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can I heal type 1???

Hi Claire

I have to say that I admire you - I would be ABSOLUTELY STARVING if I were you. However, as you say, if you're veggie or vegan already it must be a lot easier...

You sounds as if you're doing this very sensibly, and would never stop taking insulin if testing showed that you were not able to.

A word of caution: there is a lot on the internet about following particular diets and being able to 'cure' illnesses. However, they tend to be pretty faddy and either misleading to indviduals or just based on plain WRONG information.

As someone has said above, although you may able to reduce your insulin intake, even eating an entirely raw diet is not likely to allow you to be able to stop, so be prepared for that.

I guess my burning question is: why???

(I hope you don't think this is too nosey) You've admitted yourself that a 'cure' is unlikely (since if you were to start eating a normal diet again you would need to rely on increased amounts of insulin again). What is it about taking insulin that you don't like? It is a naturally occuring substance, and although I see that the injections and testing is a bit of a pain, it is not likely that you will ever be able to stop these altogether, even if you can reduce the amount of insulin.

I guess, I just think that life is pretty hard for us already without having to deny yourself certain foods all the time. Although much of what you are eating is very healthy indeed, I don't believe it's healthy to cut out certain food groups altogether - such as complex carbohydrates (other than the very small amounts you're having in fruit and veg).

Do you really see yourself being able to maintain this FOREVER? Not sure what age you are, but what if you have children? You would need to eat more while pregnant to be able to give a growing child everything it needs...

I guess I just view this as being very drastic. You can eat a very healthy, more 'normal' diet, learn the intricacies of carb counting and still have very very good BG levels thus avoiding complications.

Anyway, as I say, I admire your determination!

LJ
 
Hi Claire

Just seen your most recent message! Didn't see we were the same age...!

Everything going well with me. Last HBa1c was 6.7% (taken two days after christmas, after only 6 weeks on insulin which included a two week holiday in the states eating quite a few burgers!), so quite pleased with that. Looking to get it down even further.

Going to DAFNE in Novemeber (was offered it sooner, but have taken a bit too much time off work this year for my liking!).

Anyway, feel free to drop me an email!



LJ
 
Hi Lady J

We keep overlapping! Can't believe I am still tapping away on this forum when I should be working []

I can understand that this seems very drastic to many people. To be honest, to me it just kind of follows on from how I eat anyway. Really, this diet is not much different except that I am eating my veggies raw rather than cooked and I'm eating more fruit and veg. The only things I have really excluded because they are not raw are tofu/soya products and beans. Can't say that I miss them, either. When I was initially diagnosed I was eating a lot of grains, huge plates of oats/brown rice/rye bread etc and I just found that my BS was quite unpredictable. I happened to come across "The pH miracle for diabetes" which advocated cutting down on starches and overnight my BS was so much more stable and life was so much easier. They also advocate cutting out fruit, but as I said somewhere else this was just too restrictive for me. I do a lot of exercise and I don't think I can get my calories just from veggies..or maybe I could but I would have to eat an awful lot of fat with it which is not attractive to me.

I have always been a bit of a health freak Always trying out new things, and I happened to come across a raw food forum which I found amazing. Looking at how great people looked and felt and reading about all the benefits of such a pure diet. The only thing I would feel deprived about in general is chocolate, I am such a chocoholic - but I don't want to be eating chocolate now. I know that I can cover it with insulin, but it's really not the best for body to be eating it in my opinion. You can actually get raw chocolate and it is delicious if expensive. Oh, and eating out, which I love, may be something that I continue to do cooked. Kind of missed my naan bread yesterday!!!

You say that you would be starving, and I agree that it does not look like a lot of food, but honestly I eat like a horse all day long and I have not been hungrier than usual. Raw food is very filling, apparently that's to do with fibre and also the fact that cooked food loses many of its nutrients. As your body craves nutrients from food as well as calories, it feels OK on less food if the nutrient content is nice and high.

Yes, I can see myself doing this for ever. Some people really ONLY eat raw 100% of the time. I probably will not aspire to this, but I would say 90% would be achievable because I love the food. I know that I could eat "normally" and learn to get good BS with whatever I eat, but actually I don't really want to eat "normally" as I feel there is too much wrong with today's "normal" diet. Obviously that is personal opinion and I would not want to offend anyone by saying that.

You mention children and pregnancy and yes, that is something that is really important. I guess my opinion is that if a diet keeps me healthy and in good order, it will be good enough for a baby, too. Lots of people on the raw food forum have had kids "raw" and seem to be doing fine with it. Actually, a lot of people seem to have started raw when pregnant to give the baby the best start in their opinion.

Really nice chatting with you, should really do some work now. Will be back later.

Have just noticed another one from you. Your 6.7% sounds good! Mine was 6.8% last time, again after only 6 weeks on insulin. I have another coming up in April, I would love to get 6 or under but we shall see. I have a lot still to learn about BS control but am feeling OK with how I am doing at this stage.

Glad things are going OK with you.

Claire
 
Hi Claire

Just quickly (because I also need to get some work done!): I'm also aiming for the 5% club, and also have my next test in April (gosh, we are really similar!), so we should keep each other updated.

As I say: all the best with the raw stuff - can imagine it'll be easier in the warmer weather than right now!

Jenny

LJ
 
Claire,

I wish you well on this diet. You appear to know what you are doing and appreciate that there are risks. I hope it works for you.

One thing that does worry me though is some of the lows you have reported. As I am sure you are aware the brain needs glucose in order to function. At a level of 3.6 mmol/l there is notable reduction in mental efficiency. At 3.0 mmol/l there is serious reduction and your body's defense mechanisms kick in and start to produce adrenalin and glucagon. At 2.0 there is serious brain impairment to the point that, although you are still conscious, your brain cannot work out what you need to do, so you are unlikely to be able to help yourself.

Please be careful and make sure you measure frequently.
 
Hi Dennis

Yes, I am slacking off at work yet again

Thank you for your concern about hypos. I agree, I think I have far too many of them. My problem is that often, had I had one unit of insulin less, I would be higher than I would like before meals. I have noticed that 1 unit of insulin tends to bring down my BS by about 3 units, though obviously this can vary. So...for example if I am 3.6 before a meal, I think I would have been around 6 if I had had one unit less, which I think is a bit high.

My nurse spoke about getting me an injection pen which does half units as I appear to be very insulin sensitive. That would be so good. Am going to the diabetes unit on Tuesday to see the dietician so can ask about it then.

Hope things are good with you

Claire
 
Claire

A reading of 6 is entirely within normal limits, even for a non-diabetic...

You know that the percentage expression of the HBa1C is NOT directly related to BG readings, right? So, for example, if your A1C result is 5%, it means you are runnings average BG readings of 5-6. In other words, 6 is fine.

LJ
 
Hi again Lady J

Yes, I did know about the correlation of BS readings with hba1c...but I didn't know that 6 before a meal is considered OK. Thanks! I have been aiming to get between 4-5 before meals. Where did you get the information, I wouldn't mind having a look at it.

Claire
 
Hi Claire,
I think it's fair to say we're all different, and what works for one of us may not suit another. Personally, 6mmol/l before a meal would be on the high side as I try to remain below 5.5 at all times. At 6, I'd be thinking about including a correction dose and then everything starts getting a little more complex.
Dr Richard Bernstein is a great authority on blood sugars and has written that an HbA1c of 5% is equivalent to a blood sugar of 5.5mmol/l. Every additional 1% corresponds to an additional 2.2mmol/l blood sugar level, so that 7% would equal 10mmol/l.
Such a small margin for error!

All the best,

fergusc
 
Day 3...

Got the curry wrong yesterday - bedtime <b>BS 12.9</b> [:0] Thought about doing a correction, but often when I do that I hypo during the night and I really hate it when that happens. So left it and woke up not too bad at <b>5.9</b>.

Shock, horror, opened the fridge at 6am and there was no fruit left and not many veggies. Decided to bike up to town (25 mins each way) to the 24 hour Asda to get in supplies - well, I was planning to do some exercise before work anyway. Stopped halfway at the gym to do some weights. Partner thought I was mad. Don't care

Was hungry when I got back but really had to get to work and in the end didn't have time to eat until 11am. Ate two nectarines that I got at Asda, what a rip off it cost me £2 for four just because I wanted something ripe rather than rock solid :evil:<b>BS 4.6, 2 units NR</b>

Think I have a cold - first one as a diabetic. Hope it goes away or at least doesn't mess with my BS too much. Or maybe it's detox?

Lunch 12:30, <b>BS 4.8</b> Had a sharon fruit, yum, with a big salad of alfafa sprouts and whatever was left in the fridge. Was not sure whether to bother with insulin seeing as I had exercised, but sharon fruit is usually quite insulin-demanding so had <b>1 unit NR</b>.

Mistake! <b>3.5</b> at 3:30pm - had a bit of a fruit feast [] Remaining two nectarines and six little yellow plums that I have had for two weeks waiting for them to get ripe. And a handful of almonds. Decided on <b>2 units NR</b> once the hypo had gone.

Wrong again! <b>3.5</b> at 5:30pm right in the middle of the supermarket doing the weekly shop. Had three sugar tablets, very raw! Bought lots of yummy fruit and veg at the shop, could hardly get it all in the fridge. Very frustrated again at the amount of produce which isn't ripe - had to get lots of melon to keep me going in the short term while everything else is getting ripe.

Dinner 7pm <b>BS 4.8</b>. Really grouchy because I felt ill and did not feel like chewing, so decided to make a big veggie juice - few handfuls of kale, 1/2 big cuspamber, few brussels sprouts, half a small carrot, half a lime, few handfuls spinach, 4 stalks celery. Nice and quick to make and eat.

Here's another link for you...www.healingtype1diabetes.typepad.com...very interesting blog but a bit annoying because the author is American so all the BS readings are their system.

See you tomorrow

Claire
 
Forgot to add that I will have my<b> 4 units Levemir</b> at 8pm then probably head off for a very early night...cold or detox whatever has knocked me out!

Claire
 
Dear all

This was posted by someone on the raw food forum yesterday regarding diabetes type 1. Thought you might be interested...

<i>I was doing research for my sis (she has type one) n this is what I found...hope it helps

Stacey,
We have two specific cases so far of Type-1 who have been cured; one remains
cleared for one year now and the other remains cured for two years.
The issue is that we cannot tell who will be cured or not with Type-1
where as we have 90-95% cure rate with Type-2. His case sounds like
the one person who has remained healed for the past two years who
became a Type-1 at age 20 and was healed in the program at the age 25.
There are no guarantees, but it is worth the effort with little to
lose, but a lot to gain.

Blessings,
Gabriel Cousens, M.D.


--Sergei Boutenko was able to heal himself of juvenile diabetes, which is typically Type-1. However, one does not know the extent of his pancreas damage, perhaps it was not that damaged.

If it is possible to heal one's pancreas, a raw diet will provide the best nutrition and conditions for that healing. Again, this depends on how damaged the pancreas is. Also, after eating only raw foods for 7 years, the body has had a chance to rebuild every cell in the body. So theoretically, every cell in the pancreas ought to be rebuilt also. But whether or not the person trying to heal themselves provides the conditions for this kind of healing depends upon the health education and health practices of that person.

So yes, it is possible to heal Type-1, depending on the existing damage and whether the person provides the conditions for healing to occur. And most people with Type-1 discover that they need to use a lot less insulin on the low fat raw vegan diet than they do on the traditional diabetic diets.
[www.alternativesmagazine.com]
[www.rawfamily.com]


--Raw for 30 days--Reversing Diabetes

great video! it might be about type 2, cant remember. you should write the Tree of Life(clinic on the video) & ask them about type 1 healing. seems like i read that it's being healed very successfully.

[youtube.com]

--Hi,
Here is a wise book which could be helpful to your sister: There is a cure for Diabetes by Gabriel Cousens.
May this be helpful.
[books.google.com]
[www.treeoflife.nu]</i>
 
Day 4...

Yesterday bedtime <b>BS 7.4</b>
This morning <b>BS 3.9</b>...thought this was a bit strange as went to bed quite reasonable. But I do get up a couple of hours later at the weekend so often find my am readings are lower than during the week. Ate one small yellow plum to correct then went back to bed.

Also tested my body pH with a urine test strip (just like the ketone testing strips). 7.0. Not bad, but apparently 7.4 is the one to aim for. Need to keep on with the fruits and vegs for alkalinity. One morning after a bad junky feast the night before I measured 6.5, yuck.

Not sure whether I have a cold or not! Streaming nose and lots of tiredness yesterday, but felt better this morning. Still more tired than usual, though. Partner woke up full of cold...there must be bugs in the house!

8am breakfast: pint of veggie juice - spinach, green beans, brussels sprouts, cuspamber, celery, half a lime and one green pepper. That was really good, must have been the pepper that made it so good. Will have to juice more peppers! Veggie juice is the best. Takes a while to get used to the taste but then it is so amazing to think of all those vits and mins in a glass. Also ate a banana. No insulin as I was planning to go out for a walk.

9am walked to the park and back, 6 miles total. Was going to go out on bike but a bit stuffy after all and couldn't breathe properly! Guzzled a load of sugar tablets halfway as I forgot to take an extra banana. Those sugar tablets are starting to taste bad to me, SO artificial and sicky-sweet. Once I have used up all the ones I have I would like to use dates/bananas to correct hypos in a more natural way. Anyone else do this?

12pm lunch <b>BS 4.9</b> - STARVING!!! Made beetroot and fennel "rice" - raw beetroot and fennel whizzed up in the food processor with spring onion, lemon juice and pepper. Ate that on a bed of spinach with a slice of raw carrot cake which I made (carrots, dates, coconut, cashew nuts, agave syrup...let me know if you want the recipe). Was still a bit hungry but was going to my parents' later and knew that Mum had got in stuff especially - didn't want to arrive full!

4pm tea <b>BS 5.1</b> - well, raw took a bit of a back seat here [] This was birthday tea for my Mum and brother which meant lots of yummy things Did manage to stay off the cake, which I was very pleased about, but ate way too many nuts, some pringles and a whole load of wholegrain pumpkin seed crackers with salsa and hummous dip which Mum had got in just for me. <b>4 units NR</b>

Did not eat the rest of the day as so bloated from tea. Lots of nuts definitely don't agree with me. Also feel very dehydrated now. Have noticed this when I eat cooked/processed. I guess the water content of raw foods is much higher so I don't need to drink so much with them. Feel really thirsty now. And quite grouchy and lethargic :twisted:. Raw gives you much more energy. But it was worth it at the time, enjoyed my tea!

Have also been wondering about this "cold" of mine...my nose initially started running after my curry on Thursday and continued on Friday. Was basically OK today until I had tea and now I feel coldy again. Maybe it is connected with detox or the effects of cooked/processed foods?

8pm <b>4 units Levemir</b>

Won't be posting tomorrow evening as going to Brighton for the night, lucky me!

Claire
 
Hi Claire
I'd be sceptical about any cure for type 1 diabetes. The only cure is a pancrease transplant and thats not guarenteed. And only going to happen if you get kidney failure and you are lucky enough to get a kidney transplant, they do the transplants together.
A healthy <u>Balanced</u> Diet is surely your best option
Your lucky that a banana was sufficient to correct a bs of 2.5, if I was that low and just had a banana, I'd have been in A&E 30 minutes later having had a hypo induced seizure !
Insulin is needed by the body to covert sugar to energy, if we can't produce it and as diabetics we can't we need to inject it. By stopping eating foods that require as much insulin, isn't going to cure your diabetes.
They say a diabetics diet is (should be) the best there is, little and often, not bingeing ! But we're all human and sucspamb to temptation every now and then !
There are a lot of foods that aren't processed, that are good for you, dairy products are essential for your bones and teeth for example.
Stay safe
Russell
 
Claire,
I'm watching your progress with interest. Your blood glucose levels so far are pretty ideal, so very well done!

I hope it continues beyond your honeymoon period. My concern would be that your diet sounds as if it is almost completely carbohydrate based. You're missing all sorts of important amino acids, fats and vitamins I think. Besides which, it's the carbohydrates which we diabetics are unable to metabolise effectively, not the fats or proteins, so I believe the emphasis is on the wrong food group.
I wish you every success, but I was also a strict vegetarian for 16 years and then gave it up 4 years ago because I came to realise my health was sufferring as a result.

You won't want to hear this, but my health has greatly improved as a result!

All the best,

fergusc
 
Hi Russell

Thanks for your interesting and useful comments

I agree about not bingeing But to be honest, compared to what I CAN binge on, a few nuts and wholegrain crackers too many is actually pretty good going! That is one of the reasons I am going raw - I am definitely a comfort eater and once I get started on the junk there is no stopping me. Eating too many nuts, fruits, veggies etc is not going to be anywhere near as bad for me or my BS. Although of course you are totally right, too much of anything is not ideal.

The idea of a balanced diet is an interesting one. I will say right now that anything I write here is purely personal opinion - I am not saying that I am right or anyone else is wrong, in fact I'm not sure you <i>can</i> be right or wrong with food as there seem to be so many studies which conflict with each other. At the end of the day I think you have to go with what you feel comfortable with.

To me, a balanced diet means eating a wide range of foods to ensure a good intake of all the nutrients, and it is possible to get all the nutrients from raw vegan. B12 is not very available on this diet and I am supplementing for this - but interestingly B12 deficiency can occur even in meat eaters who are eating a poor diet! Also, when I think of many people's balanced diet these days, I see a lot of foods which I am not happy with. Sugar is supposed to be part of a balanced diet, and although I am the first to say I like it , I certainly wouldn't say it was healthy or nutritious for my body! Similarly, bread and pasta are held up as healthy, balanced diet kinds of foods. Again, I really like both of these, but they are so processed and bread especially is full of gunk these days unless it is really good home baked stuff. I am not saying I am never going to eat bread or pasta again but I certainly would want to avoid them. Dairy really makes me bloated and gassy (sorry!) and I don't like it anyway apart from some cheeses. Also a lot of studies find that it is not a good food for humans. And these feelings have nothing to do with diabetes, I felt that way before.

Your point about some processed foods being good for you is also interesting. I agree with you to a certain extent - for example eating a pot of natural yoghurt is in my opinion much friendlier to your body than a chocolate bar or McDonalds fries. You will get some nutrients from the yoghurt from which your body can benefit. On the other hand, though, I can't think of many processed foods that I really honestly think are good for me, even though I might eat them sometimes anyway. Maybe oats, brown rice, millet...

Do bananas really not help you with hypos? Isn't it funny how everyone's body is so different! I find them quite good.

Anyway, nice talking, am off to Brighton now for the night, have the day off work tomorrow

Claire
 
Hi Claire,
No Banana's really don't help me with hypo's, when my sugars are that low, my only option is 3 teaspoons of sugar in warm water. I've even had a seizure after having a hypostop (or glucogel as its now called), when my sugars have been in the 2's. But then we're all different.
I agree, there's no hard and fast rule for everyone on whats right or wrong. But all fruits have sucrose in them which will affect your bs, not necessarily slowly, why a banana stops your hypo's.
None process foods I was talking about other than dairy products,
Were more along the lines of potatoes and yes breads, never been a great fan of pasta's, also rices (Whole grain if prefered)and oats.
Bread wise I tend to look for a loaf with a high fibre content, above 1.3 per slice, but its not hard these days to make your own, with the machines available. With the ingredients you want in it.
Unless studies have proved differently, I was told that once injections are started, The injected insulin kills off any remaining insulin producing cells in our pancreas.
From what I've read from your ealier posting, its a very hit and miss cure for type 1's, by their own admission. Not really a cure, when your playing with your life. Staying healthy is the most important thing, staying active and being able to have a "normal" day to day life with family and friends. I've had that brought home to me over the last year, I had a stroke last february and totally lost my left side. DR's told my wife I'd never walk again, huh, they didn't know me! I was only 47 and not prepared to give up on my independence. With the help of a excellent physio team, I was back on my feet by june and back at work by august. I'm a firm believer in quality of life, it gets tough at times, so we all needs treats every now and then,don't forget that with your strict regime
Hope you had a good night in Brighton, (my sister was born there)
Take care
Russell
 
Day 5...

Seems a long while ago now, not sure I can quite remember!

Did my urine pH again this morning - wondered what the effect of yesterday's nut and wholegrain cracker pig-out would be. Came out at 6.25 [:0] Really bad! So, was it the nuts or the crackers, or both???

Breakfast 7am - veggie juice, usual kind of ingredients and a banana. No insulin.

Went out on my bike for an hour at 8am - very, very cold but nice and white in the park! Meant to stop at the gym halfway to do some weights but forgot to take my bike lock with me [!]. Didn't want to take the risk of my bike disappearing so just went home. Just as well really, took ages to get my hands and feet warm again

12pm <b>BS 5.1</b> handful of pistachio nuts and macadamia nuts, yum. With a big salad and a couple of small yellow plums. No insulin.

3pm went for a walk along the seafront in Brighton. Ate a big purple plum (am into plums at the moment!) which was SO delicious to keep me going til dinner. No insulin.

Dinner 7pm <b>BS 4.5</b> Went to Wokmania A HUGE all you can eat buffet - fruit, salad, all kinds of Chinese dishes, chocolate fountain, cake, jelly, ice cream... This was a bit of a dangerous moment. Last time we went at Christmas I stuffed myself stupid and actually felt quite disgusted with myself afterwards. Was really pleased that I managed to be disciplined this time - ate two big plates of salad, some orange quarters and a small portion of cooked stuff..two mini spring rolls, a mini samosa and a spoon of spicy potato. <b>2 units NR</b>

8pm <b>4 units levemir</b>

Bedtime reading 8.7. Not too bad...
 
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