How My Husband Reversed His Diabetes

By Ms Usha shinde.
My husband suffered a heart attack (Inferior Wall Myocardial Infarction) in 2008 at Muscat- Oman. He is known hypertensive . He does not have family history of diabetes .  At the time of admission at Muscat,hospital records recorded  RBS 300 mg/dL. After a week he came down and underwent Coronary Angiogram which revealed Triple Vessel Coronary Artery Disease with left main blockage of 80%.

He underwent  Coronary Artery Bypass surgery  in June 2008 at Manipal Hospital Bangalore, where I was working. Before surgery he was on  insulin to control the sugar levels. At the time of discharge he was on Tab.Metmorphin 500 mg along with 40 units of rapid acting Insulin injection per day. We were in denial about his diabetes but the Endocrinologist and his team confirmed that he was a diabetic patient and he should continue medication for lifetime. Personally, I accepted the judgement of diagnosis, but not the verdict!

Somehow he was not convinced about it.  After six weeks, he left for Muscat and continued his job. But he was very restless about his diabetic status and decided to get rid of it if possible. He was 58 years then.
He started reading a lot about it and came to conclusion that the enemy can be conquered!

Meanwhile we had read a book called “How to reverse heart diseases” written by   Dr.Dean Ornish who is  a world famous American Cardiologist widely known for his holistic approach and love for Patanjali Yoga.  Dr.Dean Ornish is a disciple of Swamy Satchitananda and as well influenced by Buddhism and Sufism. He gives utmost importance to diet, lifestyle, stress management, relationship with self, with family / society and with higher self. He believes in old way of counseling where all personal problems were discussed openly under the tree with the elders of the village. He believes in “eating together “ and the importance of “intimate relationship” for a human being.

With many case studies he has shown that with his approach which is very close to natural living, the “microcirculation” of heart developed and increased the capacity and overall function of heart and patients became alright. They did not require any interventions. Their quality of life improved tremendously. He claims that there may be a tendency of a particular disease in family, but gene mutation is possible! You can stop a bad legacy if you make up your mind with faith! Dr. Dean Ornish became our Guru as well. When heart diseases can regress why not diabetes?

My extensive training in healthcare had taught me that “ Diabetes is not a disease, it is a disorder.” We Asians are genetically more prone to diabetes and heart diseases. Mainly wrong diet, sedentary life style, lack of exercise and un-managed stress of modern life’s rat race are the responsible factors. I started wondering that if these factors are handled, there are definite chances of “good control.” I firmly believe that dealing with the root cause is most scientific way  than to suppressing the symptoms.  Ancient Ayurveda’s approach is same.

We firmly believe that our body has tremendous power of healing and repairing. But we are lazy to utilize that power and prefer to pop up pills and quick pricks. As Ayurveda  says that our earth is full of medicines in the form of herbs, trees, creepers, roots, fruits  and flowers  along with all minerals. When the factory of natural medicines available why should we surrender to crude chemicals at first sight?

Let the food be thy medicine –  Hippocrates –Father of modern medicine in B.C.431 .

Ancient Chinese proverb declared -“ He who takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes time of his doctor.”
One genius expressed  “The doctor of future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather, will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.”

Dr.Ravi Acharya, M.D.Ayurveda from Pune had said in a T.V. program called “Hello Doctor” on Marathi Channel that the Beta cells of human pancreas never die. Due to overload of sugar and fat in blood they “go to sleep” but they can be rejuvenated and made active. His recommendation is “Madhuparni” tea and Kashaya along with diet and most important- 12  Suryanamaskara every day!

My husband took charge of himself and decided to follow what he was convinced about. First he felt that the body has to be detoxified as toxins hamper the absorption of  medicines. Toxins  affect endocrinal system very badly.  Ayurveda calls these toxins as “Ama”  which have to go out of system.

He started taking fresh juice of a small bitter gourd mixed with half a lime or a big tomato. This juice was taken on empty stomach for two years. Even on foreign trips he carried bitter gourd juice made by Ayurvedic pharmacies. He planned his diet as per his body weight and decided to consume 2000 calories per day. He planned his food as follows –

Morning drink- Bitter gourd juice  mixed with either half lime or one big tomato juice
Breakfast – Oats cooked in water, two whites of eggs in boiled or fried form, a cup of green tea
Mid morning-  One cup of black tea

Lunch-   Two dry phulkas ( dry chapatti ), one sprouted usal (Dish made of any sprouts) , lots of salad made of cucumber, tomatoes, onions sprinkled with lime juice, Pudina chutney and a glass of buttermilk
Mid noon- One cup black tea with two Marie biscuits
Dinner –  Two Phulkas, Dal cooked with vegetables, two pieces of chicken or a big piece of Fish ( grilled or shallow fried),One fruit.

For hunger pangs he took popcorns or dry fruits or fresh fruit
He managed it all alone at Muscat, as I was in India.
Read related: How Turmeric Helps in Diabetes Treatment: 7 Ways 

He followed this diet religiously  along with the exercise regime of going to gym thrice a week. Within a year he lost more than 10 kg of weight and sugar level came down. There was no need of Insulin and he stopped. After few days he stopped the tablets as he became hypoglycemic. The program continued and he maintained his sugar levels within normal limits without any medication.

At this day also the program continues except few small variations.  The interesting thing is that in this program, his another ailment also disappeared. He had developed “Meatal Stenosis” which required frequent dilatation. His Urologist scared me by saying that this disease is progressive and may require surgery. My husband gives credit to bitter gourd juice which purified his blood and the toxins(Ama) accumulated in every system were thrown out.

Today  he is not on any diabetic medicine and is able to enjoy most of the sweets !Both FBS and PPBS are always below normal limits. But he never misses his Tennis game of two hours for five days a week.

Many say Diabetes can be “controlled”, “managed”, “maintained” but here is a live example.
I hope and pray that world should be diabetes free!
Read related: Diabetes: Ayurvedic Treatment, Remedies, Prevention Tips

About the author:
Usha Shinde has worked as Public Relations Officer at Bangalore Institute of Oncology,  as Chief Counsellor at Manipal University. etc.
At present she is working as Manager- Customer Relations at Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain Hospital.
Her qualifications are B.A. (Economics) ,M.A. (Literature) and a P.G.Diploma in Public Relations. She was trained in Counselling by” Viswas” and by WHO doctors and nurses.
Email: ushaharish1976@yahoo.com
Other articles by Ms Usha Shinde:
Depression, Suicidal Tendency: Case Study, Counselling