REVERSING DIABETES: Harnessing the Power Within Ourselves
By Janice S. Lehet, Titusville, NJ
www.drfuhrman.com
"There is no failure, except in no longer trying; no defeat, except from within; no insurmountable barrier, except our own inherent weakness of purpose."
– Anonymous
Four months ago, I was grossly overweight, had trigliceride and cholesterol levels of nearly 400, and received reports that my liver function tests exceeded the normal range by 25%. Experiencing numbness in my face and foot, I checked into the emergency room at a local hospital fearing that I might have been experiencing a stroke. I don't think I had a stroke since I was released after an overnight stay, but my admittance to Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey changed my life.
After ten years of knowing that I had diabetes, I had regressed to a position of taking three daily potent time release pills to manage my glucose levels in spite of my sincere efforts to manage the disease as carefully as possible. I found that as my pill intake increased so did my glucose levels. Still, my doctors continued to increase the medicine's dosage in spite of my discussions with them about articles in the New York Times and other publications revealing that the drug could potentially cause heart failure and kidney disease. One doctor dismissed the articles and touted the benefits of taking the drugs, again weighing such "benefits" against the deleterous effects of the disease.
The pills prescribed to lower my triglicerides and cholesterol levels ravaged my body with pain since I was among the small percentage of patients who cannot safely tolerate statin drugs. Still, the doctor who prescribed the drugs kept changing the prescriptions to other statins, which caused the same symptoms.
As I noted the drugs' potential side effects that I had read about on the Internet, my doctor at the time advised me, "Stay off the Internet. You need to take these or suffer the consequences." Then, he gave me several packets of Baycol. Of course, Baycol was removed from the market because of its serious side effects! Luckily, I had graciously taken the packets but never ingested them.
I don't believe that traditional doctors mean to overmedicate their patients. I believe that they do the best they can based on their training and current medical practices. Most doctors follow a specific path according to having always treated illnesses by medicating their patients. I must add in their favor that some modern medicines have prolonged the human life span even though medicines are not the "magic bullet" for all patients or all diseases.
I need to mention that I did try a nutritional approach to management throughout my bout with diabetes, and I committed myself fully to following the advice of those nutrition professionals. I now believe that I did not receive suitable or even accurate advice in both of the programs. My previous nutritionist kept telling me how "great" my diet was although my glucose average kept rising.
I believe I am an example that Type 11 diabetics can reverse their disease, but only the most courageous and innovative thinkers in the medical profession can help us free ourselves of medicine and direct us to healing our own bodies by eliminating the causes of the disease. I found such a doctor in Joel Fuhrman, M.D.!
Dr. Fuhrman, a board-certified family physician in private practice in New Jersey who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods, had recently opened an office at the hospital's professional center, and I read about his work in reversing patients' diseases while I was waiting to leave the hospital.
In mid-June, I had my first appointment with Dr. Fuhrman who put me on a nutritional plan phasing in specific kinds of healthy foods, supplements and exercise as part of a program that worked wonders for me within a four month period. By July, I had lost 11 pounds. By August, I had lost 21 pounds and reduced my serum cholesterol to 180 and my glucose level to a thirty-day average of 110. Now, in October, my thirty-day average is 103. To date, I have lost 40 pounds and still plan to lose an additional ten since the plan is so easy to follow.
Under the guidance of this knowledgeable physician, I found that I had the power within myself to be healthy and diabetes free once again. The journey to restored good health took only four months under Dr. Fuhrman's direction.
I sincerely hope that my personal renaissance-my delivery to excellent health-will be an inspiration of hope to many other senior citizens and others who suffer from Type 11 diabetes, high triglicerides, high cholesterol, and/or potential liver or kidney failure or worse. At age 66, I am now in better health than I was twenty years ago since I no longer have diabetes, high serum cholesterol levels or high triglicerides, and I am medicine free.
At this writing, I find myself in excellent health once again. I feel great and look six dress sizes better-since I literally plummeted from a size 12 to a size 6 within the first three months under Dr. Fuhrman's care. Most important, is that I have enormous energy and can complete five miles of rigorous exercise on my tread mill within an hour with little effort each day. I feel better now than I did at age 50!
Dr. Fuhrman is one of our country's leading experts on nutrition and natural healing. I feel lucky to have discovered him. He has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows including Good Morning America, CNN, Good Day NY, TV Food Network and many more. He has been interviewed for Esquire, Woman's World Magazine, Food and Wine, Ebony, Health Confidential, Mothering Magazine, Health Science, Bottom Line, and many others.
In January, he will again be interviewed on television as he promotes his new book, Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, (Little Brown and Company, January 1, 2003). Since Dr. Fuhrman is committed to sharing his formula for successful diabetes reversal through this book, for diabetics, this is a "must own" publication. I can testify to that-by my "new" body, my flood of energy, my good health, and the knowledge I have gained that will help me control my own future health. I am a living example that Dr. Fuhrman's writings and practices are most effective!
A footnote: To those senior citizens who feel that it is too late to improve their health, I point them to Alexander Graham Bell who said,
"Sometimes we stare at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open."