Debbie Wilson: The Journey Back From Traumatic Brain Injury And Dementia, With A Side Of Disappearing Diabetes

Debbie Wilson: The Journey Back from Traumatic Brain Injury and Dementia, with a Side of Disappearing Diabetes

“In 2013, I had been diagnosed with dementia, and I could tell I was disappearing. I couldn’t even remember how to make myself coffee—or tell you how I take that cup of coffee.”
Debbie Wilson, Ph.D., is animated, cheerful, and relentlessly optimistic—not what you might expect from a woman who has spent nearly three decades battling seizures, repeated concussions, and complex medical complications from an accident that ended her career and took away her independence.
“I’ve experienced so much new and unexpected healing that even scientists don’t know about yet,” she says. “I just want to give hope to others.”
Very few people are in the position Debbie is when it comes to offering firsthand accounts of what medical cannabis can achieve when every other medical option has failed.
The Accident
Twenty-eight years ago, when she 35 years old, raising three children (including one in diapers) and working as a felony probation and parole officer, Debbie had just finished her second year of law school. The family was out celebrating that accomplishment when the unthinkable happened. A teenager driving a full-sized pickup truck backed up over her slight 5’1” frame in a parking lot.
Debbie’s neck was broken in multiple places. She lost several teeth at the roots. And unbeknownst to even the physicians at the emergency room where she was treated immediately afterwards, she sustained a severe enclosed traumatic brain injury (TBI). She was treated and released that evening, but within a day or two, it became clear something was very wrong.
The symptoms appeared Continue reading

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Yes, You Can Still Have a Healthy Sex Life with Diabetes—Here’s What You Need to Know.

When you think about enjoying life and all its pleasures, great sex may be one of the first things to pop into your mind. The good news is that there’s no reason you can’t have a full and satisfying sex life if you have diabetes. But you need to understand how your disease can affect different aspects of your sexuality and sexual function. Here’s what people who have diabetes have to say about how to live your best life.
First, bear in mind that sexual intimacy can be physically vigorous, burning calories. That means that, like exercise, it may put you at risk of hypoglycemia—inconvenient when making love, to say the least. (Here’s what you need to know about hypoglycemia.) To keep blood sugar stable, it’s wise to take glucose readings before and after sex to get an idea of how your body responds. Try having a sugary drink or a small snack beforehand or, with your doctor’s approval, adjusting your insulin if you know that sexual intimacy is in the offing.
For Women Only
Sexuality is complex in women even without interference from a chronic condition, so it’s no surprise that they generally experience more sexual side effects related to diabetes than men. But the problems are not insurmountable. They may include:
Blood-sugar fluxes
Though it’s not a universal experience, many women notice their blood sugar rises a few days before their monthly period begins. Researchers suspect (though not all agree) that fluxes in female sex hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, temporarily make cells more resistant to insulin. If you suspect this is a problem for y Continue reading

The Deal with Diabetes

Learn How it Affects You
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition that causes high blood sugar levels. It is a chronic disease that can be managed but not cured. It does not go away. Knowing as much as you can about the disease is the first step to managing it effectively.
What’s Going On
Much of the food you eat is digested and changed into glucose. Glucose is the body’s main energy source. It is carried through the blood stream into the body’s cells. Once inside the cells, glucose is converted into energy. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells. Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas that attaches to cells in the body and opens the cells, allowing glucose to get inside and be converted.
Diabetes is caused by a breakdown in this process. Insulin is either absent or poorly used, so glucose stays in the bloodstream. Glucose that stays in the bloodstream causes blood glucose levels to rise.
Types of Diabetes
There are three types of diabetes. Each type occurs for a different reason. All three types cause high blood glucose levels.
Type 1 Diabetes – The immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The cells stop making insulin, meaning that the body can’t use glucose for energy. That is why people with type 1 diabetes need insulin injections every day to stay alive.
Type 2 Diabetes – The pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body cannot use insulin properly, or, in many cases, it is a combination of both. Because of this, glucose is unable to get into the body cells to be used for energy. Treatment for type 2 diabetes includes a Continue reading

The Essential Diabetes Shopping List

Certain types of foods are better for your blood sugar than others. If you are diabetic and struggle with finding the right foods to eat or if you have a family history of diabetes, check out these food suggestions for the next time you go to the store. Registered dietitian and author of the book Skinny Liver, Kristin Kirkpatrick has tips and tricks to make sure your trip to the grocery store is beneficial to your overall health. Continue reading

SERPENTINA: The Herb For Diabetes, Liver, Heart Disease, Kidney, Colds And Flu

Serpentina is a medicinal herb dubbed as the ‘King of Bitters’. Despite its bitter taste, it is widely sought after by diabetics because of its efficacy to lower blood sugar. This herb can be taken by itself or mixed with food to lessen the bitterness.
I once suffered from diarrhea. Aware of the potency of Serpentina, I took it by making tea (5 leaves of Serpentina to 1 cup of water) thrice a day. I had to eat a little chocolate in between sips just to finish a cup of it! The following morning my stomachache was history. I also noticed that I was healed from my cold and nasal congestion when I ate Serpentina leaves with honey. Because of this, Serpentina makes it to my go-to list for stomachache, common cold and asthma remedies. Some customers amusingly narrate to us how much they enjoy eating this fresh ‘Bile of the Earth’ together with their family. Happy customers, too, relate unbelievable healing results from stroke, insulin and lung infection.
This herb is popularly known in the Philippines as Serpentina but its name in the ‘List of Philippine Medicinal Plants’ is Sinta. It is known scientifically and internationally as Andrographis Paniculata. This traditional medicine is native to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, which is used as a cooling herb for fever and flu. Indian tribes also use Serpentina as treatment for liver problems and cancer in their Ayuverdic medicines. Serpentina’s popularity is not limited to its Southeast Asian roots though. It is also regarded as a remedy for common colds in Scandinavian regions.
The many names of Serpentina, Andrographi Continue reading