofalldiabetescases.

Type II diabetes, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, isthe one whose numbers are getting staggering. This one, which occurs most frequently inadultsoverforty,andmoreofteninwomenthanmen,isnottiedsomuchtoearlyinfectionsor genetic factors as to lack of exercise, obesity, and lifestyle factors. However, it is nowbeginningtoshowupmoreandmoreinchildrenandyoungadults.

TypeIIDiabetesinChildrenandYoungPeople

This is a heartbreaking trend. Type II diabetes in children was practically unheard of untilrecently. Now, as the American Diabetes Association has found, nearly 4,000 children arediagnosedwithtypeIIdiabeteseveryyear,addingtothe190,000adolescentswhoarealreadybattlingdiabetes.Thenumberofyoungpeoplewiththisdiseaseisnotgraduallygrowingbutballooning. Research presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American DiabetesAssociationshowedthatfrom2001—2009,theincidenceoftypeIIdiabetesamongAmericanchildren and teens roseby21percent. In an interviewwithWebMD,Dr.RobertE.Ratner,chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association, responded to thestudyresultssaying“theseareharbingersofadulthealthproblems.Ifthetrendisnotreversed,

therecouldbeanepidemicofheartdisease,stroke,andkidneyfailurewhenthisgenerationisage25–35.”

ImentionedAtkins’s citingof the20-year ruleon the relationbetweena society changingfrom natural to processed food and the beginning of heart disease and diabetes.Maybeweshould introduce another rule, one with a briefer time span. That would be the “five-yearrule”thatpredictedthetimelagbetweentheintroductionofcomputervideogames,andotherinventions thatencouragechildrenandadolescents to spend theirafterschoolhours sitting infrontofaTVorcomputerratherthangoingoutdoorstorunaroundandplayandtheonsetoftype IIdiabetes inyoungpeople.For this tomymind isoneof themajor factorsbehind thesudden peaking of youthful diabetes type II. This disease ismaking its debilitating presenceknown in the overweight and inactive youth of America, afflicting them in astronomicalproportions.

Of course, traditionalmedicinewould laughat the ideaofa fiveyear rule.They face thisnew crisis by directing their research into the discovery of the gene responsible for thismeteoric rise of type II diabetes in children. They overlook the more obvious fact thatsimultaneously with the noted rise of this disease in youth, over the past thirty years thenumber of overweight American children has more than doubled. To my way of thinking,these two occurrences, a rise of type II diabetes in youth and a vast increase in youthfulobesity, are linked by more than the fact that they happened at the same time. I believeAmericanyouth’scarryingofexcessivebodyweighthasbroughtaboutthedrasticriseintypeIIdiabetesinthisgroup.

Remember, obesity is a trademark of the disease. “A predisposition toward visceralobesity,” to use a clinical expression—that is, adding fat around the midsection—has beenlinked to increased insulin resistance in research published in the Journal of Endocrinology(2006).Thattiesinwiththereportthat85percentofchildrenintheUnitedStatesdiagnosedwithtypeIIdiabeteseithercarrysomeextraweightorareoutrightobese.

A moment ago I alluded briefly to the fact that certain American minorities were morepronetodiabetesthantheCaucasianmajority.Letmedrawthatpointoutfurtherinrelationtoyouth.

It’sbeenlearnedthatAfrican-Americanchildrenareparticularlyvulnerabletodiabetesandtheconditionsassociatedwith thisdisease.Dr.GeoffBall fromtheFacultyofMedicineandDentistryattheUniversityofAlbertamadeacomparativestudylookingatinsulinproblemsinCaucasianchildrenandAfrican-Americanchildrenatpuberty.ItturnsoutthelevelsofinsulinintheAfrican-Americanyouthgroupworsenedastheyprogressedthroughpuberty,butintheCaucasian group the levels remainedunchanged.There arephysiological changes inpuberty,and they seem to be particularly problematic in relation to insulin resistance for African-Americanyouth.

Anothersignificantstudyhasalso lookedat insulin levels inyouth,notas theyarepartofracial or ethnicminorities, but in relation to theirmothers’ conditions. If a youth’smothersufferedfrompolycysticovarysyndrome(PCOS),ahormonaldisorderassociatedwithinsulinresistancethataffectswomenintheirreproductiveage, thenduringpubertytheyouthwouldtend to have excess insulin. Such were the findings of Dr. Richard Legro, professor ofobstetricsandgynecologyatPennStateCollegeofMedicine.Thestudyleadstotheconclusion

thatchildrenofPCOSmothersbuildupexcessiveinsulinduringpuberty.Anotherfamilyfactorthathasanimpactonawhetherayouthwillbecomediabetic isthe

healthofhisorhersiblings.Astudy ledbyDr.SheelaMagge,apediatricendocrinologistattheChildren’sHospitalofPhiladelphia,foundthat“overweightsiblingsofchildrenwithtypeII diabetes are four times more likely to have abnormal glucose levels compared to otheroverweight children.” Magge also noted that “74 to 100 percent of children with type IIdiabeteshaveafirstorseconddegreerelativewhoalsohasthecondition.”

All of which should indicate that while all young Americans have to be careful and takesteps towardhealthy living, those that belong to certain groups, such as thosewithdiabeticsiblings,mustbedoublycareful.

CausesofTypeIIDiabetes

ThoughthereissomeevidencethatageneticpredispositionisinvolvedintypeIIdiabetes,thefact that suddenly there is a mega-growth in the number of people manifesting the diseaseclearlyindicatesthatsomethingmorethangeneticsisshapingtherapidspreadoftheillness.Agrowingvolumeofevidenceindicatesthataconfluenceoffactors,fromlifestyletodietaryandenvironmentalcauses,isbehindthissurge.

In type IIdiabetes, thebetacells in thepancreasare stillproducing insulin,but eithernotenoughisbeingmadeorthebodyisnotmakingeffectiveuseofwhat ithas.So, thesuffererdoesn’tneedmoreinsulin,butabetteruseoftheinsulinheorshehas.

SymptomsofDiabetes

TypeIdiabetesischaracterizedbythesymptomsthathaveoftenbeenseenas“typical.”Theseinclude frequent urination, especially at night, great thirst and hunger, fatigue, weight loss,irritability, and restlessness. As noted, those who suffer from this form of the disease needdailydosesofinsulin,andiftheylackthem,theycanfallintoacoma.

TypeIIdiabetescanbeginwithfewernoticeablesymptoms,althoughobesityoftensignalsapre-diabetic state, especially when the excess weight is concentrated at or just above thewaistline. As the diabetes progresses, the eyes, kidneys, nervous system, and skin becomeaffected,andinfectionsandhardeningofthearteriesmaydevelop.

The constant fluctuations in blood sugar that accompany both forms of diabetes are alsodebilitating. Remember, when insulin is in sufficient supply and working effectively, newglucose entering the blood through the breaking downof food is smoothly integrated in thebody’s overall architecture.On the other hand, if the insulin base is not there or not beingusedefficiently,bloodsugarlevelswillfluctuate,leadingtoawiderangeofdisorders.

One particular accompanying problem is inner arterial wall damage. Weakened arteriescontributetocardiovascularstress.Infact,theincidenceofheartattacksandstrokesisfivetoeight timesgreateramongdiabetics than inthegeneralpopulation.Mostdeathsofdiabetics,some75percent,areduetoheartdiseasebroughtonbythehardeningofmajorarteries.

Moreover,anothernegativeeffectonthecirculatorysystempromptedbydiabetesisdamageto thevessels leading to the eyes,kidneys, andperipheralnerves.As thesebecome thickandbrittle,bloodmovement is impeded,making them less functional.Also, thesevesselsareput

under pressure by sudden surges of blood sugar, which occur when insulin is not properlyregulating the distribution of this glucose. For the sight, the repeated stresses that diabeticsexperience cause the vessels in the eyes to hemorrhage and break down. After severalhemorrhages,apatientendsupblind.

Similar eventsbroughtonbyblood sugar surges canweaken thekidneys, so thatnitrogenwastescannolongerbeeliminatedefficientlyandaccumulateintheorgan.

Interferencewithbloodcirculationinbothlargeandsmallvesselsisalsoresponsibleforthehigh incidence of neuritis (an inflammation of the nerves) and even gangrene,which resultsfrom insufficient blood flow to a part of the body,which, in theworst case, can endwithamputation.

Havinggivenaquickrun-throughofcommonsymptomsandaccompanimentsofdiabetes,letme spend some time going into a littlemore detail about the disastrous health problemsthat usually supplement the illness.These sections shouldbringhome to you the frighteninghealthcarecosts,bothphysicalandfinancial,forwhichdiabetesisresponsible.

DiabetesisBlinding—EyeDisordersAreaCommonSideEffect

Afewparagraphsago, Inotedhowthebloodsurges thatareacharacteristicofdiabetescandamage the vessels leading to the eyes, eventually leading to blindness. In fact, many eyesdiseases, such as cataracts, retinopathy, and glaucoma, are more common among diabeticsthaninthegeneralpopulation.

Let me say a few words about the prevalence of these different disorders. Among theworking adult population in the US, retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness “withapproximately$500millionspentondirectmedicalcosts”forthisdisorderin2004,accordingtoastudy intheArchivesofOphthalmology.Retinopathy isanumbrella termreferring toanumber of diseases that affect the retina. Another disturbance of vision is glaucoma,whichcomesfromdamagetotheopticnerve.Themostcommonform,whichaccountsfor60to70percentof all glaucoma, is primaryopenangle glaucoma (POAG).Thisdisease affectsmorethan two million individuals in the US, and it is projected that by 2020 more than threemillionwillhavethediagnosis.

A number of studies have linked glaucomawith diabetes, but Iwillmention only one. Agroup of researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Brigham and Women’sHospital, Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Medical School got together andlookedatdetailedrecordsofseventy-six thousandwomen,whohadbeenenrolled inastudyfrom 1980 to 2000. All the participants were at least forty years of age and without anydiagnosisof glaucomaat the startof the study.Researchers found that, after controlling forage, race, hypertension, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking, andfamilyhistoryofglaucoma, theystill learned that“type IIdiabeteswaspositivelyassociatedwithPOAG.”

Physicians who have noted the diabetes/eye problems connection have emphasized thatpatientshavetoshifttoahealthylifestyleanddiettoreverseorpreventtheonsetofdiabetesbefore eye complications. Again to mention but one outstanding example, let me refer tophysicians Thomas W. Gardner, MD, and Robert Gabbay, MD, of Penn State College ofMedicine inHershey. They have this to say about how to effectively treat these conditions:

“Ophthalmologistsmust go beyond surgically treating late-stage eye disease andworkwithother clinicians to help patients control their diabetes before eye complications [begin or]worsen.”They go on to remark on the need for physicians to acknowledge the diabetes/eyediseaselinksoastobettertreattheproblem.“Ophthalmologistshaveauniqueopportunitytoinfluence patient behavior because vision loss is one of the most feared complications ofdiabetes. Helping patients make the connection between their eye disease and the ABCs ofdiabetes(highA1C,bloodpressureandcholesterol[whicharecommonmarkersofworseningdiabetes])canmotivatethemtoimprovetheirhealth.”

Diabetes,Alzheimer’s,andCognitiveImpairment

Inmyquicksurveyofsymptoms,Inotedthatdiabeteshasbeenlinkedtonervedisease.NowoneofthemostterrifyingoftheneurodegenerativeillnessesisAlzheimer’s.Patientswiththisconditiongraduallylosenormalmentalfunction,Alzheimer’simpairsanindividual’sabilitytothink, speak, and remember. As it progresses, the brain’s executive functions are destroyed,resulting in the loss of ability to reason, plan, or organize thoughts, loss of language andinabilitytorecognizeobjects.

Although the etiology ofAlzheimer’s is notwell understood, it is known to be related toglycation.Letmesaysomethingaboutglycation,whichisaprimarycomponentofaging.Toexplainitbyacookingmetaphor,imagineputtingaturkeyintheoven.Itismoistandpliable.Threehours later, the skin is stiff, brownandparchment-like.Theprocess that changed theturkeyiscalledglycation.Todescribethisinamorescientificway,let’ssayitinvolvesglucosebondingwithproteinssothatthelatteraredisabled,leadingtotheunderminingofanumberofprocesses.GlycationisacceleratedintheplasmaoftypeIIdiabetics.

According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, which is part of theNational InstitutesofHealth,“Whilemanyphysiciansrecognize thatnerve,eye,kidney,andheartdamagearecommonsideeffectsofdiabetes,mostarenotawarethatdiabetescanalsolead to the formation of damaging substances known as AGEs or advanced glycation endproducts.”

While health-debilitating AGEs are encouraged by diabetes, so is the production of freeradicals,whichcomefromunstablemoleculesoratomsthatreleaseelectrons,whichmaythencausecellulardamage.AGEsbecomeevenmoredestructivewhencoupledwithfreeradicals.

AccordingtoastudybyP.L.Moreiraandcolleagues,whohavelookedlongandhardatthegenesisofAlzheimer’s, thediseaseshows“amarkeddecline in the levelofacetylcholine, thechemicalmessengerof thenervous system thathelps to regulatememory.”Notonlydo freeradicals help prompt this decline, “new research indicates that advanced glycation endproductsmay also initiate this dreaded condition.”Aswe’ve seen, diabetes encourages bothglycationandfreeradicalcreation.

WhereasthislaststudylookedatthemechanicsofAlzheimer’sgenesis,moreanthropologicstudies have observed the way in which those who have diabetes seem more prone to thismentaldisablement.For instance,a1999RotterdamStudy in theNetherlands tracked6,370elderly men and women over an average of two years, looking at subjects who becamedementedfromAlzheimer’sorhaddiabetes.AccordingtoareportbyA.Ott, theresearchersin the study“concluded thathavingdiabetesalmostdoubled the subjects’ riskofdementia.”

Theconclusionsof this reportwerebackedupby researchdone in2004by J.A.Luchsingerandcolleagues.It“examinedtheassociationbetweentypeIIdiabetes,highinsulinlevels,andAlzheimer’s risk,” and found, in linewithwhatwewouldhave expected, “that high insulinlevels,whichareintimatelyconnectedtotypeIIdiabetes,weresignificantlycorrelatedwithahigher risk of developing Alzheimer’s.” The conclusions of this report are supported by theresultsof a2004 studywhich linkedhigh insulin levels, type II diabeteswith a significantlyhigherriskofdevelopingAlzheimer’s.”

Clearly, the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s is significantly increased in people withinsulin problems. It can be speculated that insulin fluctuations damage blood vessels in thebrainandthismayleadtomemoryproblemsassociatedwiththedisease.Afewotherlinksofdiabetes to impaired mental functioning are found in the following research, selected fromamongmanystudiesIcouldhighlight.

Caroline Sanz,MD, at the French National Institute of Health andMedical Research inToulouse, led a study that looked at whether people with Alzheimer’s disease and diabeteshavemorerapidmemorylossthanthosewhohaveAlzheimer’sdiseasebutnotdiabetes,usingasabase608mildtomoderateAlzheimer’spatients.AsreportedintheScienceDaily,“Overthesixmonth testingperiod, thosewithdiabetesdemonstratedsignificantlymoredecline [inmemory]thantheirnon-diabeticpeers.”

Inanotherinvestigation,R.O.Roberts,MBChB,MS,andhiscolleaguesattheMayoClinicin Rochester, Minnesota, examined the associations between diabetes and mild cognitiveimpairment in patients ages 70 to 89. They reported “diabetes was significantly associatedwith chronichyperglycemia (highbloodglucose),which in turn [increased] the likelihoodofcerebralmicro-vasculardisease . . . [whichmayplayarole inthedevelopmentof ]neuronaldamage,brainatrophyandcognitiveimpairment.”

Lastly, research done by José A. Luchsinger,MD, and colleagues at Columbia UniversityMedical Center suggests that “diabetes could be related to a higher risk for amnesic mildcognitive impairment by directly affecting the buildup of plaques in the brain, a hallmarkcharacteristicofAlzheimer’sdisease.”

Dr. EdwardR.Rosick,DO,MPH, acknowledging themany studies that associate type IIdiabetes with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, says we may reasonablyhopethat strategiestopreventormanageinsulinresistanceanddiabetesholdpromiseinalsoprotectingagainstAlzheimer’sdisease.

TheSkinIstheLargestOrgan—Don’tIgnoreIt

Nowlet’sturntothecommonskindiseasepsoriasis,anon- infectiousdisorderthatleadstoarashandscalyredskin.Researchintothisconditionhasalsofoundalinktodiabetes.

Dr.YiJuChengandhiscolleaguesattheTiachungVeteransGeneralHospitalandNationalChungHsingUniversityinTaiwanmaketheconnectionbywayofathirdparty.Thisistosaythey find both diabetes and psoriasis have a common factor in that they both register highlevelsofleptin(ahormonethatcanleadtometabolicdysfunctionandweightgain).Thiswaswhy, in their study,when they found “associations among psoriasis and diabetesmellitus,”bothstatesshowingelevatedleptin.

A 2007 complementary study led by Dr. Michael David, a dermatologist at the Rabin

MedicalCenter inTelAviv,didn’texamine thecausesof the two illnesses,but simplynotedthat there was a higher occurrence of diabetes in psoriasis patients compared to patientswithoutpsoriasis.Overall,theirobservationsindicatethataspsoriasisbecomesmoresevereinapatient,thelikelihoodoffindingthatpatientalsohasdiabetesishigher.

When we consider that more than seven million Americans and up to 4 percent of thepopulationworldwidesuffersfromthisskindisorder,itbecomesclearthattheassociationofdiabetes and the skin condition is an ominous one. This is especially so considering that inadditiontoitseffectsontheskin,psoriasisisassociatedwitharthritis,depressionandalowerqualityoflife.

CancerMayBeJustAroundtheCorner

Intheopeningofthebook,ImadementionofthefactthatcanceranddiabetesaretwoofthethreemostcommondiseasesintheUSAlthoughpeoplemaynotknowtheexactstatistics,themajorityappreciates that each is adevastatinghealthproblem.Butmostonly consider themseparately. They are seldom linked together; however, the relationship between these twodisordersishighlysignificant.

To speak generally, several studies demonstrate that cancer patients who already havediabetes when they get cancer have a greater chance of dying of the disease than cancerpatients who do not have the blood sugar disorder. The reason for this increasedmortalitypossibilityrestsinsuchfactorsasthathighbloodsugarcancausetumorstogrowfaster;thatwhenapersonhasdiabetes,heorsheisautomaticallyatriskforotherhealthproblems,suchaskidneyandheartfailure;andthehighersusceptibilitytoinfectionsofdiabeticpatientsmayputpeopleatgreaterriskofdeathaftersurgery.

There aremany forms of cancer andmany links between different versions of the diseaseanddiabetes,solet’sjustlookatafewexamplesthathavebeenuncoveredinrecentresearch.

Pancreatic cancer is significantly higher among individuals who also have a diabetesdiagnosis, according to a summary of research published in the World Journal ofGastroenterology,whichprecededareportoftheauthors’ownresearch.Inthisresearch,theinvestigators,ledbyDr.JamalattheVeteransAffairsMedicalCenter,LongBeach,California,looked at incidents of gallbladder, biliary and pancreatic cancer in patients discharged fromVA hospitals from 1990 to 2000. They learned that “among patients with type II DM[diabetes], the incidence of pancreatic cancerwas increased threefold compared to controls,and gallbladder and extra hepatic biliary cancers were increased by twofold compared tocontrols.”

Another,morespecializedstudydonebylookingatpregnantwomeninJerusalemfromthe1960stothe1970s,paidattentiontothosewhohadgestationaldiabetes(asituationinwhichwomen previously without diabetes exhibit its main symptoms, high blood sugar, duringpregnancy).Afterfollowingthesewomen’shistories,theconclusionwasthattheyhadahigherriskofdevelopingpancreaticcancerlaterinlifethanthosewithoutdiabetes.

Also looking atwomen,Dr.MarcGunter andHoward Strickler,MD, of Albert EinsteinCollegeofMedicine inNewYork, found thatbreast cancerandhigh insulinhormone levelsare significantly related. A sample of 835 women in the Women’s Health InitiativeObservationalStudywhodevelopedbreastcancer,contrastedtoarandomlyselectedsampleof

816womeninthestudywhodidnotdevelopbreastcancer,revealedthatwomenhaveamuchhigher risk of developing this cancer if their insulin levels are elevated—a typicalaccompanimentofdiabetes—ascomparedtowomenwith normallevelsofthehormone.

Dr. Ann Cust, a researcher at the University of Melbourne, echoed these findings. Herresearch led her to the conclusion that women have a much greater likelihood of beingdiagnosedwithadvancedbreastcanceriftheyarealsotypeIIdiabetic.

Icouldgoonandmovethroughtheconnectionsofdiabetestoothermodesofcancer,butIthinkwhathasbeen said so farhas already let you see that cancer is anotherdiseasewhichdiabetesabetsandpromotes.

YourKidneysAreatRiskToo

Where the links between cancer and diabetes are still being looked at—and some scientistsmightdisputecertainofthefindingsindifferentareas—thelinkbetweendiabetesandkidneydisease,whichisdesignateddiabeticnephropathy,iswellestablished.

According to Dr. Erwin Bottinger, MD, and professor of medicine, pharmacology andbiologicalchemistry,andhiscolleaguesKaitlinSusztak,MD,professorofmedicineatMountSinaiSchoolofMedicine,andKumarSharma,MD,professorofmedicineatThomasJeffersonUniversity,“Diabeticnephropathyistheleadingcauseofkidneyfailureworldwide.”

Thesedoctorshavebeenlookingintohowthediseasetakesactiononthekidneysandfoundthatinthecellsofkidneysinbothhumansandmicetheglucosebindswithproteinsthereandtriggers the death of kidney cells. This establishes another detrimental effect of high bloodsugarlevels.

Physician Dr. David A. Greenberg of the Columbia PresbyterianMedical Center in NewYorkCityandhiscolleagueMariaC.Montihaveacknowledgedthisdangerfromhighbloodsugar. They note that “getting blood glucose levels under control is essential for preventingcomplications from diabetes,” such as kidney damage. Theywarn further that sincewomenseemtobeatgreaterriskthanmenofsuchkidneydamage,females“needtobemorediligentinkeepingbloodsugarglucoseundercontrol.”

PullingtheTriggeronInflammatoryandGeneticMarkers

We know diabetes is accompanied by inflammation and we also know that inflammation,when prolonged, leads toweakened bodymetabolism, but the connecting third party, tyingtogetherthetwounhealthyconditionshasnotyetbeendiscovered.

ResearcherKathrinMaedlerandher colleaguesposit thatone link is thatbeta cells in thepancreas,whichproduce insulin,are failingdue to inflammation in thebodyand this leavesindividualsvulnerabletodevelopingtypeIIdiabetes.

Asweknow,typeIIdiabetesiscausedbyaninabilityofthebetacellproductionofinsulintomeet thebody’sneeds.Central to this is a lossofbeta-cell functionas a resultof insulinresistance.Theauthorsnote,“ThemorecommontypeIIdiabetesariseslaterinlifewhenthebody fails toproduceenough insulinorgrowsunresponsive to thehormone.While scientistshavefloatedmanyideas,exactlywhatcausesβcelllossintypeIIdiabetesremainsamatterofdebate.”Their teamfoundthat inflammation isan important trigger forβcells’destruction.

Inthis,theyareindicatingadirectpathwayfrominflammationtodiabetes,whichgivesusoneclueastowhythetwoill-healthconditionsappearintandem.

Asecondareaoflinkagewithdiabeteshasbeenfoundwithsomegeneticconditions.Infact,asIwilllookatlater,manyscientists,thosewhotendtooverlooktheinfluenceoflifestyleinthe etiologyofdiseases,willoveremphasize thegenetic componentsofdiabetes.By contrast,muchoftheresearchIlookatbelowsuggeststhatgeneticsmaypredisposeanindividualtogetthedisease,butonlywhenthispredispositioniscombinedwithunhealthychoices,suchaslackofexercise,doesdiabetesactuallycometofruition.

Dr.PamelaItkin-Ansari,professorat theU.C.SanDiegoSchoolofMedicine;FredLevine,MD, PhD, director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center at Burnham, andcolleagues in their research into genetics didn’t find that certain genes push one towarddiabetes,but that thepresenceofdiabetesswitchesongenes thatarenormally turnedoff. Inthe adult pancreas, there are naturally occurring progenitor cells that have the potential tobecomeinsulinproducingcells.Theyareactiveinachild’searlyyearswhenthepancreasisinformationbutnormallyinactivelaterinlife.

Dr.Itkin-Ansarinotedinthecourseofresearchthat“Wntsignalingactivity,whichplaysacritical role in the development of the pancreas, re-emerges in type II diabetes.” These newcells then would create evenmore insulin to add to the overabundance of it already in thebloodstreamwithdiabetes.

While this study looked at how certain genetic activity is ignited by diabetes, the newcreationofinsulin-producingcells,mostworkonthegeneticsofdiabeteshaslookedatthetiesbetweenthepossessionofcertaingenesandaparticularpronenesstodiabetes.

Forinstance,leadinvestigatorValeriyaLyssenkofromLundUniversityinSwedenidentifiedone of these genes as TCF7L2.When this gene exists in the pancreatic tissue, there was adecrease in insulin secretion in response to glucose exposure. This would appear to suggestthatforpeoplewiththisgene,insulinresponseinthepancreasisparticularlydisturbedbyhighglucose levels. It canbe extrapolated,however, that this insulindisruptionwouldnotoccur,andsohelpbringondiabetes,inindividualswhoguardagainsthighglucoselevelsbylifestylemodifications, includinggoodeatinghabits,exercise, stressreduction,andanoverallhealthylifestyle.

A decrease in some genes in the skeletal muscle is also associated with type II diabetes.Again,thisisanindicationthatgeneticmakeupdoesplaysomeroleinthisdisease.CharlotteLing and colleagues at Lund University in Sweden “analyzed the expression of one geneNDUFB6 in muscle” and found that its existence did influence “susceptibility to type IIdiabetes.” However, note the orientation of Ling’s study. She was examining why not allindividuals who are exposed to obesity and reduced physical exercise develop diabetes. Inotherwords,thesubjectswereoneswhohadalreadymadebadlifestylechoices,andthefocusofherstudywasangledtowardseeingwhynotallofthemgotdiabetes.Shewasnotlookingatgeneticinfluencetowarddiabetesonthosewhohadhealthylifestyles.

Weseethattheassociationbetweeninflammationanddiabetesaswellastheactivationofageneticpotentialfordiabetesbothareencouragedbypoorlifestylesandmightilydiscouragedfromexpressionbynaturalliving.

OpenWide—DiabetesandOralHealth

So far, I have been drawing your attention to health problems that are instigated by oraccompany diabetes, but let me now turn it around for a moment and look at a situationwhereaprevioushealthproblemoften isaprecursor todiabetes. Iwant tostress thatwhilemany people are aware that a few conditions, such as obesity, presage diabetes, few realizethatindividualswhohaveperiodontalgumdiseasearealsoatahigherriskfordiabetes.(Withthisinmind,dentistsshouldconsiderofferingdiabetesscreeningsintheiroffices.)

Oralhealthsymptomsofdiabeticsincludedrymouth,oralandguminfections,gumdisease,andcavities.Commonlywithdiabetesorpre-diabetes,bacteriainplaquecanleadtoinflamedgums,whichdestroysurroundingtissues.

The connection between dental problems and diabetes was zeroed in on by Dr. ShielaStrauss, an associate professor of nursing at NYU’s College of Dentistry and Nursing. Shereports that“93percentofsubjects [inherstudy]whohadperiodontaldisease,comparedto63percent of thosewithout thedisease,were considered tobe at high risk for diabetes andshouldbescreenedfordiabetes.”

In a separate study led byDr.RyanT.Demmer,MPH, associate research scientist in theDepartment of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, nine thousandparticipantswhowerefreeofadiabetesdiagnosisatthebeginningofthestudywereevaluatedfortwentyyears. Intotal,817wentontodevelopdiabetesand itwasseenthat“individualswith elevated levels of periodontal diseasewere nearly twice as likely to becomediabetic inthat20yeartimeframe.”

Similar findingswere the result of research that targetedpregnantwomenandwas ledbyDr.AnandaP.Dasanayake,professorof epidemiologyandheathpromotionatNYUCollegeof Dentistry, in collaboration with the Faculty of Dental Sciences at the University ofPeradeniya, Sri Lanka. Dr. Dasanayake found that pregnant women with periodontal gumdiseasehave increased riskof gestational diabetes even if they are inotherwise goodhealth.Thesewomendidnotsmokeordrink,yetdiabetesoccurredsignificantly.

Acoupleofalarmingfindingsintheareaoforalhealthanddiabetes,beyondwhathasbeensaidalready,arethatgumdiseasesandotherdentalproblemsarebeingfoundmoreandmoreinyouth,andthatdiabeticsfrequentlyignoretheneedtogetgooddentalcare.

First,astoyoungpeople,researchfromColumbiaUniversityMedicalCenterhasshownthatthe destruction of the gums can start in diabetic children as young as six years old. Theprincipal investigators in this study, Ira B. Lamster, DDS, MMSc, dean of the College ofDentalMedicine, andRobinGoland,MD, co-directorof theNaomiBerrieDiabetesCenter,commented that these findings indicate “programs to prevent and treat periodontal diseaseshouldbeconsideredastandardofcareforyoungpatientswithdiabetes.”

Theirresearchclinicallyassesseddentalcavitiesandperiodontaldiseasein182childrenandadolescents, ages six to eighteen years old, with diabetes, and 160 non-diabetic controlsubjects. Goland, Lamster, and their colleagues found that “the children with diabetes hadsignificantly more dental plaque and more gingival inflammation than children withoutdiabetes.” To be more specific, early signs of periodontal disease were found in nearly 60percentofdiabeticchildreninthesixtoeleven-year-oldgroup,twicethepercentagefoundin

thenon-diabeticchildreninthatagerange.

CommonComplications

IndiscussingAlzheimer’s, Imentionedglycation,which Idefinedas“aprocess that involvesglucosebondingwithproteinsinawaythatdisablesthem.”Thisissuchanimportantactivityandbringswithitsuchatrainoflife-disturbingconsequences,evenwithoutcountingitsrolein Alzheimer’s, that I want to spend a little more time talking about it and some othercommoncomplicationsofdiabetes.

To expandonwhat I said about glycation andAGEs, letme look to thewritingofR.R.Kohn and colleagues, who explain, “Glycation occurs when glucose reacts with protein,resultinginsugar-damagedproteinscalledadvancedglycationendproducts(AGEs).”

Theygoontolinkglycation,whichweseeiscausedbyglucose,andsoencouragedbyaglutof thissubstance intheblood,with inflammation,whichwesawisastate thataccompaniesdiabetes.Further, in thisnextpassage, they showapossiblepathwaybywhichdiabetes andinflammation may be tied together. “Glycated proteins cause damage to cells in numerousways, including impairing cellular function, which induces the production of inflammatorycytokines.”

Such damage can be cut short by slowing glycation, as has been shown in a number ofstudies,includingresearchthatfound“inanimalstudies,inhibitingglycationprotectsagainstdamage to the kidney, nerves, and eyes.” One examination, led by I.M. Stratton, saw thesame positive results with humans. As the researchers reported, “In a large human trial,therapies that resulted in each 1 percent reduction inHbA1c [a prominent AGE] correlatedwitha21percentreductioninriskforanycomplicationofdiabetes,a21percentreductionindeathsrelatedtodiabetes,a14percentreductioninheartattack,anda37percentreductioninmicro-vascularcomplications.”

IhavealreadymentionedthedangeroffreeradicalsinthebodyandnotedtypeIIdiabetesislinked to the overabundance of these radicals. Letme add that, according toA.M.Vincentandcolleagues,“Glycationalsoproducesfreeradicalsthatfurtherdamagecellularproteins.”

Ontopofthat,accordingtootherresearch,“Diabetesencourageswhitebloodcellstosticktotheendothelium,orthethinlayerofcellsthatlinestheinsideofarteries.Thesewhitebloodcells cause the local release of pro-inflammatory chemicals that damage the endothelium,acceleratingatherosclerosis.”

Toaddtothewoesofdiabetics,asR.M.Luqueandcolleaguesemphasize,“Insulinitselfisapowerfulhormonethat,inhighlevels,caninflictdamage.”Aswe’veseen,thehighlevelsofbloodsugarcharacteristicofdiabetespromptthebodytoemitintothebloodstreamanabove-averageamountofinsulin.Thisexcessinsulinhasbeentiedtoanumberofphysicalproblems,including that “increased levels of insulin contribute to the proliferation of colorectal cells,which suggests that high levels of insulinmay be a factor in the development of colorectalcancer.”

So far, I have painted a fairly grim picture, both here in describing some of the commoncomplicationsofdiabetes,and in theprecedingsectionswhere I lookedatmanyof theotherills that diabetes brings in its wake, such as eye problems, kidney disturbance, andinflammation.Nonetheless,therearestepstobetakentoavoidthisdisaster,whichincludea

combination of improved diet, exercise, and supplementation, aswill be explained in detaillateron.

MoreTimeintheHospital

Withthisraftofsideeffectsanddirecteffectsthatprecedeoroccurwithdiabetes,itshouldbenoshocktoyouto learnthatdiabeticshaveanabove-average lengthofstay inhospitalsandseemtofareworseoncetherethanmostotherpatients.

AccordingtoDr.RehanAhmad,DO,andhercolleaguesatPennStateCollegeofMedicine,patientswithdiabetes(versusnon diabetics),whowenttothehospital:

WeremorelikelytoexperiencecomplicationsWeremore likely to require care in the intensive careunit (ICU)—38.4percent vs.35.9percentStayedintheICUlongeronaverage(7.6daysvs.6.1days)Requiredlongerdurationontheventilator(10.8daysvs.8.4days)Developedmoreinfections(11.3percentvs.6.3percent)WeremorelikelytorequirehomecareornursingcareafterbeingdischargedHadhighermortalityrates

Thesefindingswerebasedonasampleof12,489patientswhowerematchedonsexandageacross twenty-seven trauma centers between 1984 and 2002. According to the authors,“Resultsfromthisstudyconfirmthatpatientswithdiabetes...requireahigherlevelofcare,whichaddstothecostofhospitalization.”

The study did not simply focus on patients who came to the hospital with diabetes or acomplicationfromit,butwhoarebeingtreatedforother illnesses.AccordingtotheAhmad-led research, “These patients develop complications more frequently and do worse after anacute illness than individuals without diabetes. Studies show that diabetics do worse afterbeinghospitalizedforstroke,heartattackandheartsurgery.”

DiabetesandtheLatinAmericanCommunity

Diabetesdisproportionatelyaffectscertainethnicgroups. InNativeAmericans,HispanicandLatinoAmericans,andAfricanAmericans,thediseaseismuchmoreprevalentthaninthenon-Hispanic white population. The dubious distinction of the fastest growing ethnic group inAmericadevelopingdiabetesistheLatinAmericancommunity.Hispanicsarealmosttwiceaslikely(1.7times)todevelopdiabetesastheirwhitecounterparts,withMexicanAmericansthemost affected. Further, Hispanic Americans are more likely to have end-stage renal diseasefromdiabetesand todie fromthedisease. Itappears thatHispanicchildrenare theoneswemosthavetoworryabout.In2010,38.2percentofHispanicchildrenbetweentheagesoftwoandnineteenwereoverweightorobese,comparedwith31.7percentofallchildrenonaverage,accordingtoastudyconductedbytheLeadershipforHealthyCommunities inMayof2010.And,what’smorealarming,theNationalCouncilofLaRaza(NCLR)reportedlastyearthatoneoutoftwoLatinochildrenbornintheyearof2000willdevelopdiabetes!

WhyistheLatincommunitysohardhit?Thefundamentalproblemsareobviouslyatplay—

eating toomuchof anunhealthydiet that is largely composedof refined carbyhydrates, fat,salt,andsugarcombinedwithtoo littleornoexercise.Butthereareother importantfactorsmaking the situationworse, such asdiscrimination, poor access to affordablehealthy foods,poverty, language barriers, and limited health care access. According to the Leadership forHealthyCommunities,Hispanicneighborhoodshaveonlyone-thirdasmanysupermarketsasmoreaffluentcommunities,andrelymoreonconveniencestoresandconveniencefoods.Foodsthathavethemostcaloriesperdollarareoften“emptycalories”thatlackimportantnutrientsand containadded sugars and fats.Lower-calorie, perishable products such as fresh produceprovidelessenergyperdollarspent.Sincetheyhaveeliminatedphysicaleducationfrommostpublicschoolsandthetypicalschoolbreakfastandlunchiscaloriedenseandhighfat,parentshavenohelpintryingtokeeptheirkidshealthy.

But theremaybe another reason thatMexicanAmericans seem tobe sufferingmore thanother Hispanic Americans. Thanks to years of globalization and the effects of NAFTA,Mexicans—formerlymuchhealthier thantheirrelativeswhoemigratedtoAmerica—nowareexperiencingsoaringratesofobesityanddiabetesiscurrentlythatnation’sNo.1killer.PublichealthexpertsblamechangesinlifestylethathavemadeMexicansmoreobesethananyothercountry in the world with one exception—the United States. As access to healthy freshvegetables and fruits has disappeared in favor of soft drinks, fat-laden snacks, and loads ofsugar,thedamagehasbeenprofound.Safewater,somethingweinAmericatakeforgranted,is not always available in Mexico, so Mexicans usually have a sugar-filled beverage withmeals. The average Mexican consumes 728 eight-ounce sugary drinks from Coca-Cola peryear,which isevenmorethan intheUSA.A2012Federalhealthandnutritionsurveyfoundthatobesitylevelsinthelastthreedecadeshavetripled:64percentofmenandashocking82percentofwomeninMexicoarenowoverweightorobese!AnexpertinpopulationstudiesatoneofMexico’smostprestigiousmedicalcenters,Dr.AbelardoAvilaCurielstatesthat

“When we project the increase in diabetes and the costs associated with it, theMexicanhealthsystemwillbeoverwhelmed.Itcan’tbepaidfor.Bytheyear2020,itwillbecatastrophic.By2030,itfacescollapse.”

WhiletheUSisstillthefattestnationonearth,Mexiconowhashigherobesityratesamongchildrenagesfivetoelevenyears.

As I will repeatedly emphasize through this book, one must take proactive measures tomaintainandimproveone’shealththatarebasedonfullknowledgeofthebodyandofthreatsposedtoit.So,inlayingoutallthedepressinginformationinthelastfewsections,Ihavenotbeenthinkingofmakingyoudowncastbutofinspiringyoubylettingyouseewhatyouareupagainst.AsoneofthestrategistsintheoldChinesenovelTheThreeKingdomsputsit,“Knowyourenemyandknowyourself.Athousandbattles,a thousandvictories.”

Inthefollowingsections,wewillseehowyoucanbeginobtainingthesevictories.

Chapter2

TraditionalApproachestoTreatment

Thephrase“toomuchofagoodthing”canalmostbesaidofinsulinasamedicalprescription.It’snowonderthatitwasproclaimedamiracledrugwhenitwasintroducedinthe1920s.

Before that time,diabeticpatientshadableakprognosis.Suffererssawtheconditionrapidlygo from bad to worse as complications like blindness, gout, and gangrene developed. Theoveralllifespanwasshort.

Then insulin came on the scene.Now childrenwith type I diabetes,who before probablywouldhaveonlylivedmonths,werelivingdecades.Youngpeoplewiththeillnesswhomighthaveexpectedendlesstimesickinbed,werenowlivingnormalandproductivelives.

Aswesaw, insulin is still theprimary therapy for type Idiabetes.Aswealsosaw, itdoesnot make good sense to indiscriminately give insulin to type II diabetics, since some havesufficientinsulinproductionintheirbodiesbutarenotusingthehormoneefficiently.Injectinginsulin into a personwho already has sufficient levels not only does nothing to correct theunderlyingproblem—itonlygivesherorhimmore insulin thatwill beblocked fromusebythecells—butmaybringaboutunwantedsideeffects.

Toomuch insulin in theblood stimulates thedevelopmentof antagonists in thebody thatcounteract its blood-sugar-lowering effects. Even if it is not acting effectively, the bodyrecognizes that the insulin is pulling all the glucose out of the blood and automaticallyincreasestheproductionofgrowthhormonesandepinephrine,whichliftbloodsugarlevels.Inotherwords, there is aboomerang. Insulin is injectedbecause theblood sugar levels are toohighbecause,itisthoughtbythedoctors,thebodylacksinsulin.However,sinceinrealitythisnewinsulinisbeingaddedto(poorlyused)insulinalreadyinthebody,thebloodsugarlevelsarebroughtdowntoofar,sootherbodilymechanismsreacttoincreasebloodsugarlevel.Theresult is the insulin,given to lowerglucose,endsupboosting ithigher.This iswhat I called“toomuchofagoodthing.”

However, don’t get me wrong. Type II diabetes is not usually treated with insulin.Moreover,somecasesofthediseasedostemfromlackofinsulinproductioninthebodyandsoasuffererof thisvariationcanprofit frominsulin.Evenfurther,somepeoplewithtypeIIaregivenoralmedication,notinjections.Somepatientsmistakenlythinktheyareswallowingaformofinsulin.Althoughinsulinmaybeincludedinthemedications,mostofthesepillsarenotadoseofinsulintoaddtowhateverthebodyisproducing,butratherdrugsthathelpyourbodyusethepancreas-createdinsulinmoreeffectivelyorstimulatebetterinsulinproduction.

Of late, new oral medications have been put on the market as treatments for type IIdiabetes.Unfortunately,asissooftenthecasewithaprofit-drivenpharmaceuticalsector,onewhose malfeasances I have exposed on numerous occasions, the rush to get a seeminglypromisingdrugon themarket,where it cangenerateaquick financial return,oftencausesa

lessscrupulouscompanytocutcornerswhenitcomestotestingthedrug.Someoftheseneworal medications, while beneficial in relation to treating diabetes, have been found to orsuspectedofcausingsideeffects—amongthem,sideeffectsasseriousasheartattacks.

I am not idly speculating here. The drug Rezulin, which was being used by 500,000Americans,waspulledfromthemarketinearly2000afteritwaslinkedto61deathsand89confirmed reports of liver failure. In my opinion, this was another case of profit trumpingsafety.

BloodSugarControl

Sofar,fromwhatwehaveexamined,itmightbesaidthattraditionalmedicineonlylooksattheoutputleveloftheproblem.I’llexplainwhatImeaninaminute,butfirstletmementionastudyonlevelsofglucoseinthebloodthathasdirectbearingonmyremarks.

Although diabetes can cause a wide variety of health problems, many of them can bereducedbycarefullycontrollingbloodsugar.Weknowthatproblemswithinsulinproductionandutilization createupsanddowns inblood sugar,butwhat about theaverageamountofglucoseintheblood?Ifadiabetic,onaverage,hadahighorlowpercentageofglucoseflowingthroughherorhisveins,willthisaffectthedisease?

Astudycompleted in1993, theDiabetesControlandComplicationsTrial (DCCT),whichwasoneofthelargeststudieseverconducted,showedthatthosediabeticpatientswithlower“glycohemaglobinrates,”thatis,theamountofglucosecarriedbytheprotein(orhemoglobin)inredbloodcells,wereat lessriskforeyediseasethanthosewithahigheramount.Togiveyou the figures, thosewithglycohemaglobin rates thataveraged7.1 reduced their riskby76percentcomparedwiththegroupwithglycohemaglobinratesof8.9percent.Acrosstheboard,diabetics in the intensive control group (with the7.1 rate) had a50percent reduction in allserious diabetic complications. Although the trial was conducted just on type I diabetics,expertsbelievethefindingsareapplicabletoalldiabetics.

CurrentDietaryRecommendations

Nowwhatdoesthishavetodowiththesubjectofoutput,whichIbroughtupattheheadofthelastsection?Notusingthesetermsexactlyintheirusualsense,Iwouldsaywecandividethetreatmentofdiabetesintoanoutputandinputapproach.Here’showIseeit:apersoneatsfood (input)and then,as that foodbreaksdown, creatingglucose,which insulin (thebody’soutput)mayhavetoshepherdthroughthebodyifthereistoomuchintheblood.

The traditional practitioner looks only at the output of insulin the body employs to dealwithanexcessofbloodsugar.Sothisdoctorwillbeconcernedwithboostingorregulatingtheinsulinlevels.Butwhataboutinput,thefoodweareeating?Isitpossibleeatingtherightmixoffoods,onesthat lowerthebloodsugar,willreducetheneedforinsulin?Thatwouldseemto be the major implication of DCCT study, which showed that lower blood sugar helpedreducesymptoms.

ApointIdidn’tbringoutearlieristhatthegroupwiththelowerbloodsugarcountinthestudywasone thatwas carefullymonitoredanddirected to eat foods thatwouldkeep theirblood sugar low, while the other group was not so closely watched. As far as the study’s

resultscanbeextrapolatedtoothercases,asIbelievetheycanbe,wehaveproofthateatingthe right foods can help maintain proper blood sugar levels, thus boosting your immunesystem.

Itisnotasiftraditionalmedicinewasnotawareoftheimportanceofdietfordiabetics,butgreater attention to the subject recently has enabled us to understand the subject in amorenuancedway. In thepast, therewasonestandarddietprescribed foralldiabetics.However,thatone-size-fits-alloutlookhasbeenabandonedandreplacedwithattentiontotheindividual.NowtheAmericanDiabeticAssociationrecommendsthatdiabeticsworkwithexpertsindietandnutritiontopersonalizetheirdiets.

Carbohydrates

Newlighthasalsofallenonsomeofthefoodgroups.Traditionally,allcarbohydrates,suchaspotatoes and bread, were restricted because it was believed that they caused moderateincreasesinbloodsugar.However,itwasnotseenthatadistinctionhastobemadebetweendifferent carbohydrates. While some should be as restricted as they have been, others mayactuallybebeneficialtodiabetics.

Carbohydrates fall into two categories, simple and complex. The simple ones, found, forexample, in candy, fruits, andmilk, canbe contrasted to the complexones, found inbread,brown rice, and other foods. Both types of carbohydrates eventually convert into glucose.However, once ingested, simple sugars (from the simple carbs) immediately enter the bloodwhilecomplexcarbohydratesgothroughalongerprocessofdigestionsotheybecomeglucosegradually. They do not contribute as radically to high blood sugar levels as simplecarbohydrates,which rush into the blood soon after entering the digestive system.Complexcarbsstabilizeandimprovehealth.

FatandProtein

Another change in howdiabetics’ diets are looked at today is that fat andprotein aremorecarefullymonitored.Itisnowsaidthatdiabeticswhoareoverweightshouldkeepfatintaketonomorethan20to25percentoftotalcalories.Myownworkwouldinclinemetocallforanevenmoredrasticreductionto,say,between10and15percentoftheircaloricintake.

Proteinintakeisanotherimportantconsiderationfordiabetics.EarlierItouchedonthefactthatsurgesinglucosecancausedamagetothebloodvesselsleadingtothekidneys.Withthesevesselsweakened,kidneydamagemayresult.Thus, foodsthatovertaxthekidneys shouldbeavoidedsoasnottoaddevenmorestresstotheorgan.Nowthebodycannotstoreprotein,asitstoresglucose,forexample,soanythatentersmustbechanneledtothekidneys.Toomuchproteingoingintotheorganputspressureonthenephroncells,whichfilterthebody’stoxins.Thesetwostresses:aheavyproteindietandthedamagetothevesselsleadingtothekidneys,eitheraloneortogether,oftenbringonkidneydeterioration inadiabetic,whichcanonlybeaddressedwithdialysisorakidneytransplant.Studiesshowthattheeliminationofmeatfromthe diet is often enough to reverse kidney damage since the kidney is no longer taxedwithquicklyprocessingalltheproteinmeatputsinthepipeline.

Chapter3

TheNaturalApproach

Having scrutinized the causes and symptoms of diabetes and even given some thought tocounteractivemeasures, suchasdietary changes, letmemakeabroader statement about thehopeforthosewithdiabetes.

Onethingthatoftendistinguishestraditionalhealersfromnaturalonesiswheretheylocatetheir optimism. Traditional doctors say there is great hope for eliminating or reducing theoccurrenceofthisorthatdisease,butthathopeislocatedfirmlyinthefuture.“Intenyears,”theysay,“weexpectacureforAIDSorcancer,but,wellfrankly,rightnow,there’snotmuchhope.” Natural healers like myself like to shorten any given timeframe. I believe startlingimprovementscanbemadetoday.

Technically speakingwe are repeatedly told there is no cure for diabetes; however, it hasbeenmyexperienceaswellas thatofmanyphysiciansthatsomepatientsareable throughamajorchangeintheirlifestyle,includingchangeofdiet,toeliminatethesymptomsofdiabetes.A healthy lifestyle and alternative approaches to treatment in many cases can decrease theamountofinsulinororalmedicationsneeded(althoughtypeIdiabeticswillneedtocontinuetakinginsulin).

The natural approach aims atmaking lifestyle choices—not medication—the center of theprogram,thoughthisdoesnotmeanineveryindividualcasedrugusewillbegreatlyreducedor eliminated. The goal of treatment is to build up the body’s ability to function asindependentlyaspossible,sothat,forexample,bloodsugarlevelsarekeptlowthroughproperdiet.

Thiswillnotbeaccomplishedovernight.Indeed,partofthenaturalapproachis(generally)toavoidradicalchangesandoptforgradualtransitions.Adiabeticwhomovesfromatotallytraditional to an alternative approach should never immediately discontinue any diabeticmedication.Instead,thispatientshouldworkcloselywithaphysician,whowouldassist inagradual transition. With this doctor’s guidance, medication may be reduced or completelyeliminatedastheindividualcasepermits.

The new program, which the patient making the transition will be entering, is one thatcombines exercise and dietarymodification. These new regimens, aiming at better nutritionand at weight loss, will be the center of the plan, with medications as supplementarycomponents,allhelpingthepatientmovetobetterhealth.Thissortofprogramislessinvasivethan traditional ones that make drugs the major factor and put lifestyle changes in thebackground.

We need to acknowledge right off that this approach does not solve all problems oreliminateall tracesof thedisease. Still,while type IIdiabetics respondmostdramatically toalternativeapproaches, even type Idiabeticsmaybeable to reduce their insulindependency.

More importantly, they are able to alleviatemanyof thedangerous complications that havecometobethoughtofasintrinsictodiabetes.

Diet

Solet’sgettowork.The rest of the book will give more information on diet, exercise and other important

factorsthatplayaroleinanalternativeapproachtohandlingdiabetes.Youwillgetthisdatabothviamyownrecommendationsandbylisteningtothewordsofholistichealerswhohavemadeaspecialstudyofthedisease.

Iwillbeginbymakingsomebriefremarksonexerciseanddiet(tobeexpandedlaterinthecourse of the book) and then I will look at vitamins, minerals, herbs and other dietarysupplements that have been shown to be efficacious in alleviating someof the effects of thedisease.

Diet first. Years ago, Dean Ornish laid out a heart-right diet that was targeted ateliminating the bad foods thatmake one liable to develop heart disease. Since diabetes andheartdisease are so closely related—both, for example, connected toaweakened circulatorysystem—many physicians, includingRobertAtkins, have recommended that diabetics followthisOrnishprogram.Thecentral tenetofOrnish’sdietwastocutdownondietaryfats.Forhim, the best diet would be one that emphasized high-fiber vegetables, either eaten raw,steamed,bakedorstir-friedwithlittleornooil.

AmomentagoIdividedcarbohydratesintosimpleandcomplex,underliningthedifferencein the body’s use of the two. One thing that should have been taken away from thatdiscussion, beyond what was explicitly said, is that, since diabetes is a disease caused bydifficulties controllingglucoseandall carbsbreakdown intoglucose, then thediabeticmustbehighlyawareofhisorhercarbintake.

In line with this, many recommend completely eliminating, at least at the first stage ofcombating the disease, carbohydrates such as: bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, corn, parsnips,bananas, raisins, and other sweet fruits and vegetables. Note, I am simplifying for themoment, since some of the forbidden foods, such as bread, actually fall into differentcategories depending on the type.Moreover,many complex carbohydrates, including beans,grains,legumes,shouldbekeptinthediet,andarecontainedintherecipeslaterinthebook.

Astoproteinintake,I’vealreadystatedthatgaugingthisisalsoextremelyimportantgiventhe negative impact excess protein can have on the kidneys. If I listened simply tomy owninclinations, I would tell every diabetic, “Just go vegetarian,” but I am aware that for themajority of diabetics this would probably pose a major challenge, something they mayenvisionaspossible in the future,butnotnow, since theycan’twean themselvesaway frommeatsodrastically.Evenso,thesepatientscantakestepsintherightdirectionbyeatingonlyorganic,free-rangeanimals,whetherturkey,chicken,beefornon-farm-raisedfish.

Havingmentionedthatmonitoringcarbsandprotein in thedietarekey to turningaroundyourhealth, letme throw inahandy formula thatmanypractitionersuseasaway to thinkabouttheproperrelationbetweenfoodtypeseaten.Thisformulaputstheacceptableratioofcomplexcarbohydratestoproteinstofatsas50:30:20.

I’vebeengeneralizinguptothispoint indiscussingdiet,butIhaven’t forgottenmyearlier

point that one of the hallmarks of new healing strategies is individualizing diet plans. Adiabetic’s personal eating regimen is something that has to be charted by the patient and anutritionistworkingtogether.ThewayahealthydietcanbefoundforanindividualdiabeticissomethingthatDr.Atkinsdescribedinthefollowingpassage:

It is important to know who needs carbohydrate restriction versus who needs fatrestriction. To determine that, there are a variety of tests, including a cholesterolprofileinwhichwelookattheratiobetweenthetriglycerides[acomponentoffats]andtheHDL[high-densitylipoprotein,whichcarryfatsintheblood].

By looking at this ratio, which tells the doctor whether the patient has highcholesterol,andatothertests,thephysiciancandecideifthereismoredangerfromglucose, thus demanding carb limitation, or from cholesterol, calling for fatreduction. After determining where changes have to be made, it is perfectlyappropriatetospendfiveorsixweeksononedietandthengetallofyourparameterscheckedagain,andthenspendfiveorsixweeksontheotherdietandthengetthemcheckedagain.Inthatway,youcanmakeanintelligentdecision.

Atkins’s comments should be taken not only as a presentation of how a doctor canworkwith a patient to arrive at the optimum diet, but should also alert the reader to a broadertruth.As is thenatureof ahealthbook, thisonewill speak in generalities,making remarksthat point you in the right direction, but it cannot layout your individual path towellness.That is something that, using this text for itswealth of pointers,must be arrived at as you(withaholisticpractitionerworkingbesideyou)clearyourowntrail.

AllergyTesting

Sinceweareonthetopicoffood,let’sreturntomypoint,madeinadiscussionoftheetiologyof the disease, where I said the type II diabetes patient body’s characteristic resistance toinsulinmaybeduetoanallergy.Testingforfoodallergiescanhelpdeterminewhichfoodsareresponsiblefortheinsulinresistance.

Todeterminewhetheraspecificfoodiscausinghyperglycemia—aconditioninwhichbloodsugarisabnormallyhigh,andwhichcouldbeandiscommonlybroughtonbydiabetes,thoughitmayhaveothercauses—adoctorcanmonitorapatient’sbloodsugarbeforeandafterthatfood is eaten. The doctorwill be on the lookout for sudden upward spikes in blood sugar,indicatingthepatientisallergictotheassociatedfood.

Once allergy-provoking substances are identified and omitted, a patient with insulinresistancecanoftenreversehisorhercondition.Sincethereactivefoodorfoodsareblockinginsulinuptake,thepatientwhohasdroppedthosefoodscanusuallybeweanedfrominsulin.This patient will also tend to lose weight, since he or she put on the pounds because of acravingfortheallergy-producers.Aswithanyaddiction,suchasthatofcigarettesmokersfortheirnicotine,aftersufficienttimehasgoneby,andaperson’shealthimproves,thedesirefortheonce-craved substance abates. In fact,moreoften thannot, thepersonwhohasdroppedthe foodsubstance towhichheor shewasallergic,onnowseeinga servingof that foodonsomeoneelse’splate,saystohimorherself,“WhatwasIthinkingwhenIatethat?”

Exercise

Nowlet’slookatexercise.Most people know exercise is good for your heart, since it gets the blood pumping,

stimulating and improving oxygen intake and circulation. They also know that exercise is aweight-reducingstrategysincethestrenuousactivityburnscalories.Whatfewerpeopleknowisthatexercisealsoheightensthebody’ssensitivitytoinsulin.

Rememberearlierwhentalkingabout thecausesof typeIIdiabetes, Ibroughtupthat thisoften involves poor absorption of insulin by cells whose entrances are clogged. It may becholesterol that isdoingtheclogging,andby loweringcholesterol,exercisemakescellsmoreavailableforglucoseassimilation.Theexactmechanismthatlinksexercisetothisloweringisnot fully understood, although it probably involves exercise increasing the production ofcertain enzymes thatmove cholesterol to the liver for excretion.What is established is thatexercisebringsdowncholesterollevels,whichhelpswithbetterinsulinusage.Thisiswhytheinsulin requirements of diabetic athletes usually drop while they are engaged in swimming,soccer,andother sports.Conversely,athletesnoticean increase in their insulin requirementswhentheyceasetheirphysicalactivitiesforanyextendedperiod.

Athletes are not the only ones who can benefit from exercise. While we have seen thatexercisereducescholesterol,makinginsulinusemoreeffective,aboutofexerciseaftermealswill lessen the need for insulin by lowering blood sugar. Ten to twenty minutes of lightexercisewillhavethiseffect.Abriskwalk,forexample,getsthebodymetabolismworkingalittle bit faster so that the absorption of food becomes more efficient. That prevents bloodsugarfromrisingtoohigh.

Notethough,anexceptiontotheexercise-after-mealsrulemustbemadefordiabeticswithheartdisease.Inthesepatients,theexerciseimmediatelyaftereatingmayprecipitateananginaattack, because blood needed for digestion in the intestines is too quickly transferred to thelegsandotherpartsofthebodythatuseitintheexercise.

Protocol

Inadditiontodietandexercise(alreadymentioned),anddetoxificationandstressmanagement(tobetouchedonlater),Iwouldnowliketolayoutavitamin,mineralandherbalsupplementprotocol,whichisdesignedtoimprovebloodsugarandtakecontrolofdiabetes.

For type II diabetics, this plan of attack is to be accomplished, in part, throughstrengthening the thyroid,whose secretions regulate the overallmetabolic rate (the speed ofchemicalreactionsinthebody);boostingtheadrenalglandsthatneedtoworkefficientlysincethey produces cortisone, which can raise or lower blood sugar; and detoxifying the liver,whichwesawisoftendamagedindiabetics.Bydoingthis,thelong-termeffectsofchronicallyhighbloodsugar (which includehighbloodpressure, stroke,heartdisease,neuropathies, eyeproblems,circulatoryproblems,andkidneydisease)canbenotonlycontained,butreduced.

Iwillbeginbysimplyprovidingalistofthedifferentvitamins,mineralsandsupplementsIhavefoundvaluable.ThenIwillgothroughthe list’svariedcomponents,onebyone,notingeach’sbenefitsandeffects.Hereistheprotocol:

Supplements/Herbs

Inadditiontothisprotocol,alsoconsiderthefollowingdietaryrecommendations:

ChlorophylldrinksthroughoutthedayComplex carbohydrates, such as lentils, peas, steel-cut oatmeal,whole grain pasta, andbrownriceRawandcookedvegetables.Carrots,beets,andcornarehighglycemicfoods;keepthemtoaminimum.Watermelon,blueberriesandappleshavealowerglycemicindex.Consume3—4servingsofprotein/day(soy,fish,grainsandbeans,quinoa,proteinshakes)Beanpodtea,whichtonifiesthekidneysandadrenalglands

This protocol was designed to utilize a range of supplements that improve blood sugarcontrolorlimitdamageduetodiabetes.Let’stakethemonebyone.Iwilllookparticularlyatscientificresearchthathaslinkedtheuseofthesevariedsubstancestoimprovementinoneormoredebilitatingconditionsbroughtonbydiabetes.

ChromiumPicolinate

Chromiumisanessentialtracemineralthatplaysamajorroleinmovingglucosethroughitsmetabolicprocesses,whichincludebeingbrokendownfromaningestedfoodandtransferredto a cell. Scientific studies have shown that chromium picolinate helps people with type IIdiabetes control blood sugar levels and enhances use of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids.Given in higher doses, it aids such patients by increasing insulin sensitivity, which helpsglucoseentercellsandsolowersbloodsugarlevels.

VitaminC

ThevalueofvitaminCanditsremarkablepowersinaidingtheimmunesystemandpromotinghealthhavebeenattestedtosooftenthatitwillnotcomeasasurprisetoanyhealthconsciousperson that I have putC inmy diabetes protocol.What Iwant to call attention to now is,first,itsvalueincounteractingdiabetes-causedeyeproblems.

TheaqueoushumoroftheeyesuppliesitsadjacentareaswithvitaminC.Aswe’velearned,in diabetes insulin is not functioning properly tomove glucose out of the blood.The excessglucose in circulationmay inhibit vitaminC uptake, and so the aqueous humor’s protectiverole,whichdependsonvitaminCdistribution,maybethwarted.SupplementingwithvitaminCwillsupplythismissingelementandimproveeyehealth.

ItshouldalsobenotedthattakingvitaminCinmega-dosesmaylessenthenegativeeffectsof glycation (which I will discuss more thoroughly below in the section on vitamin B6).Vitamin C also alleviates other negative conditions through its enhancement of bodilyactivities.Byimprovingbloodflowanddecreasinginflammation,forexample,itisablessingto diabeticswith coronary artery disease. It also lowers blood pressure and improves bloodvesselelasticity.

Biotin

Aswe’ve seen,diabeticshave troublemovingglucoseoutof theblood into storageplaces inthe cells.Oneplacewhereglucose iskept is the liver.Here iswherebiotin comes in.Biotin

boostsinsulinsensitivityandincreasestheactivityoftheenzymeresponsibleforthefirststepintheutilizationofglucosebytheliver.Thisandothervaluesofthevitaminhavebeenshowninexperimentsonanimalsthatindicateahighbiotindietmayimproveglucosetoleranceandenhanceinsulinsecretion.

VitaminB6

Amoment ago, in discussing vitaminC, its battle against glycationwasmentionedwithoutmuchexplanation.Forsomereason,glycationisacceleratedintheplasmaoftypeIIdiabetics.VitaminB6isoneofthemosteffectiveanti-glycatingagentsknown.ThemainformofB6ispyridoxine.

VitaminB12

Another marker of disease that is present in diabetics is heightened homocysteine levels.Homocysteineisanaminoacidwhosepresenceinhighlevelsinthebodyhasbeenassociatedwith cardiovascular disease.One example of this correlationwas found in Japanese studiesthat reveal thosewithnon-insulin-dependentdiabetes,whohaveblood vessel problems, alsohaveelevatedhomocysteine.Whengiven1,000microgramsofvitaminB12onadailybasisforthreeweeks,thepatientsinonestudysawtheirhomocysteinelevelsfallprecipitously.

VitaminE

Whileallthevitaminsandmineralsdiscussedthusfarareeffectiveinreducingtheravagesofdiabetes,vitaminEnotonlyimprovesthehealthofdiabetessufferersbutitslackinthebodyhas been linked to the disease’s occurrence. This last pointwas developed in a study in theBritishMedicalJournal,whichfoundthatbelow-averagevitaminElevelswereassociatedwitha390percentincreasedriskofdevelopingtypeIIdiabetes.

Thisvitaminalsoregistersapositiveimpactonpersonswhoalreadyhavediabetes.Astudyin Diabetes Care demonstrated that just one month of vitamin E administration reducedprotein glycosylation. Glycosylation, which is an enzymatic process of linking proteins andothercompounds,canbebenign,butcanalsointerferewithnormalcellularprocesses.

Themost common form of vitamin E is alpha tocopherol.However, we have found thatgamma,mixedtocopherols,andafullrangeoftocotrienolsaremorebeneficialfordiabetes.

CalciumCitrate

Anotherchemical,calciumcitrate,whichisaformofcitricacid,is,likevitaminE,ofvalueinreducing the likelihood of becoming diabetic. Scientists have found that the high intake ofcalciumcitratealongwithvitaminD3,andvitaminD3especiallyfromsupplementation,candecreasetheriskofdiabetesby33percent.

MagnesiumCitrate

Diabeticsfrequentlyaredeficientinmagnesium,eitherastheresultofmedicationsordisease.Onedouble-blind,placebo-controlledstudyrevealedthedownsideofthisdeficiency.Whenthe

patientstookmagnesiumsupplements,thishelpedwiththeircontrolofbloodsugar,soitslackindiabeticsispartofthereasonfortheirimperfectbloodsugarcontrol.

Potassium

We’veseenthatthekeystoneofdiabetesisproblemswithavailabilityoforthebody’sabilityto use insulin. That is why potassium is so crucial. Studies show that potassium improvesinsulin secretion, sensitivity and responsiveness. And this counters the effects of insulininjection,whichinducespotassiumloss.Ahighpotassiumintakealsoreducestheriskofheartdisease,atherosclerosis,andcancer.

Manganese

IndiscussingthevalueofB6, Ibroughtup itscounteractionagainstglycation,aprocess thatacceleratesaging.Anotherkeycontributortothedeteriorationnormallyassociatedwithagingisthepresenceoffreeradicals,unbalancedcellsormoleculesthatdisruptbiologicalfunctions.Increasedfreeradicalproductionhasbeenfoundindiabetics.

Manganese is a component of the antioxidant enzyme called manganese super oxidedismutase(Mn-SOD).Allantioxidantsdestroyfreeradicals.

Asecondbenefitofmanganeseisfoundinitsreductionofthethreatofarteriosclerosis.LDLcholesterolposesagreatdangertothebloodvessels,gummingthemupwithplaque,andthuspromoting constricted blood flow, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. Howevercholesterol is a threat not in its natural but in its oxidized form. A study reported thatdiabeticswithhigherblood levelsofmanganesewerebetterprotected from theoxidationofLDLcholesterolthanindividualswithlessmanganese.

Zinc

Inotedearlierthatwomenaremoresusceptiblethanmentothedangersofdiabetes.Asfarasstudies have looked into this, they have shown that increased zinc intake is connected to areducedriskoftypeIIdiabetesinwomen.

Selenium

Amomentago,indiscussingthevalueofmanganese,Ialludedtothedangeroffreeradicals,whichinterferewithorganicprocessesandareviewedbymanyaskeypromotersofaging.Theterm“oxidativestress”referstotheresultsofanassaultofanoverabundanceoffreeradicalsonthebody.Onestudyofthisstressindiabetics,though,inthiscasethesubjectsweremicenothumans, foundthatseleniumisamajor factor inreducing theoxidativestress related tothedisease.

Quercetin

Ineedtosayonemorethingaboutfreeradicals.miniOxidationisachemicalreactioninthebody that, like glycosylation,mentioned earlier, canbebenign.However, it can also releasefreeradicals.Antioxidantsreduceoxidativereactionsinthebodyandsoforestallthecreation

oftheseradicals.Flavonoids,organiccompoundsderivedfromplants,areantioxidantsthatreducetheharm

associatedwith diabetes.Quercetin, a powerful flavonoid, decreases levels of blood glucoseandoxidants.Thusitbattlesagainstachieffeatureofdiabetes,excessivebloodsugar,andofmore general bodily distress, the presence of oxidants, which promote free radicals. Inaddition,quercetinnormalizesthelevelsofthefollowingantioxidants:vitaminC,superoxidedismutase,andvitaminE.

EFAs(EssentialFattyAcids)

Anyone who has been reading closely through this annotated list will be getting furtherconfirmation of the fact, brought out in the introduction, that diabetes is closely linked tomanyadversestatessuchasstrokeandheartdisease.

ImentionedearlierthatmanganesereducestheoxidationofLDLcholesterol,andthatthisoxidated formof cholesterol is theoneassociatedwithhardeningof thearteries and relateddiseases.Anothercompoundthathasbeentiedtoarteriosclerosis,alongwithLDLcholesterol,is triglyceride. Human studies demonstrate that omega-3 fatty acids decreased triglyceridelevels,aswellasreducingbloodpressure.

Itisalsogoodtoknowthat,accordingtoanimalstudies,theseworthyomega-3fattyacidsdonotcauseasmuchweightgainasotherfats.TheyhavenoeffectonLDLs,butdoincreaseHDL,so-called“goodcholesterol.”

GLA

Sinceithasbeenestablishedthatdiabetesandcardiovasculardiseasearecloselylinked,itisanespecially encouraging note to see thatGLAaids in combating both.The positive impact ofGLA (andDHA) on the cardiovascular system have beenwell-documented, seen inmodest,thoughsteadydeclinesinbloodpressureandconsiderabledecreasesinserumlipids.Italsohasa beneficial role in decreasing cellular insulin resistance.While the first benefit mentioned,reducingbloodpressure,relatestoloweringtheriskofheartdisease,thelastismoredirectlyhelpfultodiabeticsinthat,aswe’velearned,insulinresistanceisamajorfactorinthegrowthofdiabetes.

L-Carnitine

SupplementationwithL-carnitineisespeciallyvaluableasitcanimproveinsulinsensitivityinthosewithtypeIIdiabetes.Carnitine,alongwithCoQ10andNADH,alsofightsagainstheartdiseasebyenhancingenergyuptakeintheheartmuscle.

Inositol

Anumberofscientificstudieshaveshownthatinositol,anaturallyoccurringsubstancefoundbothinthehumancellsandinvegetablefiber,isapowerfulanti-canceragent.Morerecently,however, it hasbeen shown to alsobe an asset in the fight against type II diabetes.A largenumberofstudiesaresuggestinginositol iskeyinregulatinghealthyinsulinproduction,and,

asweknow,whenthisproductiongoesawry,diabetesisthelikelyoutcome.

L-Glutamine

Another study with mice looked simultaneously at diabetes and obesity. This study withrodentspronetoobesityanddiabetesreportedthat,aftersupplementingforoneweekwithL-glutamine, the mice had a minimum 5 percent reduction in body weight and normalizedinsulinlevels.

VanadylSulfate

Inotedearlierthatinsulininjection,whilenecessaryforthosewithtypeIdiabetes,whenusedby thosewith type II cansometimesbecounterproductive. Idiscussed that thisuseofaddedinsulincanoftenbereducedoravoided,butIdidn’tmentionaninterestingfact,whichisthatthechemicalvanadylsulfatemimicsinsulin.

Vanadium, the basic form of vanadyl sulfate, whichworks particularlywith themuscles,and so is alsoof interest tobodybuilders, isbelieved toassist in the transferof sugar in theblood(glucose)intomuscles,justasinsulindoes.Inaddition,scientistsbelieveitcanincreaseinsulinsensitivityinthemuscles.Thesecombinedeffectsmayshowdiabeticsanaturalwaytolowerbloodsugar,decreasetheirinsulinintake,and,perhaps,stopusinginsulin.

BComplex

Thevalueof thevitaminBcomplex—agroupofvitamins that includes thiamine, riboflavin,niacin, B-6, folate, B-12, pantothenic acid, biotin, and choline—in helping the body fightdiseases has been so well documented in many books, that here I will simply underline itsmain features, which are that B complex reduces cholesterol and blood fat, both of greatbenefittothediabetic.

Garlic

Throughout this book, we’ve seen that interconnectedness of diabetes with many otherdiseases. Garlic or, more precisely, its active ingredient allium, helps with a whole slew oftheserelatedhealthproblems.Studies indicate itreducesthechanceofcardiovasculardiseaseaswellasloweringoxidativestressandbloodpressure.Animalstudieshavenotedthatalliumpromotesweightlossandinsulinsensitivity.

BitterMelon

Another all-purpose agent is bitter melon. In this case, it is not that it combats so manyconnected diseases, but that it works on both type I (insulin dependent) and type II (adult-onset)diabetes.FortypeIIsufferers,bittermelonworksbyreducinginsulinresistance,butitisbeneficialtodiabeticsofbothtypesduetoitsabilitytolowerandmaintainproperlevelsofbloodsugar.

GymnemaSyvestre

Obviously,animaltrialswithdrugs,vitaminsandsupplementsareafirststageofdeterminingthe efficacyof the substance.Once any chemical has proven its value in treating animals, itwill ideally be tested on humans. Gymnema has been tested particularly on mice, and itsresultswiththemhavebeenmostpromisingindeed.

In rat trials, gymnema supported healthy blood sugar levels. These levels in normal anddiabetic rats were lowered two hours after oral administration of a gymnema concentrate.Moreover,gymnemacorrectedhyperglycemiainmilddiabeticrats,andconsiderablyextendedthe lifespan of severely diabetic rats. Hopefully, studies with humans will confirm theimportanceofgymnemaasananti-diabeticagent.

Ginseng

Arecent studybyresearchers fromtheUniversityofChicago thatwaspublished inDiabetesarguesthatanextractfromtheginsengrootcouldbeaneffectivepartofanoveralltreatmentregimenfordiabetesandobesity.Theyfoundthataginsengextractnormalizedbloodglucoselevels,improvedinsulinsensitivity,andloweredweight.

AloeVera

Aloevera,whichmanypeoplewillrecognizeasanadditivetonaturalshampoosandskincareproducts,alsohasbeenshowntoplayarole in fightingdiabetes.Studies indicate that itcanlowerglucoseamongtype IIdiabetics.Aparticularly illuminating investigationreported thataloevera,giventonon-insulindependentdiabeticsovera14-weekperiod,reducedbloodsugarlevelsby45percent,onaverage.

AlphaLipoicAcid

Like garlic, alpha lipoic acid combatsmany of the negative accompaniments of diabetes. Itpositivelyaffects thecontrolofbloodsugar, loweringbloodsugar levels,whilehelping fightoffthedevelopmentoflong-termcomplicationsthatcandamagetheheartandkidneys.Asanantioxidant, it kills free radicals, helping to reduce pain, burning, itching, tingling, andnumbnessinpeoplewhohavenervedamagecausedbydiabetes(calledperipheralneuropathy).This last facet of the substance was established by a study that indicated treating diabeticswith600mg/dayof alpha lipoic acid for threeweeks significantly reduced the symptomsofdiabeticperipheralneuropathy.Lipoicacidalsoreducesfataccumulation,whichwillforestalltheacquisitionofdiabetesinthefirstplace.

GrapeSeedExtract

Inalandmarkstudy,Frenchresearchersdecidedtoseewhatwouldhappeniftheyfedrodentsadiet that contained60percent fructose.Not surprisingly, the rodents suffered adisastrousdecline in health. Blood pressure shot through the roof, free radicals sped up, and the heartenlarged.However, thestudywasnotconceivedasawaytotormenttheanimals,but toseewhatsupplementscouldcounteracttheserapidlydeclininghealthconditions.

Bystudy’send,allthenegativeeffectsofthisdietwerebroughtundercontrolbyavarietyof

the components of grapes. Anthocyanin, a part of the grape’s skin, prevented heartenlargementandhighbloodpressure.Procyanidins, found in theseedportion,hadapositiveimpactontriglycerides,andallthepartsofthegrapeblockedfreeradicals.Theapplicationtothe present subject is clear in thatmany of the rodents’ symptoms of ill health, such as thepresence of free radicals and high blood pressure, also accompany diabetes. This and otherstudiessuggestthevalueofgrapeseedextractsinfightingthedisease.

NAC

Wemustpressforwardintohumanstudieswithmanyofthesecompounds,butagainwithN-acetylcysteine,apowerfulantioxidant,animal studiesare thebestwehave.And they tell anencouragingstory.Instudiesinvolvingdiabeti