Health Tips

Thought I would do a post on health tips without going into a lot of detail. these are things you may or may not already know about.

I have been promoting reading labels of every food item you purchase for some time now. I have even mentioned that you can't just blindly trust those food labels either. Case in Point:

• Trans Fats -0- / Maybe and maybe not. Our illustrious FDA allows companies to put ZERO trans fats on the label as long as there is 49% or less trans fats in a given serving. One does not need to be a rocket scientist or a math professor to realize how easy it is to modify the number of servings in a pre-packaged items to live up to the 49% threshold and the LIE to the public that the product contains ZERO trans fats. TRUTH in labeling would mean that the whole package contains approximately 50% trans fats.
• Sodium is NOT the culprit you think it is.Several studies from the American Heart Association indicates you could double the current daily limit of 1500 mg before your blood pressure would start to climb.
• FAT is not necessarily the enemy - Unsaturated fat , especially monounsaturated fats such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado, peanut butter and some nuts and seeds can actually slash your risk of heart disease. CAUTION - it has come to my attention that a lot of even the extra virgin cold pressed organic olive oil sold in Walmart, and your typical grocery store may not contain much real olive oil and for my 2 cents
  , go with all natural peanut butter as the other brands are full of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Go to a store that sells HIGH END extra virgin olive oil.
• Paleo diet - High protein and low carb - high in red meat may help you lose weight but it increases the risk of coronary heart disease.
• Tinnitus - I did a post a couple of months ago on sudden ringing in the ears, wind tunnel type sounds and loss of hearing in one ear. At the time I read about bioflavnoids and drinking a glass of warm lemon juice first thing every morning before eating or drinking anything else. i have a hearing test coming up next week to see how much my hearing may have improved. THE RINGING HOWEVER STOPPED ON THE SECOND DAY OF drinking the squeezed juice of one whole lemon every morning. There is another product out there with good reviews called "Ear Tone" and it can be purchased at Walgreens.
• Vitamin D3 - among it many benefits, there is evidence that is helps in weight reduction also. I am seeing a lot of recommendations of 5000 IU as opposed to 2000 IU's.
• WALKING - 150 minutes weekly (30 mins a day times 5 days) will add years to your life and life to your years.

EAT MORE VEGGIES:

God Bless,

Dan

"If you expect the worst, you get the worst. If you expect the best, you will get the best"

Norman Vincent Peale

DID YOU KNOW Health Tips?

Here are a few health tips you may or may not be aware of:

1) Women with good vitamin E levels are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis!

In a study involving 232 postmenopausal women with or without osteoporosis, women who had osteoporosis had 17% LESS vitamin E compared to other circulating lipids. Women with the highest circulating levels of vitamin E had healthy bone mineral density and were deemed 32% less likely to develop osteoporosis.

2) Study shows taking 400 mg of magnesium daily improves cardiovascular health.

19 studies worldwide involving 532,979 people indicated a definitive link between magnesium levels and all forms of cardiovascular disease. The greatest heart health was found to be in those who consumed 400mg of magnesium daily.

3) B vitamins may help preserve brain size and function

The brain shrinks with age and shrinkage in certain areas of the brain has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. In the study participants took either a placebo or 800 mcg of folic acid, 500 mcg of vitamin B12, and 20 mg of vitamin B6 daily. Over a two year period both groups lost gray matter (brain shrinkage) however the placebo group lost 7X more than the B-vitamin group. Homo cysteine levels played an important role in the study. B-vitamins are known to lower homo cysteine levels.

4) Vitamin C improves breathing after exercise by reducing airway narrowing by 50%

About 1 in 10 people experience airway narrowing after exercise, and in winter sports up to 1/2 of people experience narrowing of airways. Vitamin C reduced narrowing by nearly 50%...That is SIGNIFICANT.
Vitamin C dosages were done in three separate groups:

•  500 mg one and 1/2 hours before exercise
•  2000 mg of vitamin C  one hour before exercise
• 1500 mg of Vitamin C daily for two weeks

After examining the data and comparing results doctor's said these promising results suggest physically active people may reduce respiratory symptoms by taking Vitamin C.

Item #4 did not reveal which groups did better or worse, however ALL those taking vitamin C showed improvement. See all of my posts on all the WONDERS OF VITAMIN C.

I might be in favor of national health care if it required all Democrats to get their heads examined.
Ann Coulter 

The foundation of success in life is good health: that is the substratum fortune; it is also the basis of happiness. A person cannot accumulate a fortune very well when he is sick.
P. T. Barnum


God Bless,

Dan

Torn Meniscus

What does a torn Meniscus have to do with Type 2 Diabetes? Good question as I never would have thought there was a connection until I found out I had one. I missed a rung on a ladder at a part time job I was working at this past summer. When I came down with heavy parts in my hands, my left leg hit the floor causing me to lose my balance and fall backwards into some shelving. I was more embarrassed than hurt at the time, or so I thought.

As the next two months or so went by, the pain and stiffness in my left knee became a real issue. I was NO longer able to do my squats with the dumb bells which was a major part of my exercise routine to help control my blood glucose levels by using major muscle groups during exercise.

What to do? Until recently I had NOT been to a doctor or chiropractor to have the knee problem diagnosed. I still have NOT had an MRI which is the only sure way to absolutely know if you have a tear in the meniscus and the extent of the tear and whether surgery might be recommended. In my case, I recently went to a chiropractor that I have used for many years on and off. She put both my legs through a range of motion exercises and made notes of which movements aggravated the pain level. Her determination was about 99% sure I had torn my meniscus in my left knee. The bad news is that she was 99% sure I had torn my meniscus........................and the good news is that NOW I KNOW ABOUT IT and can start down the road to recovery. You Improvise, you Adapt, you Overcome.

She gave me a couple of simple exercises along with advice on using ice on the knee. I immediately took her advice and stopped any and all weight bearing squats etc. to give the knee a rest. I also use one of the gel type ice packs on the knee when sitting in my recliner with my feet up. I think the biggest thing that has helped me is sitting in a straight backed chair and raising and extending my foot out and up and then back down. I am doing this probably 50-75 times a day now with maybe 10-15 reps at a time several times throughout the day. The improvement has been DRAMATIC. I have continued my walking and push ups on the stairs etc., and at some point hope to return to some squats with the dumb bells.

I am going to post a couple of links that should you ever find yourself in this situation, you will have a working knowledge of what a torn meniscus is and steps you can take to rectify the situation and get yourself back in the game so to speak.

http://catalog.nucleusinc.com/generateexhibit.php?ID=4118&ExhibitKeywordsRaw=&TL=&A=2

The above link will give you diagrams and an explanation of what a torn meniscus is.

The link below will give you advice on exercises you can do to alleviate the pain and strengthen your knee area.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/knee-strengthening-exercises-for-torn-meniscus.html

OBVIOUSLY you need to consult a chiropractor or physical therapist FIRST to determine the extent of your injury and to see if you need an MRI and/or possibly surgery,

Dan

Hos 4:6.............My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Isa 53:5.............He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

What Really Makes Us Fat?

I recently read an article while in the local Hospital waiting room from a November 2008 issue of "MotherEarthNews" magazine. I found it interesting and enlightening.

The article placed more emphasis on what your grandmother had to say about this subject than what most of the medical community and nutritionists have had to say since around 1970. The gist of the article was that somewhere around the early 1970's conventional age old nutritional wisdom was thrown out the window so to speak and replaced by, "A calorie is a calorie is a calorie irregardless of the source of that calorie. In other words (Carbohydrates do not make you fat), and eating foods such as potatoes, pasta, rice, sweets, drinking beer etc. are not responsible for weight gain. Today it seems that ALL food including Hostess Twinkes, rich desserts of all kinds smothered in chocolate and whip cream, cream filled donuts etc. are a valuable part of the complete diet and should not be avoided since 100 calories from rich deserts is equal to a 100 calories from a large raw salad.

In contrast, Grandmother taught us that carbohydrates are generally fattening while food rich in FAT and PROTEIN are not. An article published in the British Journal Of Nutrition in 1963 co-authored by one of the leading nutritionists of that era confirmed that thinking.

The article was written by Gary Taubes who is an investigative journalist who works in the science and health arena. He has spent the last decade assessing the conventional wisdom  on diet, weight control and disease.

He made several points in his article:

• Obesity and overweight is not caused by eating too much and certainly NOT by eating food with "too much fat".
• Carbohydrates and NOT fat are the cause of excess weight. Eating carbohydrates triggers a hormonal response (Insulin secretion) that signals our bodies to  accumulate fat.
• Exercise doesn't necessarily make us lose weight. (MY INPUT - it certainly helps )
• Dietary fat, whether saturated or not is NOT the cause of heart disease. The blame goes to eaisly digestible carbohydrates and sugars which eventually cause the disease that will kill us including heart disease, diabetes and most cancers.

(MY INPUT) I would add to that that the introduction of HYDROGENATED AND PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS into the American diet have in large part contributed to diabetes and heart disease and a host of other problems along with carbonated diet or regular colas and soft drinks for their effect on the PH Factor. See other posts on interstitial fluid and posts on the PH Factor of our foods.

Dan

Romans 8:32 "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" NOTE - Surely this includes healing!!!

Women Who Have Diabetes And Depression

I have been doing some research on women who suffer from both DIABETES and DEPRESSION and the statistics are staggering.

In 2000 a study was conducted by Frank B Hu PHD from Harvard medical school on women who suffered from diabetes, along with women who suffered from depression and women who suffered from both.

They collected data on 78,242 women who were between the ages of 54 and 79 in the year 2000 and were enrolled in the nurses study. They kept statistics for a period of 6 years during which:

• 4654 of the women died of which 979 died of heart disease
• Women with diabetes had a 35% risk of dying in the 6 year period
• Women with depression had a 44% chance of dying as opposed to women with neither condition
• Women who had both diabetes and depression as opposed to women who had neither condition

The study results published in a recent article in the Archives Of General Psychiatry indicated that women with both conditions had a 2X risk of dying.

Since having diabetes all by itself can cause depression worry over the risk of the diabetes, it is imperative that you keep close tabs on your blood glucose readings, eat right, avoid rich deserts, junk food, anything made with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, carbonated soft drinks, and other flavored waters, fast food milk shakes, fruit smoothies loaded with sugar etc. You should also participate in some form of doctor approved exercise every day.

1/4 of all people who have diabetes also have depression which on average is 2X the depression rate of non-diabetics.

There is a lot of buzz about depression and THYROID ailments on the net. IF I were a woman and had been diagnosed with depression, I would certainly want a second opinion to have my THYROID function tested, before I let someone put me on standard depression prescription drugs with their many dangerous side effects.

HERE is a link to an article concerning thyroid issues:

LINK to Thyroid problems and Depression

I will let you read the thyroid article and will NOT added anything to it. It is information you should at the very least be aware of before going on depression type drugs.

Dan

Hydrogenated Oils / How They Are made and Why They Are So Deadly

I keep coming back to the hydrogenated oil story because I honestly believe as in the last post that the hydrogenated oil and the high fructose corn syrup are the major culprits in the Type 2 Diabetes story. The ADA spends literally tens of millions of dollars in research for the cause and cure of type 2 Diabetes every year and yet totally ignore the research and statistics and history of hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. Instead it seems to me that the money is spent by Big Pharma in producing more and newer drugs that do absolutely NOTHING to implement a cure and only mask the symptoms of the disease and allow it to progress. Until and unless the research turns towards a CURE at the cellular level and works with the body to unclog the "insulin receptors " of our cells, diabetes will remain rampant and will get worse and worse.

New Cases of Diagnosed Diabetes

Source: 2007–2009 National Health Interview Survey estimates projected to the year 2010

LINK To how Hydrogenated and partially Hydrogenated Oils Are made

EXCERPT:

Hydrogenated oil is made by heating vegetable oil to over 400 degrees in the presence of an aluminum or nickel catalyst and bubbling hydrogen through the super-heated oil for about six hours. 

Besides leaching toxic metal into the oil, doing this changes the molecular structure of the oil in such a way that it will never spoil, thereby extending shelf life and eliminating the need of refrigeration of both the cooking oil and products made with the oil.
The number one source of transfatty acid in our food supply is hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oil, which is found on COUNTLESS products including nearly all commercial baked goods, and literally thousands of food products from margarine, non-dairy coffee creamer and frozen dinners, to chips, French-fries, and most main courses on most fast food menus.

Transfatty Acid – What Is Trans Fat

The process of hydrogenation distorts the molecular structure of the vegetable oil and produces a TRANS FATTY ACID. 
A trans-fatty acid molecule is distorted in shape and size; the molecule is an extremely odd shape, it doesn’t fit in with other molecules in your body and disrupts the natural flow of things.
Other molecules that don’t fit naturally into the pattern of human biochemistry include things like pesticides, synthetics and drugs; these substances are designed specifically to DISRUPT the normal flow of electrons and they accomplish this most efficiently.
All hydrogenated oil and all partially hydrogenated oil contains transfat, not because it is added, but because transfat production is a natural and unavoidable result of the process of hydrogenation.

Hydrogenated Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Oil and Transfatty Acids Damage Your Health

Molecularly deformed, trans-fatty acids interfere with the work of essential fatty acids and disrupt the production of important bio-chemicals, (prostaglandins), that regulate everything from blood pressure and kidney and heart function to inflammation and immune system strength and much more.
Prostaglandins are involved in regulating every organ in your body.  Anything that inhibits EFAs from doing their job or inhibits prostaglandin production is EXTREMELY BAD FOR YOU and hydrogenated oils do both.

One reason many face serious health concerns is; they unknowingly consume food that slowly and methodically destroys their health. 

It’s not like getting hit by a truck.  It’s more like dropping the frog in the warm comfortable water and slowly turning up the heat.  Before the frog knows it… his goose is cooked!

Hydrogenated Oil And Transfatty Acids Cause High Cholesterol

Trans fatty acids can increase blood cholesterol levels by up to 15% and increase blood triglyceride levels up to 47% very rapidly after hydrogenated oil is ingested.  These are dramatic negative increases and that could have devastating consequences depending on other factors.  Do the French fries really taste good enough to put yourself at that kind of increased risk?
Avoid HYDROGENATED OILS and all foods that contain them because hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oil are essentially nothing but transfatty acid in a bottle.

Hydrogenated Oil And Transfat Negatively Affect Your Heart & Blood Pressure

Trans fatty acids are extra sticky and sticky fats can cause blood platelets to become extra sticky and stick together, thickening the blood, increasing blood pressure and increasing disease risk.
Trans fatty acids take longer to break down inside your body than regular fats and that can be a big problem because fat is the primary fuel source your heart runs on.
If your diet is high in trans fatty acid, your heart cannot quickly access fuel during periods of increased activity, stress or crisis.
Not getting the fuel it needs lowers heart performance and can have serious consequences anytime there’s increased demand on your heart, which could be anytime at all.
Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard’s School of Public Health reports “Trans fat is the largest amount of artificial chemical in our food supply”.   Dr. Willett and Dr. Ronald M. Krauss of the American Heart Association played a big role in getting the FDA to require trans fatty acid content be listed on product labels.
Because fast foods and commercially baked goods are typically loaded with trans fat, Dr. Willett and others recently prevailed with the FDA to require trans fat content to be listed as part of the nutrition information printed on labels, boxes, cartons and so on.
Dr. Willett believes parents are concerned about their kids’ health and should know if food is loaded with health-destroying fat.
In a victory for the consumer, several states, now mandate the removal of transfat-containing oils from the cooking process.

As a passionate capitalist, I’m repulsed by government interference, which is both morally corrupt, special interest driven and pitifully inefficient.
However, as a nutritionist and someone who understands how hydrogenated oils and transfat damage health, I say hydrogenated oil and transfatty acid consumption is responsible for more deaths annually than all forms of drug abuse combined, and because of this, I wouldn’t be upset if these oils were legislated out of existence.   They really are that bad.
For more on hydrogenated oil and partially hydrogenated oil, including a more complete look at all the ways hydrogenated oil and transfat gets into the food we eat, take a look at this article.
Hydrogenated oil and transfatty acids are abundantly bad for you and seriously interfere with your ability to reach a healthy body weight and easily maintain that weight.  If losing weight, keeping it off and becoming healthy and strong in every way measurable is a topic of interest for you, you will enjoy my new book, 5 Steps To Optimal Health.
Written by Dr. Russell J. Martino, Ph.D
The Voice Of Health

MY INPUT:

IF you are serious about getting well and getting OFF the drug-mobile and putting type 2 diabetes behind you, you NEED to check out this link and the ones in the previous post and do your own research and then make a decision to do something about it by avoiding those foods that contain hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup.

Dan

(James 5:14-16 NKJV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. {15} And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. {16} Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Benefits Of Eating Spinach

Let's keep it simple today and list the many benefits of eating spinach (especially baby spinach) or in my case, DRINKING my spinach. I keep experimenting with green smoothies and the VitaMix drinks. One of my favorites is adding the following to about 8 ounces of water: 10 red grapes, 3 to 4 stalks of celery with the leaves, one medium apple minus the seeds and core, one full sized carrot, 1/3 of a cucumber with the  skin and a big handful of baby spinach and 2 packets of stevia along with 5 ice cubes. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of vanilla yogurt or 1/2 mango etc. (Serves 2 or 3 people)

Let take a look at the baby spinach for a minute:

• High phytonutrient content  anti inflammatory
• Anti cancer
• Lowers blood pressure
• Contains: Vitamins C, E,  & Beta Carotene
• Contains calcium, Magnesium, Zinc
• Contains Manganese, selenium, Folate, & potassium
• Vitamin B6, Iron, Vitamin A
• Copper, niacin and Omega 3 fatty acids and fiber
• Bone supportive & healthy heart nutrients and also aids digestion
• Good source of anti-oxidants

One cup of handful of raw baby spinach ONLY contains 7 calories, 7 grams of carbohydrate (THE GOOD KIND), 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein

OH, I ALMOST forgot, that raw spinach is great for helping to balance your body's PH factor. Go back and read posts on the PH factor and your interstitial fluid that surrounds your cells and tissues.

EXCERPT on PH factor of foods:

pH Balance Chart

Most Alkaline	Alkaline	Lowest Alkaline	FOOD CATEGORY	Lowest Acid	Acid	Most Acid
Stevia	Maple Syrup, Rice Syrup	Raw Honey, Raw Sugar	SWEETENERS	Processed Honey, Molasses	White Sugar, Brown Sugar	NutraSweet, Equal, Aspartame, Sweet 'N Low
Lemons, Watermelon, Limes, Grapefruit, Mangoes, Papayas	Dates, Figs, Melons, Grapes, Papaya, Kiwi, Blueberries, Apples, Pears, Raisins	Oranges, Bananas, Cherries, Pineapple, Peaches, Avocados	FRUITS	Plums, Processed Fruit Juices	Sour Cherries, Rhubarb	Blackberries, Cranberries, Prunes
Asparagus, Onions, Vegetable Juices, Parsley, Raw Spinach, Broccoli, Garlic	Okra, Squash, Green Beans, Beets, Celery, Lettuce, Zucchini, Sweet Potato, Carob	Carrots, Tomatoes, Fresh Corn, Mushrooms, Cabbage, Peas, Potato Skins, Olives, Soybeans, Tofu	BEANS VEGETABLES LEGUMES	Cooked Spinach, Kidney Beans, String Beans	Potatoes (without skins), Pinto Beans, Navy Beans, Lima Beans	Chocolate
	Almonds	Chestnuts	NUTS SEEDS	Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds	Pecans, Cashews	Peanuts, Walnuts
Olive Oil	Flax Seed Oil	Canola Oil	OILS	Corn Oil
		Amaranth, Millet, Wild Rice, Quinoa	GRAINS CEREALS	Sprouted Wheat Bread, Spelt, Brown Rice	White Rice, Corn, Buckwheat, Oats, Rye	Wheat, White Flour, Pastries, Pasta
			MEATS	Venison, Cold Water Fish	Turkey, Chicken, Lamb	Beef, Pork, Shellfish
	Breast Milk	Soy Cheese, Soy Milk, Goat Milk, Goat Cheese, Whey	EGGS DAIRY	Eggs, Butter, Yogurt, Buttermilk, Cottage Cheese	Raw Milk	Cheese, Homogenized Milk, Ice Cream
Herb Teas, Lemon Water	Green Tea	Ginger Tea	BEVERAGES	Tea	Coffee	Beer, Soft Drinks

Note that a food's acid or alkaline-forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. For example, lemons are very acidic, however the end-products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so lemons are alkaline-forming in the body. Likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion but it leaves very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid-forming.

FOR ME, it keeps coming up Interstitial fluid and watching the PH factor, along with avoiding products containing hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, all CARBONATED soda & cola products, and every day doing aerobic and weight resistance exercises. Lay off the deserts, including but not limited to: cakes, pies, puddings, ice cream, doughnuts, muffins, all white flour products (biscuits, scones, white bread, Italian bread, and all white flour should be avoided for any baking etc. Lay off the syrup on the pancakes, the butter scotch ice cream toppings, chocolate syrup, hot fudge anything, brownies, etc.

Dan


Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Interstitial Fluid and Type 2 Diabetes For Dummies / LIKE ME

More on Interstitial (Pronounced .......INTER STISH EL) fluid and why it is important that you understand what happened to yours and possibly how you got Type 2 Diabetes to begin with. This explanation is so SIMPLE it is scary and yet the more I read about the PH Miracle factor and this very special fluid, the more I think, this is where the research should be going on. I don't think, we should keep spending billions of dollars of research money on another prescription drug. I THINK it should be spent getting the word out on how to balance the PH of this fluid that bathes and surrounds our tissues and cells.

LINK to Reversing Insulin Resistance and Interstitial Fluid

EXCERPT:

Insulin Resistance occurs when the internal environment, which is the interstitial fluid that surrounds your body cells becomes acidic and oxidative (due to years of unhealthy diet). Years of exposing to oxidation and acidosis had reduced the sensitivity of the insulin receptors on the cell membrane. And when insulin cannot open up the glucose channels to transport the glucose molecule into the cells to be used or stored, that forces those glucose molecules to bounce back into the blood stream.

READ THAT FIRST PARAGRAPH AGAIN, AS I BELIEVE IT HOLDS THE KEY TO UNLOCK THE MYSTERY OF TYPE 2 DIABETES.

In addition to external sources of glucose (such as high carbohydrate or sugar foods), there is another source of glucose which is hidden within your body, the liver. When your body needs energy, it will signal the liver to turn those stored fat (in the form of glycogen) into glucose through a process known as gluconeogenesis. Thus, your body will try to use up the stored glycogen first before it sends out the "hungry signal" asking you to eat.

The right question to ask is, "What causes insulin resistance and how we can reverse it?" You must understand and always remember that the actual root of the problem is acidosis and oxidation. Thus, you should focus on how to neutralize the acidic toxic and how to increase the anti-oxidative capability within your body instead of wasting your time searching for the latest diabetes drugs.

Continuously taking Metformin will never solve your problem. Taking those temporary solution drugs  only rolls the problem to build up a much bigger problem (kidney or liver failure) in the future.

MY INPUT:

Will you EVER reverse your Type 2 Diabetes and improve your insulin resistance by taking diabetic drugs such as Metformin and Glipizide? Short answer is NO. You do NOT HAVE a diabetic drug deficiency and therefore continuously taking those diabetic drugs will NOT cure or REVERSE your diabetes.

Dan

(Jeremiah 17:14 NKJV) Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.

(Matthew 9:35 NKJV) Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
  

(Matthew 10:1 NKJV) And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. (Including Type 2 Diabetes)

Luke 8:48 NKJV) And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace." 

Today is the day for planning for the future.
Yesterday is for looking back and realizing your mistakes.
Tomorrow is for the wishing times.
Remember, everyday God takes you by the hand and says,
"No matter how difficult the path you tread .. I will never leave your side."
~Rion~  

Drug Weaning Process, HOW TO'S?

How does one go about weaning him or herself off prescription drugs?

FIRST and foremost, you need to recognize and agree that prescription drugs are NOT the long term answer to your Type 2 diabetes. Then you need to write out a plan and parameters as to exactly how you will accomplish your goal (preferably with your doctor's help and permission).

IF you are on several different drugs as for example, blood pressure meds, different diabetes meds, cholesterol meds etc., it would probably not be a good idea to try and wean yourself off all of them at the same time.

That being said, if you are on (2) diabetes meds, like I am, I decided to start with GLIPIZIDE, for no other reason than the Glipizide tablets I am on are scored with a line down the middle allowing me to safely cut those pills in 1/2. I checked this with my doctor first and set a goal of a certain parameter in my glucose readings that I wanted to be at before cutting the dose in 1/2. I started out by going from (1) full tablet in the morning to 1/2 tablet. Then I set a plan to also cut the nightly dose in 1/2 instead of a full tablet.

Next on the agenda was to cut the nightly dose of (2) Metformin tablets down to one. Metformin tablets have no allowable provision for cutting the tablets in 1/2, so that was not an option. For the most part, I am now taking 1/2 of a Glipizide tab in the AM and 1/2 in the PM. I am experimenting depending on night time blood sugar readings with sometimes only taking (1) Metformin and sometimes (2).

That is another option used by DeWayne McCulley in his book, "Death To Diabetes", is  if a medication does not allow you to cut it in half, begin by taking it every OTHER DAY to start with.

To me this was a logical process to take, just the same as trying my best to eat right, exercise more, give up the carbonated sodas, the empty calorie foods etc.

What has NEVER made any sense to me, is to be on a certain level of medication to control your blood glucose levels and have NO flexibility with those levels when you are trying to reduce your caloric intake, exercise more etc. and then find yourself waking up in the middle of the night with a blood sugar of say 62 to 85 and then feeling you have to EAT something with sugar in it so you don't go hypoglycemic and pass out.

IT IS at that point in your progression that you should think about cutting your medication to accommodate your better exercise and eating habits. You should NOT be waking up in the middle of the night and scrambling around trying to eat the ADA recommended 15 grams of carbohydrate and wait 15 minutes and then RE-test before going back to sleep.

Since the goal should be to wean yourself off the meds entirely along with their detrimental side effects, you don't want to be eating 15 grams of some sugary carbohydrate at 4:AM in the morning. To me anyway, it is much more logical to cut back on the nightly dose of diabetes medicine, so you will not end up with a blood sugar crisis in the middle of the night.

It is a learning curve. I myself, went through the TOO DARN LOW blood sugar readings at 3AM to 4:30AM a few times and eating the 15 recommended carbs game before I decided it was time to voluntarily cut my meds. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment and keeps you excited about your own goals to wean yourself off everything IF POSSIBLE. I keep reminding myself that the prescription drugs ARE NOT HEALING ME OF ANYTHING.

Don't try to go too fast and realize you may have a set back here and there. it is hard to TRAVEL or go on vacation and not have an off day or two in the process. We are HUMAN and not robots. Just don't let your vacation put you back to base ZERO again either. Keep your goal written down and where you can see them and keep plugging along. You will like yourself better, if you stick with it. It will make you stronger and you will likely live longer.

Dan

“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Milagro De La Selvo Tea (vs.) Metformin

In my recent research it appears that  the only real criticism of the Milagro tea is that is causes the pancreas to increase the production of INSULIN. I have been looking at some of the FDA approved commonly used diabetes drugs and am finding out that these drugs ALSO increase insulin production with a HOST of possible evil side effects.

Partial list as follows: 

How Do the Different Pills Work?
Oral diabetes medications attack the problem in three ways.
More insulin: Some pills stimulate your pancreas to produce more insulin. The first successful “diabetes pills” were the sulfonylureas (glyburide, glipizide, glimepiride, tolazamide, chlorpropamide, and tolbutamide). These are insulin secretagogues, that is, chemicals that cause your pancreas to produce more insulin. When you take these medications, your body is still not processing insulin as effectively as it should, but there is more of it in your bloodstream to process.


There was a comment in my last post from one of the forum contributors, who indicated that the moderator also believed in Santa Claus if they honestly felt that the FDA would be all over promoting any natural product as successful as this tea appears to be. I tend to lean towards that direction. There have been horror stories for years of the FDA repressing knowledge and research in the natural product arena while promoting and approving drugs like Avandia.

EXCERPT on Avandia:

Avandia Side Effects May Have Hurt or Killed 100,000 People: Draft Study

June 11, 2010 By AboutLawsuits

A draft study by an FDA scientist has linked side effects of Avandia to tens of thousands of heart problems among elderly users, and suggests that more than 100,000 Americans may have suffered heart attacks, strokes or other problems from Avandia since the drug was introduced.
The draft Avandia study (pdf) was performed by drug safety reviewers from FDA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). According to a story by Pharmalot, a drug reviewer at the FDA is pushing for the study to be published in a medical journal in the near future, while the FDA is continuing its own analysis of the safety of GlaxoSmithKline’s diabetes drug.
The researchers performed an observational study looking at data from more than 227,000 Avandia users over the age of 65 and compared those with users of the competing diabetes drug Actos, by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. They found that in that age group, Avandia increased the risk of stroke by 27%, the risk of heart failure by 25%, and the risk of death by 13%. Overall, the researchers estimated that 48,000 elderly users experienced an event attributable to Avandia side effects.

Here is a link and an excerpt from The Health Ranger's website on the dangers of FDA approved drugs and the injuries and deaths resulting from these drugs they have approved. You may want to add MIKE ADAM's website to your favorites.

Mike Adams On FDA Abuses

SHORT EXCERPT:

FDA-approved prescription drugs injure 2.2 million and kill approximately 100,000 Americans each year, according to peer-reviewed published studies, and more realistic estimates put the number of deaths at over 200,000 people annually in the United States alone (see Death By Medicine for detailed statistics). Vioxx, according to senior FDA drug safety researcher Dr. David Graham, appears responsible for the deaths of over 60,000 Americans, and further deaths due to beta blockers, antidepressant drugs, statins and other medications continue to mount by the hour.
The resulting FDA body count of American casualties makes the casualties of war look small in comparison. The Vietnam War claimed the lives of approximately 50,000 Americans (plus many more Vietnamese), and a memorial in Washington D.C. honors those who died. But FDA-approved prescription drugs have killed well over a million Americans, yet no memorial will be built, no honors bestowed, and now the FDA would deny the families of those victims their legal right to fight for any sort of compensation.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/019497.html#ixzz0HTMymJTy

Let's go back to Metformin which I have been taking since first being diagnosed as a type 2 Diabetic. Here is a list of side effects for Metformin:

Based on these studies, the most common metformin side effects include: 
Ø      Diarrhea — occurring in up to 53.2 percent of people
Ø      Nausea or vomiting — in up to 25.5 percent
Ø      Gas — in up to 12.1 percent
Ø      Weakness — in up to 9.2 percent
Ø      Indigestion — in up to 7.1 percent
Ø      Abdominal discomfort (or stomach discomfort) — in up to 6.4 percent
Ø      Headache — in up to 5.7 percent.
Ø      Lactic Acidosis
 Other Metformin Side-Effects listed:
 Dizziness
Headache
Vomiting
Anxious feeling
Behavior change similar to being drunk
Blurred vision
Cold sweats
Confusion
Convulsions (seizures)
Cool pale skin
Cough
Difficulty in concentrating
Drowsiness
Excessive hunger
Fast heartbeat
Fever
Headache (continuing)
Nausea
Nervousness
Nightmares
Restless sleep
Shakiness
Slurred speech
Sneezing
Sore throat
Unconsciousness
Unusual tiredness or weakness
Abdominal or stomach discomfort
Decreased appetite
Diarrhea
Fast shallow breathing
General feeling of discomfort
Muscle pain or cramping
Unusual sleepiness

There it is, and we have so much information about Metformin and it’s possible side-effects. You should report any side effects you have to you medical professional.

LAST but NOT least, Metformin apparently also increases production of insulin. Does that mean if the FDA approves a  prescription drug that in part works by increasing production of insulin that is OK?, however if a natural product does the same thing without side effects, that is NOT OK?

Admittedly I am just finding out about this special tea and there may possibly be more to it, however on the surface, I would personally opt for the natural product every time.

It is commonly believed at least in essence, that the Hippocratic Oath had a statement of "First Do No Harm". The following excerpt from a study on this reveals it is NOT exactly worded as such and yet the essence of what is written is in there.

LINK to Hippocratic Oath:

EXCERPT:

I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art. I will not cut persons laboring under the stone, but will leave this to be done by men who are practitioners of this work. Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and, further from the seduction of females or males, of freemen and slaves.

Perhaps the FDA should revisit the above.


Dan


Most men die of their remedies, not of their illnesses.
- Moliere

We chat together; he gives me prescriptions; I never follow them so I get well.
- Molière

MORE on Milagro De La Selvo Tea

I have been studying this tea in more detail, and I guess it depends on what you read whether it is SAFE or NOT. Here is some additional insight into this tea which is making incredible claims on blood glucose control for Type 2 Diabetics:

LINK to Ingredients and Comments On the TEA:

I copied and pasted the content of this link here for your own judgement:

How does Milagro de la Selva tea work?
Milagro de la Selva tea assists the body at the cellular level to break the insulin-resistance that has been developed as a result of over consumption of sugars, carbohydrates, and lack of proper exercise. It will stimulate the liver enzymes responsible for converting glucose into glycogen and this action allows the liver to better administer the utilization of glucose by the body. It reduces the blood lipids, resulting in a reduction of total cholesterol and triglycerides levels.

Does this tea have a bitter taste?
NO. Milagro de la Selva tea is a very pleasant, refreshing clove-tasting beverage. Many non-diabetic customer drink it just for its taste and antioxidant properties.
Does this tea really work as you say it does?
Yes, people are constantly amazed at the results they get. The majority of those who try the tea continue to use it. We are so sure of its efficacy we offer a 100% money back guarantee.

Are there any side effects?

No. In the 10 years that the tea has been on the market, no user has ever reported any kind of side effect. The study done by the National University of Costa Rica, Connexios Life Sciences Laboratories in Bangalore, India, and FDA approved laboratories in California proved that the tea is totally non-toxic and free of any side effects.

Are there any restrictions in my diet?
Yes, you must avoid “junk foods”, like pizza, hamburgers, dietary drinks, sodas etc. Read the labels, and do not consume foods that contain MSG (monosodium glutamate), do not cook with seasonings that contain MSG, and avoid artificial sweeteners. If you have a “sweet tooth”, then use stevia, a natural sweetener that also helps in the reduction of glucose and which is available in most health food stores.
Milagro de la Selva  is a 100% natural, 100% organic, 100% non- toxic alternative for the treatment of diabetes that we guarantee will give you impressive results. It works by assisting your body in the control of glucose. Milagro de la Selva does not treat the SYMPTOMS, as all pharmaceutical medications do. When you see your glucose and A1C levels coming down, it is because you are getting BETTER, not because your symptoms have been SUPPRESSED.
We also strongly suggest you consume organic produce and organic foods that come from a reliable source. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at our toll free number 877-681-5129; we will be happy to assist you.
Please understand that those junk foods are what made you sick in the first place. After years of consuming the WRONG kinds of foods, you must “undo” the damage by now consuming the RIGHT foods, and then let Milagro de la Selva do the rest!

Can I take Milagro de la Selva™ with my current diabetes medication?

Yes, the tea is totally compatible with all existing medications for the treatment of diabetes. Many users that have had triple by-pass surgery find that drinking the tea along with their medications actually gives them better results with the drugs that were prescribed and helps them to recuperate faster. In fact, we recommend that you do not stop taking your medication when starting the tea; you should gradually reduce your medication when the glucose levels begin to drop until it is no longer needed.

For how long should I drink the tea?
No less than six months to really receive the benefits. Once you experience results, we recommend no less than six months of usage in order to fully receive its benefits. One user who was originally insulin dependent with glucose levels above 500, reported improvement after the first few days. After six month's drinking the tea, his numbers remained below 100 and he concluded he didn't need the tea anymore. Two years later, his blood sugar continues in control. It is important to emphasize, that this person carefully followed his diet and exercise program.

Does Milagro de la Selva™ help with Type 1 diabetes?
Most of our experience is with Type 2 Diabetes, although many users have reported very good results with Type 1.

What are the ingredients in Milagro de la Selva™ ?

The tea is the synergistic blending of two exotic plants that grow in their natural habitat, the subtropical rain forest of Guatemala: Smilax Domingensis, and Tecoma Stans (view the scientific study / also view antidiabetic activities of Tecoma stans). Milagro de la Selva™ is grown, harvested, blended and packaged without the use of chemicals or pesticides and is 100% non-toxic.

How often should I take Milagro de la Selva™ ?
You should drink three 8 ounce glasses of the tea throughout the day just as you would drink water - preferably before meals. Make sure you drink it cold; do not re-heat.

Can I drink Milagro de la Selva™ hot, right after brewing it?
No, the brewed tea must steep overnight with the herbs left in the liquid. Strain it the next morning leaving only pure liquid - put it into a container and drink three 8-ounceDO NOT RE-HEAT AND DO NOT RE-USE THE DISCARDED HERBAL MATERIAL BECAUSE THE PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN LEACHED OUT.

How soon can I expect to see results?
You should begin to experience good results within one week, although some patients begin to see results after two to three weeks.

Dan

Is Splenda Really Good For You?

Splenda For Type 2 Diabetics?

In case you are wondering if perhaps Splenda artificial sweetener is the answer for those wanting to get off Aspartame, think again. If you need a sugar substitute, I would advise you to use Stevia instead of any artificial sweetener such as Aspartame or Equal or Splenda.

Don't take my word for it however. here is a link to an article that Dr. Mercola wrote concerning Splenda..

Dr. Mercola On Splenda

(Excerpt From Article)

"Is Splenda Really As Safe As They Claim It to Be?
As of 2006, only six human trials have been published on Splenda (sucralose). Of these six trials, only two of the trials were completed and published before the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption. The two published trials had a grand total of 36 total human subjects.
36 people sure doesn't sound like many, but wait, it gets worse, only 23 total were actually given sucralose for testing and here is the real killer:
The longest trial at this time had lasted only four days and looked at sucralose in relation to tooth decay, not human tolerance.
Why Do You Need to Know About Splenda?
Splenda, best known for its marketing ploy, "made from sugar so it tastes like sugar," has taken the sweetener industry by storm. Splenda has become the nation's number one selling artificial sweetener in a very short period of time.
Between 2000 and 2004, the percentage of US households using Splenda products jumped from 3 to 20 percent. In a one year period, Splenda sales topped $177 million compared with $62 million spent on aspartame-based Equal and $52 million on saccharin-based Sweet 'N Low.
McNeil Nutritionals, in their marketing pitch for Splenda emphasizes that Splenda has endured some of the most rigorous testing to date for any food additive. Enough so to convince the average consumer that it is in fact safe. They claim that over 100 studies have been conducted on Splenda. What they don't tell you is that most of the studies are on animals.
Additional Concerns About Splenda Studies
There have been no long-term human toxicity studies published until after the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption. Following FDA approval a human toxicity trial was conducted, but lasted only three months, hardly the length of time most Splenda users plan to consume sucralose. No studies have ever been done on children or pregnant women.
Much of the controversy surrounding Splenda does not focus just on its safety, but rather on its false advertising claims. The competition among sweeteners is anything but sweet. The sugar industry is currently suing McNeil Nutritionals for implying that Splenda is a natural form of sugar with no calories.
Is It REALLY Sugar?
There is no question that sucralose starts off as a sugar molecule, it is what goes on in the factory that is concerning. Sucralose is a synthetic chemical that was originally cooked up in a laboratory. In the five step patented process of making sucralose, three chlorine molecules are added to a sucrose or sugar molecule. A sucrose molecule is a disaccharide that contains two single sugars bound together; glucose and fructose.
The chemical process to make sucralose alters the chemical composition of the sugar so much that it is somehow converted to a fructo-galactose molecule. This type of sugar molecule does not occur in nature and therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it. As a result of this "unique" biochemical make-up, McNeil Nutritionals makes its claim that Splenda is not digested or metabolized by the body, making it have zero calories.
It is not that Splenda is naturally zero calories. If your body had the capacity to metabolize it then it would no longer have zero calories."

(My Input) Dr. Mercola gives some valid reasons as i have elsewhere in this BLOG, not to put your faith and trust in organizations like the FDA to protect you.

Here is another excerpt from the article:

"Do You Really Believe These People Are Going to Protect You?
Please consider that the only organizations between you and potentially toxic side effects are the FDA and the manufacturers of sucralose (Tate & Lyle) and of Splenda (McNeil Nutritionals).
The FDA has a long standing history of ineffective screening and rampant conflict of interests as demonstrated in their inability to identify Vioxx as too dangerous to be on the market. This mistake cost 55,000 people their lives.
Now the point I want you to understand here, because it is really important, is that Splenda is not a drug and is only a food additive. As such the number of studies required to receive FDA approval is substantially less than drug. Vioxx had an order of magnitude of more comprehensive clinical trials than Splenda ever did, and despite this rigorous approval process it still killed 55,000 people."

(MY Input)

I can strongly recommend Stevia over any other artificial sweetener, and have used it now for over 4 years. Here is why:

• Reason #1 - The FDA will not allow it to be used as a sweetener, only as a supplement. My GUESS is that the soft drink industry and hundreds if not thousands of manufactuer's already use aspartame, equal, splenda etc. and it might cut into their profits.
• Reason #2 - reduces cravings for sweets and sugar and gives steady level energy all day
• Reason #3 - Stevia contains zero calories and it is heat stable so you can use it in baking
• Reason #4 - Stevia does not increase of spike blood sugar levels
• Reason #5 - Stevia is said to be an antioxidant

Until proven different, I will continue to use Stevia. The leaves of the Stevia plant have been used for centuries by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay as a sweetener for their teas etc.

You have to do our homework, and you have to think.

In closing this post out, "Don't worry about what you cannot change..............just start doing what you can change"  Today you can get OFF artificial sweeteners, and give Stevia a try. I promise you will like it and it is better for you.

Dan

Deuteronomy 30:19-20
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Alpha Lipoic Acid - One Supplement All type 2 Diabetics Should Take

If you are not taking Alpha Lipoic Acid, perhaps you should be. It has a host of benefits for Type 2 Diabetics, including but not limited to:

• In doses of 300 to 600 mg daily, there have been no reported side effects over the last 30 years in European clinical trials
• Improved blood sugar readings
• Improvement in diabetic neuropathy in doses of 600mg or higher
• Involved in the metabolic process of converting carbohydrates into energy
• Powerful antioxidant
• Promise of slowing aging of the brain and aging process in general

LINK to benefits of taking Alpha Lipoic Acid

EXCERPT:

anti-aging substance in general.
In the November 2006 edition of Diabetes Care, researchers from Russia and Israel reported on a 5 week randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial using alpha lipoic acid in 181 patients suffering with high blood sugar and damaged nerve endings.
Researchers measured various symptoms including stabbing and burning pain, tingling and numbness in the feet in these patients who suffered with malfunction of the peripheral nerves. The groups that received alpha lipoic acid 600 mg to 1,800 mg daily had an overall reduction in symptoms by about 50% compared to the placebo group. (Diabetes Care. 2006 29: 2365-2370).

Evidence indicates that 150 mg of alpha lipoic acid, taken daily for one month, improves visual function in people with glaucoma. (Vestn Oftalmol 1995;111:6-8).
Researchers have demonstrated, in a 16-week randomized trial, that lipoic acid, in oral doses of 600 milligrams daily for eight weeks, significantly inhibits the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol in healthy humans.
In addition, our supplies of several different antioxidants, including vitamins E and C, cannot be successfully maintained in the absence of lipoic acid. It appears to recycle available vitamin C and E.
Other antioxidants seem to benefit equally from the presence of lipoic acid. These antioxidants include coenzyme Q, glutathione, and NADH (a form of niacin). Because lipoic acid is used to help regulate blood sugar, individuals with diabetes may be at special risk of deficiency. (Worlds Healthiest Foods).
Conclusions from various studies – From 2004 – 1992:

Alpha-Lipoic acid supplementation represents an achievable adjunct therapy to help prevent vision loss in diabetic patients. (Diabetes. 2004 Dec; 53(12): 3233-8).
The blood pressure-lowering effect of lipoic acid in fructose rats may be related to improvement in insulin sensitivity. (J-Comp-Physiol-[B]. 2004 Nov; 174(8): 587-92).

in patients with type-2 diabetes. (Free-Radic-Biol-Med. 1999 Aug; 27(3-4): 309-14).
These data provide evidence that treatment with alpha-lipoic acid improves significantly the imbalance between increased oxidative stress and depleted antioxidant defence even in patients with poor glycemic control and albuminuria. (Free-Radic-Biol-Med. 1999 Jun; 26(11-12): 1495-500). Albuminuria is the presence of excessive protein (chiefly albumin but also globulin) in the urine; usually a symptom of kidney disorder.
In conclusion, intravenous treatment with alpha-lipoic acid (600 mg/day) over 3 weeks is safe and effective in reducing symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and oral treatment with 800 mg/day for 4 months may improve cardiac autonomic dysfunction in NIDDM [non insulin dependant diabetes mellitus – type 2 diabetes]. (Diabetes. 1997 Sep; 46 Suppl 2S62-6).

MY INPUT:

Check with your doctor first, however I suggest you start taking this supplement for its many benefits for Type 2 diabetics. Dr. Ray Sahelian indicates there are (2) types of Alpha Lipoic Acid. they are called simply enough the S-form and the R-form. The R-form is the more POTENT of the two. MOST commonly sold Alpha Lipoic acid contains a combination of the two types, however he markets a brand that only contains the more potent R-form which is more effective. You can also purchase the more common type from Puritan pride, or Swanson Vitamins or a number of other websites and even your local Rite Aid pharmacy.

LINK to His Website To Order R-form Alpha Lipoic Acid

Dan

Symptoms, then, are in reality nothing but a cry from suffering organs.
- Jean-Martin Charcot

 

When it seems that you are all alone in your illness, just remember that Jesus promised to never leave or forsake you "... surely I am with you always, to the very end..."(Matt 28:20) Those who face life threatening sickness also face the associated pain, fear, and difficulties. If the prognosis is dim and the doctors don't have the answers, read these healing scriptures and cling to your faith in God for He is faithful.

Type 2 Diabetes and Depression

In a recent article in Diabetes Self-Management Magazine, there was an article entitled, "Diabetes and Depression: Chicken and Egg. The thrust of the article was Chicken or Egg, which came first? It goes on to say that people with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer from depression, however there is no conclusive evidence of whether the diabetes itself causes the depression or the depression contributes to the diabetes.

Women are apparently more likely to experience depression than men. Over the course of a lifetime, the ratio is about 20% of women and 12% of men. They cite a study consisting of a group of 127,700 female registered nurses who were 30-55 years old when they signed up for the study in 1976. They all responded to a mailed questionnaire every two years since then. The study excluded all who at baseline had no information on depression status or who had a history of type 1, or gestational diabetes, cancer, heart disease or stroke. This left approximately 60,000 women in the original population to be analyzed.

The study further analyzed the most recent date for depression and Type 2 diabetes. Depression was defined as self-reported symptoms of depression, use of anti-depressants, or a physician diagnosis of depression. Further classification was for the severity of depression. There was also follow up on reported cases of diabetes, high blood glucose episodes, and use of insulin and oral diabetes medicines to confirm self-reported diagnosis. Lastly the study took into account the participants height, weight, body mass index, smoking history, marital status, physical activity levels, dietary status, and alcohol use.

An analysis compared the relative risks of developing Type 2 Diabetes in those with depression at baseline versus those without and compared the relative risks of developing depression in those with type 2 diabetes at baseline and those without.

Over the 10 years of follow-up data, 2844 of the women with depression also developed diabetes, and 595 women with diabetes at baseline developed depression.

Bottom line is that there is a reciprocal relationship between depression and diabetes, and one that depends on the severity or treatment of each condition. The relationship was independent of variations in diet, lifestyle, and sociodemographic characteristics (such as income, education, age, race, ethnicity, marital status and place of residence.

Bottom line was that diabetes was significantly associate with an increased risk for developing depression and women on insulin therapy had a higher risk than those on oral medicines. This study's population was homogeneous: 94% white and all registered nurses. The result is that the study cannot be generalized to all populations.

It is unsure what role anti-depressants played, or the possibly synergism between anti-depressants and insulin or oral meds etc.

MY INPUT:

It seems logical to me that the correlation between becoming depressed as a result of having Type 2 diabetes is greater than the reverse of depression in and of itself causing diabetes. 

For me personally, I think that the role of aerobic and weight resistance exercise can go a long ways in defeating any depression. It is an earth shaking event to most of us I think, to wake up one morning and be told you have Type 2 diabetes. For me personally, my thoughts were, "WHY ME?" I am not and have never been a couch potato. I don't eat a lot of junk food, and I am fairly active etc.

Exercise gets your blood pumping, your endorphins (feel good stuff kicking in). It also makes you goal orientated. You get your mind off feeling sorry for yourself. You get involved in study and research and the latest nutritional research being done. You find out the possible causes and cures for Type 2 diabetes and you start taking action. You get excited that perhaps you can beat this thing. You begin to eat right, take supplements, get off the empty calorie foods, the high refined carbohydrate foods, the carbonated colas, and you begin to replace those items with a vegetable regimen. You eat more greens, and salads, and a larger variety of vegetables, fruits etc. You realize that prescription drugs are NOT the long term answer to anything. You quit looking for the "MAGIC BULLET", THE miracle cure or pill that you can take once a day and eat anything and everything on the planet. You take responsibility for your own health and you thank the God of this universe for having mercy on you.

Doing something is better than doing nothing.

Psalm 107:20
He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

Psalm 118:17
I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

Aspirin Therapy For Protection From Heart Attacks / PROS & CONS

For many years, I have been told that I should be on a low dose aspirin a day for heart health. I have always been leery of this advice, partly because I subscribe to the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Per an article by Naturopath, Emily Kane ND.LAc in the February 2011 edition of Better Nutrition magazine, this advice might be somewhat outdated. WHY?

Aspirin is an old and trusted medicine that works as a mild analgesic by thinning the blood, which makes platelets less sticky. It is also an effective minor pain reliever and muscle relaxant.

That being said, is can also irritate the mucous membranes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the throat, esophagus, small and large intestines and the rectum. It can also cause bleeding anywhere along the GI tract, and bleeding from aspirin and other NSAID's (nonsteriodal anti-inflammatories)  is one of the TOP REASONS people go to the emergency room in the USA.

If you regularly use:

• Aspirin
• Aleve,
• Ibuprofen
• Tylenol
• etc.

You must check your stool for hidden occult blood at least once a year. WHY? You may not be aware of GI bleeding otherwise.

Per the article, aspirin has definitely been proven not to PREVENT a first heart attack for women. A baby aspirin a day MAY prevent a stroke for women WITH A STRONG FAMILY HISTORY of stroke and NO FAMILY HISTORY of gastrointestinal cancers.

For men, taking a baby aspirin a day, especially men under age 65, may prevent a 2nd heart attack. For some reason aspirin therapy does not seem to prevent strokes in men of any age.

DOSE:

A baby aspirin is defined as one of (81mg), and NOT the full strength kind of (325mg).

Natural ways to prevent stroke:

• Eating raw foods daily
• Taking digestive enzymes with high protein meals / enzymes are natural clot busters / pineapple is high in digestive enzymes as well as papaya seeds (can also be taken in capsule form as a supplement)
• common place for clots is BEHIND the knees when bent - stand up, move around when traveling

To ask your own health question, use this email:

editorial@betternutrition.com and write in ASK the naturopath

Dan

"Great multitudes followed him (Jesus), and he healed them ALL." (Matthew 12:15)
"...as many as touched [the hem of his garment] were made perfectly whole." (Matthew 14:36)

The Value Of Adding A Cinnamon Based Supplement For Type 2 Diabetes

I have been taking cinnamon for some time now and usually take 2 caps in the morning and 2 caps in the evening. Sometimes I also add powdered cinnamon from the grocery Aile to oatmeal and other foods. My research (depending on what you read) indicates a great deal of difference between the different types of cinnamon and other sites indicate no appreciable difference.

The two main types are:

• Cinnamon Cassia /cinnamon Bark - comes from southeast Asia, mainly from China and northern Vietnam and has a strong, spicy, sweet flavor most Americans are familiar with.
• Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon. It has less sweet, and more of a citrus flavor and used in baking

The one I have been taking mostly because it is readily available and not expensive is the Cassia type from Nature's Bounty. It comes in bottles of 100 capsules at a dose of 1000mg per capsule. Again I take (2) with breakfast and (2) with dinner. I do notice a difference in my BG readings when taking this supplement.

In this post, I wanted to make you aware of another source of adding cinnamon to your diet in a product called "Cinnergen". I have NOT tried this particular product and am writing this post for additional knowledge about what is out there. Cinnergen contains a cinnamon bark liquid containing 560mg daily dose along with other ingredients.

Those other ingredients are as follows:

Nutritional Information

12 whole foods to help promote normal blood sugar levels

The whole food concentrates in Cinnergen provide your body with everything from essential amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, minerals and trace minerals to bioflavonoids, anti-oxidants and phyto chemicals. All occur naturally (as opposed to being synthetically created in a lab) and are in proportion and form optimal for the body's use. Here are some of Cinnergen's key ingredients, along with brief descriptions of the medicinal/healing properties attributed to each:

• Cinnamon Bark Extract — A naturally occurring spice proven in independent clinical studies to make insulin work more efficiently.
• Blueberry Leaf Extract — Used for centuries to help lower blood sugar levels.
• Cranberry Extract — Well-known for treating urinary tract problems and recognized for its excellent kidney-cleansing properties.
• Oat Seed Extract — Shown to help relieve both mental and physical fatigue.

Plus: Kelp Extract, Sugar Sea Beet Extract, Acerola Berry Extract, Ginger Root Extract, Black Cherry Extract, Green Tea Extract, Irish Moss Extract and Aloe Vera
 
 My own personal experience with a lot of products like this, is that they certainly work and the other ingredients are all proven to have some effect, however I wonder if there is ENOUGH of any one ingredient to make a difference. Cinnamon appears to be the reason for the product in the first place and cinnamon is the ingredient mentioned in different trial studies, and yet the cinnamon content of this product is less than 25% of the Nature's Bounty Product.. On the other hand for approximately $20.00 a month, it might be worth trying. I would buy a (3) month package and test frequently and look at my A1C reading to determine if there is any advantage inherent in this product. I would NOT start out purchasing a 12 month supply, only to learn later that it is no more effective than buying Nature's Bounty Cinnamon with 100 caps. The Nature's Bounty would also give you a little over three months supply at almost 2X the cinnamon dose (if you take only (1) cap per day) for around 1/2 the cost of one Cinnergen bottle. Again, I am NOT a doctor or a scientist, so make your own decision. I DO believe that taking some sort of cinnamon product is warranted if you are a type 2 diabetic.

The pricing information for this product is listed here:

3 bottles /3 month supply for $61.99 plus shipping
6 bottle for $120.42/ 6 month supply
Other offers available

Excerpt on the Clinical Studies:

Clinical Studies

Independent Cinnamon Clinical Studies

1. Cinnergen contains cinnamon bark liquid extract at a daily serving size of 560 mg. This amount of cinnamon has been clinically demonstrated to lower blood glucose levels in four well controlled studies (Mang et al 2006; Khan et al 2003; Solomon & Blannin 2007; Hlebowicz et al. 2007). One randomized placebo-controlled study (Khan et al 2003) investigated the effects of cinnamon powder at doses of 1, 3, and 6 g/day on fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels in 60 patients (30 men, 30 women) with type 2 diabetes. These doses are equivalent to 112, 336, and 672 mg per day of cinnamon liquid extract, respectively (Mang et al. 2006). Significant reductions (18—29%) in serum glucose levels were noted in patients receiving cinnamon at all doses compared with those receiving placebo after 40 days of treatment (p 0.05). This study, therefore, demonstrated that multiple doses of cinnamon powder (all doses comparable to or lower than the amount of cinnamon found in Cinnergen) are capable of effectively lowering fasting glucose concentrations in patients with type 2 diabetes.

2. Other clinical studies assessing the effectiveness of cinnamon provide additional support for cinnamon's blood glucose-lowering properties. A 4-month, randomized placebo-controlled study of 79 patients with type 2 diabetes (Mang et al. 2006) demonstrated that 336 mg per day of purified cinnamon liquid extract resulted in a significant blood glucose reduction of 10.3% compared to the placebo-treated subjects (3.4% reduction). In a randomized-crossover study, cinnamon ingestion (equivalent to 560 mg per day) significantly reduced total plasma glucose responses to oral glucose ingestion by 13% in an oral glucose tolerance tests (Solomon & Blannin 2007). Another crossover trial (Hlebowicz et al. 2007) involving 14 healthy subjects found that cinnamon powder (equivalent to 672 mg per day) significantly delayed gastric emptying and lowered the postprandial glucose response. Finally, subjects with type 2 diabetes who consume an aqueous extract of cinnamon have been shown to have improved fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, percent body fat and increased lean body mass compared with a placebo control group (Anderson 2008).

New! Cinnergen Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Study

The purpose of this study was to determine Cinnergen's efficacy in a controlled Phase I study. Upon completion of the case study on Cinnergen, it was shown to have a positive effect on lowering blood sugar in a type 2 diabetic. To determine the effects of Cinnergen on type 1 and type 2 diabetics with regard to lowering and regulating blood sugar levels. All 50 patients completed a survey questionnaire upon completion of the study regarding Quality of Life Issues.
Download the full study [PDF - 688K]

Cinnamon May Help to Alleviate Diabetes

Santa Barbara, Calif. — Cinnamon may be more than a spice — it may have a medical application in preventing and combating diabetes. Cinnamon may help by playing the role of an insulin substitute in type II diabetes, according to cellular and molecular studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Cinnamon itself has insulin-like activity and also can potentiate the activity of insulin," said Don Graves of UCSB. "The latter could be quite important in treating those with type II diabetes. Cinnamon has a bio-active component that we believe has the potential to prevent or overcome diabetes..."

Cinnamon Study on Type 2 Diabetes, Blood Glucose and Cholesterol

ABSTRACT

Objective — The objective of this study was to determine whether cinnamon improves blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

LINK to Cinnergen:

Dan

"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are LIFE unto those that find them, and HEALTH to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:20-23)