Weird Science

Raw Honeycomb

For a diabetic, it takes a certain amount of faith to deliberately start spooning "tremendous amounts of unheated [raw] honey" into regular meals. Medically speaking, it makes no sense at all. But for months now, that's exactly what I've been doing... And the more, the better.

In his book, "We Want to Live: The Primal Diet", Aajonus Vonderplanitz recommends about 3/4 cups of unheated raw honey throughout each day to help heal the pancreas. When I first began this Raw foods adventure back in January, I needed more insulin, of course, to compensate for this new habit. It was an adjustment, as expected. After all I'd read about the dangers of synthetic insulin, the last thing I wanted to do was increase my dosage, but it was an adjustment I was willing to make temporarily if it would ultimately lead to healing.

Blueberries & Bee Pollen

And I'd say it is. These days, I regularly prepare raw honey-heavy fruit smoothies, as well as sandwiches using about 1/3 cup raw honey, about 1/4 cup raw peanut butter and 2 slices of low sodium organic, sprouted Ezekiel bread. And I eat them with little to no need for short-acting insulin... It's crazy. 

I say 'crazy' because, as a diabetic, I have been trained routinely to avoid sweeter foods like honey (in any form), but in reality, raw unheated honey seems to be a key ingredient to my recovery from the diabetic condition. Ironic, no? It was certainly a leap of faith on my part that helped me cross that bridge.

Unfortunately, for most of us, the idea of real, observable healing seems as elusive and far-fetched as the idea of magic and miracles. And for some dumb reason, prescription pills still seem easier to swallow than the truth - that we need not be sick in the first place.

At the beginning of my re-education, I stumbled upon something called the Gerson Therapy, an alternative approach to healing, which treats both deficiency and toxicity in the body, through the application of a raw, vegan diet, heavy in green juices and detoxifying coffee enemas. I'll admit I've yet to try the coffee enemas and I'm currently not vegan (for a couple reasons), but I've clearly embraced raw foods as a lifestyle, especially Gerson's take on green juices. I remember feeling struck particularly by the Gerson Institute's claims that their approach had been healing people of cancer, diabetes, and so on, since the 1930s. On hearing this, I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. Had my whole world been built on lies?

I believe the answer was yes - yes, it had. Gradually, I've come to believe that disease is not a necessary part of life. As a good friend once articulated, there is only ONE disease; the body is either in a state of dis-ease, or it is not. Over these last few months, I've begun to view my body as a kind of healing machine. I believe it already knows what to do, if I will simply nourish it (and my spirit too) in ways that allow my body to perform its inherent healing function. 

A natural consequence of this new perspective has been a radical change in my views on modern medicine. I've largely abandoned most traditional medical opinions and treatments. In addition to eating Raw foods, I've recently begun to incorporate organic healing herbs from the Rainforest and raw seawater minerals. I've also begun working with an alternative holistic healer, who not only healed himself from cancer with Raw foods and minerals, but further believes he can help me be diabetes-free within six months to a year, using a treatment method personalized to me.

Amazon Herbs & Original Quinton

I recently shared these exciting developments with another discerning friend of mine, who perused the healer's website. He commented on something he found there - a reference to the fact that the healer's methods may not work for everyone, that they may be more or less effective depending on a person's own 'belief system'. With my best interests at heart, my friend felt led to remind me that "normal" science doesn't require any kind of faith in order to work. He offered the antibiotics he was taking for his own flu-like symptoms as evidence of this. At the time, I mentioned the placebo effect as a possible counter to that claim, but his point stayed with me.

Always hyper-sensitive to not wanting merely to substitute one false 'religion' for another, I considered his perspective for several hours. What I ultimately realized, however, was that "normal" science essentially spat me out when it unflinchingly insisted I would be an insulin-dependent diabetic for the rest of my life, and that my health would only get worse over the years. In fact, "normal" science has yet to demonstrate any conclusive knowledge of the exact cause or nature of my condition. Meanwhile, "normal" science consistently warns me in writing of the risks of cancer associated with the use of my own daily diabetic supplies... And do I really need to explain to anyone that I don't want cancer?

"Normal" science and modern medicine have, therefore, declared themselves a dead end to me. And when that happens, a girl who dares to believe healing is not only possible, but inevitable, either stays where she is and dies, or she seeks life elsewhere. She finds a new place to lay her faith and perhaps discovers her answers in the sometimes seemingly wily ways of weirder science.

I, for one, would rather not live in the tiny bubble of blood that forms every time I prick my calloused fingers... Not while there are promising alternatives as powerful, palatable and simple as raw honey.