How many people do you know that have diabetes?
Out of the nine million diagnosed with either diabetes or pre-diabetes in Canada, it’s likely you know someone with this disease. It has become a global pandemic — a big problem. The Canadian Diabetes Association anticipates that by 2030, over 400 million people worldwide will have diabetes.
But what’s the big deal? You take a little insulin; it’s all good right?
Not so much. Diabetes is, in most cases, only the beginning. Then comes the increased likelihood of depression, two to four times more likely to suffer from heart disease or heart attack, kidney failure, blindness and limb amputations, to name a few of what they call “comorbidities” of diabetes.
It can be scary stuff to say the least.
So what does one do?
The American Diabetes Association claims, “There is no cure for diabetes.”
People campaign to raise money to fund research to find a “cure.”
Others attend conferences on the new and improved medications for this disease.
At the same time Dr. Gabriel Cousens from Patagonia, Ariz., claims to be getting many of his patients off of all medications and insulin within 21 days. His book, There is a Cure for Diabetes, illustrates his extensive research and clinical studies on diabetic patients.
His research shows how the body becomes insulin resistant (which is associated with pre-diabetes) from the consumption of high-sugar foods including fructose and glucose, as well as too many animal products, including dairy, meat and chicken.
According to his book, about 25 to 35 per cent of the population has a degree of insulin resistance.
Patients stay at his centre, where they get no sugar, dairy, meat, eggs, alcohol or caffeine and eat a living- foods diet, including fruits, vegetables, sprouted grains, seaweeds, sprouts, and fermented foods all rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre, probiotics and enzymes — all the foods that are believed to provide true nourishment and bring the body to a state of true health.
Results were showing not only stabilized blood sugar levels but lowering blood pressure, cholesterol levels and virtually the majority of all ailments were re-balancing.
And as not only a medical doctor but a psychiatrist as well, Cousens discovered the relationship between sugar and the locus coeruleus, a structure in the brain that controls anxiety levels.
He found that low blood sugar wouldn’t allow the locus coeruleus to do its job and therefore people with low blood sugar would suffer from not only anxiety, but paranoia, hostility and even psychosis.
After placing many of his psychiatric patients on the same living foods diet to balance their blood sugar levels he found many of their psychiatric symptoms ceased. This is more explained in another of his books Depression Free for Life.
Because sugar stimulates the endorphins, it is a very addictive substance and difficult to cut out completely. Even having a small amount activates the epigenetic memory to crave sugar for two weeks, but as Cousens suggests, cutting sugar out of the diet is key to longevity.
To learn more about Cousens’ studies, you can go to www.rawfor30days.com to view the documentary they filmed following the diabetic patients for 30 days.
Kristin Fraser, BSc, is a registered holistic nutritionist and local freelance writer. Her column appears every second Wednesday. She can be reached at kristin_fraser@hotmail.com