BACKGROUND:
In late January of 2008 I had an episode at work and ended up doing the funky chicken on the floor. Ended up in the ER. My blood sugar was 250. A Wednesday.

Made follow up visits to the ER once a day over the next two days. My wife said I looked like a druggy with uncontrollable shaking hands, body spasms, barely able to walk (in a wheelchair for one visit). By the weekend I was taking my blood sugar several times a day and it ranged from high 300's to high 400's.

The doctors in the ER said I probably had diabetes. A nurse that was on staff during my last ER visit suggested I try to get into the Diabetics Clinic. She said they were normally 3 months out but gave me the name of a nurse to call that might be able to sneak me it.

On the following Monday I went to see my family doctor. He said I had was having anxiety attacks. I mentioned the contact with the Diabetes Clinic and he said that was fine to see them for my diabetes but to see him for my anxiety. He prescribed Prozac and when I hesitated at that he then changed the prescription to Zoloft.

Frustrated and unbelieving I contacted the nurse at the Diabetes Clinic. They snuck me in. I was told at the Diabetes Clinic not to take the Zoloft and I never filled the prescription nor did I ever return to that doctor. The Diabetes Clinic immediately put me on insulin. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.

I changed my diet some - basically substantially lowering my carb intake(oatmeal, cottage cheese, and nuts for breakfast every morning - Subway sandwich for lunch etc). A month later the doctor at the Diabetes Clinic also prescribed Metformin and Lipitor for my high cholesterol.

While filling the prescription I was told my insurance wouldn't cover Lipitor as it was several hundred dollars a month. While the pharmacist contacted the doctor at the Diabetes Clinic for a generic prescription I decided I wasn't going to take it.

I tried the Metformin for several days but it tore my guts out and I decided it wasn't worth it.

I stuck with my new diet and 50-60 units of insulin per day. My A1C dropped from the initial 10.3 to 5.5 in a couple of months. It has stayed in the 5.5 to 5.7 range since. My cholesterol levels came down initially but stayed higher than recommended (danger zone) and I was recommended a cholesterol prescription on every visit to the doctor.

At my diagnosis I was 215 lbs. I was overweight and out of shape having been a desk jockey for six years. Not completely out of whack though as in the Marines I got as high as 233 lbs when pounding the weights on a consistent basis. Graduated from Marine Corps bootcamp a pound over my weight limit.

Within a couple months of insulin I was back in the low 220's but packing more muscle as I was able to substantially increase my poundages in weightlifting.

CURRENT:
I hate being chained to the insulin and the damage its doing to my body. In January/February of this year I've tried backing off on my insulin intake several times but my blood sugar quickly shot up in the low to mid 200's within 24-48 hours.

Three weeks ago a friend of mine suggested I read "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins. He quoted the results of some medical studies suggesting I might be able to reduce my insulin intake or completely go off of it within 30 days by changing what I eat.

After getting off the phone with him I went to Half.com and ordered a couple books by John Robins and one he advocated. The one I received first was the one Dr. Robbins advocated (he wrote the foreword) called "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell. I read most of the book the first two days it was in my possession. I discussed it with my wife and we decided to implement the suggested changes to what we eat.

We started on 3-12-2009. The day before my evening (prior to sleep) blood sugar level was 213 (evening 3/11/09). I had been averaging 50-60 units of insulin per day.

On day 2 and 3 my blood sugar was 123 and 126 respectively so I didn't take my evening dose of Lantus. Day 4 it was 191 so I took 30 units. Days 5 & 6 were also 182 and 164 so I took my evening shots. I probably jumped in too soon.

On day 7 (3/18/09) my morning reading was 107 so I didn't take any insulin with meals. My evening blood sugar level was 121 so I didn't take the evening shot of Lantus. My first day without any insulin. On Day 8 in the evening my blood sugar was back up to 167 - I took my evening shot of Lantus (35 units).

Evening blood sugar since last shot of insulin the evening of Day 8:
Day 9 - 102
Day 10 - 123
Day 11 - 144
Day 12 - 137
Day 13 - 113
Day 14 - 115
Day 15 - 144
Day 16 - 176

I considered taking insulin evening of 3/27/09 but I had a late dinner so I measured my blood sugar only one hour after eating. I decided to wait and see what the morning reading would be.

My morning reading was 142 so I decided to stay off insulin.

Day 17 - 148
Day 18 - 177

Another late evening meal plus I had some cake at the birthday party. My blood sugar prior to supper was 122 so I will wait and see where I am in the morning.

My morning reading was 130. I'm still creeping up in my blood sugar levels overall so I may consider taking a shot of insulin tonight to get my levels back down.

Day 19 - 155

I took 10 units of insulin. My morning blood sugar level was 142.

Day 20 - 104
Day 21 - 181

Blood sugar is high but decided to wait till morning. Morning blood sugar was 129.

Day 22 - 202

Another late dinner. Measured blood sugar slightly over an hour after finishing meal....wait till morning. Morning blood sugar was 132.

I've had 45 units of insulin now in the past 16 days. 10 units in the past 14 days. I'm trying to figure out the ups and downs. I had Habanero peppers two days in a row with nightly blood sugars of 113 and 115. I know the peppers have a higher concentration of Vitamin C so I did some research on the internet coming across the following information:

Capsicum peppers or Capsaicin in general are also a good substance for diabetes control by creating new cells that start producing insulin again.

http://www.articlesbase.com/cooking-tips-articles/habanero-chiles-health-benefits-604415.html

I Google'd "habanero" and "diabetes" and came up with the following information:

I have found a great benefit to my type 2 diabetes blood glucose control in capsaicin (the active compound which makes hot peppers hot - the same thing used in pepper sprays). I have used a variety of hot peppers including both dried hot chili peppers, serrano chili pepper and fresh habanero peppers. Not surprisingly, as for your diabetes capsaicin is what matters not the source, all these peppers have a benefit. You will quickly get to know how much capsaicin you need to see a benefit simply by how hot your meal tastes to you.

I find that the habanero peppers are the most concentrated and readily available source of capsaicin for diabetes blood glucose control. The fresh habanero peppers when incorporated in a diabetic diet recipe easily give up the capsaicin without your having to add additional oil to 'extract the capsaicin' from the peppers as you must do with dried hot chili peppers.

http://diabeticlifediet.com/diabetic_food_tests/capsaicin_blood_glucose_con/

Dr. Hans Michael Dosch of the University of Toronto said, " Injecting a capsaicin to repair the defect cured diabetic mice overnight."

Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin to shift glucose into the cells that need it. Defective nerve endings may attract immune system proteins that mistakenly attack the pancreas, destroying its ability to make insulin. The destruction causes diabetes. In

Injection of capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot chili peppers, kills the pancreatic sensory nerves in mice that had an equivalent of Type 1 diabetes. After injecting the mice with it, the mice began almost immediately, to produce insulin normally again. [2]

However, in a study conducted in 1997, dietary 15 mg% capsaicin did not have any significant influence on any of the parameters tested in diabetic rats. [3]

http://tzpss.blogspot.com/2006/12/hot-chilli-extract-helps-diabetes.html

The news article on the study...

In a discovery that has stunned even those behind it, scientists at a Toronto hospital say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes, opening the door to a potential near-cure of the disease that affects millions of Canadians.

Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas.

"I couldn't believe it," said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. "Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more."

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=a042812e-492c-4f07-8245-8a598ab5d1bf&k=63970

Link to the scientific study results...
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6WSN-4MK0FFP-F-2&_cdi=7051&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F15%2F2006&_sk=%23TOC%237051%232006%23998729993%23639433%23FLA%23display%23Volume_127,_Issue_6,_Pages_1071-1286_(15_December_2006)%23tagged%23Volume%23first%3D127%23Issue%23first%3D6%23date%23(15_December_2006)%23&view=c&_gw=y&wchp=dGLbVlb-zSkzV&md5=c94603f087e29bc569f3c0cbcdbcc611&ie=/sdarticle.pdf

More on capsaicin...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin

More info on Habanero peppers...

http://www.vitaminia.com/shopvitamins/guide/Food_Guide/Habanero_Pepper.htm

http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Habanero-Chile.aspx

A Habanero pepper cake...
http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/diabetic-recipes/Habanero-Surprise-with-Orange-Frosting/r113.html;jsessionid=7E57793CA51D936F4C7D1F6DF0A1DBB8

In 2003, a study was conducted in Pakistan to determine whether or not cinnamon could help diabetic patients. Along with a daily regimen that included diabetic medication, 30 men and 30 women were given anywhere between 1, 3, and 6 mg of cinnamon daily for 40 days. After 40 days, all levels of cinnamon reduced the mean fasting serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels. Changes in HDL cholesterol were not significant and members of the placebo group did not notice significant changes. Even 20 days after the study, benefits were noted (Ali Khann).

Read more: Cinnamon: A Super Spice: Fighting Diabetes, Indigestion, and Arthritis - http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/cinnamon_a_super_spice#ixzz0C2njsKOj

The scientific study on cinnamon....

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/12/3215

Cinnamon is a safe and inexpensive aromatic spice, which has been used for many years in traditional herbal medicine for treatment of type 2 diabetes. The active ingredient in cinnamon, MCHP mimics the action of the hormone insulin, which removes excess sugar from the bloodstream. Cinnamon also appears to reduce blood cholesterol and fat levels(1) and decrease blood pressure(2).
http://www.holforddiet.com/content.asp?id_Content=1840

Columbia University Medical Centre found that curcumin, the anti-nflammatory, anti-oxidant ingredient in turmeric can significantly reduce insulin resistance and prevent Type 2 diabetes.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18403477

What is Curcumin?

Who said something that tastes good can't be good for you? Curcumin (Curcuma longa) is the source of the spice Turmeric, and is used in curries and other spicy dishes from India, Asia, and the Middle East. Curcumin is what gives the Curry its characteristic bright yellow color and strong taste. If curry is too spicy for your tummy, then you can still obtain the benefits of Curcumin by taking it as a nutritional supplement in convenient capsule form. Or, if you like the heat, break the capsule open and sprinkle it on your food.
http://www.curcumin.net/

Correlations suggest low magnesium may lead to higher rates of type 2 diabetes
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17937505

What Foods Have The Most Magnesium?

Halibut - 90mg*
Almonds, dry roasted - 80mg
Cashews, dry roasted - 75mg
Soybeans - 75mg
Spinach cooked -75mg
Nuts, mixed, roasted 65mg
Shredded wheat - 55mg
Oatmeal, fortified - 55mg
Baked Potato w/ skin 50mg
Peanuts, dry roasted, 50mg
*mg - milligrams

Scientists have uncovered the therapeutic properties of bitter melon, a vegetable and traditional Chinese medicine, that make it a powerful treatment for Type 2 diabetes.

Teams from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica pulped roughly a tonne of fresh bitter melon and extracted four very promising bioactive components. These four compounds all appear to activate the enzyme AMPK, a protein well known for regulating fuel metabolism and enabling glucose uptake.

"We can now understand at a molecular level why bitter melon works as a treatment for diabetes," said Professor David James, Director of the Diabetes and Obesity Program at Garvan. "By isolating the compounds we believe to be therapeutic, we can investigate how they work together in our cells."

People with Type 2 diabetes have an impaired ability to convert the sugar in their blood into energy in their muscles. This is partly because they don't produce enough insulin, and partly because their fat and muscle cells don't use insulin effectively, a phenomenon known as 'insulin resistance'.

Exercise activates AMPK in muscle, which in turn mediates the movement of glucose transporters to the cell surface, a very important step in the uptake of glucose from the circulation into tissues in the body. This is a major reason that exercise is recommended as part of the normal treatment program for someone with Type 2 diabetes.

The four compounds isolated in bitter melon perform a very similar action to that of exercise, in that they activate AMPK.

"The advantage of bitter melon is that there are no known side effects," said Dr Ye. "Practitioners of Chinese medicine have used it for hundreds of years to good effect."

"Bitter melon was described as "bitter in taste, non-toxic, expelling evil heat, relieving fatigue and illuminating" in the famous Compendium of Materia Medica by Li Shizhen (1518-1593), one of the greatest physicians, pharmacologists and naturalists in China's history," said Professor Ye. "It is interesting, now that we have the technology, to analyse why it has been so effective."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327091255.htm

Bitter Melon, Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia)recommendations...

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8513/31402/348736.html?d=dmtContent

Pterocarpus Marsupium has a high reputation in the traditional system of Indian medicine (including folklore) and therefore is one of the drugs used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus by Ayurvedic physicians in different parts of India.

Water is kept overnight in wooden tumblers made of the heartwood of the tree. Alternatively, a piece of the heartwood of the tree of standard dimensions is placed in the glass or plastic tumbler at night; the tumbler is filled with water and covered for protection against night insects; and the water with the wood in it, is kept till the morning. The water changes color to a "rainbow effect" immediately on contact with the wood, and within a few hours changes gradually to a brown color with a light blue tint. The water extract is slightly bitter to the taste. It is drunk a half hour before breakfast.

For twice a day use in cases of higher levels of blood sugar (or obesity or joint pain), the same procedure as above is followed after the aqueous infusion bas been drunk in the morning. The water with the same piece of wood it is kept till the evening and drunk half an hour after dinner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Cosmo

Gymnema (Gymnema sylvestre)

Known as gurmar in its native India, gymnema (Gymnema sylvestre) is a tropical plant of the milkweed family.

Gymnema has a long history of medicinal use in India for "honey urine" or what we call diabetes. Its ancient Sanskrit name means "sugar destroyer."

Researchers at India's University of Madras in the early 1990s found that high doses (40 gm of dried herb daily) of gymnema extracts may actually help to repair or regenerate the pancreas's beta cells, which play a crucial role in the production and secretion of insulin. Few other substances, synthetic or natural, offer such promise for reversing beta cell damage and at least partially reducing diabetics' need for insulin and other drugs. On the other hand, studies indicate that animals that do not have diabetes do not produce more insulin after consuming gymnema.
http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Information/Herbal/Research/gymnema.htm

In a study conducted by Diabetes Educators, under the protocols established by Diabetes in Control and Informulab of Omaha, NE, the makers of Beta Fast GXR®, Gymnema Sylvestre was found to lower HbA1c from 10.1% to 9.3%

This ninety day study conducted by a group of your peers showed these results in 65 patients.

The patients were given Beta Fast GXR® brand of Gymnema Sylvestre (GS) containing 400mg GS leaf extract (standardized to 25%) per tablet twice daily.

Patients varied from diet controlled to insulin dependent and age varied form 18 to 73 years old.

It is interesting to note that at higher starting A1c Values the positive results were profound. In the group that started at 9% or above, HbA1c was
lowered from 10.1% to 9.3%(0.8% decrease). In the poorest pre-study group, those with an A1c above 10% the Gymnema Sylvestre (Beta Fast GXR®) supplementation lowered HbA1c from 11.1% to 9.9% (1.2% decrease).
http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/studies/gymnema1_2.shtml

Gymnema sylvestre is a woody, vine-like plant which climbs on bushes and trees in the Western Ghats in South India, and to the west of those mountains in the territory around the coastal city of Goa. It came to be known as “destroyer of sugar” because, in ancient times, Ayurvedic physicians observed that chewing a few leaves of Gymnema suppressed the taste of sugar. Recent clinical trials conducted in India have shown that an extract of Gymnema sylvestre is useful in both insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and in certain types of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). As a result of these clinical tests and years of successful treatments, Gymnema is used today all over India for treating diabetes mellitus.
http://www.gymnema.com/

Onion and garlic have significant blood sugar lowering action. The principal active ingredients are believed to be allyl propyl disulphide (APDS) and diallyl disulphide oxide (allicin), although other constitutents such as flavonoids may play a role as well.
http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Diabetes/diabetes_herbs.htm

Results of the basic diet:

I have more energy - I want to exercise to get rid of it all (especially at night so I can sleep). I've lost 5.5 pounds since starting this diet. My digestive system is much more responsive - bowel movements occur more frequently and tend to be fast and runny (adapting to the high fiber intake).

I haven't cut back on intake and probably have increased the amount of what I eat. I'm starving by meal time now as my body seems to process the food so quickly.

I can't wait to get a blood workup and see how much my cholesterol levels have dropped.

It still amazes me that such a simple thing as changing what I put in my mouth can have such a dramatic effect on my health.

FOOD GUIDELINES:
First of all I suggest you obtain a copy of the book, "The China Study", and read all the evidence, suggestions, and recommendations in all their glorious detail.

Category 1 - Eat all you want
Whole, unrefined plant-based food. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (in breads, pastas, etc.)

Category 2 - Minimize
Refined carbs (pastas, white bread, crackers, sugars, cakes, pastries, cold cereals, etc.)
Added vegetable oils (corn oil, peanut oil, olive oil, etc.)
Fish (salmon, tuna, cod)

Category 3 - Avoid
Meat (steak, hamburger, lard)
Poultry (chicken, turkey)
Dairy (cheese, milk, yogurt)
Eggs (eggs & products with a high egg content like mayonnaise)

In the past two weeks I've had salmon at one meal and a club sandwich with some cold cuts and mayonnaise at one meal. I've also had some bread, rolls, etc. that were made with eggs. I've switched over to soy milk for my breakfast cereals (oatmeal, malt-0-meal, granola, etc.).

I can't advocate enough how much better I feel and hopefully I'm completely free of insulin from here on out. If you are chained to the pillboxes....get a copy of the book, read it, and give the diet a 30 day trial. What do you have to loose?

Here is a link to another person's experience following the suggestions in "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell...
http://myrecipeforgranola.blogspot.com/2009/01/it-didnt-happen-all-at-once.html

Website for the book...
http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html

About the authors...
http://www.thechinastudy.com/authors.html

Wiki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study

A copy you can read on Google books...
http://books.google.com/books?id=FIRLLcLjyC8C&dq=the+china+study&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=GOjPScfTBsL1nQfdmKnYCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA9,M1

Amazon listing...Half.com has better deals...
http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100385

More testimonials...
http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/china_study_brown.htm

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/07/china-study-author-testifies-at-fired-vegan-teachers-hearing/

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/the-china-study/

http://www.vegparadise.com/vegreading74.html

http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/reports/campbell_china2.html

Couple links to more diabetes info....

http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/index.php

http://diabeticlifediet.com/