Diabetes: Death To Diabetes

I'll come to the point linearly: This note is about Diabetes and cross links another website that has significantly impacted my understanding about Diabetes. But first, before I unravel the heart of the matter, I need to offer a little background. Why am I writing this? Because I CARE ABOUT the people who are dying because of Diabetes and I genuinely feel that something can be done about it - quickly enough for most people luckily.

Diabetes is killing people. By 2020 it's predicted to become the world's largest killer. What are we doing about it? Can something be done about it? What causes it in the first place? Is it Genetic? Life-Style disease? Some unpredictable combination of Genetics, Life Style etc? As diverse as these questions are, equally diverse and perplexing are the answers too. So what is a person inflicted with Diabetes to do apart from following what the doctor prescribes?

The author of this blog was diagnosed with Diabetes 2 years ago. It did not immediately impact my life materially but with passage of time it surely started making its impact felt. Initially I checked with the doctors, got the tests done and sought advice. I was told that I should manage my 'life-style' which involved a significant amount of alcohol consumption. I also used to smoke and chew tobacco until about 2 years ago. I realized I had to stop ALL of this if I wanted to give myself a half-decent life; half-decent because the other half was already 'spent' the day I earned the 'diabetic label'.

Diabetes is a disease of the physiological system and impacts EVERYTHING. Mind is connected to matter and as such our mind is connected to our body. The connection is pretty palpable. It is the mind which through a complex array of synapses and neurons controls everything happening inside our bodies. When I say control it means: it 'manages' everything: all sensory perceptions arise from the mind. It is the seat of pleasure and pain. It is the one which FEELS the pain and then TELLS that it's feeling the pain. Whom does it TELL? It tells the body.

One can read a lot of literature on the physiology behind diabetes. Basically, the trigger for diabetes occurs when the so called Beta Cells in the Pancreas start experiencing 'Insulin Burn-Out'. This happens when the cells refuse to accept the insulin the beta cells produce when the blood sugar level rises, such as after consuming food. When we eat food, it gets processed and glucose is released into the blood stream that has the effect of elevating the blood sugar. In response to this increase in blood sugar, the beta cells within the pancreas start secreting insulin into the blood stream.

At the cellular level, the cells need the energy from glucose and they need insulin to 'process' this glucose. They must therefore allow the insulin to enter them. For the insulin to 'enter' the cells, the latter must figuratively speaking 'provide access' to it; the process by which the insulin enters these cells is in many ways like a typical lock and key combination. In a diabetic patient this lock and key combination has been impacted adversely so that now the cells are not absorbing as much insulin as they used to do or should be doing. As a result the insulin just keeps sticking around in the blood stream instead of helping the cells 'convert' the glucose into energy. This causes the blood sugar level to remain elevated and hence the beta cells keep producing more and more of the insulin (thinking obviously that enough is not enough) to bring the sugar levels down. Soon this process becomes akin to flogging a dead horse and leads to what is known as the Insulin Burn-Out. The glucose levels remain elevated because the glucose cannot be processed by the cells; the cells themselves remain starved of energy and this explains why the Diabetics continually experience fatigue - they just aren't getting enough energy from the food they are eating. This gives rise to what is commonly known as Diabetes Mellitus or Type II Diabetes. There is a type 1 diabetes as well which is of a slightly different nature but has a somewhat similar physiology. It's less common though than Type II diabetes.

The kidneys and the liver swing into action and begin working overtime to 'clean' the system. The kidneys now have to filter out blood glucose as well. Understandably this causes a considerable drain on them. The Liver responds by converting glucose into fat and storing it in places where they can be easily stored. This leads to people gaining weight and loss of body shape. Obesity is another name given to this fat build-up.


So what are we to do when insulin processing gets hampered in the system?

Well, one thing is very clear. What the Allopathic medicines do is that they do not cure the root cause but keep attacking the symptoms. They further lead to the build-up of toxic waste within the body as well. As pointed out by the author of the book DeathToDiabetes, the allopathic medicines instead of curing the disease actually make it worse. The pharmaceutical companies around the world make millions of dollars with this disease and hence would consider it an anathema to start educating people about this subject that will lead to wealth erosion for them. Millions are spent in research and drug manufacturing. It's a hell of an expensive disease no questions about it.

This individual who wrote DeathToDiabetes was miraculously able to CURE his diabetes. I don't know the truth of it. But he has proclaimed it to the world and written books and created a website to spread awareness about the issue. So I deduce that there must be 'some' truth behind it. Regardless of the truth, I did employ some of the suggestions on the website especially concerning the food habits with a consistently remarkable recovery in my blood sugar levels. This was exciting enough, which prompted me to use my blog as a means to spread this knowledge and awareness that perhaps diabetes can really be controlled fabulously if not completely reversed by making some changes to our food habits.

For starters: I removed most if not all 'processed' food from my eating routine. This includes all sexy things such as French Fries (Ah..the killers) and Burgers and the list goes on. You all know that. For detailed feedback consult you dietician. But the idea is: They HARM. No questions about it.

Then I started eating a lot of fiber. Flax seed is a wonderful option and quite easily available. Eat brown rice. Don't eat the processed white rice. Eat multigrain wheat. Processed flour is to be chucked aside. I am not an expert in this area. But I am just mentioning what I did myself. Each person's food requirements are unique and a lot of circumstances - socio-cultural, economic and others - drive what a person eats or considers worth while to eat. But Fast Foods have invaded our lifestyles regardless of culture. You'll get a Mcdonalds in Alaska too perhaps. You must also remember one thing - and my 'science' background did aid somewhat in furthering my understanding of this subject - that the human body prefers an ALKALINE to an ACIDIC environment. It's alright to think what am I talking about at this point because without a 'science' background this would appear like a lot of garbage and terminology. Actually, it's not that complicated. We are all too familiar with Acidity and how it makes us 'inconvenienced'. That happens when the body enters an Acidic environment. All acid producing foods must therefore be actively discouraged from entering into our menus (you can without batting an eyelid choose ALL your FAVORITE foods if you are anywhere like me! - Burgers, French Fries, Coke[diet/non-diet]). On the other hand all foods that promote an alkaline environment must be encouraged (Blue Berries, Sweet Potatoes, Flax Seed, Aloe Vera all kinds of Fruits - avocados, apples etc, and the list goes on). Consuming regular milk for example, produces an acidic environment in people with low lactase (or may be lactose) tolerance. They must switch to SOY milk immediately.

On a related note and touching a subject that has a massive influence on me: Meditation, Praying, Exercising all help promote an ALKALINE environment within the body and help clean the toxic build up from Acidic environments.

Why am I talking Acidic/Alkaline here? I am giving you the TOOLS to research further. When you buy food next time, keep this in mind. Ask the right people - indeed FIND the right people who can guide. The idea is - don't just sit back and let the disease - to borrow an expression from DeathToDiabtes website - ROT you from inside; It sure does. I will keep appending to this blog as more information and insights become available to me. But get this straight: You've got to take charge of this.

As an aside, I quit smoking and tobacco consumption 2 years ago and have stayed off it since then. Smoking cessation is a widely discussed subject and many websites again are dedicated to it. I will talk about my experience some other time. I will only hasten to add for now that I truly believe in the maxim: A human being is infinitely capable and infinitely incapable all at once. This perhaps comes from the duality principle in Physics: Matter behaves as waves and particles both. We can invoke the properties of either entity depending on the problem at hand. Similarly, our capabilities are also infinite and limited both. It depends on what we want to make them to be? This unfortunately is what we often don't realize. The POWER is within us. It just needs to be realized. Truly 'realized'. Rest is easy.

Good luck and with affection! And oh by the way here's the link to the DeathToDiabtes website: Death To Diabetes.

Go on...be a winner :)