The Southern Side of the Endocrine System: Pancreas Part II – Type I Diabetes
“History is not history unless it is the truth.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
The metamorphosis of diabetes in the United States over the last 100 years is an interesting tale with several thieves of health participating in what seemingly feels like a collaborative effort to bring large populations of unsuspecting citizens to the feet of Big Pharma. Diabetes may happen in one of two main ways: the destruction of the beta cells within the pancreas (Type I), or a rising resistance within the body to insulin (Type II). For the sake of today’s history lesson, the focus will be on Type I diabetes, also called Juvenile diabetes or diabetes mellitus.
In 1920, diabetes in kiddos was quite uncommon, with an incidence of 3-4 per 100,000. In an eighty year span, by the year 2000, the incidence had risen to 3-4 per 1,000. Today, that number (1 in 250) is still continuing to rise. Interestingly, these stats do not include previously healthy adults who acquire Type I diabetes after the age of 20 (approximately 1.6 million adults ….. 5.7% of all US adults diagnosed with diabetes according to the CDC). I think you’ll agree that those numbers point to quite a crime spree where the theft of health is a decades long embezzlement scheme.
Let’s take a look at ringleaders and suspects.
Type I diabetes is quite different from Type II. Causes and contributors include:
Autoimmune dis-ease (nearly always toxin triggered)
A family history of Type I diabetes which predisposes offspring genetically to a greater likelihood of acquiring Type I when exposed to epigenetic (environmental) challenges that are known as possible triggers to the gene.
Toxins (found in food, drink, household chemicals, personal care items, and environmental chemicals)
Infection
Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and childhood
Early childhood exposure to pasteurized homogenized cow’s milk and dairy products (a completely different food than raw cow’s milk)
Early childhood exposure to modern grain gluten sources, especially bleached white flour
Early childhood exposure to environmental chemicals found in foods (ex: glyphosate, nitrates and nitrites often found in processed meats)
Leaky gut syndrome (which leak what the body identifies as toxins into the rest of the body)
Vaccinations known to have the capability to trigger Type I diabetes. Multiple documented cases and studies implicate Pneumococcal, Hep B, Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (HIB), MMR, and Covid vaccines as causative agents. (A good resource to learn more about this is the book, Miller’s Review of Critical Vaccine Studies)
Did you catch the common theme? ….Toxin load.
White “all purpose” flour has a fascinating role in this crime vignette. “All purpose” white flour* is wheat that has been stripped of the bran and germ layers (the nutrient dense portion of wheat berries which happens to shorten the shelf life of flour when included as part of flour). The flour then is exposed to chlorine gas to make the slightly brown remaining starchy flour white. When chlorine gas is exposed to the pigments ( the color which makes it brownish in appearance) in wheat flour, a chemical reaction occurs producing a byproduct chemical called alloxan. You won’t find alloxan on any ingredient list on breads or packaged foods because technically, it’s not an added ingredient. Alloxan is a toxin and known carcinogen. It also has a strong affinity for the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. That’s rather unfortunate as it causes cellular death of the beta cells. When enough beta cells have died due to constant exposure to the white flour containing foods, insulin production decreases and ultimately risks stopping completely. The Textbook of Natural Medicine calls alloxan a “potent beta-cell toxin”. ( No kidding. It’s commonly used in clinical trials to induce diabetes in lab animals.) The textbook, Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry II states:
“Alloxan, a pyrimidine structurally similar to glucose and uric acid, directly disrupts β-cell membrane permeability and produces irreversible β-cell damage within 12 h in most animals. “
Now, here’s the interesting history lesson: Flour was not bleached commercially until sometime after 1912. A good man by the name of Dr. Harvey Wiley MD was head of the Bureau of Chemistry (a precursor to the FDA) from 1908-1912. Dr. Wiley was a proponent of whole unprocessed foods, and he fought against bleached flour ( as well as benzoic acid, sulfites, saccharin, and other food additives) all the way to Capitol Hill by way of Congressional hearings. He ultimately left his position in 1912 in frustration and disgust, and later wrote a book in 1929 entitled “The History of A Crime Against The Food Law”. The government, in its wisdom , replaced Dr. Wiley with a Dr. Elmer Nelson, who was the antithesis of Wiley. Nelson was quoted as saying,
“It is wholly unscientific to state that a well-fed body is more able to resist disease than a poorly fed body. My overall opinion is that there hasn’t been enough experimentation to prove that dietary deficiencies make one susceptible to disease.”
In my opinion, Nelson was either unbelievably ignorant or a shill. It is interesting to note that prior to working for the FDA, Dr. Nelson worked for the Soft Wheat Millers Association. Ground wheat will actually whiten on its own without the dangerous alloxan byproduct if given the proper time (a month or two) and environment to do so, but time is money to the Soft Wheat Millers of America, and it helps to have friends in high places.
Long story short, modern wheat, with its crazy high gluten content, additionally weaponized with probable alloxan content, and sprayed with glyphosates and other agricultural toxins would be high on the list of suspects for creating mischief within the pancreas.
I know. It’s not fun to think about doing without breads, pastries, cereal, spaghetti, waffles, and pancakes to avoid high gluten content and pancreas damaging alloxan. Thankfully, Gary Young had the foresight to make available food products which contain the much healthier unbleached ancient grain einkorn. Young Living’s Einkorn Flour, Einkorn Granola, Einkorn Spaghetti, Einkorn Rotini Pasta, Einkorn Pancake and Waffle Mix, Einkorn Flakes Cereal, and (when in season) Einkorn (unground) Berries if, like me, you like to grind your own wheat. Whew! I was starting to feel a little like Bubba Gump going through that lineup available to us! Einkorn bakes a little differently than the bleached white stuff you may be used to, so they’ve even conveniently created an Einkorn cookbook (created by Heidi Ellis)! In it, are 80+ recipes for pizza dough, breads, cakes, crackers, tortillas and more. If you haven’t tried einkorn products, you are in for a treat….. They are far more flavorful than those made with bland unhealthy white flour. For those who must completely abstain from any form of gluten, Young Living also has a Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix (sadly, it is currently out of stock), but there are many other healthy flour options to choose from in the marketplace: coconut, almond, oat, brown rice, amaranth, and chickpea are all good options.
One of the most valuable things we can give ourselves is empowered knowledge so that we can make informed decisions on what we choose to allow into our personal homes and bodies. Many of the causative agents listed above can be avoided, decreasing the odds of developing Type I diabetes and other dis-eases.
The second most valuable thing we can give ourselves is grace (without guilt) to do better once we know what we didn’t know before. We can’t know everything, and digging for factual information that is purposefully hidden (and frequently out of print) can be hard, confusing, and frustrating. Don’t think for a minute that making it hard to find truth isn’t done to us on purpose. Understanding the true history of “us” is important to our health, so we can learn, do better, and avoid the lure of purposefully addictive foods created by industries (both food and Big Pharma) that have profit over purpose as its primary goal.
Other ways to create a body environment for decreased risk of developing diabetes include:
Knowing levels of Vitamin D, and supplementing accordingly. Shoot for lab values 70-90 ng/mL. This is an important number to know during pregnancy, and frankly a valuable thing to know throughout life, even for infants and children. Depending on how much supplementing is needed, Young Living’s Super D may be enough for some adults and older children, while others may need a much higher dose (D3/K2) to maintain healthy levels.
Avoid nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines (often found in packaged meats)
Include cod liver oil in your supplement regimen. It’s available in liquid and capsule form.
Breastfeeding has been found to decrease the risk of Type I diabetes in children. Exposing babies in a delayed fashion to common suspect food triggers is also helpful.
Providing a solid source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids is also helpful. Young Living’s MindWise is a good liquid option for kids and is also helpful support for brain health and development. OmegaGize3 is another excellent option (for adults) in capsule form.
Strive for a diverse gut microbiome. People with Type I diabetes tend to have a less diverse gut microbiota. Use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary. According to the CDC, at least 30% of antibiotics prescribed are unnecessary. I personally believe that number is even higher. Not only does excessive antibiotic use breed antibiotic resistance, it has a profound negative effect on the gut microbiome.
Make a regular healthy source of antioxidants part of your daily routine to help offset the oxidative damage done to the beta cells in the pancreas. NingXia Red is an ideal option for all ages. The Young Living website gives an easily understandable explanation:
“Antioxidants, why are they important? They are the antidote to oxidative stress! …..Oxidation has been implicated in the origin of more than 100 human diseases and in the aging process.”
Einkorn and NingXia Red….. healthy and healing food options. Over 2400 years ago, Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Good food is good medicine, with the ability to both protect and heal.