DIABETES,
A 21ST CENTURY EPIDEMIC
by Dr. Lawrence
Wilson
© February 2021,
LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All information in this article is for
educational purposes only. It is
not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health
condition.
Table of Contents
Definitions
Classification
Other Related Conditions
Common symptoms
Less common symptoms
Type 2 - Dehydration, Diet, And Mineral Deficiencies
The Diabetic Personality
Type 1 - Infection And Toxicity With Iron
Symptoms
Simple Blood And Urine Tests
The Glucose Tolerance Test
Hair Mineral Testing
Medical Approach Very Inadequate
A Development Program
Intermittent Fasting
Arteriosclerosis
Blindness
Loss Of Limbs
Other
VII. DIABETES AND THE ENERGY PATHWAY
Steps In The Energy Pathway
Diet
Lifestyle
Weight
Gestational Diabetes
Diabetes Insipidus
X. OTHER TOPICS RELATED TO DIABETES
The Recent British Study
Hypoglycemia
Metabolic Syndrome Or Syndrome X
Is Diabetes Ever Just Low Insulin?
The Awful ÒDiabetic Association DietÓ
Is Diabetes A Genetic Condition?
The Role Of Osteocalcin In Diabetes
Why Is There More Diabetes As People Age?
Diabetes wastes millions of
lives on earth and costs billions, if not over a trillion dollars for the
worldÕs health care systems.
A recent study indicated that
one in every four Americans age 60 or above has diabetes. In some population groups, the numbers
are much higher.
Many people go undiagnosed for
years, which can make correction more difficult when the disease is discovered.
Most, if not all diabetes is preventable,
and most is correctable, as well, with a development program.
DEFINITIONS
Diabetes. The word diabetes means excessive urination.
Diabetes is a group of different health conditions that share one
characteristic – excessive urination.
Diabetes
mellitus. The word mellitus mean sweet-tasting or sugary. Diabetes mellitus means excessive urination
that tastes sweet. It is an
ancient disease and tasting the urine was the old way to identify it.
Why
does the urine taste sweet? In most of the conditions of excessive
urination, the immediate cause is an elevated blood sugar level. The body tries to get rid of the extra
sugar through the kidneys, and the sugar draws some water with it out of the
body. This is what causes the
excessive urination.
Most diabetes is of this
nature. However, at the end of the
article we discuss another more rare type of diabetes, diabetes insipidus, that is not
accompanied by sweet urine.
The
current medical definition of diabetes mellitus. Today, doctors usually define diabetes mellitus as a fasting
blood serum glucose level above 125 mg/dl. A fasting blood sugar level between 100 and 125 mg/dl is
called pre-diabetes.
Actually, this is not quite
correct. One should have a 5-hour
glucose tolerance test and one should measure insulin as well as glucose to
assess diabetes. However, doctors
sometimes skip this procedure, which takes most of a day and, at times, is
quite unpleasant.
In
reality, diabetes is a derangement of the body that goes far beyond just the
level of glucose in the blood or in the urine.
TRIGGERS AND UNDERLYING CAUSES
To really solve the problem of
diabetes, one needs to divide the causes of diabetes into underlying health conditions and triggers. The reason is that to fully heal
and prevent diabetes, it is necessary to get rid of both the triggers and the
underlying causes. This is more
work and always requires a development program.
- Underlying conditions are nutritional imbalances,
excessive amounts of toxic metals and chemicals in the body, and mental or
emotional traumas. In some cases,
certain attitudes might also be considered underlying causes.
- Triggers include dehydration, improper
diet, and stressors. Some would
say these can be underlying conditions, and we do not want to become bogged
down with this debate.
A NEW CLASSIFICATION OF DIABETES
Medical
personnel classify diabetes as either:
- Type 1 due to a problem with the pancreas and low insulin
secretion, or
- Type 2, which they say is due primarily to the diet and
obesity.
We
will propose a different classification based on more specific causes according
to our research:
- Coffee diabetes. This is due to
not drinking enough pure water.
Instead, one usually ingests too much coffee, sugar or alcohol. This we call the The
Dehydration Diet.
In these cases, the cause of
elevated blood sugar is dehydration. The body raises the blood sugar because more sugar in the blood helps
retain water in the blood, which is critical for health.
Normal insulin secretion or even
high insulin will not lower the blood sugar level too well (called insulin
resistance) because the body is trying to keep water in the blood and this is
more important than lowering the blood sugar.
We believe this is a common situation. Many diabetics love coffee, perhaps
because it is a stimulant. Instead
of drinking water all day, they drink coffee, thinking it is the same as
drinking water.
However, coffee, along with
sugars of any kind or alcohol, dehydrates the body.
Artificial
sweeteners. For some reason, artificial sweeteners
such as aspartame cause just as many problems as eating sugar, if not more.
Cravings. Craving carbohydrates can be related to dehydration. Carbohydrates (starches and sugars) eventually
break down to water inside the body.
This provides much needed hydration to the body of many people. As a result, the craving for
carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes and sweets can be difficult to
overcome. This drives the diabetic
process. For diet suggestions,
read Food For Daily Use, Food For Occasional Use and Forbidden Food.
- Mineral malnutrition diabetes. This causes a type of malnutrition with low chromium,
manganese and zinc, and perhaps other deficiencies. As a result, the body cannot produce and secrete enough
insulin.
Diet alone is never sufficient,
we find, to provide all the vital minerals one needs. Any doctor who says supplements are not needed is not
knowledgeable.
For example, we were
disappointed when the other day (February 2019) a doctor from the Mayo Clinic
in Minnesota said that 1) supplements are not needed and 2) they are
unregulated. These are both
totally untrue! Doctors should
know better but they do not. For
more details, read Why Take Supplements? and
other articles about supplements on this site.
- Too much sugar or other carbohydrates in the diet diabetes. The dietary sugars eventually overwhelm the normal insulin
secretion mechanism. This is a
particular form of malnutrition that causes the pancreas to no longer be able
to secrete enough insulin. Recall
the complex carbohydrates such as bread, rice and potatoes break down to sugar
in the body.
The
cause of overeating on sugar and carbohydrates can be a need for water in the
body, or often a chronic yeast infection.
The yeast feeds on sugar in the blood and elsewhere, and produces a
little alcohol that relaxes a person.
If one stops eating
carbohydrates, one literally goes through an alcoholic withdrawal that is very
unpleasant. This causes most
people to continue eating sugars and carbohydrates.
- High iron in the pancreas or bronze diabetes. This
is less common, but iron can accumulate in the pancreas, replacing zinc and
chromium, and impairing the activity of the pancreas. The person often has a bronze coloring to the skin in these
cases.
- Chronic infection in the pancreas diabetes. This is more common in children and sometimes called
juvenile diabetes. A child gets a
cold or other simple viral or bacterial illness and overnight becomes
diabetic. The problem is a chronic
infection of the pancreas that reduces insulin secretion.
- Stress diabetes. Stress of any
kind causes increased secretion of cortisol and cortisone, but mostly
cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone
that converts glycogen to glucose and dumps the glucose into the blood.
Fight-or-flight. This mechanism is part of the
fight-or-flight response of the body.
Cortisol secretion prepares the body to fight or run, and this requires
extra glucose in the blood to supply the muscles and brain.
Some people live in a
fight-or-flight ÔmodeÕ much of the time.
It is very hard on the body!
In fact, in many cases of Type 2 diabetes, stress is a factor. We see this on hair mineral tests as a Fast Oxidation rate.
Causes
of stress. For example, dietary imbalances lead to
excessive weight, which places
much more stress on the body. Nutrient
deficiencies also place stress on the body. In some cases, mental or emotional factors such as anxiety or panic are important in raising
cortisol, which raises blood sugar.
A client of ours used to call on
the phone terrified that she had diabetes, although she eats well. What occurred is that she would have an
anxiety attack and at that time she measured her blood sugar and it was
elevated. When the panic attack
ended, her blood sugar returned to normal. We explained that this is simply an effect of cortisol
secretion, and not standard diabetes. We corrected the anxiety with lecithin and her blood
sugar has remained normal ever since. For details, read Understanding
Stress.
- Brain diabetes. This is an
inability of the brain to properly metabolize glucose. The brain uses up a tremendous amount
of glucose – between and third and one half of all that one eats.
The cause of the problem is a
deficiency of chromium, other minerals, or perhaps omega-3 fatty acid
deficiency (extremely widespread) that damages cell membranes so the cells
cannot take in glucose properly.
As a result, the body increases
the blood sugar level in an effort to force more glucose into the brain.
This type of diabetes is seen
mainly in older people, where it causes a severe type of dementia. It is unusual in that it can be very
severe, but the brain cells are not dead.
We know this because the condition responds very fast to a supplement of
medium chain triglycerides. These
are usually derived from coconut oil.
A supplement of about 3 tablespoons of coconut oil daily restores the
memory and cognitive functioning.
NOTE: There are problems with coconut oil, so donÕt rush out and start
using it. For details, read Brain Diabetes and Coconut Products.
- Gestational diabetes. This is the name given to high blood sugar that occurs only
during pregnancy. It is caused by
a combination of stress,
weight gain and perhaps improper diet during pregnancy. It does not occur if a pregnant woman
follows a development program.
According to some researchers,
part of the cause is high xanthurenic acid, which can be corrected easily by
taking extra vitamin B6. An excellent
diet will also provide enough vitamin B6.
- Diabetes insipidus. This is a
relatively rare deficiency of the hormone vasopressin or anti-diuretic hormone,
which is produced by the pituitary gland.
It is not a condition of elevated blood sugar, but simply too much
urination. We discuss diabetes
insidipus briefly at the end of this article.
HYPOGLYCEMIA
This is usually taken to mean
low sugar in the blood. In fact,
it is much more complex and can be of different types. It is often a precursor to
diabetes. For details, read Hypoglycemia.
Symptoms
will vary depending on the cause of the diabetes described above.
COMMON SYMPTOMS:
A
high volume of urine. A common symptom is increased volume of
urine and often more frequent urination, including the need to get up to
urinate during the night. This
occurs because as the blood sugar rises, the kidneys try to lower it by
excreting more sugar in the urine.
The sugar draws water with it, increasing the volume of urine.
Increased
thirst. One may experience thirst because there
is excessive fluid loss through the urine.
Fatigue and
sweet craving. Most diabetics
are tired and crave sugar or carbohydrates. This occurs because the cells are not receiving enough
glucose to properly fuel the body.
Too much glucose remains in the blood instead of moving into the
cells. Despite elevated sugar in
the blood, the cells are starving for glucose and call for more of it.
Tingling,
numbness or burning feet or peripheral neuropathy.
Diabetes causes small artery disease, again due to starvation of the
tissues for glucose. This can
cause reduced blood flow, especially in the lower extremities, with nerve
damage.
This results in neurological
symptoms of tingling, and perhaps numbness or a burning sensation. The nerves are not dead, and the
symptom goes away if circulation is restore.
MORE ADVANCED SYMPTOMS:
As diabetes progresses, other
degenerative changes occur in the body.
Many are due to the accumulation of AGES in the body. Diabetes causes an AGES death. AGES are discussed later in this
article. Common later symptoms of
diabetes may include:
Weight loss and muscle wasting
Weight gain
Watery appearance of the tissues.
Fainting
Skin tags
Kidney disease
Cardiovascular disease
Eye disease or blindness
Greater formation of Advanced Glycation End Products
(AGES). For details about this
very important subject, read AGES.
Some of these are discussed in a later section of this
article – Complications Of Diabetes.
This section contains more
detail than the beginning of this article regarding the causes of the common
types of diabetes.
UNDERLYING CAUSES FOR DIABETES
Mineral
deficiencies and toxic metals. One underlying
cause of all types of diabetes is mineral deficiencies and replacement of vital minerals with toxic
metals. This involves the
theory of preferred minerals, a basic nutritional concept that is not taught
widely today. For details, read Preferred Minerals. Common mineral deficencies involved in
diabetes are:
1.
Chromium deficiency. Bioavailable chromium is required to
move glucose from the blood into the cells.
2.
Zinc deficiency. Zinc is required for insulin
production, insulin release, and to extend the duration of action of insulin.
3.
Manganese deficiency. Bioavailable manganese is required for
mitochondrial functioning, cellular energy production and adequate thyroid
activity. Deficiency contributes
to fatigue and sweet cravings.
4.
Selenium deficiency. Many selenium compounds are required
for health. They are needed for
thyroid activity, adrenal gland activity, pancreatic activity and more.
Mineral
replacement. Replacing these minerals is not
easy. A Diet high in properly
cooked vegetables is required.
Pills are not enough, although we use mineral supplements as place holders. This is another important nutritional
concept. For details, read Place Holders.
Other
nutritional problems. Most people today require more omega-3
fatty acids, more vitamin D, a digestive aid and a diet rich in properly cooked
vegetables to supply hundreds of nutrients found only in good quality food.
They all also require adequate
enough animal quality protein in their diets. Fat is easier for most people to obtain, although a few need
more of it.
Most people also overeat on
carbohydrates, particularly simple carbohydrates such as sugar, fruit, sweet
juices and other sweets. These
cause excessive glycation (AGES), deplete minerals in most cases, and make the
body too yin.
TRIGGERS AND IMMEDIATE CAUSES FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES
Type
2 diabetes is by far the most common type of diabetes. It accounts for about 95+% of all cases
of diabetes. It is a world-wide
epidemic!
It is sometimes called adult-onset
diabetes because it usually occurs in adults, and often later in life. Lately, however, more children are
developing it, as well.
Plenty
of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is usually not due to
an insulin deficiency. Indeed,
there is often too much insulin present, at least at the early stages of the
condition. However, the insulin is
unable to do its job of lowering the blood sugar in the blood. Doctors call this insulin resistance or resistance to
insulin.
Many
causes. In fact, type 2 diabetes is really a
combination of various health conditions, as described above in the Causes
sections of this article. Here are more details about some of these causes.
DIET AND MINERAL DEPLETION
This type of diabetes is closely
related to a diet that is too high in sugars and starches, and has other
problems, as well. Eating refined
starches and refined sugar dehydrates the body, strains the pancreas and
insulin-secreting system, and causes severe mineral and other nutrient
deficiencies.
The minerals most important for
blood sugar regulation include manganese, zinc and chromium.
Refined food has largely been
stripped of its vital minerals.
The minerals are needed for the metabolism of these foods so eating them
automatically creates worse and worse deficiencies.
Raw foods in the diet such as
salads are also problematic because our bodies cannot absorb enough minerals
from raw vegetables. People are
misled into thinking that eating salad will cure their diseases. They do not understand why it does not
work. Mineral and other nutrient
deficiencies are the reason!
The
foods that provide the most vital minerals in the forms that the body requires
are well-cooked, but not overcooked vegetables. We do not believe there are any
substitutes for these foods. No
pill, drink, powder, superfood or other supplement or method works nearly as
well.
DEHYDRATION
The reason for resistance to
insulin is that many type 2 diabetics are somewhat dehydrated. The reasons for dehydration we call the
dehydration diet. This consists of
using:
-
Caffeine. This is usually from drinking
coffee or tea. Some diabetics also
drink soda pop.
-
Sugar in any form. This includes eating fruit, juices and
anything else sweet. Artificial
sweeteners seem to cause problems, as well.
-
Alcohol.
-
Not drinking enough pure water or drinking water that doest not hydrate the
body very well, such as water processed with reverse osmosis. Some diabetics do not like drinking water because their
bodies are already very yin and water is a very yin substance.
The
dehydration sequence.
1. Instead of drinking enough
pure water, one drinks coffee, tea, juice or otherwise follows the dehydration
diet.
2. Dehydration occurs, in every
case. Dehydration is a serious
condition, although it can sneak up on one. It causes sludgy blood, blood clots, strokes and heart
attacks.
3. To reduce dehydration in the
blood, the body raises the blood sugar level. More sugar in the blood holds on to water by an osmotic
action, at the level of the kidneys.
4. The body may also raise the
insulin level. This is an attempt
to lower the blood sugar by sending the sugar to the cells. However, this does not work well
because the body needs to hold on to sugar in the blood to prevent further
dehydration of the blood.
5. One can lower the blood sugar
with insulin or with oral anti-diabetic drugs. It solves one problem.
However, it worsens dehydration, putting the person in much more danger
of heart attacks and strokes, and it does nothing to solve the underlying
problem of dehydration.
The drugs are also toxic, which
further weakens the personÕs body.
For more details, read Hydration and Water For Drinking.
In
summary, many cases of Type 2 diabetes are actually a compensation for a
dehydrated state. This implies that the medical
treatment of Type 2 diabetes is incorrect. The proper approach is not to give drugs and a modified diet
to lower blood sugar. The answer
is to correct dehydration. We find
this works in those cases of diabetes that are due to dehydration.
One must eliminate from the diet
coffee, other caffeine, all sugar and alcohol. One also needs to drink about 3 quart or 3 liters of water
daily that hydrates the body.
Carbon-only filtered tap water or spring water are usually the best
kinds of water.
STRESS-CAUSED DIABETES
This is the cause for some Type
2 diabetes. The correct procedure
is to work to reduce the stress level of the person. A simple way is to increase the amount of sleep, and have
the person go to bed early – by 9 PM. It is a simple intervention that often works well. In some cases, stress reduction is more
complex.
THE YEAST CONNECTION
Yeast
and carbohydrate cravings. There is a connection between excessive
yeast in the body and diabetes.
Eating sugar and carbohydrates promotes yeast problems in the body. Yeasts such as candida albicans produce
alcohol in the body.
A craving for sugar and
carbohydrates is often due to subtle alcohol withdrawal that occurs if one
stops eating sugar and carbohydrates.
The symptoms – anxiety, shakiness, confusion and even tremors -
are the same as a mild case of delirium tremens, or alcohol withdrawal.
Fungal
infections.
Also, diabetics often develop fungal infections on the skin and nails. Skin tags, a hallmark of diabetes, can
be a type of fungal or yeast infection.
This is because excess sugar feeds fungus throughout the body. Also, the body is too yin from the diet
and other factors and this predisposes one to fungal infections. These are ÒcoldÓ infections that are
very common in diabetics (see the section below for more details).
A YIN DISEASE
Type 2 diabetes is a more yin
condition of the body. This means
cold and expanded and is vital concept to understand in order to overcome and
help others with diabetes.
Sugar is a very yin substance,
and people with diabetes usually eat too much of it. Yeast is also a yin condition, and often present in
diabetics. Diabetes is also associated
with excessive weight, which is an expanded condition of the body and also yin.
Mineral deficiencies also cause
a yin condition. All diabetics are
low in vital minerals. Minerals
are the most yang or least yin of nutrient substances.
In fact, most people are low in
minerals today, so most bodies are too yin. However, there are several other important reasons that all
the bodies are too yin.
One reason why some diabetics do
not drink enough water is that they are attempting to compensate for a
generalized yin condition of the body.
Water is a very yin substance and drinking it temporarily makes the body
more yin.
Yin and yang are about basic
physics. It is fully explained in
the article entitled Yang And Yin and in the other
articles on this site about yang and yin.
INFLAMMATION AND DIABETES
Diabetes is associated with
inflammation in the body. Often,
on blood test, C-reactive protein, an inflammation indicator, is too high. The reasons for inflammation include:
- The body is always deficient
in anti-inflammatory nutrients that include calcium, magnesium, zinc and selenium.
- AGES are usually high and these are
pro-inflammatory molecules.
- Some people with Type 2
diabetes are fast oxidizers, which is an inflammatory state of body chemistry.
- Iron and other ÒamigosÓ are
often or always present. These are
highly pro-inflammatory forms of common minerals.
Note: Iron and ferritin levels
in the blood may be normal or low.
This is because the iron does not build up in the blood. It is stored in the tissues. For this reason, iron accumulation may
be easier to identify in a hair mineral analysis as either a hair iron level
above 2 mg% or less than about 1.2 mg%.
The latter is called a Poor Eliminator
of iron. This is a very important
concept in mineral science.
- Many people with diabetes are
angry, and this is an inflammatory emotional state. It is associated with iron toxicity.
- Dehydration is an inflammatory
state of the body.
- Stress causes inflammation
because it is associated with a fight-or-flight reaction, which is
pro-inflammatory.
- Sugar and chemicals in the
diet are pro-inflammatory. Lack of
enough cooked vegetables in the diet is also pro-inflammatory.
THE DIABETIC PERSONALITY TYPE
Another and more subtle cause of
type 2 diabetes can be a personality tendency. Many illnesses are related to a personality trait. Many diabetics like to push or drive themselves.
To do this, they may use coffee or other caffeine-containing beverages such as
diet soda. They may also use sugar
or carbohydrates in the diet.
The tendency to push oneself
adds lots of stress to oneÕs life.
These individuals also may not care for themselves adequately This is a deadly combination, as follows.
When under more stress, the
adrenal glands secrete more sugar into the blood and this requires more insulin
to move it out of the blood and into the body cells. This pattern of living, particularly with the addition of
coffee or soda pop containing sugar to further stimulate the adrenals,
eventually weakens the entire body and further depletes the body of vital
nutrients.
A
car analogy. Think of the driver of an automobile
who like to Òfloor the acceleratorÓ.
This means pushing the gas pedal of the car to the floor of the car. This floods the engine with fuel.
This is analogous to flooding
the bloodstream with glucose, which occurs when one uses adrenal stimulants
such as caffeine. It is also a
personality style.
ÒFlooring the acceleratorÓ of an
automobile quickly wears out the tires, the engine, the transmission and other
vital parts of the car. The same
occurs in the body.
CAUSES FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES
This condition is less common
and accounts for only about 2-4% of cases of diabetes. It is usually due to an infection of the
pancreas that halts or reduces insulin production.
This
is usually secondary to elevated iron in the pancreas. Too much iron opens the body to certain infections. The infection in the pancreas often
cannot be detected on standard blood tests. The rapid onset of Type 1 diabetes suggests this type of
cause.
A hair mineral analysis often
reveals an extremely low iron level or Poor
Eliminator pattern with iron.
The test may or may not reveal an infection pattern such as a sodium/potassium
ratio less than 2.5. However, the
hair patterns may not occur on the initial mineral test if they are obscured by
other mineral patterns. As these patterns
are cleared with a development program, the underlying infection pattern often
becomes clear.
This type of diabetes may begin
soon after a mild cold or flu, or some other innocuous infection, and it can
develop suddenly. It occurs more
often in children and younger adults than Type 2 diabetes.
The
amigos. Type 1 diabetes may be triggered or
related to excessive
BIOUNAVAILABLE iron, manganese or aluminum in the pancreas. To read about this abnormal condition,
please read Iron, Manganese and Aluminum - The
Amigos.
Correction. Type 1 diabetes requires much more effort to correct. Usually, one needs to remain on a
development program for several years or longer. Underlying weaknesses, toxic metals and other imbalances
must be removed in order for the body to heal the pancreatic infection so that insulin
production can resume.
High-iron
or bronze diabetes. This
variant of type 1 diabetes is less common, and is more of a pure iron toxicity
problem. Iron replaces
zinc and other metals in the pancreas and the blood sugar starts to rise. It can easily become over 400
mg/dl. This type can be a
so-called brittle
diabetes, in that the blood sugar can be more difficult to control.
This type is less common. It is more common in men than in
women. Men tend to have more iron
in their bodies, while women tend to have more copper in their bodies. The two minerals are somewhat
antagonistic.
It is also more common in the
African-American population. Those
who have it are often slender, have a good build, and are often careful
eaters. They often have cardiovascular
disease, as well. Cardiovascular
disease is strongly associated with iron toxicity. They usually have not overeaten on carbohydrates, although
some have done this, as well.
Those with bronze diabetes may
have eaten a lot of eggs, red meat or other sources of iron. However, the problem is handling the
iron they have, not necessarily eating too much iron. They are often diagnosed with diabetes because they start to
lose weight.
Personality. Those with high-iron diabetes are often stubborn in nature,
and strong, but really weak inside.
This is a characteristic of biounavailable iron, as explained elsewhere
on this site and in the textbook, Nutritional Balancing And Hair Mineral Analysis (2010, 2014 and
2016 editions).
Anger
and iron. People who are angry appear to
retain more iron. Iron settles in
the amygdala area of the brain, an area associated with rage and anger.
This type of diabetes can
respond well to a development program because this program can remove excess
iron. This is not so easy to
do. However, we have only limited
experience with it because it is not a common health condition.
Signs
and symptoms. Early detection of diabetes is not
always easy. Symptoms such as
fatigue, excessive urination, skin tags, tingling or burning in the feet,
intractable fungal infections, or excessive thirst can be very helpful.
Blood
tests. The simplest tests are a fasting serum
glucose test or a urine test for glucose.
However, these can be normal in some cases of diabetes because the blood
sugar level can rise and fall. It
may not be high all ofthe time. Urine is less accurate.
The blood test must be done
after fasting for at least a few hours.
Otherwise, the blood sugar will be elevated even in a healthy person.
The
glucose tolerance test. A better test is a 5-hour glucose
tolerance test. The procedure is
that one drinks a sugar solution.
Then blood samples are taken once per hour to measure glucose, and
perhaps the insulin level, as well.
This test is more costly,
time-consuming, and can be unpleasant, so it is not always used. A problem is that some people go into a
hypoglycemic state in the middle of the five hours. When this occurs, one can become faint, confused or even
violent.
Also, even this test can give
confusing results. The curve of
the blood sugar level during the 5-hour test can be influenced by stress, mood,
fatigue or other factors.
Endocrinology textbooks describe the diagnostic criteria in more depth
than is possible in this article.
Some doctors also measure
insulin levels during this test, and this will make the test more accurate.
Hemoglobin
H1A. This is an aberrant type of hemoglobin
that is a marker for blood sugar imbalance. It may really be a marker for damage to hemoglobin from AGES
or glycation.
Metabolic
syndrome. A somewhat roundabout way to identify
diabetes is to identify metabolic syndrome, also called Syndrome X. This is easy to do because it is simply
the presence of several easy-to-measure factors including:
- Excess weight, especially in
the abdomen
- Elevated lipids
- Abdominal body fat
- Elevated blood pressure
- Elevated blood sugar
If even two of the above are present, the person often
diabetic, pre-diabetic or on his way to these conditions. For more details, read Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X.
Hypoglycemia. Another indirect indicator of a diabetic trend is the
presence of hypoglycemia. Low
blood sugar often produces more symptoms than elevated blood sugar.
The patient will report that 3-5
hours after meals he or she feels very faint, perhaps shaky, and perhaps
mentally confused. The patient
usually gets very hungry at these times and may need something sweet quickly. This often indicates that the blood
sugar has gotten too low, indicating dysregulation of blood sugar.
Other. Sometimes one can identify diabetes from an eye examination
that reveals small artery disease or from kidney disease.
Assuming
the worst. In accordance with the statistics, and the
work of Robert Atkins, MD and others, we assume that most people are headed for
diabetes or already have the condition.
Anyone who is overweight is even more likely to have blood sugar
problems.
Hair
mineral testing. We do not use blood tests for various
reasons. One of the most important
is that we put everyone on a corrective program that will improve blood sugar
metabolism. We are therefore less
concerned about missing an instance of diabetes.
Instead, we use hair mineral
testing. This is also not fully
reliable to detect diabetes.
However, this test often reveals indicators of blood sugar imbalance, as
explained below.
HAIR MINERAL ANALYSIS INDICATORS OF DIABETES
Dr.
Paul Eck, with whom we studied for 14 years, found that certain hair mineral
ratios are associated with an increased tendency for diabetes. The hair patterns are trends or
indicators, but are not diagnostic. Hair must not be washed at the laboratory for accurate readings. Here are some of the indicators for
diabetes on a properly performed hair mineral test:
1.
A sodium/potassium ratio less than 2.5:1. A low ratio is associated with
chronic stress on the liver, pancreas, kidney and cardiovascular system. A ratio less than 1:1 is even more
indicative of a diabetic trend. A
low ratio is also associated with a tendency for infections and degenerative
disease, in general.
2.
An imbalanced oxidation rate. Type 2 diabetes is often
associated with a slightly fast oxidation rate, usually accompanied by a low
sodium/potassium ratio. Those with
a fast oxidation rate are much more sensitive to a diet too high in
carbohydrates and especially sugars.
For more details, read Fast Oxidation.
Type 1 diabetics usually have a
slow oxidation rate early in the condition. High-iron diabetics may be fast or slow oxidizers, and often
their tests reveal elevated tissue iron (above 2 mg%) or more likely, iron in
the poor or very poor eliminator ranges (extremely low – less than 1 mg%
or lower). For more on this, read Acquired Iron Toxicity
on this website.
As Type 1 diabetes advances,
some people become very fast oxidizers due to impaired kidney activity and
toxicity in the kidneys with AGES and other toxins. Also, as diabetes advances, the hair chromium and phosphorus
levels often decline.
3.
Elevated levels of cadmium, copper, lead, arsenic, aluminum or iron. Any of these can interfere with the vital minerals required
for blood sugar regulation such as zinc, chromium, selenium and others. For more details, read Toxic Metals.
4.
Imbalance in the calcium/magnesium ratio. Dr. Eck
believed that a calcium/magnesium ratio greater than 12:1 or less than 3:1 are
diabetic indicators. However, we
have not been able to confirm all of his research.
We find that a calcium/magnesium
ratio between 9.5 and 13.5 usually indicates too much carbohydrate in the
diet. This does not necessarily
produce diabetes, but it is a trend for diabetes, especially if the trend
continues for years.
We call the hair
calcium/magnesium ratio the lifestyle ratio because other factors that
influence it include homosexuality, harmful relationships, harmful jobs or careers and drug
use, including even light use of marijuana. Interestingly, social alcohol use does not skew the Ca/Mg
ratio.
An elevated Ca/Mg ratio is not a
diabetic indicator, but rather a dietary indicator that compares the amount of
carbohydrate one eats to oneÕs carbohydrate tolerance. A mildly elevated ratio indicates that
a person is exceeding his or her carbohydrate tolerance level.
This assessment can be confusing
because one person may be able to tolerate a lot more carbohydrate than another
person. The indicator does not
measure the exact amount of carbohydrate in the diet. It only indicates that a person is exceeding his or her
personal limit or tolerance level.
The blood serum Ca/Mg ratio does
not correspond to the hair Ca/Mg ratio.
For much more detail about this ratio, read The
Calcium/Magnesium Ratio.
5.
A zinc level less than about 12 mg%.
Zinc is
required to 1) produce insulin, 2) secrete insulin and 3) to extend the action
of insulin. Low zinc is also
associated with toxicity with iron, copper and heavy metal poisoning. This can affect the pancreas, liver and
most other organs.
6.
Low or toxic levels of chromium, manganese or selenium. These trace minerals are essential for blood sugar
regulation, thyroid activity and other body functions that influence sugar
metabolism.
These indicators are trends
only. It may take a number of
years for a trend to develop into full blown illness. Also, in some individuals the trend may be masked by other
factors so that it is not revealed on the first hair analysis.
THE MEDICAL APPROACH AND ITS SHORTCOMINGS
The
standard medical approach to diabetes is the use of insulin shots or
glucose-lowering oral medications.
Diet is also part of the program, but usually it not nearly strictly
enough. We believe the standard
medical approach to diabetes is flawed, mainly because it does not address the
deeper causes of high blood sugar.
It only addresses the symptom of elevated blood sugar.
The
American diabetic Association diet. The American
Diabetic Association diet for diabetes is seriously flawed, in our view. It allows 25% starch, plus a
fruit. This is too much
carbohydrate for those with diabetes.
It is also a low-fat diet, which
is horrible for fast oxidizers. In
our experience, many Type 2 diabetics are fast oxidizers. They do not tolerate much carbohydrate
in the diet.
At least it recommends 50%
non-starchy vegetables. However,
this is not nearly enough vegetables, in my experience.
Weight
loss is also
part of the medical approach to diabetes, but again the recommended diets will
not reduce weight by enough to make much of a difference, in most cases.
Stress
reduction and rest
are usually not even mentioned, but they should be.
Nutritional
supplements are
usually not recommended, and this is also horrible, in our view. Those with diabetes always need
supplemental zinc and chromium, plus other nutrients, in my experience.
Let us discuss the medical
methods in more detail.
Oral
anti-diabetic drugs. We believe this class of drugs often do
more harm than good. They include
drugs such as Glucophage or Metformin, Precose or acarbose, Glycoset or
miglitol, Avandia, Actos or thiazolidinediones, and an older class of drugs
that are sulfonylureas with names like Diabinase, Tlinase, Tolamide, Glucotrol,
Glucamide, Micronase and many others.
In our view, these are dangerous
drugs. Some are associated with
heart attacks and other fatal Ôside effectsÕ. They are also purely temporary fixes and do not address the
cause of diabetes at all.
Some stimulate the
insulin-producing cells until the cells ÔburnoutÕ nutritionally. Then the drugs stop working and one
must take insulin. This does not
heal the personÕs health at all.
For example, Metformin or
glucophage, a common anti-diabetic drug, inhibits gluconeogenesis. This is the process whereby the body
converts some protein, starch or fats to glucose in the liver. It is a normal process of the body. By reducing it, the sugar level of a
Type 2 diabetic may drop somewhat.
However, the drug does nothing for oneÕs underlying health condition.
Meanwhile, most anti-diabetic
drugs upset digestion and may deplete other minerals such as zinc. This effectively makes the underlying
health of the patient worse.
Interestingly, a ÒlandmarkÓ
study of Metformin in 2002 showed that Metformin lowered blood glucose in 38%
of those studied. However, what
was not reported is that lifestyle and dietary changes alone lowered blood sugar in 58% of
those studied. In other words,
lifestyle changes alone were about 60% better at lowering blood sugar than one
of the leading drugs used today!
Insulin. Insulin replacement therapy
will lower blood sugar, and can save oneÕs life. However, it is not natural to take insulin from outside the
body. It slowly damages the body
and does not prevent all the complications of diabetes. In contrast, if a person works with a
development program, we have seen diabetic complications reverse themselves
quite easily.
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR DIABETES
Goals
of the program. The goal is the complete
restoration of all body functions.
We call this etheric reset.
In addition, development programs have a much more ambitious goal, which
we call development.
Development is fulfilling the
entire genetic potential of a human being. This is not well known, and is explained in a number of
articles on this website, beginning with Introduction
To Development.
To do all of this requires a
healthful lifestyle, a specific diet tailored to oneÕs oxidation rate, and
about eight to ten nutritional supplements. It also requires about six detoxification and healing
procedures. Here are some more
details:
Diet. The development diet restores
many nutrients to the body. It consists
of about 70% properly cooked vegetables with each of three meals daily,
preferably prepared by pressure cooking.
It also includes a 4-5 ounce
serving of includes animal protein twice daily, which may be lamb, chicken,
turkey, natural beef or eggs – up to 6 eggs per week for women and up to
8 eggs per week for men. We
suggest avoiding pork and all pig products. Many contain hidden trichina worm ova or eggs that are not
destroyed by cooking.
We suggest avoiding all wheat
products and all soy products. We
recommend eating about 5 blue corn tortilla chips with each meal, but not
more. This is to supply a special
form of selenium not found in other foods. We also suggest avoiding all fruit, fruit juices and natural and refined sugars. For
more details, read Food For Daily Use, Food For Occasional Use and Forbidden Food.
Diet
for bronze diabetes. In addition, for cases of bronze
diabetes, one needs to eliminate most red meat, eggs and dark green vegetables
for at least one year and until we see improvement in the personÕs iron
toxicity.
Supplements. Supplements we use can be
divided into three groups:
- Everyone receives certain
supplements to compensate for deficiencies and toxicity in our food
supply. These are calcium,
magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, a digestive aid,
trimethylglycine, and kelp. Most
people also need selenium except those in a four lows pattern.
- Several supplement are used to
balance the oxidation rate and the sodium/potassium ratio. Balancing these patterns has amazing
effects on the whole body system.
- Diabetics require additional
supplements of chromium and zinc.
To set up the supplement
programs, we can only recommend the Approved Practitioners that we train who
are listed on this website at the following link: Approved
Practitioners.
The hair mineral test is used to
assess the oxidation rate, mineral ratios, toxic metal levels, about 100
metabolic patterns and tendencies for over 50 conditions.
Lifestyle. This includes plenty of rest and sleep. Diabetics need 10 hours of sleep every
night and need to go to bed by 9 PM because sleep before midnight is required
for proper rest and regeneration.
Gentle exercise daily is
excellent. Avoid vigorous exercise
such as running or long workouts because it further depletes the body
nutritionally, even if it feels good.
Detoxification
and healing procedures. This are usually essential for full
recovery from diabetes. We find
the most powerful, safest and least costly methods that we recommend using every day
are:
- The pulling down exercise
- Coffee enemas
- Heat lamp sauna sessions
- Foot and hand reflexology
- Twisting the spine and quality
chiropractic care.
- The neck pull.
Links to articles about each of
these procedures are on the home page of this website. Short descriptions of the procedures
are also together in one article, the Procedures
Handbook.
Retracing. Rebuilding the body at deep levels always cause the unusual
phenomenon of retracing. This is
the return of old symptoms or new symptoms that are temporary falre-ups or
reactions as they body heals.
One needs to know about
retracing. Otherwise, one will usually quit the program when these symptoms
arise. In fact, retracing symptoms
are a welcome sign of deep healing, no matter how annoying or unpleasant they
are. For more details, read Retracing and I Want The
Program, But Not The Feelings.
HOW LONG DOES HEALING TAKE?
This is a most important
subject. Briefly, symptomatic
improvement with a development program can occur within weeks or even days if one
follows the program faithfully.
Deeper and more permanent healing takes longer, up to a number of
years. For details, read How Long Does Healing Take?
VI. COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES - GLYCATION
Diabetes can be one of the most
unpleasant health conditions. In
advanced cases, intractable infections are common. Eye disease, kidney disease and even loss of limbs can also
occur. One has unrelenting
fatigue, as well. Other
complications are high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis.
In our experience, these
complications will never occur if the condition is handled with a development
program. However, they are common
if one follows standard medical protocols. We hope doctors will pay more attention to the ideas in this
article because we know this will reduce the complications associated with
diabetes.
Glycation is the combining of sugar
molecules with other chemical compounds such as fats and proteins. These compounds are collectively called
AGES or advanced glycation end products.
Everyone has the problem of
glycation, especially as they age.
Glycation, in fact, is one of the major causes for the symptoms of
aging.
AGES can come from the diet or
be made inside the body. An elevated blood
sugar and mild dehydration are the perfect combination of factors to produce a
tremendous amount of glycation in the body.
The result of glycation is a
slow process of sclerosis and adhesion formation that slowly destroys the
body. Glycation is a major reason
for all of the complications associated with diabetes, from cardiovascular and
eye disease, to cancer and other problems. It is also quite preventable. For details, read AGES.
VII. DIABETES AND
THE ENERGY PATHWAY
Diabetes often affects many
aspects of the bodyÕs energy production system. An important goal of every development program is to restore
the bodyÕs entire energy producing system. Otherwise, healing is not complete. This is a wonderful aspect of
development that goes far beyond the use of remedies of any kind.
It involves restoring every step
in the production of cellular energy from ingestion and digestion of food to
the final utilization of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) inside each cell.
The bodyÕs energy-producing
system requires hundreds of nutrients.
Fixing it also requires removing many metal and chemical toxins that can
inhibit normal enzymatic activity.
It also requires balancing the body in terms of yin and yang forces and
in other ways, as well. No single
or even multiple herb or vitamin can do this by itself.
For more on this topic, read How To Increase Your Energy and The
Electron Transport System and the work of WF Koch.
To avoid diabetes, here are
simple steps anyone can take today:
Stop
eating sweets of all kinds. Do not argue about it, and do not
discuss which sweets are better than others. None are helpful in the slightest. They include natural dark chocolate, Rice Dream, real maple
syrup, raw honey and many other so-called health food products.
We suggest avoiding fruit and fruit juices. This is not only due to their sugar
content. For the details, read Fruit-Eating.
Strictly avoid refined starches. These include all white flour
products and right now, we do not recommend rice.
Limit grain intake, but do not stop it
altogether. We suggest
everyone eat about 5 blue corn tortilla chips with each meal to provide certain
selenium compounds. We know this
is a processed, salty, greasy food, but we donÕt know another source for the
selenium compounds it contains.
Blue corn tortillas or cooked cereal is not as good.
Eat a large portion of properly cooked, not raw
vegetables three times daily. For
details about which ones to eat, and why cook, read Food
For Daily Use. Excellent
starches are those found in cooked vegetables such as carrots, rutabaga, and
daikon.
Limit coffee-drinking to one cup or less
daily of regular coffee, and avoid all cappuccinos or lattes. Also, drink 3 quarts of spring
water or carbon-filtered tap water daily.
Juices, coffee, or tea are not a substitute for pure water.
Go to bed early and get at least 9 or 10
hours of sleep each night.
Take basic supplements:
- Kelp (3-6 capsules daily). If you take tablets you will need about 12-15 daily.
- Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) 900 mg daily.
- Vitamin D 5000 iu daily.
- Minerals (these are our worst deficiencies today:
- Calcium - about 700 mg daily.
- Magnesium - about 400 mg daily
- Zinc - about 25 mg daily
- Chromium - about 400 mcg daily
- Manganese - about 10 mg daily
- Selenium - about 400 mcg daily.
Children need less after about age 6. Do not take a general mineral supplement. The reason is this will contain other minerals such as iron and copper, which will compete for absorption with the zinc and other needed minerals and reduce their absorption.
- Also helpful for most people is a powerful digestive aid.
These simple steps will enable
most people to prevent the scourges of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
A
development program. Even better is to follow a development
program.
Beware: Some claim to offer nutritional
balancing or development who are not doing it correctly, even if they say they studied
with us.
To begin the basic or
development program, go to: The Basic
Development Program.
To begin a complete development
program, go to Begin
A Full Program. This is
individualized and the most powerful for both prevention and correction, go
to. If you have any health
conditions, this is often required to restore health.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES
This is elevated blood sugar
that only develops in women who are pregnant. As soon as pregnancy ends, the blood sugar usually returns
to normal.
This is just a type of poor
health, in our view. Pregnancy
adds stress to the body, and more weight.
The combination pushes the person into high blood sugar, which goes away
when the stress of pregnancy is over.
A development program can help eliminate this condition.
DIABETES INSIPIDUS
This is an uncommon type of
diabetes or excessive urination.
It is an inability of the body to concentrate the urine
sufficiently. This results in
clear, watery urine and too much urination. It has little to do with blood sugar, although excessive
urination can cause problems by removing excessive water, minerals and other substances
from the blood.
Causes. This condition is caused by either:
1. A deficiency of anti-diuretic
hormone or ADH, also called vasopressin.
This hormone is produced in the pituitary gland.
2. A kidney problem in which the
kidney does not respond properly to vasopressin.
These can be due to a pituitary
tumor, a stroke, a brain injury due to surgery, toxic metals in the brain or
kidneys, or some other damage to the pituitary gland.
Therapies. The medical approach is to identify which of the two causes above
are responsible for the problem. A
doctor will prescribe synthetic anti-diuretic hormone if this is
deficient. Different therapy may
be suggested if the cause is at the level of the kidneys.
Therapy
with a development program. The goal of this method is to restore
the pituitary gland and/or the kidneys to full functioning to reverse the
condition. The ability to do this
would depend upon:
- The type of damage to the body
- The personÕs ability and
willingness to follow a strict healing program diligently and long enough for
regeneration to occur.
Because this is a rare
condition, at this time, (2019) we do not have experience with diabetes
insipidus.
COMMENTS ABOUT THE RECENT BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL CASE STUDY
The
British Medical Journal, October 9, 2018 reported on three longstanding cases
of Type 2, insulin-dependent diabetes with complications. All three patients showed amazing
improvement within 7-11 months using a low-carbohydrate diet, adequate water
intake, and fasting every other day for two meals a day. All three were able to discontinue
their insulin and control their sugar level without it.
This
method needs to be explored with a much larger study. However, it shows what can be done for diabetes, even longstanding,
with only a diet and lifestyle change.
While
this report is very impressive, we do not recommend intermittent fasting. The problem is that it is very
difficult to obtain all the nutrients the body needs if one skips meals. Fasting will slowly deplete the body
even more. We find one can get the
same results, or even better, eating a diet high in properly cooked vegetables
without the need for fasting.
HYPOGLYCEMIA
This is an early stage of blood
sugar imbalance, and a precursor for diabetes. It, too, is intimately related to mineral deficiencies,
improper diet, and a body chemistry out of balance. For details, read Hypoglycemia
on this site.
METABOLIC SYNDROME OR SYNDROME X
This is a set of risk factors
that often results in diabetes, sooner or later. It includes elevated weight, elevated serum cholesterol,
elevated serum triglycerides, elevated blood pressure, older age, and often a
slightly elevated blood pressure.
Often people also have a large belly. For details, read Metabolic Syndrome.
IS DIABETES EVER JUST LOW INSULIN?
No. Some health authorities still cling to the notion that
diabetes is just due to low insulin.
In fact, insulin deficiency is a much too simplistic explanation for ANY
case of diabetes.
If the problem were just a lack
of insulin, then insulin replacement therapy, which is a standard medical
treatment, would entirely cure the condition. However, it does no such thing.
People who take insulin are
still prone to serious complications of diabetes such as peripheral neuropathy,
kidney failure, ulcers that wonÕt heal, blindness, artery disease and more.
These are part of the deeper
pathology of diabetes that involves mineral and other nutrient deficiencies,
toxic metal excess and other imbalances.
Simple insulin therapy will not correct these problems.
THE AWFUL ÒDIABETIC ASSOCIATION DIETÓ
The American Diabetic
Association diet allows:
1. Coffee or tea.
2. Fruit
3. Chemically processed foods
including soft drinks
4. Artificial sweeteners.
5. Refined carbohydrates in the
form of cake, cookies and ice cream as long as they do not contain sugar.
This is inexcusable, in our
opinion. The reasons are explained earlier in this article.
IS DIABETES A GENETIC PROBLEM?
Diabetes runs in families. This leads some doctors to blame
genetics for todayÕs epidemic of diabetes. We believe this is entirely incorrect.
Congenital,
not genetic. A congenital condition is one that is present at
birth, but not genetic. For
example, if oneÕs mother was deficient in zinc or chromium, her children will
often be born deficient in those nutrients. This will make them more prone to illnesses such as
diabetes. This situation is not
genetic, although it is passed on from the mother to the children.
Also, if oneÕs parents consume a
lot of sugar or caffeine, the children observe this and are more likely to do
the same due to learning the same eating habits. It is a trait that is passed from one generation to the
next, but it is not genetic. It is
a cultural pattern of lifestyle pattern that is prevalent today.
THE ROLE OF OSTEOCALCIN IN DIABETES
A recent article in the journal Cell by
lead author Dr. Gerard Karsenty
indicates that this
hormone regulates blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin production. This is important because it points to
a link between calcium, bone remodeling, and diabetes.
It is one reason that we
supplement calcium for all diabetics and we strongly recommend excellent
sources of calcium such as that found in raw dairy products, beef Bone Broth, sardines, carrot juice and toasted almond
butter.
WHY IS AGE A FACTOR IN DIABETES?
Many people develop diabetes as
they age. In fact, age is a factor
in many health conditions. The
main underlying reason is that as one ages, nutritional deficiencies and other
imbalances become worse. This is
due to long-term effects of deficient diets and reduction in digestive enzyme
secretion as one ages. Some older
people also have more difficulty chewing food if they have dental problems.
Today, people are developing
diabetes at a younger age. This is
due to:
- More congenital nutritional
deficiencies.
- Worsening diets, in many
instances.
- Perhaps other new stress
factors such as much more electromagnetic smog or EMF stress today from cell
phones, cell phone towers, computers and other electronic devices.
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