Johnny's Health Blog 6-30-15

Good morning everyone.  Today my blood sugar was down to 121!  That's the lowest reading since I started this lifestyle change! I was at 140 yesterday because I ate a processed hamburger bun.  This also proves to me and should prove to you that diabetes (type 2) can be defeated WITHOUT DRUGS!  It takes determination and a big lifestyle change but it can be done.  Yes it's still a bit high but I should hit the 100 or less mark soon.  Of course the medical establishment would tell you different but I'm living proof that this can be done.  If you want to change your life (and preserve it) pay attention as I will go into detail on what I've done towards the end of the week.  I know of one person personally that has defeated type 1 diabetes doing things this way as well.  

Today's health tip is about clean water.  As the droughts continue to plague the American SW water in general is a hot topic but PURE water is just as important as some aquifers are bad to start with.  First off have your water tested as you need to determine what kind of issues you're dealing with before you start.   If you're on city water you need to be vigilant on what their issues are as well so look at their water testing reports.  The EPA requires water quality testing on an annual basis when dealing with municipal water supplies in a city, county water situation.  In these cases two chemicals you'll be dealing with will be chlorine and fluoride.  Chlorine is a chemical they use to kill deadly bacteria which is why it's used in public pools but if too much is used it not only tastes bad but can be toxic for your body.  Fluoride is another deadly chemical and it was used in the Nazi death camps to keep the prisoners drugged.  Why?  Because it suppresses people and will eventually kill if used over a long period of time.  The Nazis didn't want mass uprisings in the camps as they knew if there was a revolt eventually the numbers of prisoners would overwhelm them so they kept them drugged on fluoride.  Look up fluoride for yourself and you'll see that it does NOT help with cavities.  Why the ADA (American Dental Association) endorses this deadly poison continues to boggle the mind.  I will stop that discussion here as it could take up thousands of pages.  

So what's the answer?  My answer is the Big Berkey filter system.  It's slow working but it takes out 99% of all contaminants AND chemicals out of the water.  

The filters that come with it are great for most water supplies but you'll need extra filters to get the fluoride out.  You'll also find your water tastes GREAT after going through this filter.  It's not cheap but then what's your health worth?  They run about $260.00 with a set of filters designed to last up to 4,000 gallons or more depending upon the quality of your water to start with.  There are other systems out there that are cheaper but this is the only one I can personally tell you that really works. 

That's all for today!  LIVE TO WIN NOW!

Johnny

 

Johnny's Health Blog 6-29-15

 

Good morning everyone!  I see the blog is slowly getting more views and I hope what I write helps those who are struggling with health issues.  

 

The blood sugar count was at 140 this morning!  It was 136 yesterday and it's been at 150 or lower for a week.  This means I've reached another break in the count!  When you consider that a little over 2 months ago it was at 300 I'm very pleased!  Once again this has been done with supplements, diet, exercise and vigilance!  No drugs involved here at all as the Metformin I was given has been on the shelf!  I was tempted to get a small ice cream cone last night but I fought it off with an awesome organic fruit smoothie last night!  My wife does a great job with those and I'm glad she's with me 100% on this quest for a healthy life!   I did send a testimonial to "The People's Chemist" Shane Ellison to let him know how good his books and supplements are doing for me.  His reply was to send me some free Cinnergy (a supplement he sells that contains milk thistle and cinnamon) and also his "Secret Health Files" cds that I intend to listen to this week.  His products are working great for me so if you want to see his blogs and products go to www.thepeopleschemist.com.  Now for the health tip of the day.  

 

Today I'd like to talk about the bread I'm able to eat without guilt and without raising my blood sugar.  It's called Ezekiel bread.  It's becoming more popular and with good reason!  Here is a picture of it so you can look for it at your local store.  

 

Yes it's the same recipe called for in the scripture listed on the package.  Hmm.  Do you think God knew what He was doing here?  He must have because it's doing good things for me including replacing the crap breads I was eating.  This stuff is good and it's crunchy!  It actually has FLAVOR something our store bought over processed garbage does not.  Here is a link to a great article regarding sprouted grains.  They have many more benefits than I even knew about until I read this!
http://www.naturalnews.com/050226_sprouted_grains_health_fiber.html

Read this article!  It's short and to the point and hopefully it opens your eyes to new possibilities, especially if you're having trouble giving up bread.  God bless and have a great week!  LIVE TO WIN NOW! 

Johnny

 

Johnny's Health Blog 6-26-15

 

Good morning!  I'm happy to report that today's blood sugar was 141 which means I'm now beyond the 150 barrier.   As long as it stays consistently 150 or below for the next week I'm making good progress.  My weight release has come to a stand still however.  My best guess for this is the lack of consistent exercise the past two weeks.  As you may or may not know I have a bad case of spinal steno-sis. That means that my spinal cord is too close to the bones of the vertebrae.  This gives me severe sharp pain at times and that makes it almost impossible to work out let alone walk fast for a few days.  Surgery is 50-50 at best and it could make things worse so I'll just have to put up with it.  But as you release more weight your body doesn't need as many calories, especially if you're not working out.  So what I've done the past week to compensate is to eat less at all meals and reduce snack (even healthy snacks have calories) time and not eat late at night.  I am happy to report that my 2XL T shirts came this week and they fit great!  This marks the first time in 3 years or better that I've been comfortable in 2XL.  Progress is progress and I'll take it! 

Today's subject is mosquito repellent!  Everyone knows that when summer is upon us the mosquitoes descend upon us as well.  While we usually turn to products with DEET, the main ingredient that repels mosquitoes we also know it's toxic to our bodies and the products with it usually smell bad.  I remember the military issued stuff was almost 100% DEET and while it worked it burned the skin if put on too heavy.  Then as your body absorbs that stuff it does bad things to your body.  Just google DEET side effects and see what you come up with.  Enter the lemon!

 

Here is what part of this study found with the rest of the article below. 

 In another study, researchers found similar results. Lemon eucalyptus essential oil was just as effective as DEET in repelling Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles Funestus mosquitoes for at least six hours.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/050188_DEET_mosquitos_essential_oils.html#ixzz3eBuBlSHd

So as both studies show lemon eucalyptus oil was just as effective as DEET.  I've tried a compound like this last year and it worked great!  Thankfully up here where we live there aren't a lot of mosquitoes unless you're hiking deep in the woods.  But back where I'm from in ND there were plenty of bugs to go around!  I couldn't sit outside at night without coils going and bug juice on my body.  So when I would go inside I'd smell like a bonfire and bug juice.  Needless to say my wife made me shower before coming to bed lol.  Now I could go to bed and smell like lemons!  Sure beats smelling like deep woods off that's for sure.  

That's all for today!  Stay healthy and LIVE TO WIN NOW!  

Johnny

Johnny's Health Blog 6-25-15

Hello everyone I'm back!  Today the blood sugar count was 133!  Staying strict to my new lifestyle changes is yielding results!  Now for today's topic, depression. 

Depression is a very real thing to a lot of people.  You feel down and don't know why.  You have no energy, want to sleep to "escape" and it drives you nuts because you don't know why you're down.  Does any of this sound familiar?  It should hit home with millions of people as it does with me. 

When my wife and I made our move out here I was very happy.  I was finally living my dream regarding living in the mountains of the NW.  But there was always something eating at me plus I felt physically sick.  I know now that a big part of that was my diabetes which wasn't diagnosed yet.  But there was more to it than that and now I'm realizing I had slight depression.  After reading the book "Over the Counter Natural Cures" by Shane Ellison I found the tablets in the picture above. 

Lithium Orotate is a natural occurring mineral.  It works in much the same way the drug lithium does but doesn't have the side effects or make you a zombie.  I started taking these tablets about a week ago and all I can say is that it helps quite a bit.  I have never been one to stay down or depressed so after I grieve or get upset I tend to get over it.  I was skeptical of this supplement to say the least.  What does it do? Essentially it levels you out and keeps your mood swings in check.  Keep in mind you need to discuss this with your doctor before changing anything or starting a new regimen.  This can affect people very differently.  For me it has given me more clarity of thought and I'll be ordering more!  You can read more about it and the reviews people are giving it here:

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-lithium-orotate-5-mg-elemental-lithium-60-veg-caps?SourceCode=INTL070&CAPCID=74339233087&cadevice=c&gclid=CJHTvNnEq8YCFRYMjgod2awA0Q&CA_6C15C=530002460000208346

That's all for today folks!  LIVE TO WIN NOW! 

Johnny's Health Blog 6-24-15

Good morning everyone!  Today's blood sugar count was down to 152.  It's going back down because yours truly didn't cheat yesterday.  In other words no refined foods or sugars.  When my back heals up and the exercise restarts the levels will fall even faster.  

Today I'd like to discuss trans fats. What are trans fats you ask?  Essentially they're cooked into junk foods to preserve shelf life and add taste to those products.  They are dangerous to nervous system function, inflammation and diabetes and now memory loss in adults aged 45 or less.  I've been told by doctors that MSG causes brain damage but it's not the only chemical that's at fault.  Here's a quote from today's article.  

"These fats are used to enhance flavoring, prolong shelf life and maintain a product's appearance. However, the eye and taste appeal simply isn't worth the possible health consequences. "As I tell patients," said Golomb, "while trans fats increase the shelf life of foods, they reduce the shelf life of people."⁽¹⁾"

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/050182_trans_fats_memory_junk_food.html#ixzz3dzsyf92L

The link to the whole article is above this line. As you can see trans fats are affecting our quality of life while lining the pockets of the food giants.  There's no way to really get healthy while eating this crap.  To take their place (who doesn't like a couple handfuls of chips?) I started eating mixed nuts.  You have to be careful however to make sure that they don't contain MSG to add flavor.  The "dry roasted" nuts appear to be the most dangerous.  I didn't read a label on some sunflower seeds until after I had opened them and ate a handful.  Right away I tasted something that was different and I was right.  When I looked at the ingredients I found sugar, MSG and another chemical I don't remember off hand (see memory loss lol).  Isn't it amazing that 2 months into my lifestyle change that I noticed the difference?  Once your body and taste buds get used to eating better anything foreign or not natural is detected by your taste, smell and even how you feel.  The study above also shows mood swings in people who eat that crap.  Geez no wonder I was such as ass at times.  

That's your tidbit for today!  LIVE TO WIN NOW!  

Johnny Storm

Johnny's Health Blog 6-23-15

Good afternoon everyone!  Today the blood sugar count was 162.  Why the jump up?  Because yours truly decided to cheat a little the past couple days (not today) and I ate some sweet potato fries, a processed bun on my burger and a small serving of ice cream on Sunday.  I'll get it back down but I've learned my lesson (again) about too much cheating.  

Today I'd like to talk about vitamins/supplements.  There are thousands of companies all claiming to have your "magic vitamin or regimen".  If you take their stuff everything will be awesome!  Of course in very fine print they state that the results are atypical and also consisted of proper diet and exercise.  Oh really?  Did you forget to read that part?  I was at our health food store the other day and the juice bartender told me a story about a guy who came in with gout.  He wanted a supplement to take care of his gout.  The salesperson proceeded to tell him about the diet/exercise changes he should make and he got defensive.  He said "no I don't want a lifestyle change what I want are the supplements to take to counteract my condition of gout."  I shake my head at people like that but yet I used to be one of them!!!  I thought if I took my vitamins all my nutritional needs were set.  I could eat all the crap I wanted, smoke, drink and everything would be ok with my vitamins.  Fast forward about 10 years and here I sit with type 2 diabetes.  I found a good article that deals with this subject.  The vitamins you get should be in the foods you eat and things you drink not just in a pill. The article can be found here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/050159_synthetic_vitamins_whole_foods_nutrition.html 

While there's nothing wrong with supplements make sure you get some that are made with WHOLE FOODS, not the fake synthetic crap sold in most big box stores.  I take supplements myself but I don't rely on them to do the trick on their own.  Bottom line is DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!  Just because a supplement company has some testimonials, a supposedly lucrative pay plan (MLM) and fancy labels and brochures doesn't mean they're any better than the whole food vitamins you could find in the local health food store.  

Drinking a freshly juiced one to your health, 

Johnny Storm

Johnny's Health Blog 6-22-15

Good evening everyone!  Normally I get this blog done close to the first thing in the morning but things come up.  Instead of another picture of my blood meter I have a new pic today on a different subject.  We'll get to the blood scores in a bit but for now let's talk about pain relief.  

Tylenol, Ibuprofen and the prescription meds do work for pain but at what cost? We know they all can cause liver damage, addictions accidental overdose and other side effects.  Yet they provide us with relief so what's the big deal?  The big deal is now there are other studies that show Tylenol and Ibuprofen can cause depression and possibly even wild mood swings!  That's just the over the counter stuff not the narcotic pills the doctor gives you.  Tylenol is also a suspect in heart attacks as well.   These are newer findings but they are troubling.  I've been using some type of pain relief for years as my injuries have caught up with me.  I knew this stuff was bad for me but what choice did I have?  Now there's a natural alternative that I've found that really works!  

 There it is my new pain reliever.  I should be getting paid for putting Shane Ellison's products on the blog although he did send me some free samples for writing to him.  I won't go into the science on why this stuff works (it's on the site) but for me it has and it does.  It works best on an empty stomach (about 15-20 minutes) and it's best for headaches, sinus pressure, sore back/joints and other aches and pains.  It won't cure severe pain like when your back goes out but for minor to medium pain it's awesome!  If you want some you can get it at www.peopleschemist.com.  Maybe mention my blog and we'll both get free samples lol.  

As for my blood sugar today it was 153.  It was up a little because I treated myself to a small ice cream cone and some awesome home made spaghetti.  So I had some carbs and sugar there but it was fathers day after all!  Happy belated fathers day to all dads out there!  Have a great night and we'll see you tomorrow!  

Johnny Storm

Johnny's Health Blog 6-19-15

Good morning everyone.  Today's results are better and encouraging.  I knew that my meter kept track of sugars for 90 days in it's memory but also other trends like a 14 day average.  So without ado here's my reading for today.

As you can see my levels dropped back down again today.  The main reason why it did so was probably because I didn't eat toast after hours with sugar jam and sugar peanut butter.  I didn't take a pic of it but my 14 day average was 159.  I was very happy with that.  According to sources (personal sources, not from a book) who work in the medical industry people swing wildly day after day with readings from 120 to 280 a few days later!  I don't have a scientific answer for this but it would indicate to me that either they aren't eating right on a consistent basis, the meds aren't working or a combo of both.  Once again I'm not a scientist and I don't have a study in front of me so I will use my FDA disclaimer now. 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.These products(or this blog) are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. *

There now that the bs is out of the way we can continue.  Sorry but the FDA chaps my ass.  They're corrupt to the core and the ONLY reason we can't put holistic medicine tests in print is because no drug company can patent a plant.  That's for another blog.

Yesterday I read a good article that I was waiting for a long time to see.  Natural News.com is one of the best natural cure websites available.  They finally woke up to the studies that show cholesterol IS NOT A BAD THING!  The article can be read here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/050105_cholesterol_statin_drugs_longevity.html

Just copy and paste that link and go read that article.  The study is a good first step for natural news but apparantly they haven't read Shane Ellison's book "Over the Counter Natural Cures" which goes into more studies and real life situations.  I'm one of those people that has low cholesterol no matter what I do so my level was 150.  When I was in the USAF my levels were in the 120's.  Yeah I know it's not fair right?  Well people who eat way too much and stay skinny isn't fair either!  I can just look at food and gain weight.  The bottom line here is that one of Shanes friends was diagnosed with high cholesterol (about 400) and ended up on statins at a young age.  By the time the 10 year reunion came around he looked like hell and he was an in shape collegiate wrestler at one time!  The statin drugs were killing him faster than any high count would.  In fact Shane put him on a regimen of supplements and he got off the drugs.  He's full of life again, his color is back and his cholesterol is still at 400 AND he's had no heart attacks.  The dangers of heart disease begin and end with inflammation.  Once inflamed the cells of cholesterol stick together and form the plaque that sticks in the arteries.  Then when they stick big time and form a clot the clot can't pass through the vessels and that's what gives people heart attacks. For a good understanding of this watch the movie called "The Widowmaker" on Amazon.  If you have Amazon Prime it's free so watch the darn thing.  Do your own research into this but once again don't stop taking your meds without consulting your doc!  The cholesterol demon isn't a demon after all but rather a symptom of a inflammation issue most likely related to high sugars or other factors that can be determined by lab testing.  

That's all I have for today folks!  Enjoy your weekend and LIVE TO WIN NOW!  

Johnny Storm

Johnny's Health Blog 6-18-15

Good morning internet world!  Today I have a mixed bag of news.  First on the blood sugar scene my count today was 167.  Why did it go up over 20 points?  Two reasons I can think of number one being I ate some toast with jam on it late last night.  I finally justified it in my mind at 2am so I went and made some toast with Ezekiel bread.  The problem was that I used jam with sugar in it and regular peanut butter has some sugar as well.  Until now I didn't know how much of an impact even a little sugar can have.  The second reason is that on Tuesday night I had a few beers after a day of mowing/trimming yards.  I didn't have many but it probably did artificially lower my blood sugar.  Tonight I'll leave the damn toast alone and go to bed when I start yawning!  Based on my readings for this month so far I've been averaging between 150-170.  Once again I've basically cut it in half from mid April but that's not good enough.  One other item to note is the fact I didn't juice it yesterday which always seems to help.  Here's a good recipe for juicing by the way.

Ingredients:  

2 handfuls of spinach

1 stalk of celery

1 handful of parsley

3 carrots

1/2 green apple

Juice the carrots first then move onto the other ingredients.  Stir and drink!  It tastes good (at least to me) and it does lower sugars and give you lots of other good benefits.  Once again it can't hurt right?  Avoid bananas and grapes for the most part and do other fruits in moderation to keep sugars down and stop feeding the "leaky gut" fungus called candida.  Once again these are my results make sure and talk to your health care provider before starting or stopping any regimen.  There you go FDA there's your disclaimer.  

Ok guys and gals there's your update for today.  Oh wait I did forget my blood meter picture?  Nope I didn't forget but I had to let you read things before just giving you pics.  Oh and how did you like my belly pics from yesterday?  Not pretty huh?  Was I self promoting?  Probably.  Was it humiliating to take those?  Absolutely!  A guy (or gal for the matter) never wants to show the gut, butt or whatever you have that isn't attractive.  It's a catch 22 for sure.  Do I reveal to the world just how far downhill I slid or do I continue to lie to myself about how far I slid?  I decided to be honest with myself and others so I remain accountable.  

 

 

Have an awesome day and LIVE TO WIN NOW!  

Johnny Storm

PS stay tuned for the first ever episode of LIVE TO WIN NOW coming up Saturday on American Rebel Radio.com! 

Johnny's Health Blog 6-17-15

I promised you folks some pictures so here we go!  WARNING If you're easily frightened please look away lol.  Seriously these are embarrassing but necessary in order to keep myself accountable.  I only wish I would've taken some selfies like this a few months ago so you guys could see the progress I've made thus far.  

As you'll notice my love handles are almost gone which were quite pronounced before.  I've also lost fat on my back, shoulders, chin (I had 3), legs etc.  It seems that the "gut" or the part that makes me look 8 months pregnant will be the last to go.  My wife just walked by on her way to work this morning and said "OMG are you brave!"  She also said she wished I had started this a 5 months back when I was REALLY big.  I said "Hmm yep that's just what I said" lol.  I did include one pic with my shirt on to get everyone back in their seats.  I'm not doing this to brag or show off as obviously I still have a ways to go.  But thanks to my daughter's urging I'm going to do this blog everyday and hope that it can help inspire someone!  Keep in mind how much bigger I was when you consider I'm down 6 inches in waistline.  It's hard to believe I slid back this far! 

 Oh and today my blood sugar was 143.  That's a 19 point drop from yesterday.  So what did I do different?  I didn't eat so F$%$ing much last night for one.  Two I got a lot of sun and exercise and three I double dosed my milk thistle and cinnamon supplements.  As we discussed in an earlier post both of those plants act as a liver detox and helps regulate blood sugar. They do work! 

So if you're still on the fence wondering if diet, exercise and supplements work get in the game!  From now on I will be taking a pic of my blood sugar meter every morning (Mon-Friday) and I'll take progress pics on my gut once a week.  There we have it, a picture is a 1000 words right?  If I can do this so can you!  Get in the game and LIVE TO WIN NOW!  

Johnny Storm

 

Johnny's Health Blog 6-16-15

Today my blood sugar stayed at 162 which is a little high but quite a ways down from 300.  I've been learning that no nuts or at least less than the small can I can eat in a night is important to watch.  I've also got to be more selective on fruits which can also cause a 8-10 point rise.  Essentially I need to eat supper then STOP!  I have a 30 year smoking habit I'm breaking and part of that is psychological.  That's what's causing the over eating of snacks (healthy snacks yes but too much of anything is bad) so I will cut that out the rest of this week and keep on rollin!  

On a more positive note I put on my first new XL pair of shorts today!  This is the first new pair I've bought in plain XL in at least 5 years!  There's room to spare as well so I'm very happy about that!  Prior to this I was buying XXL and wondering if there would be room.  What a nice change!  

Exercise has consisted of 5 acres of mowing and trimming today.  With me having to hand mow a couple big hills that's enough!  Have a great rest of your day and LIVE TO WIN NOW!  

Johnny's Health Blog 6-15-15

Today my blood sugar was 151.  Over the weekend it stayed pretty close to this mark between 150-160.  My guess as to why it was so low on Friday was because of the 2-3 beers I had on Thursday night.  It's been shown that alcohol (in lower amounts) lowers blood sugar so this had to be the reason it was lower on Friday morning.  This is not saying I advocate any alcohol consumption if you're diabetic, I'm just explaining the difference in numbers.  

My exercise took a back seat last week due to nagging back injuries that wouldn't let up over the weekend.  It's better today so it's back to DDP Yoga, push ups and some natural body weight squats (otherwise known as hindu squats.)  Stay young, live strong and live to win NOW!  

Johnny 

Johnny Storm's Health Blog Day 2

 

Hello everyone and welcome back to my health journal day 2. As I stated in my post yesterday I wish I had started this back in April when I found out I was type 2 diabetic. Oh well here we go!
This morning my blood sugar was at it’s lowest ever at 121! That’s a new low since my diagnosis when it was 300! That’s almost a 200 point drop in two months! I did it all without the aid of big pharma drugs. Is that the way to go for you? I’m not a doctor so I don’t know. Remember I’m posting this blog to show you what’s possible with a major lifestyle change.
My regimen for the day so far has been my breakfast shake (with two raw eggs mixed in) and my supplements. One supplement I’d like to mention here is garlic. Before I read Shane Elison’s book “Over the Counter Natural Cures” I didn’t know about the anti-biotic properties of garlic. I knew it had potential to boost immunity but it also helps knock out colds. In his book Shane’s wife gets strep throat. He made his wife eat raw garlic for 3 days and poof it was gone. Granted it tasted like crap and she wanted to go get antibiotics but he asked she try the garlic for a couple days. She was all better after 3 days. As for me I had a nasty summer cold trying to come on. This was the kind you can feel coming and so I started double dosing my garlic supplement. Instead of one pill two times a day I went to two pills 3 times per day. Within a few days my symptoms went away and normally I would get blasted with a nasty 2-3 week summer cold. It worked for me but remember this is a lifestyle change not just a quick fix.
For exercise today I will go with interval training. The goal is 3 laps which is one mile. I vary my brisk walk with 15-20 second ¾ sprints. I have found this is one of the most effective ways of burning fat away. It works by forcing your body into fight or flight mode when you sprint (preferably up an incline) and when your adrenal system kicks in you burn fat. Please check with your doctor before starting this regimen. It’s not for everyone and if you have a bad heart or bad joints it may not be for you!
Lunch is coming up and today it will be grass fed beef sandwich using grass fed roast beef, cheese, mayo and a couple pickles. The bread I use is called Ezekiel bread and it’s made from the Bible recipe! It won’t spike blood sugars like the GMO/chemical farm that modern white bread has become. It’s always frozen so check with your local grocery or health food store to get some! For supper my wife and I will have some ribeye steaks. That will be served with grilled red peppers, cucumbers and whatever other veggie my wife comes up with. When I snack I eat a mixture of nuts, a bowl of blackberries, a blueberry smoothie (NO SUGAR HERE FOLKS!) and some coffee with supper if wanted. I used to use Stevia for sweetener but I’ve found I don’t need it any longer. Plus I’ve been reading some new research regarding Stevia that doesn’t look good. I will inform you of my findings at a later date when I know more and can confirm it as more than a rumor.
That’s it for today folks! I’ll be back on Monday to update you again and with some pictures, embarrassing as they will be! I wish I had taken some when this began but I’ll take a few with my size 48 pants that no longer fit (thank God). Then I will update with new pics once a week so we can all see the progress or lack of progress if I get slack! Remember this is as much for me as it is for you as I need to stay accountable! I hope this blog inspires somebody out there that needs it! If I can do it anyone can! Believe me I had the willpower of a cat in a hen house before my diagnosis! Don’t wait until tomorrow to start, LIVE TO WIN NOW!

Johnny Storm's Health Blog 

 

  My name is John Sandstrom (aka Johnny Storm) and I have type 2 diabetes and an enlarged prostrate.  My daughter Cassandra inspired me to start this blog in order to inspire others into action!  So the purpose of this blog is to teach you what I’ve done and hopefully get you healthier than you’ve ever been!  In April of this year I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  I was told by my doctor that I have a serious disease and that I’d be on medication the rest of my life.  In my case the drug was Metformin, a drug designed to trick your body into lowering blood sugars by tricking your insulin system.  The world famous Mayo Clinic puts the description this way:

Metformin is used to treat high blood sugar levels that are caused by a type of diabetes mellitus or sugar diabetes called type 2 diabetes. With this type of diabetes, insulin produced by the pancreas is not able to get sugar into the cells of the body where it can work properly. Using metformin alone, with a type of oral antidiabetic medicine called a sulfonylurea, or with insulin, will help to lower blood sugar when it is too high and help restore the way you use food to make energy.

There you have it from a world renowned clinic/research center.  As you can see it tricks the body into lowering blood sugar.  But at what cost?  Here is a link to the side effects that the drug could have:  http://diabetes.emedtv.com/metformin/metformin-warnings-and-precautions.html

Now that we have all of the definitions of what this drug does it’s time to move onto the next health issue I faced.  I also had an enlarged prostate.  I was going to the bathroom way too often and I was having some discomfort.  Essentially I was peeing every 60-90 minutes and I wasn’t getting sleep because of that.  I realized that changes had to be made and fast!  At a minimum my quality of life was on the line and on the max my life itself was on the line.  The changes had to be not only fast but massive.  In order to defeat these “diseases” I had to change diet, exercise consistently and take the proper supplements.  That is the only way to defeat type 2 or even type one diabetes.  You have to address the underlying cause, not just the symptoms.  Some say the disease is hereditary and that it can’t be stopped.  I say that’s BS and a cop out to not making the changes needed because “it’s hereditary I can’t help it” while eating a big mac and slurping a diet coke.   I’m not sure if a person is predisposed to getting the disease because of genes or not but what I do know is that it can be defeated!  A brother of a friend I have defeated type 1 diabetes through diet and exercise and he was on insulin!  I’ve never heard of someone beating type 1 before and actually getting off insulin, that was incredible!  I plan on having him on as a guest on my show soon!

Ok  so what did I do and what have I done since my diagnosis?  Let me back up a bit first.  While I was at the doctors office and I told him I would defeat this thing with diet and exercise he scoffed at me.  Most doctors would at that point.  I was close to 100lbs over weight, smoked and obviously I wasn’t taking great care of myself.  He said he had seen 4 or 5 patients in his career that defeated type 2 diabetes.  I told him he was looking at number 5 or 6.  He smiled and wished me luck while telling me to take my meds and be a good boy.  After I left one of the first calls I made was to the mother of the man I knew had beaten type 1 diabetes.  She is a semi retired nurse who not only knows the medical establishment but also has seen first hand what her son did and how he did it.  I found out that he simply walked away from his meds because his doctor told him that without some massive action he would die young.  He has always been a vegetarian so he loaded up on veggies and herbs that would knock his blood sugar back to normal levels.  All his body needed was the proper fuel, exercise and the determination of the mind and spirit.  After I took my pills for 3 days I walked away as well.  First they weren’t lowering things by much and second they made me feel sick.  *Caution* (Please speak to your doctor before quitting any regimen they have you on!  I am NOT a doctor nor have my results been studied by professionals).  I had already purchased a book called “The Stop Eating so F***ing Much Diet” by Shane Elison and bought his recommended supplements.  One supplement I bought was called Cinnergy.  It’s a combination of cinnamon and milk thistle that lowers blood sugars and detoxes the liver according to studies like this 

one:http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/milk-thistle/safety/HRB-20059806

As you can see milk thistle does lower blood sugar and cinnamon does similar things.  Yes there are a small fraction of people who may be allergic to the plant so once again contact your doctor before starting this regimen.  One other study the mayo clinic did showed that it could cause LOW blood sugar in people so we know by their own study that it works.  Wait you’ve never heard about that before?  Join the club my friends as I hadn’t heard of it either.  Then I decided to check out Shane’s best selling book called “Over the Counter Natural Cures” at Amazon.com.  Since I’m a prime member I got to read it for free on my kindle but I ordered a hard copy as well so I could highlight it and reference it easier.  In that book and the first book I learned a hell of a lot that I had never known before.  You see Shane has a masters in chemistry and he worked for big pharma and knew how all of this worked together.  He also put things into terms a layman can understand.  It wasn’t a mish mash of chemistry jargon that I couldn’t understand rather it was written in an informative way so anyone who can read should be able to understand it.   I was thinking “FINALLY someone wrote a book I feel I can trust and that gives solutions to the diseases listed not just false hope!”  Ladies and gentlemen all I can say is that these two books may have saved my life.  The “Over the Counter Natural Cures” book has become my nutritional bible for my body as much as the Holy Bible is for my soul/spirit.  Now that I was armed and ready I started in on the regimens described in the books.  Oh and my prostrate issues?  That’s in the book too!

I started this journey with a blood sugar count of 300.  The A1C test showed that it had been at 300 for at least 3 months.  So when did it start?  Who knows but I was warned by a previous doctor 3 years prior that I was headed in this direction as my levels were “elevated”.  So I have had this disease for 3 months to 3 years it’s hard to know exactly when it started but here I am.  My blood sugar today was 139, the second lowest reading I’ve had.  I started taking the Cinnergy tablets as directed and drank the shakes, took other supplements Shane and Mike Adams “The health ranger” directed me to take.  I also started juicing a few times a week at our local health food store.  I joined the “juice club” and I’m still a member today.  Does juicing help?  I would answer that with a question “Does juicing hurt?”.  No it doesn’t hurt and it even tastes good.  I also drink lemon water a few times a week (which I’m trying to make a daily habit) which gives you massive doses of real vitamin C.  Once again it doesn’t hurt.  I also cut carbs out of my diet especially refined sugars and processed foods.  The carbs I get now are from the fruits and veggies I eat daily as well as the few I get from snacking on nuts like sunflower seeds and mixed nuts.  Watch your labels on nuts as some contain sugar and MSG!  If you want bread you’ll have to go to something called Ezekiel bread.  It can be found at big stores and health food stores.  Check the freezer section as it has to remain frozen.  I started interval training, push ups and hindu squats for exercise and I do it 3 days a week minimum.  Interval training isn’t for the weak of heart so once again consult your doctor before starting!  Some weeks I haven’t done 3 sessions but I have surgically repaired injuries that sometimes act up and prevent me from training.  You can only ignore your body’s danger signals for so long before you realize you better listen to them!  I’m currently experiencing severe sciatica and that has put me on the shelf for a day or two.  There are other things I do when injuries come up and one is called DDP Yoga.  Look it up on google and see for yourself what it does and how it’s really different from other yoga classes.  No chanting, just ass kicking exercises.  Like DDP says, “It ain’t your mama’s yoga”.  The good thing about DDP yoga is that it still kicks your ass while being easy on your joints.  If you can’t do it all right away don’t worry just keep doing it.  Start out with walking and vary your speeds from time to time.  Once again I don’t know your physical condition I’m just writing about what works for me but always consult your doctor before starting a new program!

Now to address my weight issue.  I started this journey back in January and I weighed around 325.  That’s 110lbs over where I should be and I knew that would have to be addressed as well as my blood sugars.  Well what I outlined in the above paragraph should tell you everything you need to lose weight.  First you MUST EAT BREAKFAST! I never knew how important that was until recently and I’m 47!  It starts your metabolism out on the right foot by getting it activated to burn calories.  If you skip breakfast your metabolism slows down and causes you to store what you do eat into fat because it thought you were starving it.  I use a shake mix from naturalnews.com and a shake mix from Peoples Chemist (Shane’s website).  I prefer the one from natural news because it tastes better, has better texture and costs a bit less.  Here is what I use:  http://store.naturalnews.com/Action-Whey-with-BioCysteine3-Chocolate_p_664.html

Second exercise is a must in order to release weight, add muscle and get your metabolism up to speed!  Interval training is walking at a brisk pace and then doing a 3/4 speed sprint for 15 seconds or so.  What this does is tell your body that it’s in “fight or flight” mode and gets your adrenal system going.  That burns fat folks no doubt in my mind!  Then you go back to walking again to cool down.  I do this three or four times around my “track” which is on top of the hill where we live.  It has natural inclines on both ends of the circle so depending on how hard I want the workout to be I switch sides.  I also do some push ups (from my knees) but I have to be careful here as I have pins holding my shoulder together.  Once again consult your doctor.  Hindu squats are simply doing squats and focusing on breathing.

So how much weight have I lost since my diagnosis in April?  I’m not sure but I can tell you that I’ve gone from a waist size of 48 to a 42 today!  I use my clothes as a measuring stick as I learned that from Dr. Atkins years ago when I was on his strict diet.  He said use your clothes not the scale as the scale can vary 4 or 5 lbs depending on what you’ve eaten or drank even the night before.  I will use the scale again when I see my doctor in about a month.  From January to April I had gone from 325 down to 289 and that was just from being more active and not drinking so much beer! Ok I still have a few beers now and then (maybe once a month?)  but a FEW, not 15 or more like before.  Diabetics need to watch out for booze for too LOW of a blood sugar count which is ironic isn’t it?  Plus if you are taking drugs to lower blood sugars adding booze to the mix can make it dangerously low!  I had a friend who is type 1 diabetic and sometimes “falls out” from booze because his sugars get too low.  I do not recommend this!  Two or three beers (preferably a organic micro brew) won’t hurt once in awhile for me anyway.  If I were taking the metformin I couldn’t drink at all because of the extra liver damage this could cause.  Once again be careful and talk to your doctor before you start saucing it up!  The bottom line for me is that I know my old lifestyle is gone and good riddance!  In fact as I’ve looked back on things I shake my head and wonder how I got through it all.  The human body can take massive amounts of abuse and still function but I’m done playing around.

Oh and what did I do for my prostrate?  Two things.  First I read “Over the Counter Natural Cures” and found out what it was and what brings it on. Second I bought some good quality Saw Palmetto and Pumpkin Seed Oil tablets.  They WORKED!  I now pee normally again and with good flow lol!  I know that sounds goofy but it’s the truth!  When your prostrate enlarges it reduces flow and causes you to leak or dribble and makes you pee more often.  This has all been without drugs just the supplements I mentioned.  I always used to laugh about that stuff until it happened to me.  I did notice that I’ll have to take those for a lifetime because when I stopped the issues came back.  But it’s cheap (I pay about 20.00 every two months for supplements) and definitely cheaper than surgery (which causes Mr. Happy to stop working).  So if you have issues with your prostrate get some Saw Palmetto and Pumpkin Seed Oil!

That’s it for today but I wanted to get this website started and off the ground!  I will be updating this blog daily (well not weekends or holidays) so you can see my progress AND so I can keep myself accountable.  This site is about living to win NOW, not tomorrow or next year but NOW!  This daily health blog will be one of those ways I will do that and hopefully empowering others to do the same.  Pictures will be coming as well as embarrassing as those may be :(.  Remember your health is number f(((ing ONE!  Without your health your money and quality of life will all go away so don’t fool around with it, LIVE TO WIN NOW!

John Sandstrom (aka Johnny Storm)