Refusing The Needle: A Diabetic's Natural Journey To Kick-Ass Health

By Russell Stamets

"I applaud you Russell, this is an accurate way of thinking. As an RN who has been working in a hospital for 30 year and observing and working for a system of healthcare that is costly and hitting the problems with more insurance billing for conditions that could be eliminated with diet and stress management your book is right on!"

At age 49, Russell Stamets was diagnosed with Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA). He was told it was irreversible and that he faced a daily shot in the stomach. Unwilling to accept western medicine’s only option, insulin, Russell looked east. He researched, designed a plan, and tested it on himself. Against all odds, he succeeded in lowering his blood sugar levels and reviving his pancreas. Russell provides the details of his diet, supplements, and lifestyle (including meditation) delivered with a dose of humor, irreverence, and verse. Any type of diabetic, pre-diabetic, or anyone looking for a sane, sustainable way to achieve incredibly good health will appreciate this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Russell Stamets
• Release date: Mar 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9780985395506

Russell Stamets

Living full time aboard a sailboat generates one of the most balanced perspectives possible. It eliminates the noise, compelling you to focus on the most basic day-to-day needs.Next to food, water and energy, much of that other stuff we used to fret about seems hardly worth the effort. The bad news? Living a simple life in paradise takes a lot of time, and time runs differently here. The good news? When I write, this viewpoint lends my work a fresh flavor. Whether I'm publishing an ebook for a client, consulting about social media use, or advocating a healthy lifestyle, I bring a unique set of problem-solving skills. Toughest problem solved lately? Finding a supposedly "impossible" non-insulin solution to a diagnosis of an adult form of Type 1 diabetes called LADA.

Book preview

Refusing The Needle:

A Diabetic’s Natural Journey To Kick-Ass Health

Russell Stamets

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Russell Stamets

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Discover more about Russell Stamets on his blog at russellstamets.blogspot.com, follow him on Twitter @russellstamets, or find him on Facebook.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHY READ THIS BOOK

WHAT IS DIABETES

WHO SAYS IMPOSSIBLE

WHAT’S YOUR STORY

WHY NOT JOIN THE CULT OF INSULIN

WILL YOUR BODY EVER TRUST YOU AGAIN

WHAT ARE YOUR ISSUES

HOW TO TRACK WITHOUT OBSESSION

WHO ELSE IS ALONG FOR THE RIDE

HOW MANY TIMES IS JUST THIS ONCE

WHAT TO EAT

WHAT PILLS TO TAKE

WHAT ELSE TO DO EVERY DAY

WILL YOU LIKE THE NEW YOU

HOW LONG IS FOREVER

REFERENCES

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.

~ Buddha

WHY READ THIS BOOK

Have Diabetes? Tired of hearing people say that’s terrible? And agreeing with them? Disgusted with the only option offered—the rest of your life as a lab rat, with devices, needles, and 24/7 monitoring? If it’s yes to any of those questions, read on.

I was just a regular 49 year old beer-guzzling, french fry lovin’ guy, in seemingly great health when told I had diabetes. And not just the common Type 2 that millions are getting-- my doc suspected that I had a Type 1 variety called Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA). Hearing the autoimmune part of that was a punch in the stomach. Type 2’s have a fantastic chance of controlling their high blood sugar with pills and curing it with diet. But the Type 1 autoimmune varieties are advised that the attack on their pancreas is irreversible. We’re told, You’ll need a daily shot of insulin forever. Irreversible? Forever? Talk about a just shoot me now moment.

That moment was almost 3 years ago. Miraculously, I’ve never required insulin injections. My blood sugar levels are normal. I figured out a way to heal my body with diet, a few supplements, exercise, yoga, acupuncture, and meditation… I know. Go ahead and roll your eyes. I’m just sayin’!

Let me tell you what I did, and why. Make up your own mind. Form your own plan. The thing you might find hardest to believe is that I count my diabetes as a benefit. Because without it, if you’re like me, you wouldn’t get off your butt to do something. OK, so maybe you are actually sitting on your butt while reading this, but bear with me. The point is that your new body and mind will be as great a result as curing diabetes.

I had one lucky break. My doc has a passion for evidence-based medicine. He said I could buy time if I wanted to try to find another approach. He warned that in his opinion, the road ended in insulin no matter what, but that starting insulin immediately had no better outcome than waiting until it was required. That gift of time was critical. He said any endocrinologist he knew would probably disapprove of the delay and would order insulin immediately. Based on the general disbelief I encounter from anyone in the Diabetes Establishment regarding my story, my doc appears to be a rare, open minded member of his profession.

I vowed to wisely use the time he gave me.

My first instinct told me that if western medicine was a dead end, why not look east? I went to a good RN friend who runs a world-renowned Integrated Therapies department of the local hospital. I’d never used any of her services, but I knew her staff offered all kinds of massage, acupuncture, and more. If anyone could give me a trustworthy opinion of the potential for eastern options, Michelle could. She introduced me to Jane who is both an acupuncturist and practicing Chinese herbalist. In addition to weekly acupuncture, which at the very least is critical for managing the all-important stress driver, I’ve leaned heavily on Jane’s nutrition and supplement expertise. The very first recommendation Jane gave when we met in February, 2011, was to quit all alcohol. I’d already ditched the rum and beer and had switched to a couple of glasses of red wine. Even my doc thought that was reasonable. But Jane said any stress on the liver equals stress on the pancreas. That was a pivotal moment in trust and commitment. I went all in for this hand. The bottle of merlot I’d bought the day before is still in the cupboard, unopened. Too bad it’s not the good stuff which will get better with age.

I used a news reader on my android phone to scan daily for bits of science drowned in the fire hose of information hitting us these days. I was looking for studies specific to blood sugar management, long-term damage control, and finding a root cure. I would forward them to Jane for her opinion, and if it was about a supplement to try, to get her recommendation for dosage. It appears now that spring 2011 was a good period of time to be researching diabetes/autoimmune science. For several months there was a steady stream of clues to follow up. By May my regimen was pretty set. Nothing since has shown up to prompt any modifications. My own daily tracking provided other clues. The role of animal saturated fat is an example of something that barely appears in the science.

I could cut stuff out one at a time to test and see what really worked to lower my A1c so much, but I hate to do it. Everything I’m doing is either harmless or proven to be good for you aside from any diabetes-related benefit.

A common musing of mine, which I’m sure people around me get tired of hearing, is that people don’t die from diabetes.