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Dr. D'Adamo's Newsletter
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type I (Juvenile) |
Peter J. D'Adamo, ND
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| In general, Type I diabetes has a highly significant overall association with Blood Types A and AB, and this is especially strong in males versus females. What is especially interesting is the fact that the percentage of Blood Type A over Blood Type O in diabetes appears to increase with age. This association has been confirmed in several large independent studies, looking at literally thousands of people. |
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In general, Type I diabetes has a highly significant overall association with Blood Types A and AB, and this is especially strong in males versus females. What is especially interesting is the fact that the percentage of Blood Type A over Blood Type O in diabetes appears to increase with age. This association has been confirmed in several large independent studies, looking at literally thousands of people.
It may be that the link with Blood Type A and diabetes results from the ability of certain serum lectins to bind to both the A antigen and the insulin-producing Langerhans cells of the pancreas. This complex has been shown to stimulate the activation of the antibody IgE at the site, thereby resulting in inflammation and cell death. This would explain why both blood types that carry an A antigen are at risk.
One of the strongest risk factors for juvenile diabetes, almost the same risk
as having a mother with diabetes, is a maternal-child blood group incompatibility.
As we have seen, the immune consequences of maternal-fetal incompatibility are
the worst if the mother is Blood Type O and the child is Blood Type A. This association
was particularly strong for children of
ABO incompatible mothers, who went on to develop diabetes within the first five
years of life. Diabetes may have exerted a powerful environmental effect on the
delayed occurrence of Blood Type A in any large numbers. This begs the question:
If diabetes is a fairly deadly disease without insulin replacement, how could
it have persisted genetically through the earlier times in which there was no
effective life saving therapy? Several theories have been advanced, including
the observation that women who have a hereditary tendency toward diabetes tend
to be more fertile than normal women, and apparently begin to menstruate at a
younger age.
In the late 1950s, diabetes was placed in a broader anthropological context. In Paleolithic times, when humankind lived on a low carbohydrate, low calorie diet, diabetes would have only rarely developed to the point that the greater fertility would have maintained the frequency of the gene. One researcher went so far as to call diabetes a thrifty gene, which may have had some advantage to those possessing it, especially during times of starvation. Diabetes may have been advantageous under certain primitive conditions. But today, with the availability of adequate, or more than adequate, carbohydrate-rich diets, it now provokes a different sort of result altogether.
This is especially interesting in light of research which seems to indicate that, though the overall incidence of diabetes is higher in Blood Type A, the percentage of Blood Type O rises in diabetics who are below average in weight.
As with stress, high blood pressure, and myocardial disease, there are substantial differences between Blood Type A and Blood Type O diabetics with regard to the rheology (fluidity) of their blood. Blood Type A diabetics have significantly higher levels of clotting factors in their blood when compared with Blood Type O or Blood Type B diabetics. This may be an important risk factor in determining the probability of developing cardiovascular complications due to diabetes. It is more often Blood Type A individuals who have borderline diabetes. Their insulin levels are low, but not frankly absent.
ABH non secretors, and especially Lewis negative individuals, are at a
greater risk of developing diabetes (especially adult onset diabetes);
and they might be at a greater risk of developing complications from diabetes.
Findings suggest that an increased proportion of non-secretors are found
among patients with diabetes, particularly of the insulin-dependent diabetes
type. (14, 15)
The Lewis negative (Le a-b-) red blood cell phenotype appears to confer the greatest risk of developing diabetes. This blood type is observed more than three times more frequently (29%) in diabetics irrespective of their clinical type. Non-diabetics categorized as low insulin responders to glucose are also significantly more likely to be Lewis negative. (16)
Among individuals with juvenile diabetes mellitus, the prevalence of severe
retinopathy (a side effect of diabetes) is lower in ABH secretors than
in the ABH non-secretor group. (17)
The MN variation of the MN blood grouping subtype is associated with a
higher incidence of diabetes.
Non-diabetic individuals who are non-secretors of blood group antigens
are prone to superficial infections by Candida albicans. In this study,
216 patients with diabetes mellitus who were denture wearers were examined
for the presence or absence of denture stomatitis. There was an overall
trend for non-secretors to be prone to denture stomatitis compared with
secretors. Stepwise linear discriminant analysis was used to dissect the
contribution of secretor status and other variables to the development
of the disease. Secretor status was found to be a contributory factor among
patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes but not among those with insulin-dependent
diabetes. The possible reasons for this are discussed.
A matched case-control study was carried out analyzing about 20 perinatal
variables concerning mother and child. A total of 2757 infants who became
diabetic during the period 1978-1988 were analyzed. For each case infant,
three control children were randomly selected from among all infants born
in the same year and at the same delivery unit as the case infant. The
following statistically significant risk factors were identified for Type
1 diabetes with an onset before 15 years of age: maternal diabetes (OR
= 3.90), maternal age above 35 (OR = 1.36), maternal non-smoking (OR =
1.54), pre-eclamptic toxaemia (OR = 1.19), caesarian section (OR = 1.32),
and maternal-child blood group incompatibility (OR = 1.61). When the analysis
was restricted to Type 1 diabetes with an onset before the age of 5 years,
most odds ratios were increased - for blood group incompatibility OR =
3.86 (95% confidence interval 1.54-9.65). Icterus without blood group incompatibility
was not a significant risk factor. When each risk factor was analyzed after
standardization for all other risk factors, the odds ratios remained significantly
increased. Scrutiny of medical records for cases and control children with
a diagnosis of blood group incompatibility verified the diagnosis in close
to 90% of children. The more severe cases needing phototherapy and/or blood
transfusion were found to have a greater risk than milder cases.
You can find
more
information in Diabetes: Fight It With The Blood Type Diet.
References:
- Patrick AW, Collier A. An infectious aetiology of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus? Role of the secretor status. FEMS Microbiol Immunol 1989 Jun;1(6-7):411-416
- Peters WH, Gohler W. ABH-secretion and Lewis red cell groups in diabetic and normal subjects from Ethiopia. Exp Clin Endocrinol 1986 Nov;88(1):64-70
- Melis C, Mercier P, Vague P, Vialettes B. Lewis antigen and diabetes. Rev Fr Transfus Immunohematol 1978 Sep;21(4):965-71
- Eff C, Faber O, Deckert T. Persistent insulin secretion, assessed by plasma C-peptide estimation in long-term juvenile diabetics with a low insulin requirement. Diabetologia 1978 Sep;15(3):169-72
- Epidemiol Infect 1991 Apr;106(2):355-363 Chronic atrophic oral candidiasis among patients with diabetes mellitus--role of ABH secretor status. Aly FZ, Blackwell CC, MacKenzie DA, Weir DM, Elton RA, Cumming CG, Sofaer JA, Clarke BF
- Diabetologia 1992 Jul;35(7):671-675 Maternal-child blood group incompatibility and other perinatal events increase the risk for early-onset type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Dahlquist G, Kallen B, Department of Pediatrics, University of Umea, Sweden.
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Salacia: Support for Healthy Blood Sugar Levels |
Peter J. D'Adamo, ND
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| One species in particular, Salacia oblonga, used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine, is increasingly becoming the subject of considerable medical interest: in particular for its potential as an anti-diabetic agent. |
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Salacia is a genus of plants in the family Celastraceae. One species in particular, Salacia oblonga, used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine, is increasingly becoming the subject of considerable medical interest: in particular for its potential as an anti-diabetic agent. The herb is a native of India and Sri Lanka and has been used in traditional Indian medicine and Ayurveda successfully for years. The active constituents, salacinol and kotalanol, inhibit alpha-glucosidase and aldose reductase. The inhibition of these substances decreases the breakdown of carbohydrates into absorbable monosaccharides and therefore decreases postprandial (after meal) blood glucose levels. (1)
Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are used to establish greater glycemic control over hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus type 2, particularly with regard to the postprandial hyperglycemia. They may be used in conjunction with an appropriate diabetic diet and exercise, or they may be used in conjunction with other anti-diabetic drugs. Inhibition of these enzyme systems reduces the rate of digestion of complex carbohydrates. Less glucose is absorbed because the carbohydrates are not broken down into the simpler, rapidly assimilable glucose molecules. In diabetic patients, the short-term effect of these drug therapies is to decrease current blood glucose levels: the long term effect is a modest reduction in hemoglobin A1c level.
Those Ayurvedic guys knew their herbs.
In a randomized, double-blinded crossover study of sixty-six patients with diabetes
were studied to evaluate the effect of an herbal extract of Salacia oblonga on postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in patients with type 2
diabetes after ingestion of a high-carbohydrate meal. The study was divided into
three groups: a control meal with a high dose (480 mg) of Salacia extract,
a control with a lower dose (240 mg) of Salacia extract, and a control
group given just the meal. Both doses of the Salacia extract significantly
lowered the postprandial positive area under the glucose curve (14% for the 240
mg extract and 22% for the 480 mg extract) and the adjusted peak glucose response
(19% for the lower dose and 27% for the higher dose of extract) compared to the
control meal. In addition, both doses of the herbal extract significantly decreased
the postprandial insulin response, lowering both the positive area under the
insulin curve and the adjusted peak insulin response (14% and 9%, respectively,
for the 240 mg extract; 19% and 12%, respectively, for the 480 mg extract) in
comparison with the control meal. (2)
Salacia oblonga extract functions as a PPARα activator, providing a potential mechanism for improvement of postprandial hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis in diabetes and obesity. (3)
Salacinol
The PPARs (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors) receptor family is comprised of three closely related isotypes (PPARα, β/δ and γ, which have been identified in various species and are structurally homologous. PPARα and PPARγ are found predominantly in liver and adipose tissue, respectively, and PPARβ/δ is ubiquitously expressed. PPARs can be activated by fatty acids, fatty acid derivatives, and synthetic compounds, heterodimerize with retinoid x receptors (RXRs), and bind to peroxisome proliferator response elements (PPREs) located in the promoter region of their target genes. Each member of the PPAR family plays a distinct role in lipid metabolism. PPARα enhances fatty acid combustion in liver by inducing genes that encode enzymes involved in β-oxidation. PPARα, the first PPAR identified, is activated by natural lipophilic ligands, like fatty acids and their derivatives, certain leukotriene products, and synthetic ligands, such as fibrates. PPARα regulates lipid metabolism and transport, fatty acid oxidation, and glucose homeostasis. In addition, PPARα exerts anti-inflammatory effects. (4)
Like most alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, Salacia extract can cause a temporary increase in breath hydrogen excretion. (5) There is often a bout of flatulence that occurs during the early stages of treatment. (6)
Salacia extracts were determined not to be genotoxic under the conditions of the reverse mutation assay and mouse micronucleus assay, and weakly positive for the chromosomal aberrations assay. However even these mild genotoxic changes were deemed insignificant due to the enormous amount of plant material needed to produce the genetic changes. (7) Salacia extract, in a medical food consumed for 2 weeks in amounts estimated at 10-fold greater than proposed for human intake, did not result in clinical chemistry or histopathologic indications of toxic effects in male Sprague-Dawley rats. (8)
- Benalla W, Bellahcen S, Bnouham M. Antidiabetic medicinal plants as a source of alpha glucosidase inhibitors. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2010 Jul 1;6(4):247-54.
- Williams JA, Choe YS, Noss MJ, Baumgartner CJ, Mustad VA. Extract of Salacia oblonga lowers acute glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jul;86(1):124-30. [full text]
- Huang TH, Yang Q, Harada M, Uberai J, Radford J, Li GQ, Yamahara J, Roufogalis
BD, Li Y. Salacia oblonga root improves cardiac lipid metabolism in Zucker
diabetic fatty rats: modulation of cardiac PPAR-alpha-mediated transcription
of fatty acid metabolic genes. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2006 Jan 1;210(1-2):78-85
- D’Adamo PJ. ‘Network Medicine’ in: Fundamentals of Generative Medicine, Volume I. 2010. Drum Hill Books, Wilton CT USA
- Collene AL, Hertzler SR, Williams JA, Wolf BW. Effects of a nutritional supplement
containing Salacia oblonga extract and insulinogenic amino acids on postprandial
glycemia, insulinemia, and breath hydrogen responses in healthy adults. Nutrition.
2005 Jul-Aug; 21(7-8):848-54.
- Collene AL, Hertzler SR, Williams JA, Wolf BW. Effects of a nutritional supplement containing Salacia oblonga extract and insulinogenic amino acids on postprandial glycemia, insulinemia, and breath hydrogen responses in healthy adults.Nutrition. 2005 Jul-Aug;21(7-8):848-54.
- Flammang AM, Erexson GL, Mecchi MS, Murli H. Genotoxicity testing of a Salacia
oblonga extract.Food Chem Toxicol. 2006 Nov;44(11):1868-74.
- Wolf BW, Weisbrode SE. Safety evaluation of an extract from Salacia oblonga. Food Chem Toxicol. 2003 Jun;41(6):867-74.
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Stay on the Path |
Martha D'Adamo
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| So often, we second-guess ourselves about what we are doing and where we are going, and it is important to remember that that regardless of what path we choose in life, we need to stay strong and committed. This can be about life decisions, taking care of health, our well-being and ourselves. |
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I am really late on my writing deadline, and I think the issue I am having is that I cannot believe that it is September. My avoidance stems from the recognition that summer, and most particularly August, has come and gone. This has been largely a non-summer for me as work demands and some extenuating life circumstances have captured my time and attention. My small pile of “fun reads” has been untouched; my bike is dusty; and the grill has been used only four times!
The wonderful bounty of August brought the opening of the D’Adamo Personalized Nutrition store in Williamsburg. We’ve been quite drawn to the area, and Peter and I are enjoying exploring it more with leisurely walks in the fall. I love looking at the New York skyline, and I find the views of the numerous bridges spanning the East River extremely energizing. Bridge symbolism is so inspiring, moving from one side of the bridge to the other. Crossing from the known to the unknown. Sometimes being in the middle of the bridge can be a little unsettling, as if you are “neither here nor there” as my mother would say.
August was like a bridge month for me, saying goodbye to our beloved dog, Marcel;
picking up Claudia in Pittsburgh at the end of her internship, only to have her
pack and leave two weeks later for school; and going on college visits with Emily,
who will be heading off next September. One of these visits was quite fortuitous.
We were going to Fordham University, which is in the Bronx, right across from
the NY Botanical Gardens. I had seen an ad for a special exhibit, “The Gardens
of the Alhambra,” and I knew that this was something that I wanted to see. We
planned to go early to the Botanical Gardens, and then over to Fordham, even
though it was tricky trying to get our schedules coordinated. And I am so glad
we did!
It was a great exhibit, and the Botanical Gardens are a delight. I loved watching Peter and Emily talk about the botanicals and their therapeutic use, and it was energizing to be surrounded by such natural beauty. As we walked through one of the gardens, there was a sign that read, “Please Stay On The Path.”
I had a good laugh and realized that this wasn’t just about the Garden, it was also about life. So often, we second-guess ourselves about what we are doing and where we are going, and it is important to remember that that regardless of what path we choose in life, we need to stay strong and committed. This can be about life decisions, taking care of health, our well-being and ourselves. But I likened this to a little internal reminder to not lose faith, whether I am on one side of the bridge, the other, or in the middle. And that each of us has our own individual path that we travel. Just as eating right for someone else’s type won’t be good for you, nor is living a life that is not right for you.
So wherever you are, stay true to it, and use the emerging energy of fall to
invigorate your life and your life work.
Happy September.
Martha
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| The Dynamic Duo: Resveratrol and Salacia Root |
| The powerful combination of resveratrol and Salacia in Glycoscia helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels while stimulating the body’s metabolism and fat blocking enzymes. |
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As children, one of the earliest lessons we learn is that life is easier when you team up with a friend. Is Batman as powerful without Robin? Would Thelma be as much fun without Louise? While each is complete on their own, they thrive when they are paired with their “other half.”
Herbs can be like that too—beneficial when on their own, but more effective
when combined with a complementary partner. Dr. D’Adamo formulates many of his
products this way; using herbs that work synergistically to create a formula
that enhances the properties of each ingredient. Glycoscia is
one such product; blending resveratrol, a natural phenol found primarily in the
skin of red grapes, with Salacia root, a plant used in Ayurvedic medicine for
blood sugar modulation and to block the absorption of fat. When combined, as
in Glycoscia,
they enhance the properties of each other, combining forces to become a product
that can help to regulate blood sugar and aid in weight loss.
Resveratrol made headlines in 2006 when scientists at Harvard University published research that documented the anti-aging and weight control benefits that resveratrol demonstrated in mice. Since then, other studies have found that resveratrol helps to increase metabolism and counters diabetes and insulin resistance. Of course, this does not mean you can treat yourself to the supersize helping of fries and an ice cream sundae with a side of resveratrol; eating the right foods for your type with moderate calorie intake and exercise are essential too.
Salacia root has been used for thousands of years in the practice of Ayurvedic medicine. Enzymes in the digestive tract break down foods into small sugars that can be absorbed by the body. If these enzymes are blocked, it takes longer to break down the sugars. Salacia has demonstrated effects in blocking one of those enzymes. Additionally, an enzyme called pancreatic lipase breaks down fats in the intestines so that they can be absorbed. Blocking this enzyme decreases fat absorption. Salacia has been shown to suppress activity of this pancreatic lipase. The weight loss drug Alli acts in a similar manner, but Salacia does this without the dangerous side effects.
The powerful combination of resveratrol and Salacia in Glycoscia helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels while stimulating the body’s metabolism and fat blocking enzymes. Dr. D’Adamo also added red sage root, a liver tonic, to assist with the processing and elimination of fat toxins and maitake mushroom, which has been shown to favorably influence glucose metabolism in mice. Resveratrol and Salacia—a dynamic duo that just might be your health superhero!
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| D'Adamo Products Now Stearate Free! |
| As always, we strive to provide the very highest quality supplements made with the safest, most effective ingredients. |
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There has been much controversy over use of stearates (a form of hydrogenated oil) in the production of nutritional supplements. Stearates, often labeled as magnesium stearate, steric acid, or calcium stearate, are hydrogenated fats—typically cottonseed or palm oil—that are frequently used in factories as lubricants to help the encapsulating machinery run faster and prevent the ingredients from clumping within the capsule.
While these fats may make machines run better, they could ultimately clog up the ultimate machine—your body. Some studies indicate that stearates interfere with the absorption of nutrients in the body, sometimes reducing the absorption rate by more than 50%. In addition to hydrogenated oils being toxins, cottonseed oil has among the highest pesticide residue of any commercial oil. While the health risks of stearates are still being studied and debated, we feel that it’s important not to take any unnecessary chances with your health. We are proud to announce that D’Adamo Personalized Nutrition formulas are now “stearate free.”
To create a product that is safe and Right For All Types, leucine, an amino acid
derived from vegetable sources, is used in manufacturing D’Adamo Personalized
Nutrition products. Leucine is not produced by the human body, but is essential
for important metabolic functions such as building protein. There are many companies
who have transitioned from using stearates to leucine, however many forms of
leucine are derived from human hair or duck feathers. A few companies, including
D’Adamo Personalized Nutrition, are obtaining leucine from vegetable sources
which involves farming microbal leucine. This process, conducted in Germany,
is time consuming and expensive, however, we believe the microbially derived
leucine is of superior quality and ultimately, better for the health of our discriminating
consumer.
As always, we strive to provide the very highest quality supplements made with the safest, most effective ingredients.
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Spotlight Health Success Story: Pemphigus is The Best Thing That Ever
Happened to Me
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Steven Shapiro
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| In June, 1997 I decided to try eating according to Dr. D’Adamo’s theory. One month later, I noticed that I was ‘feeling’ better. I had slightly better muscle tone; my digestion was improving and the chronic fatigue I had lived with for the last several years would occasionally lift. The path of improvement continued and a couple of months later I reluctantly introduced meat to my diet. It seems that as a vegetarian, I was eating a very healthy diet, just not healthy for me. My blood type is O, and stereotypically speaking, people with this blood type do not thrive on a vegetarian diet. |
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The first blister appeared on the roof of my mouth in January, 1995. I was newly engaged, self-employed as a computer consultant, director of a vegetarian group and had recently published a book that featured vegetarian and environmental resources for the greater Houston, TX area. I was enjoying a snack with some friends and my fiancé after a yoga class when the blister appeared.
Over the next several months, I got progressively worse. Mouth blisters continued to appear after I ate, I had constant chronic fatigue and swollen glands. My mouth erupted with white thrush-like growths in July and the first skin blister appeared in September. I had consulted many physicians and received many diagnoses and treatments for what was happening to me. None of the treatments provided any benefit or relief.
In November, 1995 I was admitted to the hospital with what appeared to be second degree burns over 30%-40% of my skin surface. The tissue from my cheeks inside my mouth would completely exfoliate after each meal. I could only open my mouth about ¼ inch and had blisters inside my nose and sinus cavities. The pain was excruciating and I could barely eat or breathe. I was a walking skeleton, weighing about 100 lbs, and the blisters on my back ‘glued’ me to what-ever surface they touched. I was too weak to walk and had to use a wheelchair.
A diagnosis of Pemphigus Vulgaris was confirmed by Immunofluorescence of a punch
biopsy. My initial dose of Prednisolone IV was 180mg per day. I walked out of
the hospital nine days later on a daily dose of 100mg of Prednisone, oral Novocaine,
diflucan and an antibiotic. That day marked the beginning of my journey to understand
why this was happening to me.
The first thing I did was take a lesson from the clients of one of my previous employers, a social service agency providing support to people living with AIDS. Instead of using the term “Victim of Pemphigus” or “Sufferer of Pemphigus,” I labeled myself “Living With Pemphigus.”
This small change of language changed the paradigm. I was now empowered to conduct
my own research. My wife and I snuck into medical libraries in order to learn
as much as we could (lay person’s are not allowed in medical libraries). During
my Prednisone induced sleepless nights, I kept myself busy by reading & learning
as much about Pemphigus as I could (and compulsively reorganizing our kitchen).
The second thing I did was to set a goal. I decided to be “Pemphigus Free by
2003.” The significance of 2003 was that it was seven years in the future (a
new-age medical belief that the cells of our bodies regenerate every seven years),
and Free rhymes with the number 3.
The third thing I did was adopt a belief that I was not pre-destined to develop pemphigus and my immune system was not my enemy. Instead, I choose to believe that my immune system was on my side, but had become misdirected or fooled into attacking my own tissue. Instead of viewing it as the enemy needing to be suppressed, I viewed it as troubled. It needed guidance and support.
I began experiments with many modalities of medicine. Rather than list all of the paths I took and experiments I tried, most of which were dead ends, I’m going to focus on the path that lead me to where I am today, in 2011.
The first clue that specific foods may be a key to understanding came few weeks after I was released from the hospital in a TexMex restaurant. At that time, blisters would form in my mouth within 5 minutes of when I started to eat, and last for about 2-3 hours. That evening, the blisters formed as usual and then disappeared in about 20 minutes. I was able to repeat this phenomenon, but was not able to figure out why it happened or isolate the food that was responsible. I subsequently abandoned that as a possible clue.
Jumping forward a couple of years to 1997, I’m now living in Eugene, Oregon. Eugene is much more vegetarian friendly that Houston, and also has many more styles of medicine available. My Pemphigus was fairly stable at a dose of 20-30mg of prednisone every other day.
Among the many doctors I visited, one was an MD who specializes in chronic illness. He examined my blood under a Dark Field (Black Light) Microscope. The exam revealed, among other things, that my blood cells were agglutinating, or sticking together, much more than those of the average person. This physician’s method of treatment for this condition, massive doses of vitamins, provided no benefit to me.
Several months later, my wife and I attended a seminar that was supposed to be about the diet modality I was following at the time, raw food vegetarianism. Instead, the speaker talked about a diet based on blood type. At my wife’s insistence, I reluctantly purchased and started reading yet another book that I was sure would lead nowhere. The byline on the book was about weight control, and I already weighed a whopping 95-100 lbs (I’m 5’7”).
The book was called Eat Right for Your Type, by Peter D’Adamo, N.D. I can still vividly remember reading and re-reading a paragraph in the book that describe how foods cause agglutination to happen. The part that fascinated me was that different foods cause agglutination in people based on their blood type. In short, foods that are harmful to me and cause agglutination can be very healthy for someone else who has a different blood type.
Now, all of my preconceptions about diet, health and disease were about to be stripped away.
In June, 1997 I decided to try eating according to Dr. D’Adamo’s theory. One month later, I noticed that I was ‘feeling’ better. I had slightly better muscle tone; my digestion was improving and the chronic fatigue I had lived with for the last several years would occasionally lift. The path of improvement continued and a couple of months later I reluctantly introduced meat to my diet. It seems that as a vegetarian, I was eating a very healthy diet, just not healthy for me. My blood type is O, and stereotypically speaking, people with this blood type do not thrive on a vegetarian diet.
Over the next year and one-half, I continued to improve and started gradually weaning off prednisone. I took my last prednisone pill in October, 1998. Although my regular physician declared pemphigus “Resolved” in February, 2003 (I realized my goal), I still have the antibodies in my blood. If I stray from my blood type diet too often in a short time period, I’ll get an occasional blister in my mouth. It serves as a reminder to get myself back on track and eating foods that are healthy for me. The blisters normally disappear within a day or two. I have not had any skin lesions in over 12 years.
I now live a full and vibrant life. I am much healthier, in general, than I was before that first blister appeared. I am parenting my now four year old son who loves sports and is very physically active. I am also physically and intellectually active. I do have aches and stiffness, probably associated with both being 50+ years old, a veteran of prednisone and decades of an unhealthy lifestyle. I have avascular necrosis (dead bone tissue) in my shoulder, several benign osteoma’s and high lipidemia that are all probably side effects of prednisone. They require ongoing medical monitoring, but no treatment at this time. The one thing I do not do is worry about when or if another Pemphigus lesion will appear on my skin.
If I had never had pemphigus, or if I had a more popular disease that I believed would be ‘cured’ by modern medicine, I would never have engaged in a period of self discovery that led to where I am today. While I wish that I could have learned these lessons in a gentler and less life threatening way, I am truly grateful for the role that pemphigus has played in my life.
Steven Shapiro is currently the Computer Services Manager for the Office of Research Services and Administration, University of Oregon. He lives in Eugene, Oregon with his wife Sharon, son Daniel, a dog, 2 cats, some chickens and a huge garden where he can often be found planting, pruning or watching his son chase the chickens.
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Right For Your Type® Recipes: Basil Pesto |
For more recipes, visit the Recipe
Center on www.dadamo.com or
www.genotypediet.com
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Pesto is versatile and delicious – and good for all blood types! Try it on quinoa or spelt pasta, mixed into soups, or as a condiment on your favorite sandwich. It adds a bright, fresh flavor to your food without a lot of calories. |
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Pesto is versatile and delicious – and good for all blood types! Try it on quinoa or spelt pasta, mixed into soups, or as a condiment on your favorite sandwich. It adds a bright, fresh flavor to your food without a lot of calories.
Easy Basil Pesto (Right for All Blood
Types)
Ingredients:
- Enough basil (not packed down) to fill blender
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 2-5 cloves garlic, pressed
- sea salt to taste
- 1/2-1 cup walnuts
How to make it:
- Put in blender and process until coarse.
- You may have to stop it and push it down with a rubber spatula.
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Right For Your Type® News |
Dr. Peter D'Adamo Opens New Retail Store
D'Adamo Personalized Nutrition/Williamsburg
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Join Us For Our Grand Opening! Please join us on September 17, from 2-5pm
for the Grand Opening of our new Williamsburg, Brooklyn D’Adamo Personalized
Nutrition Store! Meet Dr. D’Adamo,
enjoy refreshments in our state-of-the-art location and enter to win a raffle
for a free SWAMI GenoType profile! The store is conveniently located in the heart
of downtown Williamsburg and easily accessible from Manhattan and the New York
City burroughs and the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas.
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D'Adamo
Personalized Nutrition | Williamsburg
135b Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211
Phone: (718) 388-0092 | Fax: (718) 388-0093
Email: info@dadamonutrition.com
www.dadamonutrition.com
By Subway:
- BMT Canarsie Line (L train) on the north
- BMT Jamaica Line (J M Z trains) on the south
- IND Crosstown Line (G train) on the east.
By Bus:
- Buses B24, B44, B46, Q54, and B60 terminate at
the Williamsburg Bridge/Washington Plaza.
- Other bus lines that run through
the neighborhood are the B43, B48, Q59 and B61.
By Car:
- The Williamsburg Bridge crosses the East River to the Lower East Side.
- The center is a few blocks away from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE).
- Coming from the North, take the Metropolitan Avenue or Kent Avenue exits.
- From the south, exit via the Flushing Avenue exit.
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(n=1) focuses
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