Four months ago, I was grossly overweight, had triglyceride and cholesterol levels of nearly 400 (10.36), and received reports that my liver function tests exceeded the normal range by 25 percent. Experiencing numbness in my face and foot, I checked into the emergency room at a local hospital fearing that I might have been experiencing a stroke. I don't think I had a stroke since I was released after an overnight stay, but my admittance to Hunterdon Medical Center, Flemington, N.J. changed my life.

After ten years of knowing that I had diabetes, I had regressed to a position of taking three daily potent time release pills to manage my glucose levels, in spite of my sincere efforts to manage the disease as carefully as possible. I found that as my pill intake increased so did my glucose levels. Still my doctors continued to increase the medicine's dosage, in spite of my discussions with them about articles in the New York Times and other publications revealing that the drug could potentially cause heart failure and kidney disease. One doctor dismissed the articles and touted the benefits of taking the drugs, again weighing such "benefits" against the deleterious effects of the disease.

The pills prescribed to lower my triglycerides and cholesterol levels ravaged my body with pain since I was among the small percentage of patients who cannot safely tolerate statin drugs. Still, the doctor who prescribed the drugs kept changing the prescriptions to other statins, which caused the same symptoms.
As I noted the drugs' potential side effects that I had read about on the Internet, my doctor at the time advised me, "Stay off the Internet. You need to take these or suffer the consequences." Then, he gave me several packets of Baycol. Of course, Baycol was removed from the market because of its serious side effects! Luckily, I had graciously taken the packets but never ingested them.

I don't believe that traditional doctors mean to overmedicate their patients. I believe that they do the best they can based on their training and current medical practices. Most doctors follow a specific path according to having always treated illnesses by medicating their patients. I must add in their favor that some modern medicines have prolonged the human life span even though medicines are not the "magic bullet" for all patients or all diseases.

I need to mention that I did try a nutritional approach to management throughout my bout with diabetes, and I committed myself fully to following the advice of those nutrition professionals. I now believe that I did not receive suitable or even accurate advice in both of the programs. My previous nutritionist kept telling me how "great" my diet was although my glucose average kept rising.

I believe I am an example that type-2 diabetics can reverse their disease. But only the most courageous and innovative thinkers in the medical profession can help us free ourselves of medicine and direct us to healing our own bodies by eliminating the causes of the disease. I found such a doctor in Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Eat Right America, and the Nutritarian plan.

By following the Nutritarian plan, phasing in specific kinds of healthy foods, supplements and exercise as part of a program, worked wonders for me within a four month period. By July, I had lost 11 pounds (5 kg). By August, I had lost 21 pounds (9.5 kg) and reduced my serum cholesterol to 180 (4.66) and my glucose level to a thirty day average of 110 (6.1). Now, in October, my thirty day average is 103 (5.7). To date, I have lost 40 pounds (18.2 kg) and still plan to lose an additional 10 (4.5) since the plan is so easy to easy to follow.

I sincerely hope that my personal renaissance, my delivery to excellent health, will be an inspiration of hope to many other senior citizens and others who suffer from type-11 diabetes, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and/or potential liver or kidney failure or worse. At age 66, I am now in better health than I was 20 years ago since I no longer have diabetes, high serum cholesterol levels or high triglycerides, and am medicine free.

At this writing, I find myself in excellent health once again. I feel great and look six dress sizes better-since I literally plummeted from a size 12 to a size 6 (14 to 8) within the first three months on the Nutritarian plan. Most important is that I have enormous energy and can complete 5 miles (8 km) of rigorous exercise on my treadmill within an hour with little effort each day. I feel better now than I did at age 50!