Jenna (Canberra, Australia, Australia) on 10/16/2013:

My history in brief: 'Undiagnosed' diabetic (Type 1, originally misdiagnosed as Type 2) for about 10 years - Stage 3-4 Chronic Kidney Disease (pending dialysis) - Liver failure - 80% loss of eyesight - numbness in hands and feet - plus undiagnosed Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), which I battled every day for about 4 years.

Solution: I've been treating myself WITHOUT prescription meds of any kind since March 2012, and I went intothis with my eyes wide open. (I'm also being monitored by Doctor, Endocronologist, & Diabetes Nurse... None of them have seen this done before).

1st step: get blood glucose levels (BGL) under control. I use Gymnema Sylvestre - and it's quite safe to take at more than recommended dose which is usually about 6 per day... I take around 15-20 depending on how my levels are throughout the day. I also back this up with bitter melon (about 4-6 per day) just to make sure. I've found when I control BGL my liver starts to pump out more glycogen - meaning ketone levels rise. Too many ketone and DKA sets in - I also become quite 'acid'.

2nd step: control ketones (to offset DKA), and reduce acidity - because excess acid damages kidneys and liver, and just exacerbates the whole situation. Get some 'pee-on' Ph paper strips. They're about a dollar or two on Ebay. You need these to check on what amount of Bicarb Soda (Baking Powder) you need each day to remain Ph neutral. For me, I generally take 3 glasses a day of filtered water to which I've added 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda & 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid to each one. I take these from midday through to bedtime. Don't take before midday unless you eat first. The Ph paper will let you know if you're too acid still - so you adjust how many glasses accordingly (you should be Ph neutral when you rise in the morning and stay that way until you begin drinking your bicarb water around midday)

Bonus: The Bicarb/Citric Acid soothes both the kidneys and liver. I was able to reverse Chronic Kidney Disease within 4-6 weeks and kidneys are now (and have been) functioning well for over 18 months. Liver started to show sign of improvement about 8 weeks in. Chronological blood tests show the history. A warning sign that I haven't had enough bicarb/citric acid is I get pain in my liver when I'm starting to produce too much glycogen. Needless to say Liver seems to take a little longer. DKA (ketone) levels can rise quite quickly - Bicarb/Citric Acid water will see them drop at around 20 minutes after being taken (I use ketone blood tests to confirm in heading in the right direction.

Also, Diabetics are also prone to 'electrolyte imbalances'... So I address these as well. I found that some of the 'sports'-type drinks help a little... BUT they're loaded with sugar (which is basically what helps people 'recover' quickly from sports). If I drink these... I have to mop-up the sugar by taking extra Gymnema. Adding the 'extra' sugar when trying to control it... Just seemed counter-productive to me. Of course there's artifically sweetened sports drinks, BUT they're made with Aspartame... which is the equaivalent of drinking the toxic waste from the tailings ponds of a nuclear reactor! For me, neither the Aspartame or the Tailings Ponds were an option.

Problem: There is nothing on the market for diabetics to assist with electrolyes... unless you want to add a lot of sugar, OR drink the equivalent of nuclear waste.

Solution: Kidnap a Compounding Pharmacist, and create an electrolyte replacement suitable for diabetics. Seriously, I didn't kidnap him... But I convinced him to help work out a formula with me. It doesn't have the same 'buzz' as a sugared-up drinks... But it DOES get the electrolye balance under control. Once again.. I just add to water and 'down the hatch'.

I also take a variety of things to assist with the whole process - so the above is just the 'basics' that will actually work.

My goal in all of this is to take a non-functioning pancreas... And turn it into a functioning one I. E. To grow some wretched beta cells. My next lot of tests (so I can check my progress) includes a test of C-peptide levels. Hopefully this will reveal how much insulin my body is now making.

Essentially, I'm a work 'in progress'. But I have to admit I'm feeling quite hopeful. To keep track of what I'm doing, I'm working on a journal-type website. It only has an image saying it's on it's way, but not for too much longer: www.diabetes-without-drugs.com. I just wanted to make sure I'd covered as many bases as possible, because there's nothing worse than false hope (been there, done that).

Hope this helps.