Disclaimer

I am not a doctor. I am providing information based on experiences that my mom has with natural remedies. The purpose of this blog is to help folks to educate themselves. Use this information with your own discernment.

16 February 2010

How to Heal Diabetes with Fenugreek and Food

Fenugreek is where we started the journey, my mom and me.  She had her wits but she was an insulin dependent diabetic with injections twice a day totalling 62 units.  If you are not familiar with insulin dosages, this is a lot.  The thought of injecting her with a needle made me shake.  My mom, she was tired of the needle, sick of it.  One day she said, "I'm done with this.  I'm not taking insulin anymore.  Help me."

We changed her diet. 

I began to pay attention to what we ate.  I was unemployed at the time so I did research on food.  I learned about low glycemic foods and what they are and where to find them.  I began experimenting using fenugreek powder in baked goods.  It worked.  I would put 2 teaspoons of powdered fenugreek into the treats that I made for my mom.  She was so happy to be able to eat oatmeal raisin cookies and not have her blood sugar spike. 

Fenugreek in an extract form is what really helped my mom heal and send her diabetes packing.  We were able to maintain blood sugar levels of about 125 - 130 in the morning with just a change in her diet.   She was still consuming wheat gluten, potatoes and rice in small amounts.   By adding the Fenugreek extract to her food or drinks, one drop lowering her blood glucose 15 points within 30 minutes, my mom's morning readings began to drop.  Her morning average had dropped to 100 - 120 as an average morning reading.

I noticed that initially, my mom needed a lot of fenugreek extract.  Over time (about 3 months) she needed less and less.  Now, she only has fenugreek if she has something like Sorbet or Ice Cream.  My mom's morning readings are now between 80 and 100, typically her blood glucose is 88. Her A1C is now 5.4 consistantly. 

Fenugreek helped my mom to heal.  We eliminated all processed foods and noticed that her blood sugar spiking was gone.  No more light headedness, no more dizzy spells because her blood sugar dropped below 60... a danger zone for anyone, especially a diabetic.   From my observations, fenugreek can only heal your pancreas when you cut out all processed foods and eat more dark greens.

Fenugreek will raise blood pressure, but if you exercise and cut out processed foods, bread and pasta included, you will noticed that your blood pressure will come down. 

Fenugreek is great as a diuretic.  Instead of taking Flurosimide, my mom uses Fenugreek when she retains fluid.  However, once she cut out gluten, all gluten from her diet, she doesn't have water retention problems anymore.  Fenugreek works awesome for getting rid of the extra water in your body.  Just a few drops in a cup of tea does the trick. 

My mom has been diagnosed as having Alzheimer's.  I noticed that when her blood sugar was above 125, she'd hallucinate.  This happened every time she ate something with gluten, her hallucinations were more prevalent.  The more gluten my mom consumed, the more I found myself chasing all sorts of spooks out of the house so that she would relax.  Imaginary spooks that only my mom could see.  

No Bread, No Pasta, No Preservatives

Our new mantra became, 'no bread, no pasta, no preservatives."  I prepared all of our food from scratch and as fresh as I could get the food.  It was the end of summer so I was able to pick fresh herbs from the garden.  I began to cook with fresh herbs, lots and lots of them. 

Meats and fish with vegetables.  This was our new diet.  We all began to lose weight, it melted off everyone in my family.  Everyone began to feel better and have more energy.  Our blood work... all of us are getting superb readings.

I observed my mom after she ate certain foods.  I soon discovered that eggplant caused my mom to hallucinate.  I cut out eggplant and she was fine.  Potatoes gave her trouble too, I think it is because it raises her blood sugar and I know from past experience with her that when her blood sugar is high, she hallucinates. 

Gluten, baked goods with aluminum added through the baking powder and soda used... these are things that make my mom hallucinate every single time with out question.  If I want to make myself nuts, I give my mom something baked... she takes both of us on a trip, one that I really don't like.  Easy solution, don't give her baked stuff.

Beef seems to help her when she eats it.  I wonder if it's the L-Carnitine in the meat that helps her.  I know this is one of the supplements that I was told can help reverse Alzheimer's.  She has beef about twice a week.

Food is medicine.  Do yourself a favor and buy the best food that you can get your hands on.  Don't cut corners where food is concerned, it will make you sick and then how will you have fun in life?

The secret to beating diabetes is to not eat processed foods.  Eat healthful foods, foods that are natural.  You can make food from scratch that is so tasty you will wonder why you never prepared food for yourself.  It's not difficult.  It's easy and fun. 

Based on my observations and experiences, pharmaceuticals are not designed to heal you, they are designed to work with the processed food manufacturers, to keep you on the drugs.  It's more profitable for the pharmaceutical companies to have everyone sick and need their drugs.  Processed food is the door that leads you to illnesses and the need for pharmaceutical drugs.  Natural food is our best defense to stay healthy.

Fenugreek, it's a great aid.  Here is a link to all the posts that I had written about Fenugreek if you would like to learn more.

What is Fenugreek
Miracle Cure Fenugreek
Fenugreek - Diabetes Miracle Cure
Who Needs Pharmaceuticals

And this is how to heal diabetes with fenugreek and food.... Bon Apetite!

11 comments:

  1. Fascinating story: good for you for doing the research and finding an approach that works.

    One of the reasons your Mom needed fewer fenugreek seeds over time may be because most of the protein in them is 4-hydroxyisoleucine, which "appears to directly stimulate insulin...in the presence of moderate to high glucose concentrations."

    So, the better her blood sugar control (perhaps with weight loss as well), the less she needed.

    Of course you're right: food is medicine: the trick is to make it tasty and not scary. You might enjoy my ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine, linked on my site and on Amazon.

    Keep up the great work!
    JL

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  2. Hi Dr. John, Thanks for the explanation with Fenugreek and why my mom needed less over time.

    I have your book... it's one of my favorites! Your videos on www.chefmd.com are awesome too on. Tonight we'll have the red beans and rice dish from your website.

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  3. my grandfather's diet is one of the few things that we DIDNT mess with during his illness. he was just happier eating what he wanted.

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  4. Healthy diet = healthy bodies! We hear it all the time, yet so few have the time, willingness, and commitment to do it all the time for everyone. Congrats! You do, in fact, take care of your mom!

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  5. It's true... we hear the words but until we take action, the words mean nothing.

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  6. Slyde... my mother was super nuts when she ate simple carbs (still does if she eats any gluten.) I couldn't handle the insanity, it was bad, really bad.

    She would have had to live in a home. I had to do what I could to keep her out. In the process of helping my mother, it helped me to lose 50 pounds and I feel wicked good!

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  7. I'm so very intrigued by this post. I wonder if my dad's recent changes in behavior could be related to any dietary changes. It would be so difficult to figure out WHAT might be wrong, though, seeing as how my parents' diet is so appalling. I don't think they eat ANYTHING that hasn't been processed in some way.

    Baby
    http://thanklessjob.typepad.com

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  8. Thanks for visiting my blog Baby...

    Dr. John La Puma's cookbook is a great way to get your folks off processed foods. It takes a little work with changing one's ideas and habits, but once you do it, you will have better days with your dad.

    Preparing the food, the chopping of vegetables is therapeutic for me, it's a win win for everyone.

    Dr. John also has videos on his blog which show you how to prepare the meals. It's a great blog that you can find here - http://blog.chefmd.com/

    I never thought I'd see the day where my mom doesn't eat processed foods... but the day is here. Of course she couldn't eat the processed food if I wouldn't buy it so as the care giver we have to take charge and sort of tell our parent what is best.

    I made oatmeal raisin treats using gluten free flours. Joseph's Lavash wraps have the fewest Carbs 7g and when my mom was coming off processed foods, this flat bread helped me to make food she'd eat.

    It's definitely worth talking to your folks about the diet change. Seriously, it has helped my mother unbelievably. My Uncle Al is in a nursing home with the same condition as my mom and when I was able to take him to my house and feed him, his blood sugar readings were normal.

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  9. Fenugreek is a natural source of Iron, vitamin A, B1, C, Phosphates and many more.It is recommended, that for treating Type 2 diabetes consume 500mg of Fenugreek twice daily. Soak the seeds at night in water and consume it in morning, before eating anything.

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  10. Thanks for the tip Abel. Fenugreek is amazing with how well it worked for my mother's diabetes. We also changed her diet, cutting out all processed foods, replacing with fruits and vegetables, legumes, lean meat and fish.

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  11. Fenugreek seeds helps lower blood glucose and cholesterol levels, and may be an effective treatment for both type 1 and 2 diabetes. It is also being studied for its cardiovascular benefits. If you eat sprouted fenugreek seeds on daily basis, on empty stomach will benefit in controlling the sugar level for the diabetes patients.

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