Maximum Health – A Son’s Healing Journey Through Diabetes 

By Rosie Main 

Last December we had the most unfortunate, life-changing circumstance occur with my son. I have twin boys and have always enjoyed knowing we are doing the best we can raising them with the best health choices we can give them. We were in Costa Rica on a family vacation when I began to notice unusual symptoms with my son. He was always thirsty, hungry and tired. As soon as we returned from our trip, I was anxious to test his sugar levels, knowing that all these symptoms are indicative of diabetes. 

Sadly, my family has suffered so much from diabetes, and I have watched them suffer from all the side effects. My mother died at 56 with type 2 diabetes and my sister from type 1 at 47 years. Now, my dad is paralyzed from a stroke from heart disease due to diabetes type 2. 

Not to my surprise, my son’s sugar that morning we checked both him and his twin was a whopping 414. I fortunately knew from my past experience and knowledge about the danger of ketoacidosis, so we confirmed it with a nurse practitioner and we rushed him to the hospital to help stabilize his sugar. He stayed in the hospital for two days and was given insulin, which he used from December to February. My husband and I knew that something must have caused this. Why would one identical twin have it and not the other? 

We began searching for the cause. We started ordering extensive lab work and found that he had gut issues, causing an autoimmune response attacking his pancreas. We knew we had to start doing drastic dietary changes; and once we prayed, God led us to start a plant-based diet and autoimmune diet. 

In March this year, we began our journey to heal the root cause of diabetes, and as a family we all chose to support my son by participating together in eating just fruits and vegetables. We eliminated anything processed or altered by man, all animal meat and oils – just fruits and vegetables; and for the autoimmune diet, we also excluded nightshade vegetables and spices, amongst many other foods. 

It has been over three months now, and since beginning this healing journey, my son – who had an A1c of 10.9 when diagnosed – is now at 5.4 and has not used any insulin. Yes, no insulin! This is shocking to the doctors since normally with type 1 diabetes he should be insulin-dependent. All I know is that we have trusted in God’s healing power and discernment and He has provided both. 

I believe in the power of Jesus Christ and His amazing power He put in the body to heal, yet also know that we are also called to honor our body from God. The body has the ability to heal tissues and organs if interference is removed. I know that all is for His glory and we will continue this journey to healing, as we know healing takes time and persistence. 

Whether you have diabetes type 1 or 2 or any other condition, start living a better lifestyle. God is asking you to follow Him and “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). 

You may be asking, “So where do I begin if I have never made any health changes?” 

I would suggest that for anyone wanting to start to change their diet and lifestyle that they choose to talk to their doctor, yet come to them with a plan that you would want to follow. Let them know how vital it is for you to not only follow their recommendations but that you also want to get to the cause and start acting naturally and actively on your health. Show them your plan and be firm with them about your commitment to want to change. 

When it comes to natural treatment of diabetes, we must start with diet. When it comes to diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, we really need to balance out blood sugar. Diet-wise, there are certain foods that help do that. First, let me kind of shape a meal for you. Ideally, your meals are going to be high in three things: protein, fiber and healthy fats. So protein foods like wild salmon and free-range eggs, high-fiber foods like split peas and figs, and healthy fats like coconut oil and MCT oil are going to help balance out those blood sugar levels. So include lots of protein in your new diabetic diet plan. 

After wild-caught salmon, go for grass-fed beef, organic chicken and turkey. Fiber-rich foods are even more important, including artichokes, green leafy vegetables, celery, nuts and seeds (like chia seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, celery). A high-fiber diet will support detoxification and healthy blood sugar levels. Also, start using coconut oil, which is great for burning fat. Coconut oil benefits blood glucose levels, too. Start cooking with coconut oil and using coconut milk or coconut oil in a morning superfood shake. Coconut oil, ghee or grass-fed butter all work for balancing out blood sugar levels. A good diabetic diet plan should include those healthy fatty acids. So remember to get in quality protein, fiber and healthy fats during all of your meals. 

Chromium-rich foods – Ideally, also you’re going to get foods that are very high in a type of mineral called chromium. What is chromium? Chromium plays a role in the insulin-signaling pathways that allow our bodies to control the amount of sugar we take in, helping balance blood glucose levels and giving us stable energy. Chromium picolinate is found in high levels in vegetables like nutrition-rich broccoli, which is the ideal superfood for diabetics in helping balance out blood sugar levels. 

Consume food rich in magnesium – Over 80 percent of us suffer from at least a low level of a magnesium deficiency, and it can result in leg cramps, insomnia and, yes, diabetes. Magnesium is essential for cellular health and is a critical component of over 300 biochemical functions in the body. Magnesium has been shown to also help blood sugar levels, so eat magnesium-rich foods like grass-fed beef, certain types of nuts and seeds, and vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. 

Stay away from sugar – What’s going to throw off your blood sugar? Sugar and carbohydrates. Now, you want some carbohydrates, but just a smaller amount alongside healthy fats, fiber and protein. If not, your blood sugar is going to go up and down. Of utmost importance, you want to stay away from all sugar the best you can. In particular, refined sugar rapidly spikes blood glucose – soda, fruit juice and other sugary beverages are the worst culprits. These forms of sugar enter the bloodstream rapidly and can cause extreme elevations in blood glucose. You want to replace sugar with stevia, a no-calorie natural sweetener. A little bit of raw honey in moderation can be okay, too. Once your diabetes is reversed and you’re where you should be, raw local honey is another sweetener you can consider, as well as blackstrap molasses. 

Avoid grains – Grains are another problem, especially gluten-containing grains, white flour products, wheat bread, even whole grain breads and oatmeal. These all contain large amounts of carbohydrates that are broken down into sugar within a few minutes of consumption. What’s the deal with gluten? Well, it can cause intestinal inflammation, which affects hormones like cortisol and leptin, and can lead to spikes in blood sugar. I would remove all grains from your diet for your first 90 days on this diabetic diet plan, and after that time, you can introduce them back in sprouted ancient grains like sorghum flour and kamut in small amounts. 

Remove dairy from your diet – The other foods you want to eliminate are going to be conventional dairy products. Conventional cow’s milk should be eliminated especially for type 1 diabetics. While dairy can be a fantastic food for balancing blood sugar if it comes from sheep or goat milk, or A2 cows, I recommend that you stay away from all other forms of dairy because the A1 casein produced by conventional cows will harm the body and trigger an immune response similar to gluten. 

Supplements and other natural ways to treat diabetes – The next thing you want to do in your diabetic diet plan is consider certain supplements, herbs, essential oils and lifestyle modifications for naturally reversing diabetes. 

1. Chromium picolinate: Number one, take a chromium picolinate supplement, 200 micrograms, three times a day with your meals. One study conducted by the Human Nutrition Research Center U.S. Department of Agriculture found that when individuals being treated for type 2 diabetes were either given a placebo or chromium supplements over a four-month period each day, while continuing to take normal medications and not changing eating habits, insulin values and cholesterol levels decreased significantly in the group given supplemental chromium compared to the placebo group.
2. Cinnamon: The health benefits of cinnamon extend to preventing diabetes. It helps lower blood sugar levels and also can improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which is the vital hormone needed for keeping blood sugar levels balanced. Take one teaspoon in the morning for breakfast, and then one teaspoon for lunch or dinner.
3. Fish oil: Fish oil benefits include reducing inflammation and fighting diabetes. While people with diabetes often have high triglyceride and low HDL levels, omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil can help lower triglycerides and apoproteins (markers of diabetes), and raise HDL.
4. Alpha-lipoic acid: Next, alpha-lipoic acid, known as ALA, exists in many omega-3 foods and works with your pancreas in naturally treating diabetics. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, studies suggest ALA helps lower blood sugar levels. Its ability to kill free radicals may help people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and researchers believe alpha-lipoic acid helps improve insulin sensitivity.
5. Magnesium: A magnesium supplement can also help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes because magnesium plays a role in glucose metabolism. In a magnesium Journal of Internal Medicine study, an increase of 100 milligrams a day was found to decrease the risk of diabetes by 15 percent in a meta-analysis of the data.
6. Berberine: Berberine has been shown to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo. This pilot study was to determine the efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetic patients. In study A, 36 adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to treatment with berberine or metformin (0.5 g t.i.d.) in a 3-month trial. The hypoglycemic effect of berberine was similar to that of metformin. Significant decreases in hemoglobin A1c has been shown.
7. Essential oils: The two essential oils I’d recommend are cinnamon and coriander. Coriander actually works with your liver to help balance out blood sugar levels, and cinnamon oil works with your pancreas – so your liver and your pancreas, two important organs for balancing out those blood glucose levels. Take a couple drops of coriander and a couple drops of cinnamon oil with one teaspoon of coconut oil, and rub those on the bottom of your feet. You can even make your own homemade body butter or body lotion with those, which will help in maintaining healthy blood glucose levels.
8. Lower stress levels: If you have diabetes, keep stress levels low. If you get stressed out, it is absolutely going to affect your hormones and your cortisol, which then in turn will affect your insulin levels. To relieve stress, I recommend using some detox bath recipes at night. Use some of the essential oils I just mentioned, such as coriander oil and lavender oil with Epsom salts. Soak in a bath at night and relax. Also, I recommend several times throughout your workday, get up and take a 10-minute walk, taking deep breaths, relaxing and simply getting outside, including earthing.
9. Exercise: Last but not least, exercise is also crucial. Burst training exercise is the best, but really, any form of exercise, including weight training or cardio, is good as well if you want to naturally reverse diabetes.

I hope that no matter what your health status is that you don’t wait for symptoms to show up before doing something to help your body become the best it can be to serve Him and serve others to your best potential. 

If you have questions or need more information, text Rosie Main at (208) 859-6170 or email her at [email protected].