Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Natural Iron Chef

Raw versus cooked foods. Which is best?

I'm continuously amazed at the contemporary trendiness of what was a revolution for some of us in the 1960s and 70s. Against the social, political, familial, and religious grain we whole heartedly tried raw food diets, fasting, vegetarianism, and macrobiotics (which came later). Now, it's as if it were all some thing completely new.

What's even more amazing to me is the most of the adherents to the latest trendy diet, raw foods included, are not professionally trained in any medical discipline. It's all about opinion and marketing hype. Not at all about knowledge, experience, or wisdom. The good news, however, is that some doctors are getting the message that there's money to be made in natural health and some, self-proclaimed specialists in integrative medicine, are becoming experts in medical detoxification and biological therapies that actually help patients. Two M.D.s in this category are Norman Cousins and Helen Ross who treat diabetes with a 30-day natural raw foods diet.

As you might expect at the end of the 30 days of no Coca Cola, no sugar, no white bread, no processed or junk food of any kind, people started to get better and their blood sugar began to normalize. So, does that mean that raw foods are good for every one all the time and that every body should forever adopt an organic raw foods diet for the rest of their lives? Absolutely not!

But, is a 30-day detox, avoidance of commercially processed foods, and the adherence to a rigid diet of raw vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruits, seeds and nuts, and juices good for you. Absolutely yes! Can it cure diabetes II? Yes, very likely as Drs. Cousins and Ross have shown in their work, and as we in the natural healing profession have demonstrated over decades, diabetes is a life style disease of modern living. It's not that raw foods are a miracle cure. It's that unhealthy, processed foods overloaded with sugars are bad for you.

My recommendations:
  1. Take the 30-Day Detox Challenge promoted in Raw for 30 Days: http://www.rawfor30days.com/
  2. Follow the nutritional supplement guidelines I outline in my previous blog
  3. Monitor your blood sugar (glucose) levels before and after, and also your blood pressure and lipid levels
You can order medical grade nutritional supplements through my website: www.drjewilliams.com.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Diabetes? II

The message to you from my last two blogs is that metabolic diseases are complex and require an integrative solution. A simple diagnosis of diabetes II and standard drug therapy with outdated dietary advice is an incomplete attempt that doesn't work. At best, it helps managing glucose levels, but never cures.

Effective therapeutic strategies include the following:
  • DIET - increased healthy fats and oils, increased (but not excess) protein, NO simple refined carbohydrates and sugars, complex whole grains and cereals, and smaller amounts at meals.
  • EXERCISE - resistance strength training and aerobic exercise is essential.
  • WEIGHT LOSS - many diagnosed with diabetes II are over weight....start a serious, gradual, healthy weight loss program. Aim at losing 4 pounds each month until you reach your ideal BMI (body mass index).
  • NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS: many nutrients support metabolism....the most effective for metabolic disease are lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, vitamin C, chromium, and Omega-3 fish oils.
  • HERBAL MEDICINE: many herbs help lower glucose and support metabolism including ginseng, dandelion root, Gymnema sylvestre, and bitter melon. Traditional Chinese herbal formulas, combinations of synergistic herbs, are very helpful.
It is my clinical experience, that diabetes II and related metabolic diseases are caused by modern living, over eating, and lack of nutrients in our soils. With the right program, these conditions are nearly 100% curable. For more information, see my website: www.drjewilliams.com.

Be strong and healthy!

Dr. Williams