Inspiration: Type 2 Diabetes - Reversed!

Is Diabetes Type 2 irreversible? That’s what Bernard Bollen’s doctor told him, and that’s what conventional wisdom says.

Then Bernard tried the Paleo diet, a way of eating that emphasizes healthy fats and proteins, vegetables (and lots of them!), and limits or excludes processed foods, especially grains. Here’s his story:

I am 59 years old and have eaten a nutrition-sparse diet most of my life, high in sugars and refined carbohydrates. When I was first diagnosed with diabetes 6 years ago, my doctor told me that diabetes was a progressive disease that would require management, but that it was ultimately incurable. My feet were beginning to go numb, a sure sign of nerve damage in the extremities.... I was resigned to what I saw as the inevitable, a limb amputation, blindness, a stroke or a heart attack. 

Then, one year ago... I became aware of the Paleo diet. Its underlying nutritional philosophy just made sense to me. I... threw myself into the Paleo program. Over the next few months I certainly began to lose weight, but more, my whole relation to food... changed.... 

One month ago I saw my doctor.... who one year ago appeared to be skeptical of the benefits of the Paleo diet (so was I for that matter). Today he calls me his ‘poster boy patient’. Nearly all of the medications that I took a year ago have been dispatched to the [trash] bin. My life has been transformed in many ways. 

After six months on the Paleo diet I had already lost 15 kg (33 lbs) and felt that I had made a health breakthrough.... So I enrolled in a gym and regularly engaged in aerobic and resistance exercises. Now, 12 months later I have lost 30 kg (66 lbs) and I look and feel so much better.... 

Today I am cured of diabetes.

Was it the Paleo diet specifically that reversed his condition, or merely getting the processed foods out of his diet and/or reducing carbs? I suspect either would have made a radical difference.

Even if you're not ready to go full-on Paleo or Whole30, I believe -- from my own experience and from what I've seen in others -- that just eliminating sugar and processed foods can make a huge difference in your health -- not just your weight; your overall health!

Diabetes Type 2 increases your risk for multiple, serious health issues:

• Heart and blood vessel disease. Diabetes doubles your chance of heart attack or stroke, and dramatically increases your risk of other cardiovascular problems, including CAD, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure.
• Nerve damage (neuropathy). Poorly controlled blood sugar can eventually cause you to lose all sense of feeling in the affected limbs. 
• Digestion problems. Damage to the nerves that control digestion can cause problems with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. 
• Kidney damage. Diabetes can damage the delicate filtering system of your kidneys. Severe damage can lead to effects which require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
• Eye damage. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina, potentially leading to cataracts, glaucoma, and even blindness.
• Foot damage. Nerve damage in the feet or poor blood flow to the feet increases the risk of various foot complications. 
• Skin conditions. Diabetes may leave you more susceptible to skin problems, including bacterial and fungal infections.
• Alzheimer's disease. Type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The poorer your blood sugar control, the greater the risk appears to be.

Learn more about diabetes' effect on your health:

• About the Diabetes-Alzheimer's link; Alzheimer's Association
• The connection between diabetes, heart disease, and stroke; U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
• Type 2 Diabetes complications; The Mayo Clinic

Read some Whole30 success stories. (Whole30 is a 30-day elimination diet based on Paleo principles.)

Bernard's story is edited from an original article, here.
More success stories from the same site, here.

If you have an eating disorder, and are thinking about Whole30

There's one line in the Whole30 materials that are probably the most famous/infamous:

“It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your ‘struggles’.”

But some folks who had food addiction took them to task for that language. And the Whole30 official response was this compassionate post: Sometimes, it is hard.

While I have struggled with mildly out of control eating from time to time, I have not (and through no credit of my own) had the long-term, serious struggle that many do. So reading the comments was very educational for me. Might be for you, too. Here are a few:

"I’m in tears because your re-write showed a kindness in reference to my eating disorder that I do not usually come across. I’ve tried to explain the same thing to people, but no one ever seems to understand. The chemistry in my brain and in my body does not work the same way it does for other people."

"Having watched my Mom battle food addiction as long as I’ve been alive, I commend you for your re-write aimed at those with disordered eating. Even for me, I’ve been struggling with starting a Whole30 because I needed to understand it perfectly before I could begin... I’m so relieved to know it isn’t just me. Thank you for being compassionate enough to frame it in a way the rest of us can utilize as well."

"Anyone who.has been to an AA meeting can attest to the fact that recovering alcoholics are usually carb addicts. Whether it is just a.symptom of an addictive personality or whether it is the same ...problem creating both sets of cravings is a question worth studying. This speaks to how food affects the addict, and how much determination there is required to resist temptation. They deserve our respect and congratulations for continued determination."

"Then I... realized something big. I eat paleo. Not just some of the time – all the time.... I actually cook almost every meal at home and don’t even think twice about it anymore. I stand up for myself in restaurants and make sure I’m eating what I want to put in my body. Better still, I don’t count calories, I don’t starve myself, and I love my body even though it isn’t perfect. That’s the best thing in the world – loving myself....
"When I accidentally ran across this website many months ago, I never imagined all this. But, it wasn’t just learning to eat in a much better way, it was about learning to forgive myself and get right back on the horse when I fell off. Thank you."

"I am a recovering addict and an addictions counselor. When I first heard about The Whole30... I thought it sounded ridiculous and dangerous for anyone prone to addictive behavior. After reading through much of the site, and even before today’s rewrite, I have come to appreciate how balance and perspective are a theme throughout the program."

Interested in Whole30? I could just give you a quick link to the "About" page, but the first time I did that, I read about halfway through and thought, "These people are nuts!" and clicked back out of the site.

But I keep hearing stories about people's lives being changed by this way of eating, so I kept reading more and more, finally reading It Starts With Food. Then it began to make sense.

Do I buy into all their assumptions and theories? No, but I think there's something to it, so we're trying it. I hope to start blogging about our journey soon.