Dear Friends:

I would like to share with you my hypothesis about the conditions that may cause diabetes, candida and other diseases.

Ever since my son Sergei was diagnosed with diabetes, I have been collecting all the information about this disease that I came across. From reading hundreds of studies and talking to countless diabetic friends, I have developed my own theory about the cause of this illness. I kept my ideas to myself for many years because I am not a medical doctor, and cannot give medical advice to anyone. Now I have decided to share my thoughts with you, just as a woman, friend, and mother of a diabetic child. So please don’t take my words as a directive, and perhaps some of you will be able to benefit from my reasoning.

The liver is the main organ in our body that processes the fats that we consume and the chemicals that we ingest and are exposed to. Even though the liver is the largest gland in the human body, it has a certain limit on how much fat and chemicals it can process. An adult human liver normally weighs around three pounds and can only process a certain amount of fat per day. Let us suppose that the following yellow circle represents the maximum amount of fat that our liver can process per day, and the red circle represents the maximum amount of chemicals:

What happens when we consume more fat and chemicals than we can process on a daily basis? For example this much more:

While the chemicals keep accumulating in different organs of our body and cause a variety of problems, including nutritional deficiencies, it is not entirely clear what happens with the excess fat. In this article I would like to talk about fat.

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Clent Manich is an inspiration to all those that hear his story. After coming close to death, Clent was able to lose 226 pounds and beat diabetes by predominately drinking green smoothies and switching to a raw diet.

Clent’s green smoothie and weight loss experience is documented in Victoria’s latest book, Green Smoothie Revolution. Valya has also created a touching interview with Clent, who as you will see, is a very heart-felt and genuine person. We hope that many people will be inspired by his simple and stunning example.

I would like to share with you a unique true story from a diabetic who was able to reduce his insulin by drinking green smoothies with fruit for one week. Victoria sent this story and video out in her Raw Family news letters just after our latest Joy for Life Retreat.

We have two confirmed Joy For Life Retreats in 2010. In February there will be one at Pacific Palisades, Southern California and in August we will hold a retreat on Vancouver island. For more information please click here

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Robert has been working on our websites for more than four years. During this time he developed type 2 diabetes and was placed on insulin. Of course he has read tons of information about green smoothies since he has been creating multiple pages devoted to this topic. Robert was open to drinking green smoothies whenever he visited our office, however he was afraid to drink a lot of them because of their fruit content. At home Robert was trying to make smoothies with minimal amount of fruit, on other occasions often he would blend himself savory green smoothies.

Robert was able to make arrangements at his main job so that he could participate at our recent Joy for Life Retreat. He arrived Stewart Mineral Springs completely equipped with his blood sugar monitor and plenty of insulin on hand.

On October 11^th all of us who participated in this program began consuming green smoothies every 3-4 hours. Robert noticed that after drinking a green smoothie his blood sugar rise, then it would come back down to normal within an hour after consuming the smoothie with fruit.

Here is Robert’ morning blood sugar levels during the retreat:

• First day – 190
• Second day – 150
• Third day – 129
• Fourth day – 78
• Fifth day – 70 in the morning and stable for the remainder of the retreat

Before sending this news letter I called Robert and asked what his blood sugar was. Robert was happy to report that his blood sugar has been staying within a normal frame and was 120 at the moment. Robert has not been taking insulin since October 11th, the first day of the retreat.. My web designer is so inspired about his health improvement that he continues to improve his diet. He stopped eating meat, caffeine and processed foods. He has also reduced the amount of oils and other fats in his diet. Robert is now drinking green smoothies twice a day.

He finds it remarkable that he is consuming sweet fruits like grapes, mangos, and bananas and that it doesn’t affect his diabetes.

Robert checks his blood sugar frequently and while the reading are sometimes slightly higher than normal his blood sugar is significantly lower than before the retreat.

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In response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat of diabetes, The International Diabetes Federation and The World Health Organization created World Diabetes Day on November the 14th, 1991.

The campaign is designed to draw attention to issues faced by diabetics, and to keep prevention of the disease firmly in the public spotlight.  It’s a worthy cause. Nonetheless, considering the alarming growth rate of diabetes in today’s society, it appears the message is not getting across. Over the last 20 years the world population has grown by 30%. During that same time the population of diabetics in the world has grown by 766%.

I would like to put another spin on the official World Diabetes campaign by encouraging people to research natural cures for diabetes. You may like to view this astonishing independent documentary called “Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days.” The film chronicles six diabetic Americans who switch to an organic, raw vegan diet in order to reverse the disease without pharmaceutical medication.

There is currently a special DVD offer for World Diabetes Day, if you are interested click here for the DVD…

In honor of what we have learned to be possible I have included a wonderful testimonial given to Victoria Boutenko by Alex Romanov. Alex was able to stop taking insulin by drinking green smoothies and staying on the raw diet.

Reversing Diabetes Testimonial by Alex Romanov

My name is Alex Romanov, and I am writing this in thanksgiving for the help I recieved from the Boutenko family, which has forever changed my life.

As an adult, I was diagnosed as a type one diabetic. This was determined by the results of a C-peptide assay performed at Century City Hospital in Los Angeles, California while under the care of Dr. Englanoff. I was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and a septic condition of the blood. I was in end-stage diabetic Ketoacidosis. It was determined that my body was no longer producing insulin.

The news that I was diabetic came as a total shock! Looking back, I realize that I had been experiencing various symptoms for some time. These included frequent urination, insatiable thirst, pain in my feet and legs, blurred vision and slow healing of cuts and bruises.

The diagnosis was devastating for me because, for many years, I had dabbled off and on with raw foods, and felt I was in control of my health. After reading Victoria’s Green for Life, I had added smoothies to my diet occasionally with great results. I now realize that it was those very smoothies that were keeping the diabetes at bay.

I spent 4 days in critical condition in the ICU followed by an additional five days in the hospital. During that time, I found it was difficult not to buy into the doctor’s dire predictions. I was told that my life would depend on my taking a large amount of insulin daily.

When I got out of the hospital, I was so sad. I felt like I had lost control of my health and this horrible “boogeyman” named diabetes had taken charge. I attended classes and clinics, and at every one, I was endlessly informed that I should expect one dire outcome after another. I was told that the numbness in my feet was Neuropathy and that it could one day lead to amputation. I was warned to have my vision checked because I may develop Retinitis which could lead to blindness. It was a constant diet of negative outcomes.

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Last Tuesday I posted an article written by Victoria Boutenko which described her family’s experience with diabetes and the research she gathered to find a natural cure. Today’s post is a continuation of the original article; it covers some interesting facts about diabetes which can not easily be found in the main stream.

Here is part 2 of the article, Curing Diabetes, by Victoria Boutenko:

Click here to read Part 1 of this article…

I continued my studies on nutrition. One day, I came upon an article that discussed the benefits of adequate sunlight. In an experiment with 1200 children who were exposed to various degrees of sunlight, exposure to adequate amounts of sunshine lead to an 80% reduction in developing diabetes in comparison with the control group (9). Since then, everyone in my family started a regular practice of sunbathing. I believe that sufficient exposure to sunlight has also contributed to my son’s healing.

We checked my son’s blood sugar level frequently. Naturally we were curious to know what levels of blood sugar other people had too. For a while, we began checking the blood sugar of every person who entered our house. I still cannot find any reasonable explanation for the fact that so many of our friends often had very high readings of blood sugar. Readings such as 250, 300, or even higher were not uncommon. We had several monitors in our house and they all showed similar measurements.

In my search for information on improving diabetes, my collection of odd bits of helpful information began to expand. I read about pasteurized milk, and how it increased the chances of developing diabetes (10), and that aloe barbadensis leaf can help prevent and improve diabetes (11), and how cinnamon and cloves can improve insulin function (12) , and that by increasing the fiber content of a diabetic’s diet, the insulin requirement is reduced (13), and countless other facts. It has become my habit to hunt for new information on diabetes. Nowadays there is a worldwide on-line access to the newest scientific discoveries about diabetes. You can choose from an abundant assortment of research articles at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/diabetes

Throughout the years, I have received a great number of accusations and bitter letters, mostly from parents of diabetic children. Sometimes people tell me that my son could not have been a type 1 diabetic. For example, the following letter read, “I’m more than concerned at your continued insistence that you cured your son of insulin-dependent Juvenile Diabetes and saved him from a lifetime of insulin use. It’s impossible… “ or, “I suggest you try to find out more information about your son’s diagnosis before you attempt to convince others that they can be cured of type 1 diabetes by diet only…” Continue Reading

Many people write to the Bountekos seeking ways to cure diabetes naturally.  I would like to share with you some of the information that Victoria compiled in 2006 and some snippets from her own family’s personal experience with curing diabetes through diet. Victoria first began gathering books, articles and testimonials about this disease when her youngest son Sergei was diagnosed with diabetes in 1993. The following is an overview of the facts, thoughts and experiences she considers to be most valuable.

At the time my son was diagnosed, I was told that he had symptoms of type 1 diabetes. The doctor insisted that he had to go on insulin immediately.  However, the recent death of my dear grandmother was still fresh in my memory. She was killed by an overdose of insulin.

My grandmother Katherine had always  been a tremendous source of inspiration for me. Born in 1909, she was  adventurous enough to jump with a parachute at the age of 18 in 1927, when  airplane flights had just begun, and parachutes were rather bulky and unsafe.  She was an educated and well-mannered lady who managed to marry Count  Bulgakov, the cousin of the world-famous classical Russian writer, Michael Bulgakov.

My grandmother was one of the central figures in my family and her early death  was a big shock to us all. She had given herself the usual dose of insulin, but for  some reason, her body responded to it with a strong hypoglycemic reaction that  resulted in death. So of course, when the doctor pronounced that my son was  diabetic, the biggest threat to me was the idea of giving my child insulin shots.

I am aware that I am a very protective mother, and the motherly instincts are strong in me. While considering the treatment proposed for my son, I began  collecting and scrutinizing all the information I could get my hands on in order to  choose the optimal treatment for him. At first I could find nothing that even  devotedly suggested an alternative way of treating diabetes. I spent many hours in the  library, reading medical journals both new and old, with a stack of post-its and  a medical dictionary by my side marking everything that could help shed some  light on my understanding of my son’s disease. The very first book that brought  me hope and relief was the book, Reversing Diabetes, by Dr. Julian Whitaker. In  this book, Dr. Whitaker said, “Most diabetic patients can reasonably expect to  lower their insulin dose or eliminate oral diabetic medications. Some patients  may be able to stop injecting insulin altogether.”

Even though my doctor explained to me that my son’s pancreas was incapable of producing insulin, and he therefore had to immediately take insulin,  I strongly felt that if I didn’t try to correct his condition with diet first, I would be  devastated should unwanted complications from insulin occur later. It was a very  difficult decision to make. I never described in any of my books or conversations  what I had to go through during those first months, because I was afraid. I love  my children more than anything in the world, and I was afraid to lose my son  either to disease or to misunderstanding authorities. Even now, when my son  is 21 years old and vibrantly healthy, I still have some of those fears. I just want  to explain that my heart goes out to all the mothers and fathers of diabetic children  who have to go through the same torturous decisions. Very often I hear accusations  that I placed my son’s life at stake. Honestly I didn’t feel that way, because I was  always very close to him. I placed his bed in my own bedroom so that I could hear  his breathing day and night. I monitored his blood sugar several times a day, and  closely watched his symptoms.

I subscribed to most of the existing magazines that had to do with diabetes,  Diabetic Living, Diabetes Health, Diabetes Self-Management, and Diabetes Forecast.  I was seeking cures for my son everywhere. I changed my son’s diet dramatically several times. At first, I put him on the  diet that was at that time recommended for diabetics, a low carbohydrate, high protein,  and high fat diet. This didn’t help at all. On the contrary, it made his symptoms worse.  I was puzzled by the fact that the recommended diet for diabetics visibly worsened his  condition. I stumbled at such results. These consequences didn’t make any sense to me!  Consuming sugar raises the blood sugar. One would think, okay let me cut out sugars  (carbohydrates). However, when one cuts out carbohydrates, the blood sugar goes even higher! This is probably the biggest paradox associated with diabetes, and is responsible  for much of the confusion both among diabetics and the medical profession.

Driven by the quest to find what I should feed my child, I began searching for  more information and found many research documents that proved that the diabetic diet itself could cause diabetes. As early as 1927, a comprehensive study conducted  by Dr. J. Shirley Sweeney,3 demonstrated that the high fat, low carbohydrate diet used in  treating diabetic patients would cause diabetes in normal people. Dr. Sweeney also found  that when those who had blood sugar levels indicative of diabetes changed their diets from  a high fat or high protein diet to a high carbohydrate diet, their diabetes disappeared!

Dr. Sweeney concluded that, “If you want a quick case of diabetes, just eliminate the  carbohydrates from your diet for a couple of days and then take the test. It will demonstrate  diabetes.”

In the early 1930s, another researcher, Dr. H.P. Himsworth4 published several  articles that contained information similar to Sweeney’s.  Like Sweeney, he demonstrated  that in a normal individual, a fat-rich or protein-rich diet could bring on diabetes, which  could be eliminated by a carbohydrate-rich diet. He revealed that diabetes could be induced to various degrees depending on the fat content of an individuals diet.

In 1932, yet another doctor, I.M. Rabinowitch5, put the high carbohydrate diet  to work in patients with great success and was baffled that his observations and results  were so different from the commonly accepted beliefs.

In 1935, 24% of Rabinowitch’s patients who had been on the high carbohydrate –  low calorie diet for five years were successfully withdrawn from insulin. Insulin requirements  were reduced in almost all the participants who still required it. The patients felt better, had  more energy, and lived more comfortably. He concluded: “I believe that in the data  presented here there is incontestable evidence that the high carbohydrate – low calorie diet is more effective in controlling diabetes than all other methods of treatment reported hitherto.”

In 1976, still another doctor, James W. Anderson, M.D6., began searching for the best  diet composition for a diabetic patient. He compared the ADA diet recommendations with  a high-carbohydrate, high- fiber diet on 13 diabetic men. These patients were all receiving  medication to control their blood glucose: eight were on insulin for a number of years, and five were taking oral drugs. At the hospital, these patients were first stabilized for one week  on the ADA diet recommendations, which contained only 43% carbohydrate calories and  about 4.7 grams of crude fiber. They were then shifted to a diet containing 75% carbohydrate  calories, only 9% fat calories, and 14.2 grams of crude fiber.

The results were almost unbelievable. A simple dietary shift rendered nearly 70% of  the patients drug fee, and 50% insulin free! This suggests that of the 20.8 million diabetics  in America7 who are taking some form of diabetic medication, about 14.7 million could  possibly become drug free if they were placed on a high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diet!

Once I read these studies, I completely eliminated animal fat and almost all animal  protein from my son’s diet. As soon as I made this change, both my son and I quickly saw  positive results. My son’s symptoms noticeably reduced, but his blood sugar remained  higher than normal, and he was still beleaguered by an un-quenchable thirst. Other  symptoms of diabetes were also present even though their form was much milder.

Approximately at this time, I learned about the raw food diet, and after several  weeks of extensive reading and research about benefits of this lifestyle, my family switched  to an all-raw diet on January 21st, 1994. This dietetic change immediately improved my son’s  condition still further.

Soon thereafter, I learned about the necessity of aerobic exercise for every diabetic,  regardless of type. As Dr. Whitaker described in his book8, “Aerobic exercise enhances the  body’s sensitivity to  insulin and is recommended because it significantly lowers the insulin requirement. An exercise program should be prescribed for the diabetic patient in the same  way that medication or diet is prescribed.”

Indeed exercise proved to be instrumental in helping my son keep his blood sugar  under control. On many nights when my son would have a glucose level of 350 or more  and was unable to fall asleep, I would go for a two mile run with him, sometimes after  midnight, to bring his sugar level back down to 120. All of this took a great deal of effort.  I had to quit working outside the house and create a business at home, so that I could  closely monitor my son’s condition. To my great relief, he began doing better and  better each day.

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Next week I will post the remainder of this article where Victoria talks about diagnosing diabetes correctly.

REFERENCES

1 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: general information and national estimates on diabetes in the United States, 2005. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005.

2 - Dramatic Upsurge In Diabetes-related Deaths And Illnesses Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Article Date: 01 Mar 2006, Contact Karen Gardner: kgardner@aecom.yu.edu

3 - American Medical Association of January 16, 1926

4 - Reversing Diabetes, by Julian M. Whitaker, M.D.  New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1987.

5 - “The Present Status of the High Carbohydrate-Low Calorie Diet for the Treatment of Diabetes,”Canadian Medical Association Journal 26:46-148, 1932

6 - “Beneficial Effects of a High Carbohydrate, High Fiber Diet on Hyperglycemic Diabetic Men,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 29:895-899, 1976

7 - http://www.diabetes.org/uedocuments/NationalDiabetesFactSheetRev.pdf

8 - Reversing Diabetes, by Julian M. Whitaker, M.D.  New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1987.

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Thank you for reading the Green Smoothie Blog’s first ‘Testimony Tuesday’ entry. Every Tuesday I will share with you an inspiring raw food or green smoothie testimonial so that seekers are able to find their own health solutions. I strongly believe that there can be a huge amout of knowledge gained from other people’s experiences. Eventually this blog along with our Green Smoothie Forum will become an accessible archive for sharing alternative cures to a variety of health issues.

I’m extremely honored and excited to present this testimony.  When I requested people submit their stories I never expected such an amazing heart felt and personal response. For me the below story is incredible; I never really understood that, as well as the many physical improvements, raw food can reverse abusive and negative mental patterns. I recommend you take the time to read this submission; it’s extremely moving and clearly demonstrates the benefits of the raw food diet.

If you have a testimony you would like to share, feel free to send your story to  info@rawfamily.com

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It would have never occurred to me to share my life story with anyone. Until recently, I was doing my best to conceal as much of it as possible, never thinking once that someone out there might find it a source of inspiration and strength. The raw food experience changed all that, not only from a purely physical point of view – I did experience tremendous changes in a surprisingly short amount of time – but also from a mental one as well.

I am a survivor of violent childhood abuse. I have repeatedly been scarred both physically and mentally over a long period of time. As a result, I have to function with PTSD and other mental disorders, which manifest themselves on a daily basis. My nights are often worse than my days, with recurring night terrors, nightmares and the sleeplessness that ensues. Phantom and real pains have plagued my body every single day of my existence: I am still trying to come to terms with broken bones that never healed properly. Medications were the very inadequate, but unfortunately the best available help I was given to cope with my hellish life.

There’s more, but I’ll stop here. I think the picture is clear enough.

Last February, I was diagnosed with diabetes. This was the end of the road for me: to add one more catastrophic, painful disease to my long list of ailments was not an option. I gave myself an ultimatum to either change life paths completely or bring my miserable existence to an end. I did not want to be subjected to any more pain, whether physical or psychological.

I had started working at controlling my blood glucose and was going through intense bouts of anguish about the potential consequences of this disease. My usual night terrors were making things worse: my blood glucose would jump to a scary 400! I started an additional regimen of drugs to help control these spikes. Every book I was reading about diabetes was depressing and promised a life of growing disabilities, pain and eventually a slow death. I started writing individual letters to the people who were important to me to share my decision to end my life and say a final “au revoir”.

And then, I came across Gabriel Cousens  M.D.  book “ There is a  cure for  diabetes”. I held my breath while I was reading, barely believing there could be a way out of this nightmare. My curiosity was aroused: I moved on to Victoria Boutenko’s books and a new world of possibilities offered itself to me. Their information made sense to me and gave me so much hope that I decided to postpone my plan to end my days until I had given their approach a fair chance.

RAW LIFE!

I became a 70 % raw foodist right away. After learning more about the nuts and bolts of this new approach, I took the plunge and went 100% raw, thereby brushing away my death plans and opting for life. That was the first week of June. This past august, I did a 21 day juice feasting and pumped more life into my body and soul, and the amazing cumulative results from raw food diet and the juice feasting list as follow:

- I no longer take any drug of any kind: all the medications I was using for PTSD, night terrors, anxiety, depression, acid reflux, diabetes etc… went into the “trash”!

- I got rid of my diabetes. I am eating all kinds of fruits in large quantity and my blood glucose remains normal.  My doctors recently told me I was diabetes-free.

- Chronic migraines that could sometimes last for 2 months have not come back.

- Acid reflux is completely gone.  I have been dealing with GERD (reflux disease) for 20 years now. 3 days after adopting a 100% raw diet, acid reflux was a thing of the past.

- I lost 78 pounds and am still losing unhealthy weight.

-   My blood pH is normal

-   My cholesterol is back to normal

-   My blood pressure is now perfect.

- I experience no more hair loss

-   My hair has stopped graying

-   I have no more excessive body hair

- My skin condition has improved immensely.  I do not need to use makeup anymore.

- PMS is gone

- Joint pains are gone

- I have more energy to bounce back from triggers/flashbacks

- I am finally able to sleep more hours at a time and when night terrors comes, I can recuperate faster afterwards.

- BUT THE BIGGEST MIRACLE IN MY BOOK IS that, for the first time in my life, I feel safer.  The raw community has shown me that human beings are not parasites with bad intentions. Raw food has given me the control of my health and the vibrancy I need to walk my days with courage and strength. I am more aware of the “now”, there is more distance between now and then so when my past comes back and haunts me I can bounce back quicker and feel that I am walking forward.  Eventually, I know that the past will be the past. Raw life has brought me into a path of kindness towards the planet and the animals that cohabit with us.  I eat nature’s real bounty, the produce and fruit that were meant to be our sustenance all along. I feel nature’s loving energy.

In the past I would isolate myself days at a time. Sitting on my couch and not stirring, trapped in my past, horrors coming back to me.  I was antisocial and scared of everybody.  I couldn’t stand being in close proximity with people.  I would frequently isolate myself to hide my often uncontrollable emotional reactions from triggers/flashbacks. I used to injure myself and tried to commit suicide many times. Now I want to live a lot more and see what this path will bring into my life. I want to explore my potential when I am enjoying my growing mental and physical health. I now know the road ahead looks safer and that life is worth living.

My Primary Care Physician is convinced that raw food is the best diet and all should be on it. My psychiatrist was convinced from day one that it was the best way for me to move forward. My therapist is supporting me a 100% and is a witness of my mental and physical transformation. Now my husband and my best friend have joined me on this path to full health and it is so beautiful to see the transformation in them.

I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to: Victoria Boutenko and her family, Gabriel Cousens M.D., David Wolfe,  Dr. Doug Graham , Dan McDonald, Tim Van Orden,  Any Phyo, Frederic Patenaude and I know this is only the beginning of a long list of inspiring great souls/ superheroes.

Finally I wish to salute you personally because if you read this it means that life’s synchronicity has brought you to this instant where your life can change and that you are almost ready, or absolutely ready,  to jump onto a powerful path where every day has the potential to become - as David Wolfe would say - ”the Best Day Ever”

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Valerie StandingTall, NY