Prevention for Type 2 Diabetes

It plays out like this several times every day. You go to your doctor with a concern for a particular symptom that appears to have come out of nowhere, but this time it is not going away on its own. You try over-the-counter recommended, and still the symptoms persist; or perhaps it was a simple routine check-up through which you found yourself in this position.

In any event, the doctor runs some tests and tells you that you have diabetes or pre-diabetes. He hands you a prescription with a smile on his face as if he just saved your life. At this point, there is a sense of relief because at least there is a reason for why you have been feeling so bad. The only appropriate reaction is to thank him. So why do you still have a concern for your new reality and the meds you are about to take? Next, you ask the obvious question, “How long do I have to stay on the medication?” His answer is one that stays in your head unrelentingly for weeks; “For the rest of your life, of course!!!”

So much for the feeling of relief you just had a moment ago that he found your problem. You think to yourself, “Surely there must be something I can do so I don’t have to be on the medication forever?” So you ask the doctor and his response once again is not one you were expecting. “You can try changing your diet and exercise, but you will need to stay on your meds!” Wanting some type of hope for a better solution, you ask him what you should eat and he hands you a pamphlet from the Diabetes Association outlining what appears to be a very solid program. It even comes with a website that gives you food choices. You walk out of his office with a mix of emotions and wondering if there is a better solution.

The Unspoken Truth

In the above scenario, there are unfortunately some who, when given the lifetime diagnosis and the reality of a life on medications, are encouraged and thankful there is an answer. What most don’t realize until later is that even though the medications keep blood glucose in the normal range, or at least somewhat lower, and some of the symptoms at bay, they remain in a state of accelerated decay. The truth is this: Diabetics age rapidly and die an early death despite taking their medication. Here are a few current statistics: 68% develop heart disease, 50% of all new cases of blindness are in diabetics and 70% develop neuropathies of which many end in amputations. As a matter of fact, 60% of all amputations occur in diabetics. Additionally, despite taking the medication, people with diabetes have a two-fold increase in dementia. Believe it or not, these statistics are right off of the American Diabetes Association’s website.

How is that for hope? No wonder it’s the unspoken truth; if that reality was given to any sane person, they would most likely tell the doctor where they can stuff their pills. Is there REAL hope? Yes, of course there is. I can tell you now it is not in some man-made concoction with a list of side effects so painfully long that you stop reading the label, or some other drug that has been given to millions of people in the hope of a cure and has now been taken off the market for causing cancer! I have recently heard of one of the most popular diabetes medications now being linked to bladder cancer. Other popular diabetes drugs are linked to heart disease, obesity and even death. What about the others? How safe are they?

There Is Hope

I did not give you this scenario to scare you or to destroy your hope. I told you this to move you toward a new hope as well as a solution. If you are reading this, most likely you are seeking another answer. I can tell you without a shadow of doubt there is one. I cannot tell you to come off of the medication and I WILL NOT, but I will say this: when you remove the interference from that “something” God has put in all of us that heals our bodies that in born (innate) intelligence can heal more than just diabetes. NOW THAT IS REAL HOPE! It is not going to found in me or any other doctor. It is in what He has already done. HE ALONE is the Author and Creator of LIFE, and I believe this principle in my heart. The power and ability already exists within each of us. I have lived it out in my own body (and life) and have seen it at work in hundreds of the people I coach back to health.

The Unspoken Solution

I have read estimates that 75-85% of Type II Diabetes is reversible with permanent life style changes. There are new studies showing that toxins are the cause of up to one third of all Type II Diabetes. What if we bring these two thoughts together: the correct diet and exercise (life style change), as well as the most effective of detox methods? I am not referring to a fad detox product that you pick up in a health food store, but truly removing the toxins that have bio-accumulated in the cells for decades. New studies, by the way, are showing that cellular toxicity can trigger certain disease states within the body, (which means to turn on our gene expression) of which diabetes is one of these diseases. Changing gene expression is new science and I believe it is absolutely part of a new solution. I will never use the word “cure,” but with the correct diet, the correct exercise and the correct detox, you can see there can be hope and, most certainly, a better solution.

There is a better yet “unspoken solution” that is rooted in science, but why isn’t it being talked about? You may think it is easier to take a pill and go about your lifestyle with the false hope that all will be well. Did you ever stop and consider the possibility of the drug companies that run health care not wanting you to know of a “solution?” Either way, there is a better option that really does work. There are incredible results coming from the doctors around the county who are doing what I call, “cellular healing” and “true cellular detox”, and they will attest to this process working. I am going to break this solution down in three teachings; the correct diet, which I call the “Cellular Healing Diet”, the correct detox, which I refer to as “True Cellular Detox”, and the correct exercise, which studies show is the only type of exercise that works for diabetes.

The Cellular Healing Diet

I believe that for a diet to be part of the solution to this epidemic, it must address the true cause of it in the first place. The Cellular Healing Diet does just that. This diet was developed around the science that shows inflammation of the cell is the true cause of diabetes and a growing number of other conditions. The Cellular Healing Diet down-regulates cellular inflammation by removing two of the three main causes of it and I will address those in a moment.

When we hear or read that inflammation is the secret killer; which by the way, was a 2004 TIME magazine cover (Inflammation the Secret Killer), it’s hard to grasp what that really means. We think of inflammation as that which occurs in a specific sore or painful joint. Although that is inflammation, it is not what is being referred to as the “secret killer”. What is being referred to would be cellular inflammation throughout the body that affects different cells of multiple organs or systems, which leads to many different types of conditions and diseases. More specifically, it is inflammation of the cell membrane that is the main problem.

The cell membrane is composed of two very delicate layers of fat and becomes inflamed and causes many of the basic functions of the cell to malfunction. I don’t plan on boring you with the science of biology, but I do want you to understand two really important points that are critical for you to understand why this diet and entire protocol (Diabetes Health Package) work while others do not.

First of all, once the cell membrane becomes inflamed, the good things needed for normal cellular functions such as producing energy, can’t get into the cell. This alone can affect your diabetes and lead to many different symptoms and conditions such as chronic fatigue, brain fog and hormone dysregulation. Once the cell membranes are inflamed, the toxins can’t get out. This also includes the toxins which are made by your cells from cellular energy production. Anytime energy is made, toxins are produced. An example of this is a car exhaust or a fireplace. Imagine if either of those exhaust methods become clogged. You would most likely end up in a very toxic situation or possibly even death. It is no different when the cell membranes become inflamed and, therefore, clogged so to speak; toxins build up in the cell and lead to dysfunction and even cell death.

Studies show that the toxins that bio-accumulate within the cell can trigger or turn on a gene that predisposes you to diabetes; this is when you begin expressing the disease. The old dogma that your mother or father had diabetes and therefore you will end up with it as well, is now an outdated model of thinking. Today we know it is not so simple. The genes of susceptibility you may have inherited from your mom or dad alone do not cause diabetes or any other disease. It takes an environmental stressor such as a toxin to trigger them. Your DNA is not your destiny. The most exciting aspect of this new research is that we are learning new ways to change the gene expression back to its original purpose and for the good, which literally turns the “bad” expression of the gene off. I believe changing gene expression, which goes beyond diet, must be a part of a successful program.

The second point I want to make is that the receptors to hormones, including insulin, reside on the cell membrane. What this means is that when the membrane is inflamed, the hormone cannot communicate with the receptor and get its message into the cell where it needs to go for normal function. This is called hormone resistance, and in the case of diabetes, it’s called insulin resistance. Simply put, the cell cannot hear the hormone insulin in order to bring the glucose needed for energy into the cell. The glucose then builds up in the blood leading to elevated blood glucose. Elevated blood glucose causes many unwanted symptoms including rapid degeneration, more inflammation and premature aging. If you want to age faster than anyone you know on the inside and out, raise you blood glucose. Elevated glucose, and therefore insulin, also inhibits the conversion of thyroid hormone T4 to an active version of the hormone T3. It’s the active version that gives you energy and helps you burn fat for energy. If this conversion is being slowed due to insulin, you will gain weight and not be able to sustain normal energy. Taking a hormone replacement does very little because it is in the form of T4, and will not convert to the T3 that works in your cells to allow you feel good. Additionally, the fact that hormone resistance effects most hormone receptors on the cell (insulin, thyroid, estrogen etc.) and can cause diabetes and hypothyroid, the interference it has in the conversion from T4 (non-active hormone) to T3 (active hormone), adds to the fact that most diabetics end up with thyroid conditions.

Hormone resistance is the cause of the pandemic of hormone problems on the planet. The problem is occurring because most doctors are treating these hormone problems by giving more hormones. Whether it is thyroid hormone, estrogen, testosterone or others, it is not the need for more hormones that is missing. The problem is that the receptors to the hormones are not communicating properly causing the real problem. It’s like dumping gas all over the outside of your car because you were not able to get it into the tank. More gas will not help your car run if you cannot get it into the car. There is a time to use hormones, but when considering hormone resistance, which causes 95% of hormone issues today, and whereby the cell cannot hear the hormone due to a receptor that has been blunted by inflammation; giving more hormones actually makes the problem worse.

Enough biology, but now at least you see why a diet and protocol that addresses inflammation of the cell is the key. I stated earlier that the Cellular Healing Diet removes two of the three causes of cellular inflammation (the true cause of diabetes). Bad fats, elevated glucose and toxins are the three main causes and the first two are directly affected by this diet (toxins will be addressed when I discuss “True Cellular Detox”).

Dietary FAT, Friend or Foe?

Certain fats that will no doubt be a surprise to you, do in fact drive inflammation of the cell. However, I believe Fat is the key and the missing nutrient in the American diet which is needed to fix the epidemic of hormone problems…one of which is Type II diabetes. This is ironic because the diet recommended by the Diabetes Association is a low fat diet, which, by the way, has been shown to lead to diabetes and other hormone problems.for weight loss and the prevention of heart disease. The science does not support these claims and has been disproven many times over. Despite the research that proves the low fat diet promoted by the diabetes association is invalid, how is it working out for us as a country? What I am asking is this: since we started the low fat craze in the 60’s are we losing weight as a nation? Is there less heart disease and diabetes? The resounding answer is NO!

I already made the argument that to correct hormone problems you must fix the receptors to the hormones, which reside on the cell membrane. I also said the membrane is made of fat. Therefore, it would make sense that we would need fat if we were to repair the membrane and its receptors to the hormones. This is in fact the case. Studies link specific fats to dramatic improvements in diabetes and other hormone conditions. I had said that the type of fat in these studies would surprise you. Think of the first two fats that you would consider bad fats that cause disease. Most likely you thought of saturated fat and cholesterol. You’re not alone, but what is the truth?

New studies are showing that saturated fat and cholesterol are the two main fats needed in the hormone epidemic. Yes you heard me correctly; these two fats are a key component in the “unspoken solution”. I know that you have heard for over four decades that these two fats are the bad guys and you need to stay far away from them to prevent conditions like diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Don’t take my word for it; studies show that these fats not only prevent these conditions, but also can reverse them.

A December 2001 Harvard study showed a high fat diet consisting of saturated fats found in meat and dairy products actually had a threefold decrease and, therefore, improvement in diabetes.¹
Another study indicated the more saturated fats the participants ate, the less their atherosclerosis progressed. As a matter of fact, those who consumed the highest levels of saturated fat in the study reversed their condition over time. The irony of this study was the fat that the American Diabetes Association promotes: “vegetable oil” actually caused atherosclerosis². Vegetable oils are a fat known as polyunsaturated fatty acids, which oxidize very easily and causes inflammation³.
The Diabetes Association promotes the use of margarine instead of real butter to avoid saturated fats. Margarine and other trans fats are a known cause of diabetes. A study of over 84,000 nurses showed a substantial reduction in Type II Diabetes when other fats were increased and trans fats were removed from the diet.⁴The study also showed the total fat and saturated fat intakes were not associated with an increased risk of diabetes, only the trans fats.
The Diabetes association promotes the substitution of real butter for margarine. Ironically a study from 1993 at the University of Pittsburgh indicated that frequent users of partially hydrogenated vegetable fats in the form of margarine had higher insulin levels in response to glucose load.⁵

If we simply do the opposite of the Diabetes Association’s diet, it seems we will find our way to the correct diet. In fact, I always say that doing a 180 degree (or opposing direction) of whatever the government is promoting will always land us closer to the truth.

Sugar: It’s Not What You Think

Elevated glucose (blood sugar) is the 2nd main reason for cellular inflammation that you now understand as the true cause of diabetes and other hormone problems. I am sure elevated glucose as a main culprit for inflammation is not a surprise to most of you. However, the real culprit of the epidemic of elevated blood sugar will most likely be another shocker.

It is true in many situations, and no different here, that doing the opposite of what the government is promoting will lead you to the truth. We are being told to eat more whole grains for almost every condition and from practically every establishment. Well it might surprise you that two pieces of whole grain bread raise blood sugar the same as a 12oz soda. The bowl of oatmeal you were told to eat in the morning to lower your cholesterol actually raises your blood sugar the same as a 12oz soda! It is not that I am against all whole grains; I would even argue that because they have more fiber than a processed grain such as white bread, it has some benefits. However, we eat far too many grains in our diet, which is the hidden, as well as, unspoken of sugar in the American diet.

Some whole grains are better than others, but the hybridization of whole grains has changed them from where they originally began. In the 1960’s and 1970’s a man named Norman Borlaug won a noble prize for the development of Dwarf Wheat. Dwarf Wheat was hybridized and crossbred to tolerate environmental stressors such as drought, wind, etc. and not surprisingly, as an answer to world hunger. Norman was successful and won a noble prize, but he fed another massive pandemic – “world obesity”. Prominent cardiologist and author Dr. William Davis M.D. tells the story well in his popular book “Wheat Belly”. Dwarf Wheat is now a staple food in most diets on the planet and causes obesity for two reasons. First, during the hybridization process, the wheat became a super sugar. It now contains more of a sugar called Amylopectin A. Amylopectin A raises blood sugar more than table sugar, making whole grains such as wheat the unspoken super sugar driving cellular inflammation and the diabetes surge.

The second reason these hybridized grains drive the obesity epidemic is from the creation of a denatured protein called “gluten”. Gluten is now a household word because of its widespread cause of symptoms and diseases like celiac, irritable bowel, weight gain, headaches and a long list of others. So what happened to gluten? Why wasn’t it a problem when we grew up? Good old Norman Borlaug, through successful hybridization, denatured the gluten and created a protein that our immune systems do not recognize as a normal food. These 14 new glutens have caused a surge of new diseases. The grains that contain these glutens are one of the most addictive foods you can eat. Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to stop eating bread? Gluten stimulates the same receptors in the brain that addictive drugs stimulate and is associated with psychological withdrawal symptoms, just like any addictive drugs. Whole grains, as opposed to processed grains, can actually contain more gluten and other toxins called lectins. Lectins are actually natural chemical pesticides that can be problematic for those who are in a state of inflammation.

When I hear people say, “But I do not eat much sugar,” my next question is how many whole grains do you eat? According to studies, diets consisting of more than 20% of the calories from grains begin to cause diabetes and obesity. If it is over 50%, then you are at risk of developing severe nutritional deficiencies and other degenerative diseases. As a nation, we are consuming around 60% of our calories from grain. Get rid of the grains and watch what happens! I know what you are thinking: how long do I need to do this for and when can I add them back in? The answer is simple: when your problem is solved. In other words, when the cellular inflammation is gone and cell function is restored. When you do add them back in, add in only ancient grains and they must be sprouted to decrease many of the anti-nutrients such as phytates and lectins. Be careful! You must find your genetic line of tolerance. Mine is very short and when I eat too much of any grain I get fat in my waist and have low energy. My father was the same way. To this day, even though I am healthy now, I eat very little grain and if I do, I try to always eat a sprouted, ancient grain. You can find a list of these in the Cellular Healing Diet book.

A last word on blood glucose as a cause of cellular inflammation – STOP ALL ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!!! Once again, if we do the opposite of the AMA’s diet we will get it right. They recommend artificial sweeteners, which cause more insulin and leptin (a hormone that tells your brain to burn fat for energy) resistance than regular sugar. You heard it right, you are better off drinking regular soda. Diet soda drives obesity and diabetes more than regular soda. I am not telling you soda, if it is not diet it is ok, it absolutely is not, but you get the point. The artificial sweeteners are actually toxins known as “excitotoxins”, which drives more inflammation than regular sugar and is the reason it causes more weight gain. My next teaching on toxins will make this fact much more clear, but more importantly, it will expose the greatest hidden causes of inflammation and diabetes, and give a new and exciting solution.

Article 1 of a 3-part Diabetes Series

References:

Dariush Mozaffarian, Haiming Cao, Irena B. King, Rozenn N. Lemaitre, Xiaoling Song, David S. Siscovick, and Gökhan S. Hotamisligil TransPalmitoleic Acid, Metabolic Risk Factors, and New-Onset Diabetes in U.S. Adults Annals of Internal Medicine 2010 December. Harvard School of Public Health.
Mozaffarian D, Rimm EB, Herrington DM. Dietary Fats, Carbohydrate, and Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Postmenopausal.
Nenseter MS, Drevon CA. Dietary Polyunsaturates and Peroxidation of Low Density Lipoprotein. Curr Opin Lipidol. 1996;7(1):8-13.
Salmerón J, Hu FB, Manson JE, et al. Dietary fat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;73:1019–26.
Reuters (January 13, 2011): committee discussion held January 11-13 2011 Raleigh N. Carolina.

Diabetes: The Unspoken Solution Part 1