Saturday, June 8, 2013

Glucokinase

I just learned a bunch about glucokinase, and am parking some of what I learned here:
http://israel21c.org/health/scientists-close-in-on-cure-for-diabetes/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucokinase


Biotin- is a B vitamin that is used to process glucose. In the liver, biotin aids insulin in increasing the activity of the enzyme (glucokinase) responsible for glucose utilization. Supplementing with biotin when you take your insulin may drastically increase the activity of the glucokinase enzyme, causing an improvement in your blood sugar. In one study, Type 1 diabetics were given 16 mg of biotin a day for one week and their fasting glucose levels dropped by 50%. Try taking 16 mg a day in 3-4 even doses to see if your fasting blood glucose improves.  (Holiistic Online, 1998)
http://endo.endojournals.org/content/140/10/4595.full.pdf

Friday, June 7, 2013

Banting's Nobel Prize Speech 1923

     Frederic Banting, with the help of Charles Best, and MacCleod, and a number of other people discovered insulin in the 1920's. When Banting received the Nobel prize back in 1923 for the discovery he made a speech that is a must read. In it he explains that the pancreas can regenerate. Frederick Banting's Nobel Prize Speech

    Here is one of my favorite quotes from the speech. I hope this gives all of you some hope:
         
      "Regardless of the severity of the disease, it has been found that by carefully adjusting the diet and the dose of insulin, all patients may be maintained sugar-free. Since this is possible, it is to be strongly advocated, because we have abundant evidence for the belief that there is regeneration of the islet cells of the pancreas when the strain thrown upon them by a high blood sugar is relieved. The increase in tolerance is evidenced by the decreasing-dosage of artificially administered insulin. In fact, in some moderately severe cases, the tolerance has increased sufficiently that they no longer require insulin"

-----when he says sugar-free- he means no sugar detected in the urine.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

The pancreas can regenerate

The pancreas can regenerate. When I read this for the first time I jumped out of my chair and whooped. According to the most up to date medical theory, the pancreas can regenerate but the autoimmune attack keeps killing off the beta cells. But what if that little theory is either wrong or only one pathway or answer? What if, instead, it's stress? read this 

Low potassium Symptoms look eerily like symptoms of diabetes- just lookie here: here

Low Potassium symptoms:         

Passing large amounts of urine or feeling very thirsty most of the time

 Abnormal psychological behavior: depression, psychosis, delirium, confusion, or hallucinations. (tantrums in the young)

Constipation (My daughter had this)

Abdominal cramping, bloating (she complained of stomache aches)

Weakness, tiredness, or cramping in arm or leg muscles, sometimes severe enough to cause inability to move arms or legs due to weakness (much like a paralysis)


A little scenario...

So here is what may have happened to my daughter. Picture a 5 year old child. They must get invited to more birthday parties than anyone on the planet, right? Their favorite foods are cupcakes, mac and cheese, juice boxes- you get the picture. Some 5 year olds are totally calm and relaxed with few periods of crying while others are, hmm let's just say -5 year olds get stressed too. So, getting back to my daughter- She was born with an intense look of concentration on her face which made her look angry- she has always had an intensity to her which may or may not mean high cortisol levels.
  She was an avid juice box drinker back when I thought juice was healthy. Goldfish crackers went nicely with the juice. High in salt(competes with potassium) and wheat (she is wheat intolerant). Her diet and personality already had her at risk for high blood sugar. Then her pediatrician recommended 4 vaccines to be given in the same day to get them over with. I thought that was a good idea, after all vaccines are good. A few weeks later, she gets a virus- complete with vomiting. Oh and did i mention it was during this time we had to spray our house for ants? So she's vomiting all over and I take her first to the Dr then to the ER- her blood sugar is over 800. What happens next? Nothing changes for about two years except we give her alot of insulin to regulate her numbers.
  If my daughter were given just enough insulin to get her into  a safe range, then adequate potassium and magnesium, a healthy diet which for her would have been dairy and wheat free, and nice little walks outside to exercise and destress- she may have recovered nicely.
 Instead we were told she can eat whatever she wants- after all she can't get diabetes- she already has it- and she just needs to give herself the right amount of insulin.
  Is there hope for people with long standing diabetes- you bet there is! I will post some of my findings in my next blog post.

How most people get Diabetes

First I want to thank my now retired Chemistry Instructor, Professor Guitierez, from Mercer County Community College in NJ. He kept repeating the phrase "metabolic pathways" in his intriguing Cuban accent. I also want to thank the rest of my professors there who put up with all of my questions. I  graduated with an Associates Degree in Nursing this month.
   My inspiration for going to Nursing school was my daughter, now 12, with Type 1 Diabetes. I wanted to learn as much as possible to be able to figure out why Diabetes is on the rise (an understatement), what specifically causes it, and of course what can be done to prevent it, and help or cure those with it.
   I began studying for 4-8 hours a day, anything I could find about both type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes since 2007. I learned alot and began to think of everything as pieces to a puzzle. the biggest question I had was

Why? Why do people get Diabetes?

I have the answer for you. I have read through every theory I could find and will list some here.
Vaccinations
Surgery
Cow's Milk
Wheat allergy(food allergies)
A virus
Cortisone shots

I also studied the history of Diabetes beginning with the discovery of Insulin by Frederick Banting. It's a little known fact that Freddie also discovered that the pancreas can regenerate.

I followed every lead for cures that people have said have lessened the need for insulin or helped their children or themselves get off insulin completely.

I knew there had to be a common thread, an actual reason why Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions and the only thing we are told we can do is to take our insulin shots and be compliant.

Well there are several common threads woven into why some groups of people get diabetes more readily than others and why it seems there are so many different theories why people get it.

The reason why people get diabetes is complicated but I will explain it simply first, then go into more detail. I will post websites and studies that corroborate my findings. My hope is that the medical community(which I'm about to join) and families with Diabetes will read this and decide for themselves.

The reason people get diabetes is due to low levels of potassium, and/or magnesium, and high levels of cortisol produced in their bodies.

It is the common thread in the above theories.
Vaccinations - cause your body to produce a high level of cortisol vaccination-causes-diabetes

Surgery- (and injury) stimulates the sympathetic nervous system- your body thinks it's in danger and produces more cortisol- raising your blood sugar.

Cow's milk-  I first want to point out why it doesn't cause diabetes in everyone who drinks it. Not everyone has trouble digesting it- and not everyone eats the same foods.  Allergies to milk(which are not always apparent) can cause high cortisol levels and if the allergies cause diarrhea you will lose potassium.

Wheat allergies- can cause high cortisol levels and loss of potassium when diarrhea is an issue.

A virus- causes electrolyte loss (loss of potassium) and may cause high cortisol levels.

Cortisone shots- same as having high cortisol in your body- it raises your blood sugar.


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A few days at the hospital...

That first night, the hospital staff worked to stablize my daughter who was in DKA Diabetic Keto Acidosis- a life threatening condition that affects people who don't know they have diabetes as well as anyone with type 1 diabetes whose blood sugar goes high enough for long enough to get ketones in the blood. We didn't stay terribly long that first night because the two little ones were with me and were very active, but we stayed long enough to drop off the clothes, and reasssure my daughter without making her sad with a long stay and tears and such. My husband was great with her and said we have things under control here. When I left they were smiling.
The next day I had an appointment with a diabetes educator. I was looking forward to that because if anyone needed diabetes education it was certainly me. She would teach me to count carbs and give my daughter blood sugar tests and injections, something I couldn't yet picture myself doing.
All went well the next day, they said her blood sugar was still high but it had come down from the 800 plus it initially was and was hovering around 300 if my memory serves me correctly. She had eaten regular hospital food including pizza for breakfast because hey it was offered and it was yummy. The juice box on her night stand didn't worry me at the time. She had always drank juice.
The diabetes educator was awesome because she was able to cut through everything, my worries, my guilty feelings, and the background antics of my 1 and 2 year old and explain exactly what diabetes is and exactly what I needed to learn before my daughter's release.
When it was time to test my daughter's blood sugar for the first time she prevented me from falling apart in tears by repeating patiently what it was I needed to gather up before I begin. the test strips, the lancing device, a fresh needle, and of course the meter. I couldn't find anything, and felt panicky. Then I got it all together and had to prick her fingers twice before I could get blood and she said ow.
I don't remember what her number was at that time and I wouldn't have been sure if it was a good number or a bad one.
Either me or my husband would be responsible for counting carbs and checking her blood sugar day and night until she was old enough to do it , then she would have to do it herself for the rest of her life. I immediately felt more sorry for her than for me. I would only have to manage her diabetes for a few years, she was stuck with it for life.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Diagnoses...

When my five year old daughter wouldn't eat the birthday cake at our neighbor's son's birthday party, I should have known something was wrong. At the time, September 2006, she had been very cranky but looking forward to going to that party and every kid loves cake, right?
She had also been moody off and on for months, but she was dealing with two younger sisters ages 1 and 2, and the two year old enjoyed tackling her daily. Did I mention she was thirsty all the time? Well it was Summertime- we all were thirsty.
There was no diabetes in my family and I only had a vague idea that it had something to do with sugar and lows so when she threw up the next morning on the kitchen floor ,although we couldn't get her to eat the cake at the party, I suspected a virus.
During the party the day before she threw what we thought was a tantrum, claiming she can't walk home from next door's party. I had held her hand and sort of dragged her home while she said I can't walk- I said yes you can- you put one foot in front of the other. A virus fit in neatly
with her behavior the day before. I immediately felt sorry that I hadn't known she was sick and went to give her a hug. That's when I smelled a smell I had smelled long ago. Not the usual icky smell you smell when anyone throws up- this was a powerful almost fruity smell that I had last smelled while working at an animal hospital a good 20 years earlier when helping the vet treat diabetic dogs.
After a call to the Dr. and a secured appointment for one hour later, I went on Web MD and looked up the symptoms of diabetes. My eyes watered up while I read the blurred vision(I thought she was trying to get glasses like her older sister) the thirst(It was summer) the weight loss(I thought she was just the thinnest of my four kids) the crankiness(I thought she was having sibling rivalry issues)
With tears streaming down my face I drove to the Dr's office hoping he would tell me she was fine and just had a virus. On the way there I asked her are you sure you don't want to go to Kindergarten today, my way of seeing how she felt. The girl loved school and would never have missed a day. IN the dr's office she went up on the exam table and layed flat out. Oh my god I thought- honey are you ok? No mommy I don't feel good. You have to understand this child of mine never stood still- not ever- even when she asked a question she did whirls and twirls.
The assistant thought it was cute she was laying down , the DR. seemed to think she had a virus.
I asked him what if it's not a virus, a leading question. He said what do you suspect Mommy? He calls all us mommies Mommy. I said what do you suspect? I wasn't going to mention diabetes unless it was the only way to get blood work done. I told him that I suspect that it's more than a virus and that she needs blood work done now. He said which lab? I said the ER. He looked a bit suprised but he's a very good Dr. who cares about his patients and he said ok.
My 12 year old daughter was at school, and my husband was at work and I didn't know if I was just being an hysterical mom due to lack of sleep, so I didn't call my husband yet. I went home long enough to pack her favorite stuffed animal and three juice boxes and snack bars for the kids plus milk for the youngest. Remember, I didn't know a stitch about diabetes.
In the ER, she insisted on leaning her head on the metal bar of the chair while the other two kids sat and bounced happily on my lap.
We waited a half hour with no-one calling us until she started to become less responsive to me. I left her where she was after looking over the other people in the room and carried the other two up to the front desk with me to tell them my daughter is in some kind of health crises- as I said this I began crying a little though I had promised myself I wouldn't. About 4 minutes later( Moms watch clocks,lol) they had her in the back with a nurse who was running a blood sugar test) Dear God let me be wrong I prayed in my mind.
The nurse looked terrified before she said anything. I said it must be bad news. She said your daughter's blood sugar is over 800. I said, What's normal. She said around 100 would be normal.
oh my God I thought- now may be a nifty time to call my husband. I said what can we do for her right now. She said she's send a Dr. around. Thank God she refused the snack bar and juice pack- I seriously thought these would be good for her.
On a gurney in a crowded hallway with two sleeping children on my lap a Dr. tried to have a Marcus Welby moment with me. He said I have some news for you. I thought (he's going to say diabetes and when he does I will not cry- absolutely not) He stared me full in the face and said Your daughter has diabetes. I said without skipping a beat- what do we do now. He said, wow you are calm. I began to get a bit irritated. I'm under a mountain of kids my poor 5 year old daughter is laying flat out on a hospital gurney- can we got on with this? Yes I'm calm- what Can we do now I repeated? We have to get her to a children's hospital- immediately by ambulance and unless you have a babysitter you can't come with her. Do I have time to make a call? I asked. I need to call my husband. Better make it quick he said.
On the phone I tried to sound brave about what was happening, and just stick to basic facts. He had been on his way to pick up his mom and Dad from Ireland to bring them around for a visit to our house, they were currently in NY for a visit with his sisters too.
He said he can be at the hospital in about 40 minutes. i said that may be too late she may have to ride up to the children's hospital without us the ambulance has already been notified.
About 40 minutes later, we were still waiting but my daughter had made friends with the nice guy who would be attending to her on the ride up to New Brunswick- a place I had never been to before and would have to mapquest it to see how to get there or follow the ambulance and hope for the best. In walked my husband- whew things were seeming a little better already. He told me to go home and take care of the little ones and meet my 12 year old from the school bus and that he would ride up and get her organized in the hospital and call me as soon as he knew something.
That was tough seeing her go, but I knew it would be best. We spoke after they arrived at the hospital- he told me she was doing fine so far and that he would stay with her and that I should come up tommorow morning. She's likely be there a few days and he would do a good job with her I thought while I took care of the other 3 at home. A few minutes after dark he called to say that he had to go looking for a clothing store because she had wet the bed despite his repeated requests to the nurse for assistance in getting her to the toilet on an iv drip. She refused to wear the hospital gown. I'll be right up with her own clothes i said. You stay with her.
The trip up there was slightly terrifying. The city of New Brunswick is by no means NYC but if you ever followed Mapquest directions in a city in the dark with three kids in the car- and you were in a hurry then you know what I mean.
The hospital was a huge lurking structure and there was construction going on all around it. I had to pass it three times before I finally just parked at a meter about a block away.