Case study from Dr Sandra Cabot: Type 2 diabetes reversed

Barry came to my clinic because he wanted a permanent solution to his ongoing weight problems and he wanted to reverse his diabetes.  As a teenager Barry was overweight and continued to gain more weight into adulthood. He played sports and tried to be healthy but he was always hungry and thirsty and craved sugar.  He became angry easily and suffered with a bad temper, which was probably caused by wild fluctuations in his blood sugar. At the age of 30 Barry was diagnosed with very high blood pressure and started on anti-hypertensive drugs which brought his blood pressure down. He tried different types of meal replacement shakes but he was always hungry and craved sweets. At the age of 50 Barry weighed 275 pounds and for his height of 5 feet 7 inches this was way too much and put him into the obese range. He tried to fight his weight problem by exercising more and although he did not need to do hard physical work at his job anymore, he took every opportunity to be physically active. Barry tried many types of diets and although he could get down to 198 pounds, it did not last long and his weight gain would resume as he had an enormous hunger.  Barry loved cars and at the age of 50 he thought that like a motor car of a certain mileage he should have a physical overhaul. He told the doctor “I am not a pig and I don’t eat as much as my colleagues at work, so why am I overweight and tired?” The doctor put Barry on a diet of 1200 calories a day and after 3 months of sticking to this, he had only lost a meagre two pounds. Not surprising, as although the diet was low in calories, it consisted predominantly of carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and cereals and was low in fat. The doctor was not impressed with Barry’s weight loss and said to Barry “You are meant to write everything you eat in the food diary I have given you !” He offered Barry drugs to reduce the absorption of fat from his meals but warned him that he would get diarrhea and have to wear nappies. Barry snapped – he said “No way – I demand to see a specialist !” He had to wait quite a few months but finally got to see a heart specialist who gave him a clean bill of health. Although this was a great relief, Barry still did not have the answers to his ballooning weight and by the age of 54 he weighed 297 pounds and then he became too big for his scales to accurately measure his weight. He then demanded to see another specialist and after a long wait he finally got to see an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist found that Barry had dark brown pigment under his arms and that this was a sign of diabetes. Blood tests revealed elevated levels of blood sugar (glucose was 234 mg/dL or 13 mmol/L) and elevated levels of insulin (fasting insulin was 330 and should be below 10 u/L). The endocrinologist told Barry he had Syndrome X which had caused diabetes type 2 and he was told to register himself as a diabetic. Barry was worried by this and did not register himself as a diabetic because he was a fighter and now he knew the problem, he was going to overcome it and reverse his diabetes. He was put on a low glycemic diet and thought that this time he was going to beat his weight problem. Unfortunately after 3 months on the low glycemic diet, he was no better off. Unbelievable he thought – something is wrong and it’s time to do my own research. Barry started to test different foods by measuring their effect on his blood sugar. He found that carbohydrates such as sugar, grains, cereals, flour, many fruits and even some vegetables such as carrots and peas spiked his blood sugar levels. It did not matter if the grains were processed, refined, wholegrain or whatever; they still caused his blood sugar levels to spike. Conversely protein foods like meat, eggs, cheese, seafood, nuts and green vegetables had no effect on his blood sugar levels and they remained low when he ate those foods. Barry felt vindicated – yes he knew he was not a cheat and he was not going crazy and that the conventional advice of the medical profession did not work for him. He could have taken drugs to lower his blood sugar levels but he knew that this would not control his weight problem. So Barry’s research continued and he read about the hormone insulin and how it controlled blood sugar levels and how it made him hungry if it was too high. He wanted to understand this chemical imbalance called Syndrome X and during his investigations he came across my book titled Diabetes Type 2: You Can Reverse It. Barry started on the eating plan in this book, which is very low in carbohydrates and eliminates grains. Barry began to take Glicemic Balance capsules to support his insulin function. He also started Livatone capsules, as he had been diagnosed with a fatty liver. The high insulin levels had caused the fatty liver. After 54 years of struggle he was no longer continually hungry. He ate lots of protein and vegetables and one piece of fruit daily. The weight started to come off him easily, even though he was eating plenty of food, but it was a different way of eating for a man who had been addicted to carbohydrates. His cravings had finally gone! A couple of years later Barry suffered with an attack of gout and had to commence Zyloprim tablets to lower his uric acid levels. This worked for him and the gout is no longer a problem and he was able to discontinue the tablets. Patients with Syndrome X are at a higher risk of gout and if they change to a high protein diet they may precipitate an attack. To offset this it is important to drink a lot of water and eat vegetables that alkalinise the body – such as cucumber, celery, lettuce and capsicum. Barry continues to control his blood sugar levels with his diet and supplements and today his average readings for blood glucose are only 72 mg/dL (4 mmol/L).  His insulin remains elevated at a level of 120, however it still controls his blood sugar levels very well. Thus Barry is no longer diabetic and today feels happy and fit at a normal weight of 194 pounds. His diet consists of mainly protein in the form of meat, poultry, seafood and nuts, along with plenty of green vegetables. He has 2 pieces of fruit daily. Barry uses Nature Sweet as a natural sweetener and also the protein powder known as Synd-X Slimming protein powder. He is never hungry and his libido is good. Occasionally when Barry visits friends or attends a special family event he allows himself a sweet treat or two, but this is not a regular thing. Barry has a family history of weight problems, Syndrome X and diabetes and now he has discovered the key to weight control and good health he is sending his sister and his daughters my diabetes book to get the right type of help. I have no doubt that Barry would have become an insulin dependant diabetic with diabetic complications in his older age. This is because his insulin levels remain too high. With the knowledge in this book and the correct nutritional program, you will find that your struggle with weight excess and/or diabetes becomes much easier. This is because the power of nutritional medicine is amazing, it is life changing, it is life saving and even the drug companies are disconcerted by its rapid spread and popularity. The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.