4 YEARS AND 10 MONTHS WITH NO MEDICATION OR INSULIN INJECTIONS AS A TYPE 1 DIABETIC
I thought a good blog post would be to summarize the key resources that I’ve learned from over the past five years. Many of the resources are what I studied during my first year following my type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis when I was trying to figure everything out.
I would consider the below resources a boot camp for any T1D’s out there seeking how best to control their disease, and potentially remove themselves from insulin/medication all together. It’s also a set of resources for parents with T1D children that want to reduce their child’s stress of living with the disease.
Dr. Furhman (Link)
I still remember walking through Barnes & Nobles right after diagnosis and buying any top selling book promoting the reversal of diabetes through diet. One of the first books I read was “The End of Diabetes” by Dr. Furhman. Long story short, it mostly focused on the reversal of type 2 diabetes through a plant-based diet. It did not, however, claim that his diet could not remove a T1D from insulin. So, a little disheartening, but I was on the right track.
I remember it was the first book that I read describing the mostly vegan diet and how it could help reverse T2D. I still remember thinking how insane and unrealistic eating a diet like this seemed to me at first blush (I was definitely on an animal based diet before diagnosis).
Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days (Link)
This is where the dots started to connect. The first nine months post-diagnosis were very depressing after meeting with doctor after doctor who were giving me a doomsday scenario of insulin within 12-15 months (no matter what). I do want to give props to Dr. Conan Shaw who was my nutritionist during this initial period that coached me on how to better control my disease through diet. He was also the first individual who made me aware of other T1D’s that had been off medication for over a decade, contrary to what the doctors were telling me.
This was the fuel I needed to keep digging for the truth. The Simply Raw documentary was transformational in my quest to stay off of medication. This documentary was the first instance of me seeing first hand a T1D being removed from medication after switching to a mostly raw vegan diet (Kirt Tyson).
Dr. Gabriel Cousens (Tree of Life Clinic)
The Simply Raw documentary described above took place at the Tree of Life Clinic in Arizona, which is led by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Dr. Cousens has a history of removing T1D’s from medication. I believe his book “There is a Cure for Diabetes” outlined his efforts in working with over 100 T1D’s and was able to remove ~30% from all medication, including insulin, under his mostly raw vegan plant-based diet.
What this guy has uncovered and publicized is truly amazing. Funny that not every endocrinologist in America is made aware of his practices in medical school. I’d love to meet this guy at some point, he changed my life.
These resources are at the core of what I practice, and at the core of what any T1D will need to follow in order to keep themselves off of medication for an extended period of time like myself.
Below are a handful of other resources that helped supplement the core research that I completed above.
Diabetes Solution Kit (Link)
After I settled into the groove of the most raw plant-based diet, I studied this resource as a supplement to what Learned with Gabriel Cousens. It’s a small fee for the information, but I found it very helpful.
Type One Grit (Link)
For parents raising T1D children, this is a good resource about a family who turned to a lower carb diet for their diabetic child. The child has been able to maintain an A1C under 5.0 and has greatly reduced the stress associated with having the disease in their family.
The blog is based off the book “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars“. I don’t totally agree with this method as it still based on an animal based diet, but, it does greatly reduce the volatility in a T1D’s blood sugars and it’s an option for parents struggling to help manage their child’s T1D.
Boot Camp for No Medication
Overall, if any T1D (or even a T2D for that matter) are looking for a boot camp to help better their lifestyle and try and remove themselves from the ball and chain of pills, insulin injections, dealing with highs/lows, and volatile blood sugars, then this is a great place to start.
No Comments