Diabetes Prevention and Management

Diabetes Mellitus is a result of problems with the pancreatic hormone insulin. Insulin controls the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood and the rate at which glucose is absorbed into the cells. The cells need glucose to produce energy. In people with diabetes, glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of being taken into and used by the cells, leading to hyperglycemia (abnormally high blood glucose levels).

There are two types of Diabetes Mellitus: type I or juvenile and type II or adult-onset diabetes. In the most common type of this disease, Diabetes type II, your pancreas produces some insulin, but you suffer from insulin resistance, meaning that your body does not react to it properly. In type I Diabetes, the pancreas does not produce any insulin or produces very little. In the past, type I diabetes mainly occurred in children, and only about 12% began later in life. This is why it is called juvenile. Recent research shows that nearly half of all new Diabetes Type 1 cases have an adult onset.

Consequences of Hyperglycemia

Over time, hyperglycemia may lead to blood vessel damage, which, in turn, may cause eye and heart disease, peripheral and autonomic neuropathy (nerve damage to the limbs and internal organs), and diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease).

Causes of Diabetes

Diabetes is related to your pancreas gland, which is about the size of your hand and lies just behind the stomach. The pancreas produces special proteins called enzymes that help you with the digestion of starches (amylase), fats (lipases, including phospholipase and esterase) and proteins (proteases, including trypsin and chymotrypsin).

The pancreas also produces hormones that are messengers that travel via your blood and say to your cells what they need to do.

Pancreas’ hormones include:

Insulin – moves glucose from your blood into your cells. Insulin is made by beta cells, which constitute approximately 75% of hormone-producing cells of the pancreas.
Glucagon sends a message to the liver to start releasing glucose, which is stored in the form of glycogen. This will increase your blood sugar when it drops too low. Glucagon is produced by alpha cells, which make up approximately 20% of your pancreas hormone-producing cells.
Gastrin – makes your stomach produce gastric acid.
Amylin – affects your appetite and produces stomach emptying.

The malfunction of your pancreas may have multiple underlying factors, from the genetic weakness of the organ, severe emotional shock, and prolonged stresses to digestive issues. The leading cause of diabetes, especially of type 2, is eating on a regular basis an unbalanced diet consisting of sugars, fats, and refined starches, prepared so as to delight the eye and palate, but which are, to a great extent, denatured (refined). The foods that significantly contribute to the development of diabetes include artificial sweeteners, white flour products, foods containing colourants, tea, coffee, tobacco, liquor, Coca-Cola, soft drinks, and all processed foods.

Though genetic predisposition may play an important role, Diabetes is, first of all, a modern food disease. If we avoided overeating and consumption of unhealthy fats and refined products, if we exercised regularly and lived happily and healthfully, it would drastically decrease incidences of diabetes in our society. Diabetes is mainly a lifestyle disease that leads to overworking of the pancreas and eventually to its degeneration.

Being overweight (mainly if the weight is concentrated around the mid-section) is a significant risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. This is because the pancreas has to work much harder to produce enough insulin for increased body cell numbers. The pancreas may get overworked and not be able to cover all cells’ needs in insulin.

Additionally, excessive alcohol consumption and gallstones are significant culprits of pancreas issues, as are consumption of high amounts of fat, infections (mumps, hepatitis, rubella, Epstein-Barr virus (mono), cytomegalovirus), and certain medications (azathioprine, sulfonamides, corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), tetracycline and similar antibiotics).

Medical Treatment for Diabetes

The goal of diabetes medicine is to control symptoms. It involves constant monitoring of glucose levels and plasma glucose levels.

The objectives of this control are two-fold:

1) to avoid ketoacidosis (accumulation in the body of the ketone bodies resulting from the incomplete combustion of fatty acids).

2) to control symptoms resulting from hyperglycemia (high sugar levels in the blood) and glucosuria (abnormal amounts of sugar in the urine).

There are a variety of medications for controlling diabetes, from metformin to insulin and at least two dozen types in between. According to Mayo Clinic, diabetes meds work through one or a few of the following effects:

Stimulating the pancreas to produce and release more insulin
Inhibiting the production and release of glucose from the liver
Blocking the action of stomach enzymes that break down carbohydrates
Improving the sensitivity of cells to insulin
Inhibiting the reabsorption of glucose in the kidneys
Slowing how quickly food moves through the stomach

When reading the goals that the diabetes medications address, please note that the pancreas is not the only organ involved in glucose metabolism (more about it later).

Though the life-supportive quality of diabetes medications is indispensable, we still need to consider their potential long-term side effects.

Side Effects of Insulin:

Headache
Hunger
Weakness
Sweating
Tremors
Irritability
Trouble concentrating
Rapid breathing
Fast heartbeat
Fainting
Seizure
Death due to severe hypoglycemia

Side Effects of Metformin:

Diarrhea (53.2%), nausea/vomiting (25.5%), flatulence (12.1%)
Chest discomfort, flushing, palpitation (1-10%)
Infection (20.5%)
Myalgia (=muscle pain, 1-10%)
Lightheadedness, taste disturbances (1-10%)
Headache (1-10%)
Depression
Blurred Vision
Painful or difficult Urination
Shakiness
Slurred speech
Seizures

Is Diabetes/ Pre-Diabetes Incurable? Is There Any Hope?

In the past, type 2 diabetes was considered incurable, and that type 1 diabetes was 100% irreversible. Currently, we see more and more evidence that people with type 2 diabetes with practical therapeutic approaches may become drug-free or almost drug-free, and some people with type 1 diabetes, after making some dietary and lifestyle changes, may be able to decrease their insulin intake and, in some rare cases, become drug-free. Sergei Boutenko, who suffered from juvenile diabetes type 1, was able, with the use of raw food, to become completely insulin-free.

Dr. Gerson, who is well known for alternative medicine treatments for cancer, was able to help Albert Schweitzer heal from diabetes using fresh juices and raw foods. Dr. Gabriel Cousins, in his video “Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 days,” mentions that in his private practice, he had hundreds of diabetes type 2 recoveries and 3 type 1 recoveries.

Fortunately, there is a hope. Though, as mentioned, once Diabetes was considered incurable, we’ve seen more than one person with type 2 diabetes blood sugar indicators turn to”green” within a few days.

Here are two examples:

Gary, 3-week program

Adam, 2-week program

Disclaimer: We obviously do not claim that we “cure” diabetes and do not encourage coming off medications until there is improvement in the condition and your physician approves it. If you currently suffer from diabetes, you should regularly take your medication to prevent life-threatening and to decrease some long-term consequences of high blood sugar. This information is presented for educational purposes and for those who are prepared to do long-term work on their health condition.

In some cases, the organic damage to the organ may be too advanced, and even the most effective natural health approaches may have limited or slow success. In other cases, a person’s life circumstances may be so overwhelming that they cannot stick to a healthy lifestyle regularly. In those instances, a person may need to stay on their medication for life. Yes, most people who start making healthy changes will improve, but you still need to be realistic about where you personally are at.

Understanding Diabetes

1. There are no two diabetics alike

Having worked with multiple people with diabetes and seeing what works best for most, we also realized that there are no two diabetics whose condition would be the same. For example, the current state of the digestive system may significantly vary, which will impact what foods and supplements the person will be able to digest and metabolize.

In most cases, people with diabetes are able to digest natural sugars, such as fruit, in small quantities. This is good news because glucose is essential for our brain and energy production. If we are able to leave some fruit and other natural sweets in a diabetic’s life, it will prevent a lot of issues, such as uncontrollable cravings/obsession with sweets and glucose starvation of the brain. We also need to consider that enzymes that are responsible for fruit digestion are produced in the small intestine, not the pancreas… However, a small percentage of people with diabetes may have severe malfunction of the digestive system. For them, even small amounts of sweets may be a considerable challenge. This is especially true for some diabetics with type 1. In those cases, we may need to design a special diet and supplementation program for them, test how their body handles them further, and adjust if required.

2. Whole person approach

You may think it is all about insulin. However, a person with diabetes never has just one health issue. Diabetes is usually only the tip of the iceberg. There is typically an entire “bouquet” of concurrent health challenges and symptoms, and various organs may malfunction. When we study a guest profile, we may see anything from kidney issues to arrhythmia, from high blood pressure and high cholesterol to neuropathy and emotional trauma. In a traditional diabetes treatment approach, these are not addressed; if they are addressed, they are dealt with separately, as if they had nothing to do with each other! Each condition will get a separate label, potentially separate drugs and specialists’ visits, and primarily symptomatic relief. We do not want to make an impression we are against the medical system, as everything has its place, but whenever we talk about real improvements in a condition, we need to look at a person as a whole or, as they say, holistically.

3. Pancreas Small Intestine Connection

It may surprise you at first, but the primary organs implicated in diabetes are the organs of the entire digestive system, especially the Small Intestine. However, once you see connections, it will make total sense. The following information may seem complicated, but if you take time to understand it, it will help you identify those connections.

Pancreas

The pancreas is a part of your digestive system, and, as described before, it has the endocrine function (=insulin and other hormones’ production) and the exocrine function (enzyme production – enzymes are essential proteins that participate in metabolic reactions and help your digestion). These functions are not separate and are not located on two separate organs. Because both are part of the pancreas, when there is a problem with one, you need to look into the other one. When working with the pancreas, you need to simultaneously improve the digestive function of your pancreas and the entire digestive system. Once your digestive system as a whole starts working better, your pancreas’ insulin function will also!

Small Intestine

The small intestine is the right hand of your pancreas. They work together and help each other to carry the digestive load. When one is not doing well, the other one will suffer.

The small intestine (SI) produces a variety of digestive enzymes, some of which are similar to the ones your pancreas produces.

Enzymes produced by the SI

The small intestine produces the widest range of digestive enzymes (help break down the food we eat) and some metabolic enzymes (help chemical reactions in the body). They include:

Maltase (breaks down semi-broken starches)
Sucrase, invertase and fructose (break down sugars) – 90% of all fructose is broken down into glucose by the small intestine!
- sucrase and invertase break down sucrose into glucose and fructose
Lactase (breaks down dairy)
Peptidases (=protease): break down proteins
- Carboxypeptidase – helps digest proteins and participates in multiple processes such as blood clotting/wound healing, bone metabolism, as well as the formation of neurotransmitters in the brain and hormones.
- Aminopeptidase – helps digest proteins, regulate hormones and cell-cycle control.
- Enteropeptidase (=enterokinase) – helps digest proteins and converts pancreas’ enzyme trypsinogen into its active form, trypsin, which activates pancreatic digestive enzymes.
Lipase (breaks down fats)
Phytase (produced by bacteria in your gut, the enzyme breaks down phytase, the common component in grains and legumes that makes them difficult for digestion)

Hormones produced by the SI

The small intestine also has an endocrine function (=produces hormones), just like the pancreas. The small intestine produces the following hormones:

Secretin and CCK (Cholecystokinin). They both control the production and secretion of bile. Secretin stimulates the flow of bile from the liver to the gallbladder. CCK stimulates the gallbladder to contract, causing bile to be secreted into the duodenum.
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) – these hormones are involved in glucose metabolism.
- GLP-1 is released in response to food intake and plays a vital role in glucose homeostasis, increases glucose-induced insulin secretion and inhibits glucagon secretion.
- GIP’s function is to stimulate insulin production.

Why all of the above is important?

Because it shows that the small intestine is significantly involved in fat and sugar digestion, and these responsibilities are shared with the pancreas. Insulin is only one of the components that affects your blood sugar; there are so many more. When we talk about type 2 diabetes, working with the small intestine can make a huge difference! Note: While scientists believe that in type 1, the pancreas cannot produce insulin at all, we still often observe improvement in their condition. The compensatory function of the small intestine may be one of the reasons.

4. Liver Connection

A person can live without the pancreas but absolutely cannot exist without the liver. According to the book “Eating Alive II” by Mattsen and others, the liver has at least 50 known functions.

The liver is deeply involved in glucose metabolism. It receives carbohydrates digested from your food from your gut via the portal vein and from your blood via the hepatic artery. The liver cells intake carbohydrates and metabolize them. Most of the glucose (approx. 50%) the liver receives from your meals is converted to glycogen, a stored glucose. If you are fasting or exercising, this glucose will be released into the blood so your tissues, such as muscles and brain, can use it. The liver will convert excess glucose into fatty acids, increasing the amount of fat in both the liver and the adipose tissue (your fat cells). Some excess glucose will be used for the production of DNA components (nucleotides) and sterols (sustain the structure of your cellular membranes, ex., cholesterol).

If the pancreas is an integral part of your digestive system, the Liver is its boss and its brain. If overloaded with toxins, the liver starts malfunctioning and taxing other organs. For example, the liver can release sugar into your blood in the form of glucose and, as mentioned, take it back to store in the form of glycogen. If you cannot digest fats effectively, your liver may “ask” your body to start breaking down sugars to produce energy. Since sugars are not an effective way of producing energy (you would need only a trace of fats compared to sugars for the same amount), your Pancreas will have to work extra hard.

To help your pancreas, you must first assist your liver in detoxification. Caring for the liver is essential to remove an extra load of the pancreas, which will allow to optimize it’s function.

5. Large Intestine Detox

To help your liver and small intestine detoxify properly, your large intestine needs to be clean (so they can have some room to dump the toxins). Detoxification of the large intestine is one of the first areas we start the healing process.

6. Emotional Wellness Connection

The pancreas is an energetic organ. Emotional traumas and long-term stresses may negatively impact your entire hormonal system, including your adrenals and pancreas. To help your pancreas heal, removing those old skeletons from your closets (aka suppressed emotions and what caused them) is crucial.

7. Dietary Fats, High Fat and High Protein Diets and Diabetes

Consumption of a fat-rich diet activates a proinflammatory response and induces insulin resistance in the hypothalamus. It is recommended that saturated fats constitute no more than 10% of your calorie intake. Saturated fats include all animal meats and coconut milk.

Trans fats (margarine, fried foods) should be minimized. They are harmful and have no health benefits. This is important to consider, as some diets recommend high amounts of fat, regardless of what type, which, as you see, may be counterproductive when trying to decrease insulin resistance. In addition, high amounts of saturated fats may increase your blood cholesterol and blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and circulatory issues.

Since high-fat diets also typically include high meat content, it may have some negative consequences, such as putting additional stress on your kidneys (which may lead to edema, kidney disease and even eventually to kidney failure), and increases the risk of such conditions as gout and osteoarthritis (due to accumulation of uric acid, which is a byproduct of meat digestion) and formation of gallstones.

While short-term high-protein and high-fat diets may be effective for weight loss, they should not be used for prolonged periods since they tax your body organs heavily.

How to Assist Your Body in Healing Itself from Diabetes

As you see from the above, DIABETES IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOUR PANCREAS OR INSULIN.

First, you need to set an intention to seriously work on your overall health and get totally disillusioned by quick fixes. You need total health and wellness.

Secondly, you need to understand that it is not going to be quick, and it is not going to be easy. It took time to get there, but it will take time to get back and learn how to stay there.

Thirdly, be prepared to do the work. While we are still to see any person with diabetes not getting better after 3 weeks on our programs, we also are yet to see someone improve permanently without investing 2-3 years into a deep healthy lifestyle integration. It is one thing to help you decrease your blood sugar, but another one to help you maintain it! We can provide tools, and we do, but you need to use them, practice them and master them.

Where Do I Start?

Here are some simple tips on how you can assist your body in your healing journey:

Eat a balanced diet consisting of unrefined foods. The most important therapy for diabetes is a healthy diet. The most nutritious foods are those that are produced in nature: fresh vegetables of rainbow colours, fruit, unroasted and unsalted nuts and seeds, greens, grains and legumes. The addition of quality fish, such as salmon and cod, is ok, too.
100% eliminate refined sugar, refined starches and gluten (pasta, bread etc.).
Consume super green foods, such as chlorella, spirulina, wheatgrass, barley grass, or even better – fresh green leafy vegetables, green drinks or green smoothies. Avoid fruit juices, though, as they may cause blood sugar spikes.
Dry skin brushing. The skin is the largest organ of elimination. Encourage it to expel toxins by giving yourself a dry brush from head to toe every morning and night. It will increase your circulation, which is typically slow in your condition.
Drink a glass of clean water every two waking hours to rid your body of toxins.
Can people with diabetes eat fruit? Yes, most can if it is not juiced. Enjoy plenty of berries, plums, and grapes, which also contain phytochemicals that protect your vision.
Consume quality fats, which are in abundance in fresh nuts, seeds, avocados, and flax seeds. A tablespoon of grounded flax seeds in your salad daily will provide you with a good amount of omega 3-6-9 fats. Have you heard that hemp seeds contain more omega-3 than fish?
Increasing fresh, raw produce consumption by up to 80% will tremendously benefit your overall health and provide you with the best building materials your body can use! Working and foraging in your garden would be fantastic. You not only get to enjoy the more nutrient-rich food grown without pesticides in mineral-rich soil but also will provide yourself with plenty of exercise, which (unless you overdo it) will invigorate you and will not exhaust you, like weekly shopping. You won’t believe how much healthier and more energetic you’ll become!
Exercise in the fresh air and sunshine. Your blood, which may be sluggish, will run faster, thus carrying out the wastes of your body cells and abundantly supplying them with nutrients and oxygen. Your bones will be stronger, and you’ll have more energy. A 30-minute brisk walk daily is a good exercise to start with.
Stress management. It is well-known that the deepest roots of virtually all diseases originate in our emotions. Working on emotional problems and looking at this area of your life is crucial for success.

How can the Fresh Start help?

We may assist you in a number of ways:

Firstly, Fresh Start offers a comprehensive yet down-to-earth educational lifestyle transformation program. You will eat many yummy healing foods and learn how to prepare them at home.
Secondly, you will have a chance to gently cleanse your body with specialty formulas and foods. This will optimize the work of your entire digestive system and your metabolism. We will help effectively cleanse your colon, small intestine, stomach, and liver.
Thirdly, if you suffer from obesity, you will likely lose a significant (though realistic) amount of extra weight.
Fourthly, you will consume foods that assist the pancreas in sparing its enzymes – raw foods, which constitute a large portion of our vegan, organic meals. They will nourish and take the load of this organ, which in return may improve its function. It has been documented that the Raw food diet has helped to reverse diabetes.

Additionally, throughout the program, you will receive:

An anti-inflammatory diet, including green salads and green smoothies. This diet provides the best microminerals and proteins for healing inflammation and rebuilding damaged organs. Minerals are crucial elements that govern blood sugar metabolism and reduce the occurrence of pancreatic insufficiency, renal disease, neuropathy and retinopathy.
Additional supplements support and help restore your organs that are in particular need (customized as per individual plan).
Unique Digestion Tune-up™, GI Rebuilding™ and Liver Activation™ Drinks™ specially designed to assist with improving digestion, as well as quality probiotics and digestive enzymes will help your body use nutrients more effectively in the process of cellular re-nourishment and cellular restoration.
Health lectures, Food Preparation and Integration workshops where you’ll learn how to eat healthfully. You also will take home the yummy Fresh Start recipe book.
Emotional Wellness Workshops and private emotional wellness sessions, guided meditations, and art classes will help you learn about self-care under the stresses of day-to-day life.
Fresh Ocean breeze and nature walks will calm and relax your body and mind, helping you recharge, rejuvenate, and have a great vacation.
Body treatments assist in improving circulation and other vital body functions.
It is a comprehensive and highly agile system that has proved to work for people with various health and life challenges. It includes multiple elements and approaches that work combined, which cannot be done at home.
Before designing a program for each person, we do multiple assessments, including the state of a person’s organs and blood, as well as study extensively health history and present emotional state. They give us important clues about what that particular person needs and how to create a safe and effective plan for him/ her. We do not use a cookie-cutter approach.