What Your Doctor May or May Not Know
I wonder how many people, like me, have had diabetes for
many years but remained undiagnosed. Big
Pharma offers a vast variety of pills to treat any symptoms of diseases people
may have. Doctors may not even diagnose
what is causing those symptoms. They are
good about passing the buck, too.
Patients are shuffled around from specialist to specialist and no one,
including the patient ever sees the whole picture. Most people simply do not have the time or
the money to go from doctor to doctor to doctor without ever getting
relief. The stories I could and may yet
tell . . . I became tired of wasting my time and hard
earned money on doctors so I stopped going, but finally after many doctor-free
years, my body gave out. On my deathbed,
I finally got a diagnosis.
The beginning of the end – a health crisis
I had been feeling bad for over a year. I chalked it up to the change of life. I read all I could about that topic and saw
some women’s stories I could relate to. I
was desperate for answers and relief. I went to several doctors about serious symptoms
I was experiencing. They “practiced”
their medicine on me, nothing worked and I felt worse than ever.
My health crisis had begun with a huge water blister. When this broke, calcifications were released
and the water felt like it had “sand.”
Many years later, I would find a reference to “blood sand” in a Chinese
medicine book printed in the 70s.
I tried to find out all I could about calcifications in the
body. ** At the time, I found nothing
helpful. I was heading in the right
direction and knew that calcium was involved but after trying to make sense of
medicalese mumbo jumbo, I was more confused than ever. I even wondered if I needed more calcium.
My body was crying out for magnesium but I did not know that
then. For a year and a half before my
deathbed diagnosis, I was very sick. I lost 60 pounds in a few weeks. I was often nauseous and unable to eat. My body rejected breads and carbs – my body
knew it could not handle more gluten! I
had several transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) or “mini-strokes.” Part of my mind was objective and I remember
thinking – this is interesting. Whenever
I was able, I was researching like crazy trying to figure out what was wrong
with me.
I had several excruciating headaches – the most painful
things I’d ever experienced and I know what pain is - but these were unlike
anything I’d ever been through. After
the third headache episode subsided, I went to the emergency room. I was still in pain but functional. I was given the allergy medicine Tavist and
referred to a doctor. Turns out the
allergy medicine is often used to make meth and I was supposed to take one in
the morning and one at night. I could
not sleep! In the trash they went along
with some other allergy related drugs.
I made meticulous notes for the doctor I was referred to,
hoping the information might help him figure out what was wrong. I don’t think he ever read them. He put me on Cipro **. I broke out in a red rash from head to
toe. I discussed this with him but he did
not seem too concerned and advised me to take the full course. He told me I needed to get a colonoscopy but
I refused. I told him to fix the problem
I was seeing him about first. (more
about colonoscopies and doctor’s incentives for another day. They receive bonuses and sometimes luxury vacations
based on how many tests they sell.)
After 4 or 5 visits to him in a matter of weeks, I stopped
going. I finally had a blood test right
before my last visit. The nurse called
to tell me my blood calcium was 15. I
asked her what that meant and she would or could not tell me. Again, I swore off doctors and muddled along
for several more months. I stumbled and
fell a lot. I was often so dizzy, I
could not stand up – but I plugged along until one morning, I began to gasp for
air. After my experience with the last
quack, a friend gave me the name of her doctor.
I put off going but did call the morning I was barely able to
breathe.
It was a miracle that she was there and would see me right
away. Somehow I managed to make it to
her office. I had lung Xrays and was
barely able to manage that. I was
immediately checked in to ICU with congestive heart failure. Several hours later, I went code blue, but
was revived. I was on a breathing
machine for 2 days and they told my husband I may die or be a vegetable. After a much needed rest, I woke up. :-)
Finally, I learned what was wrong with me. I was diagnosed with diabetes II; I had kidney disease; I had heart disease. Later, I would be diagnosed with sarcoidosis,
a “mysterious” modern-day autoimmune disease where patients have calcium
deposits throughout their body in soft tissue and organs. I did find a reference to “granulomas disease”
in my huge medical file. Aha! The calcifications that came out of my body did
have a name.
I imagine that many such “triple diagnoses” are made in
conventional medicine.
I had a doctor
for each diagnosis and though my doctors were to receive and share my blood
tests, medication, treatment lists and so forth, office clerks under the fear
of
HIPPA were not releasing my information where I – the patient - wanted it to go!
After my two week hospital stay, I went home with quite a
drug list that included, carvediolol (coreg), prednisone, dixogyn, glipizide,
low dose aspirin, 80 mg pravastatin and some others I can’t remember now. Coreg is a vasodilator and a beta blocker. I tend to have low blood pressure that can
often be around 85 over 50. My
cardiologist wanted me to take 12 mg of coreg and that was definitely too
high. He kept telling me that I would
adjust and not have all the side effects like being dizzy, being unable to
stand and even passing out! Coreg will
also increase blood sugar though this was never mentioned by any of my doctors.
In fact, the initial despair I felt over my initial diagnosis
of diabetes, kidney and heart disease has turned into a blessing. Wholly holistic health is the Key and I have
never felt better in my life! My doctors
did what they had been taught to do – but they did not give me much emotional
support or hope. I suspect they all
assumed I would be dead in a year or two – if I made it that long. One doctor* told me I’d be dead in six months
if I did not go on dialysis immediately after my hospital stay. That was five years ago and I did not go on
dialysis although my new doctor has told me again and again that eventually I will
need it. That might very well be true if I had continued to rely solely on my
doctors’ advice and prescriptions.
(*Note:
I found
another nephrologist and never regretted it.
Several people died at that doctor’s jointly
owned dialysis center from heart complications brought on by
Fresinius dialysistreatment.)
Slowly but surely, I have put together bits and pieces to my
health puzzle. I have studied,
researched and educated myself. The
doctors didn’t provide me with this information. I was sent home with pills, a quick course in
counting carbs and a list of foods I could and could not eat. The list had three columns – diabetes, kidney
and heart smart foods. Many of the
healthy foods “cancelled each other out.”
One food might be considered healthy for the diabetic and not for the
heart patient, and so on. WHAT!?!?! Nutrition is much more complex than a sheet
of generalities with no references or citations provided! We all have to eat.
I was recently told that people diagnosed with diabetes II
can now consult with a nutritionist that will be paid for by their
insurance. That is a positive step. There are also endocrinologists that
specialize in diabetes. However, if your
sixth sense tells you that something doesn’t feel right – do your own
research. Doctors are not infallible and
have many patients. You have one patient
– you.
Autoimmune Disease?
There is a lot of that going around
Prednisone is prescribed for sarcoidosis and it did lower my
blood calcium – which had been 15 when I entered the hospital. If it reaches 17, you are dead. I haven’t quite figured out how or why it
works though I have some promising leads.
My doctors do not know or will not tell me. I do know that Vitamin D levels are involved
since my blood calcium goes up in the fall, when I get less sun shine.
However, many doctors advise sarcoidosis patients to stay
out of direct sun and to use sunscreen (which can actually increase the risks
of skin cancer). Many doctors advise
sarc patients to avoid taking vitamin D3 supplements but we know that vitamin D
and magnesium are both needed to balance calcium. I believe excess fluoride deposits are part
of sarcoidosis as well. Magnesium is
needed to break down and rid the body of both.
Calcium, magnesium and vitamin D must be properly balanced in a sarc
patient. People are suffering greatly
from physician imposed treatments for sarcoidosis, which is simply a name given
to a category of symptoms.
There are two vitamin D tests -- 1,25(OH)D and 25(OH)D. The
correct test is 25(OH)D, also
called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. I was given the incorrect test. Furthermore, a standard blood serum magnesium
test is virtually worthless. Only a
magnesium test at the cellular level can give you the information you need. Sarc patients should be tested for both –
along with their blood serum calcium.
However, without a good doctor knowledgeable in molecular biology – and
common sense – neither will do you any good.
(High blood calcium can be related to some other serious
conditions like cancer and parathyroid tumors.
After numerous tests, both were ruled out in my case.)
One of the best articles I read about this
overall topic was canine-related.
I will post the link so those of you
interested can begin your own healing journey.
When I write about conventional/modern medicine v the
traditional/herbal & supplement approach, the inspiration for my blog is a
result of what I know from my own experiences.
There are thousands of medical horror stories on the net – from patients,
nurses and med students. There are thousands
more that will never be told. If my
story can help just one person, my blog will be worth it.
For years women have been advised to take calcium and take
calcium more calcium to prevent osteoporosis.
A poor quality of calcium, known as “dirt” calcium was added to all kinds
of products. Without magnesium and
vitamin D to balance the calcium, people have become “calcified.” Calcium deposits show up throughout the body
in organs and soft tissues. An imbalance of D, Calcium and magnesium
coupled with extreme inflammation and clogged up arteries clearly describes
what is often labeled as sarcoidosis.
Worth Repeating (from my previous blog entry)
Doctors are not likely to tell you that blocked coronary
arteries are due to calcification caused by magnesium deficiency. Heart tissue
scarring can be prevented by daily intake of oral magnesium and also giving IV
magnesium at the first signs of a heart attack. High blood pressure is a sign
of magnesium deficiency. Diabetes can be caused by magnesium deficiency. Stress
burns off magnesium like nothing else can and certain medications block
magnesium from working.
Many drugs cause magnesium depletion. **Cipro is one of the
worst offenders because it also contains fluoride molecules which bind magnesium making it unavailable in the
body while it also kills off good microbes in the intestines. Stressful
surgery can tax the body’s magnesium reserves and drugs that are given after
surgery can cause more mag deficiency.
This is especially true for heart patients.
Diabetes II
We now know that diabetes II is on the rise among younger
people but it was once thought of as something that older people must be
concerned with. This is because as a
person ages, body functions tend to just wear out – or so we have been taught
and many people never question that assumption.
This can be true if people do not practice daily
preventative medicine – healthy diet, exercise, enough rest and a proper
lifestyle. As we age, we can no longer
burn the candle at both ends. However,
due to our polluted environment and all the toxins (including those in
processed foods) that our bodies must deal with on a daily basis, the onset of
diabetes II can and is occurring at younger and younger ages.
Remember those restless leg syndrome commercials? What was that all about? I bet those pills were given to many people
who actually had diabetes! Pain in the
feet and legs were probably treated with everything from NSAIDs to who knows
what, when some simple blood tests could have revealed high blood glucose
levels. Have you ever experienced
“electric shocks” in your muscles that feel like rubber bands snapping? You can actually hear the “zaps” in your
ears. (PS – don’t tell your doctor this
or he or she may send you home with a psych drug) You are most likely magnesium deficient. Diabetics are generally magnesium
deficient. It is said 80 percent of the
population is - so read all you can about this invaluable mineral.
Two diabetic symptoms we all know about are increased
thirst and urination. But why is that a
symptom? The body is working overtime to
rid the body of sugar and bring its metabolism back to normal. The dehydration effect can cause severe leg
pain and cramping. The kidneys are taxed
and working hard to rid the body of sugar and that is where the connection between
kidney disease and diabetes begins.
Diabetes is a disease of the small capillaries – the
extremities. A good vasodilator will
help get oxygen and blood to these places.
Gingko biloba is a natural vasodilator you might want to try.
Diabetes is also related to heart disease because excess
sugar is converted into triglycerides.
These are the true culprit behind heart disease. They cause hardening of
the arteries. As the liver works to
lower your triglyceride levels, it too becomes taxed. It is already working overtime to rid your
body of all the everyday toxins it must deal with. As triglycerides break down, the LDL will
increase, causing plaque buildup in the arteries. A Mediterranean diet works wonders for
lowering triglycerides and LDL. Virgin
coconut oil and olive oil are versatile and miracles as far as I am concerned. Vitamin E along with vitamin C, fish oil and
garlic will also help lower triglycerides and LDL.
Seeing the
light
Undiagnosed diabetics may also have various eye problems
such as blurred vision, dark spots, flashing lights (sparklies) or seeing halos
around lights. Similar phenomenon can be
found in other diseases, so once again, diabetes II may be misdiagnosed and
treated with procedures and medications that give temporary relief.
Undiagnosed diabetics may “go low” and experience
dizziness and they may fall a lot. They
could also go into diabetic shock with lethal consequences from sugar falling
to 40 and below. More often than not,
they will have blood sugars that are 300+ and not even realize what that is or
what it means. The sugar roller coaster
will affect their moods and emotions and how they deal with life and the people
around them.
The irony of diabetes is that when your blood sugar
levels are high, the cells are deprived of that energy. Your body tells you to eat. You are hungry. An experienced type II diabetic will know
their sugar is high without having to take a reading. From my own experience, when my sugar is low
and I need to eat, I simply am not hungry and do not enjoy what I must eat to
raise my sugar. There are times, though,
when I am hungry and my sugar is low and I can eat, so if in doubt, test.
Diabetics are told to keep their blood sugar between 70
and 110 – like a normal person’s.
Perhaps some diabetics can do this but imo, it is an almost impossible
goal. Once my sugar “settles” down to
that level, it usually plummets fast and those sugar lows are not
pleasant. Common sense tells us one
size does not fit all. I believe that
weight, size, activity and other conditions and medications should be taken
into consideration. A diabetic must know
his or her body and take responsibility for how best to control their blood
sugars.
Many diabetics experience “vision signals.” How many times did I see “sparkly lights”
dancing in my field of vision – especially during sunny days? They were pretty and reminded me of light glistening on the water like diamonds. How many times did bright lights or even the
television bother my eyes? I now know
this was my response to high blood sugar.
I also see that doughnut that many diabetics know so well. We see this with our eyes closed. It begins as a reddish/orange broken ring,
then it becomes a ring of soft “red clouds” and not soon thereafter, the ring
turns white and grows into a bright white circle. This means low blood sugar.
One last comment.
Gluten sensitivity is linked to lymphoma – which can also cause
hypercalcemia. Gluten sensitivity is
linked to many autoimmune diseases. “Glue”ten is the sticky stuff that causes
the body to become sluggish. It gunks up
the endocrine system and your veins and arteries. Healthy bowel flora is absolutely necessary
to its digestion but gluten will cause great imbalances in that gut flora. We all get far too much of it in our western
diet.
Managing diabetes
Holistic health is the key. Eat right, learn about nutrition and
exercise. (Did I say that already?) Relax whenever you can. Enjoy life!
Stress raises blood sugar. No wonder there are so many diabetics! But seriously, stress does raise blood sugar
in non-diabetics as well. A person under
constant stress is putting great wear and tear on their organs including the
heart, adrenals and pancreas. The body
raises the blood sugar levels to prepare you for fight or flight. If you are insulin resistant or a diabetic,
that sugar remains in your bloodstream for much longer while the body works
even harder to normalize your metabolism.
Anger and rage may be out of proportion to day to day situations. Extreme emotional responses are not
uncommon. No, you are not going
crazy. Your body is tired and needs
help.
Generally, most people instinctively reach for comfort
foods to counter stress – carbohydrates and sugar. These substances will change molecular
metabolism and provide short term relief – a quick fix. But then, the sugar high drops and the roller
coaster starts up again. After thousands
and thousands of such sugar spikes in a lifetime, there is no wonder so many
people are diagnosed with diabetes II.
Reach for
low glycemic foods instead.
These foods will provide your body with
energy and nourishment.
Nutrients are
released into your bloodstream at a slower and more natural rate.
You will feel full longer and you will feel
more balanced, calm.
High glycemic carbs
like breads, cakes and pasta hit the blood stream quickly.
Blood sugar is spiked.
You may feel relaxed and sleepy.
Your body is redirecting all your energy into
the digestion process.
Exercise will help lower blood sugar levels. Get off that couch! Stop watching TV! Tai Chi, yoga and
meditation will help you learn how to relax without feeling a need to eat sugar
and carbs. Go for a walk; join the gym;
take a dance class – do something new.
The neurotransmitter, serotonin (5-HTP) affects our
mood. Serotonin is found in beta cells
of the pancreas that is required for insulin secretion. High serotonin inside the cell wall
stimulates insulin release while high serotonin outside the cell inhibits
insulin release. The ratio is
important. I read that steroid hormones
inside the beta cells increase blood sugar.
There is further research being done on this topic, but I found that
taking 5-HTP or St. Johns wort decreases my blood sugar naturally. Once my blood sugar reaches a healthy point,
it will not plummet the way it does with my diabetic medicine. Other diabetics find that chromium picolate,
cinnamon, gynostemma (kudzu), hemp seed oil and other naturals will lower
bloods sugars safely and slowly.
(there is a handy link to a carb counter on
this link)
Counting carbs comes in handy when you eat out or buy
processed foods. The general rule is to
eat 3 to 4 carbs per meal, three times a day.
15 – 17 grams of carbs equal one carb serving. Carbs on food labels include the sugar that
is listed but it is good to know the ratio of sugar to the remaining
carbs. Obviously, foods high in sugar
foods should be avoided in favor of food that will be more nutritionally sound
and take away your hunger rather than increase it. Also pay attention to the serving size!
Read sugar free labels carefully. They are not necessarily a low calorie or
carb-free food. Stay away from synthetic
sweeteners. Just because it says
“diabetic” on the label does not mean it is good for you. Aspartame, Splenda, sucralose and other synthetic
sweeteners come with their own health problems.
They are so close to sugar in their molecular structure, they can raise
blood sugar like the real deal. Overuse
of these products can also lead to diabetes even if a person avoids all other
sugar in their diet!
It is known that aspartame can not only precipitate
diabetes, but stimulates and aggravates diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy,
destroys the optic nerve, causes diabetics to go into convulsions and even
interacts negatively with insulin. Good
alternative sweeteners include stevia, monk fruit and coconut sugar.
Drugs
Diabetic drugs can stress your pancreas and burn out beta
cells. They block glucose from entering
the blood stream, enhance the uptake of glucose into cells or they shut down
the liver production of glucose. Two
kinds of oral diabetic drugs lower blood sugar by forcing beta cells to produce
more insulin. These are the sulfonylurea drugs (Glipizide/glucatrol,
glimepiride, glyburide…) and the newer “glinide” drugs (stalix, prandin…)
Sulfonylurea drugs stimulate insulin production for 8-12
hours regardless of blood sugar level.
In contrast, the naturals work with your body in a gentle manner, as
needed. The sulfonylureas bind to the
ATP-dependent K+ (KATP) channel in the beta cell membrane, causing it to
secrete insulin whether or not glucose is present in the blood stream. The drugs are notorious for causing dangerous
hypoglycemia – low blood sugar levels.
Doctors should advise people who take these drugs to keep
their carb levels high but I never was.
I learned the hard way, by trial and error and common sense, to moderate
the dosage and take it only as needed and there were many days I did not need
it at all. It is not healthy for you to
eat whatever you want to and rely on these drugs to lower your blood sugar and
that is what many people do.
Sulfonylurea drugs are associated with cardiac risk.
During my hospital stay, the cardiologist and
nephrologist seemed to work at cross purposes and this is all too common.
Diabetes, kidney and heart disease
need to be treated holistically.
The drug they gave me glipizide which also
stimulates a heart muscle receptor, meaning it can make the heart work harder.
If that was not frightening enough,
sulfonylureas are also used as
weed killers!
Testing your blood sugar
Here is another little bit of information no one bothered
to tell me. Home meters can read higher
than your actual blood sugar. This is
important to know. If you took your
diabetic medication four hours ago and your reading is 70, you may actually be
lower and you are in a danger zone of increasingly dropping blood sugar. Sugars and carbs are needed to raise the
sugar back to a normal level.
Statins
One of the medical signs of diabetes is low magnesium. Magnesium will help treat high cholesterol and
high blood pressure. The highest levels
of magnesium are found in the heart.
Most pharmaceuticals drain magnesium.
Statin use can actually increase cardiovascular risk in women and in
young people with diabetes. It can bring
on diabetes, coronary artery and aortic calcification due to magnesium
depletion.
Statins also block a pathway in your body that creates
CoQ10. Energy production will lag and
cell function will suffer. In short, you
will be fatigued all the time. These are
but two side effects. My doctors never
mentioned taking either magnesium or CoQ10 after prescribing my 80 mg of
pravastatin. I threw away the statins
and now I take the supplements.
Higher doses of prednisone can affect the heart so if this
pertains to you – do your research.
Read the possible side effects pages that come with
prescriptions and take them seriously.
Pharmacists may give you more information than your doctors.
Know your
pharmaceuticals
Let’s use Avandia as an example. Avandia is used to aid in glucose control in
Type II diabetic patients.
Adverse Effects: Back Pain, Headache Disorder
Less Frequent: Anemia, Dizziness, Hypercholesterolemia,
Hyperglycemia, Influenza, Nausea, Peripheral Edema, Upper Respiratory Infection
Rare: Abdominal Pain with Cramps, Abnormal Hepatic (liver)
Function Tests, Anaphylaxis, Angina, Angioedema, Body Fluid Retention, Edema,
Fractures, Heart Failure, Hepatitis, Hypoglycemic Disorder, Macular Retinal
Edema, Myocardial Infarction, Myocardial Ischemia, Pharyngitis,
Pleural Effusions, Pruritus of Skin, Pulmonary Edema, Skin Rash, Urticaria,
Vomiting, Weight Gain, Worsening of
Chronic Heart Failure
Drug-Disease Contraindications
Most Significant
Osteoporosis, Severe Chronic Heart Failure, Uncompensated
Chronic Heart Failure, Significant Angina, Chronic Heart Failure, Coronary
Artery Disease, Disease of Liver, Hypoglycemic Disorder, Myocardial Infarction, Myocardial Ischemia,
Osteopenia, Pulmonary Edema, Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Possibly Significant
Diabetic Retinopathy, Edema, Fractures, Increased Cardiovascular Event Risk,
Macular Retinal Edema
If you experience ANY of the side effects listed on your
drug inserts, get busy and do your homework.
Tell your doctors but do not be surprised if they do not take them seriously. It isn’t their life in jeopardy after
all.
The side effects listed as “less frequent” or “rare” are not
either. The majority of patients
diagnosed with type II diabetes may have had the condition for many years. Kidneys, liver and pancreas have been over
worked trying to keep their body’s metabolism up and running by any means
necessary. Kidney impairment is directly
linked with anemia (not enough iron to carry oxygen in the blood) and heart
problems. Dizziness can be caused when
blood sugar levels drop too quickly and “go low.”
Pharmaceuticals are not always the best answer. When they are mixed together in the same patient, they can affect
all types of molecular and cellular functions – and don’t assume it is always
for the best.
References and Further Reading
