| Mr. Peachy's DIABETES INFO |
| I'm going to assume you know the obvious stuff like keeping sugar intake down and not consuming excessive empty carbohydrates, so let's get right into what works... 1. Exercise. I put this down as number one, because it does the most good for me. I am now (12/16/07) in my fourth day with no medication. My fasting glucose has been between 70 and 90mg/dl (3.9 to 5 mmol/l). My post prandial has not gone over 111mg/dl (6.2 mmol/l). I walk at between 3.2 and 3.8 miles per hour and try to get in between one and two hours of walking a day. Yes, this is early, but it's looking good, so far. 2. Diet. I eat lots of a wide variety of raw vegetables and fruits, organic is recommended. Keep the carbs and fats to a minimum. As far as meats go, Dr. Quillin recommends flying and swimming creatures over land animals. I eat very little meat realizing that the body doesn't need nearly as much protein as many people think. Doctor McDougall's site is a great source of validation on this subject. Another thing that helps a lot is learning all you can about glycemic index and glycemic load. Visit David Mendosa's site for more on this. IMPORTANT INFO: I read recently, that the lack of potassium can play a vital role in the onset of insulin resistance (the precursor to type two diabetes). Since, I've upped my intake of natural potassium from bananas, dried apricots, almonds, raisins, tomato juice, and other natural sources, my blood sugar has stabilized. Here's the article I read: Potassium article. 3. Vitamins and minerals. There's a lot of conjecture over bioavailable supplements verses the more common (cheaper) products... I'll let you do the research and decide what to spend your money on. I take Centrum and supplement it with the following: 4. Cinnamon. Yep, that's right!... cinnamon makes insulin more effective, according to the USDA. 1/2 a teaspoon a day will not only help your blood sugar, it will help lower your cholesterol and triglycerides too! I put it on my cereal in the morning. Mendosa article on cinnamon 5. Nature's Way's: "Blood Sugar" with Gymnema. This product has many of the supplements recommended in both of the above books including: cinnamon, gymnema sylvestre, chromium, fenugreek, nopal cactus, bitter melon, and bilberry. It's cheap too. 6. Alpha-Lipoic acid Lipoic acid (LA) plays an important role in glucose metabolism and energy production. Because it is soluble in both water and fat, LA is known as the "universal antioxidant." 7. Resveratrol A powerful antioxidant with potential to help diabetics. 8. Pycnogenol. I just read about this in September 2006. It sounds very promising for anyone who has circulatory problems, retinopathy, or macular degeneration. Read more about pycnogenol here. 9. Ginkgo Biloba. This works similarly to pycnogenol. It has many beneficial affects. Read more about Ginkgo Biloba here. 10. Chromium GTF polynicotinate. Chromium is an essential part of the Glucose Tolerance Factor molecule. GTF is an important cofactor for insulin in the regulation of blood sugar which is necessary for proper metabolism. 11. Vinegar Apparently good old vinegar helps control blood glucose spikes. Check it out here: Science News Online article. 12. My doctor's advice: "Eat to live... Don't live to eat". In other words, keep your weight down and don't "reward" yourself ten times a day. Since I've lost the pounds and achieved my 'ideal' weight, my blood sugar is far easier to control. Go to the "Weightloss" link for more information on the psychology of eating. |
| I was diagnosed in the fall of 2004 at age 53 with type II diabetes. At first, I was in denial and rarely took my blood sugar readings nor did I take my Metformin very often. (I was depressed and alcoholic, so I really didn't care.) In the spring of 2005, I decided to give life another try and began to take care of myself. I went from 215 lbs to 180 lbs by summertime simply by eating right. My fasting blood sugar varied from 95 to 145 typically, with occasional spikes around 170 when I was sick. This wasn't good enough, so I decided to learn all I could about what I could do to keep those numbers lower and possibly even cure the diabetes. |
| I was searching the Internet in the fall of 2005 for fibromyalgia information, when I stumbled on a recommendation for a book claiming to reverse or even cure diabetes. Naturally, I was skeptical and the price was almost $40.00, so I balked. Something inside told me to try it, so I went ahead and ordered it despite my reservations. Turns out, it's by a naturopathic doctor who has done a ton of research into natural cures for all sorts of "dis-eases" as he calls them. It's interesting that some of these treatments have been around for hundreds or even thousands of years. Anyway, the book is called: "A Promise Made, A Promise Kept; One Son's Quest for the Cause and Cure of Diabetes" by Dr. James Chappell. I must warn you that some of his stuff will seem a little far out, but the basics are sound. I've tried them and they work at keeping sugar down, but I'm not totally cured yet. Things are looking good, however, as I've gone several days without my Metformin when I'm doing everything right... (read: lots of exercise and good diet) |
| Realizing that you can't know too much about your health, I decided to order another book in the spring of 2006. This one is a little less bold in it's claims, but is more to the point and more informative as to what is actually going on in the diabetic's body (plus, it's cheaper). The more you know about diabetes, the better you'll understand why you need to take care of yourself. The book is called: "The Diabetes Improvement Program" by Dr. Patrick Quillin. |
| Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. I am a fibromyalgia/diabetes patient and depression survivor. The purpose of this site is not to diagnose or cure any disease or malady, but is presented as food for thought. What you read on this site is based on my own history and ideas. This information cannot take the place of professional medical advice. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should come under the direction of a physician. No guarantees are made regarding any of the information in this site... Craig |
| DIABETES LINKS: Diabetes improvement website David Mendosa site Dr. Joel Fuhrman's site Endocrineweb http://rheumatic.org/insulin.htm TYPE 1 Stuff... can cow's milk cause type 1 Diabetes?: NotMilk.com Article by Dr. Mcdougall DrGreene.com Sciencenews.org Animalconcerns.org DIET AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Naturalnews.com Glycemic index/Glycemic load info HbA1C relative to daily BGL averages Weightloss psychology Free BMI calculator Chet Day's Health and Beyond Dr John McDougall's website Dr Julian Whitaker's website Chuck Bluestein's "Phi Foundation"... a comprehensive health site WEIGHTLOSS/BODYBUILDING; Bodybuilding.com Fat burning secrets EXCELLENT HEALTH INFO AND FORUMS: Rich Carson's Immune Support.com Manny Hernandez's TuDiabetes.com |
| MY SITE LINKS: NEW: WHY BRITS ARE HEALTHIER THAN US HOMEPAGE DEPRESSION FIBROMYALGIA WEIGHTLOSS GINKGO BILOBA LINKS EMAIL ME Mr. Peachy's Answers Profile |
| My mother was diagnosed in the sixties with type 2 diabetes so I learned quite a bit about it from her. Obviously, neither she nor her doctors knew enough. She became insulin dependent and suffered many of the typical complications of diabetes, including heart attack, stroke, and others. In 1990, she had coronary bypass surgery which almost killed her. I watched her decline over the next eight years and vowed that if I ever got diabetes, I would learn all I could about it in order to avoid the suffering she went through. I knew from a radio talk show I listened to in the early 90s, hosted by Dr. John McDougall, that diet played a key role in regulating blood sugar and improving overall health. I wanted to learn more.... |
| DOES ALL THIS STUFF WORK? AFTER A YEAR, THE RESULTS ARE IN AND, YES, IT DOES.... CLICK THE IMAGE OF MY BLOODTEST -----------> |
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| Scientists probe deep into the cell and unlock more of the mystery behind what really does lead to type 2 diabetes... FAT, not sugar... Read more at: ScienCentral.com |
| For those of you that have been linked here from Mr. Peachy or Yahoo! Answers, you might be wondering why I am such a big advocate of Dr. McDougall. Well, he is a conventionally trained M.D. who became disenchanted with tossing meds at patient's problems and not actually curing people. Decades ago, he began looking into why some people are healthier than others and, lo and behold, he discovered the crucial role that diet and exercise play in our health and well being. His findings aren't simply knee jerk reactions. They are well founded and usually backed up with a list of references for all to see. The following two links are to articles that demonstrate closed minded thinking verses Dr. McDougall's clear thinking: N.Y. Times article McDougall's rebuttal The unbiased reader should have no trouble seeing where the truth lies |
| NEW!! CALORIE CALCULATOR Ever wonder how many calories you're burning while walking or jogging? Me too... that's why I looked up this convenient calorie calculator for various speeds and gradients. Calorie Calculator |
| Yet another M.D. who is heralding nutrition as a solution to health problems.... Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of "Eat To Live: The Revolutionary Plan for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss" is reversing many of the problems associated with diabetes in patients on a regular basis simply with dietary changes. His simple approach is to minimize fats and carbs and maximize nutrition. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Check out Dr. Fuhrman's site. He has a cholesterol lowering book as well. Oh, and he's yet just one more authority that says fat is the root cause behind type two diabetes. |
| Please allow me to introduce Allie Beatty... She is easily among the most impassioned people I've ever had the good fortune to meet. She is, quite simply, a diabetic's best friend. Visit her website and see if you don't agree... Allie'sVoice.com |
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| GREAT NEWS!!... I quit taking Metformin on Dec. 13th, 2007 (daily log here) |
| And still another M.D. who has seen the light.... Neal D. Barnard also is reversing diabetes in patients simply with diet and exercise. Imagine that! When do you think the ADA and others are going to jump on the wagon?? Link to his site here. |
| Possibly the best food info site on the net: NutritionData.com Not just Calorie info... it tells you which types of Calories and tons more! |
| Meet the "HEALTH RANGER", Mike Adams. A guy who was becoming diabetic, did his homework, and reversed the disease. He's now one of the biggest healthy, raw foods advocates around. Mike's website: Naturalnews.com |
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