Self-Compassion

Self-Acceptance Leads Promotes Health

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Summary: In her journey with Type 1 Diabetes, the author initially avoided self-compassion, fearing it would hinder her productivity. Encouraged by Kristin Neff’s book, she discovered its benefits—lowering glucose levels and promoting well-being. Embracing self-kindness, recognising shared humanity, and practicing mindfulness, she found self-compassion crucial for self-acceptance and proactive health choices, leading towards healing.

Self-compassion. Urgh. A topic like this is one that I steered away from for many years. I had the attitude that self-compassion was the route to self-destruction because, after all, if I’m being kind to myself, I’ll just likely slack off (even more!) from whatever I’m doing and get less and less achieved with this short life of mine. I spent my twenties running at full pelt and feeling continually frustrated that I just wasn’t getting enough done. Whatever ‘enough’ meant!!

I think part of that was a kind of survivor’s guilt. Every time I survived a hypo, I felt it was a message to me that I had survived this and therefore had something important to do in my life. I also felt that I had an I.O.U. for whomever was standing around me at the time I passed out. Their stress was owed something in return.

As you can probably tell, self-compassion has probably been the bottom item on my to-do list for a very long time. So why am I writing this blog post now? I guess those times are a-changing!

I have just read Kristin Neff’s book ‘Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself’. It was recommended to me a while back by a coach I was working with. As is usual for when I read a book, I picked it up and flicked through it, then chose another book to flick through instead! But something kept calling me back to it. I guess my inner workings (for those with a spiritual outlook, I would use the term ‘soul’) called me back to it. My soul knew there was a message in there for me. And there was.

When I sat down to read this book, my interest was immediately sparked by this quote:

"MSC [Mindful Self-Compassion] increases... physical health (one study with diabetes patients found it reduced glucose levels)." (p. viii in Neff, 2021)

Wow! So practising self-compassion gives me a tool to reduce my glucose levels and therefore reduces the amount of insulin I’ll need to take on a daily basis…? This seemed like a worthwhile tool to add to my armoury, my way of life, for getting off of insulin.

What Is Self-Compassion?

Kristin Neff (2021. p. 41) has found from her research that self-compassion comprises three elements:

1. Self-kindness

2. Common humanity

3. Mindfulness

To be self-compassionate, is to live a life that engages these qualities most of the time. I will therefore discuss each of these qualities now.

Self-Kindness

"Self-kindness... means that we stop the constant self-judgment and disparaging internal commentary that most of us have come to see as normal... It [also] involves activelycomforting ourselves, responding just as we would to a dear friend in need." (Neff, 2021, p. 42).

I don’t know about you, but this has always been pretty tough for me to do. I have been very critical of myself in all areas of my life, never feeling I measured up to whatever ludicrously high standard I set for myself. But I have got better at this over time. I don’t criticise and judge myself like I used to. I give myself grace. I am learning to love myself properly.

I do not, however, yet actively comfort myself when in need. Kristin Neff (pp. 49-50) highlights how self-hugging is a really effective tool for soothing ourselves. It releases oxytocin, which calms cardiovascular stress and increases feelings of love and bonding (see my post here on hugging). On top of this, self-soothing (and therefore self-hugging) also switches off the fight-or-flight response, which is responsible for increasing blood pressure, adrenaline and cortisol in our system (Neff, 2021. p. 48) (see my post here for more information on the fight-flight response).

We already know that cortisol and adrenaline cause body tissues to be less sensitive to insulin so insulin resistance increases, plus a spike in these neurotransmitters also causes a release of more glucose from the liver. A double hit to our blood sugars! So a self-hug is the protective measure against these.

Common Humanity

"The second fundamental element of self-compassion is recognition of the common human experience." (Neff, 2021, p. 61).

When we ponder this for a while, we can see that we can’t blame ourselves for our failures. The person we are today has been created by a million previous experiences. How we react to today is constructed from the inputs of ourselves and other people in previous times. So how can blame ourselves for our reactions, our outlook, our fears, even the people we love. We are so entwined with the rest of the world that this portioning out of blame is nonsense. Saying that, that does not mean we are free from personal responsibility and accountability. We can still play our part, and should play our part, in our lives. We still have an impact on others that should be considered. But, where that impact is less than desirable, self-compassion is necessary. As Kristin Neff (2021. p. 65) said:

"If we can compassionately remind ourselves in moments of falling down that failure is part of the shared human experience, then that moment becomes one of togetherness rather than isolation."

Interestingly. this idea immediately reminded me of Dr Kelly Turner’s work on healing. During her research, she found that both spirituality and social support were key components in healing. I believe that this concept of self-compassion picks up on these two qualities of the healing field.

Mindfulness

The last component of self-compassion that Kristin Neff (2021) has identified through her research is mindfulness. She defines this as:

"the clear seeing and nonjudgmental acceptance of what's occurring in the present moment". (p. 80)

In those moments of rage, despair, anger, fatigue, when maybe our behaviour does not reflect the soul we truly are, we need to first see that we are suffering. Our pain comes from suffering. Kristin Neff (2021, p. 81) highlights the crucial difference: that of needing to focus on our pain caused by the failure, not the failure itself. I know personally that, in the heat of the moment, when tempers are high, this is so hard to do. But I guess that this is where the first two components come in… If I can be kind to myself in those moments, rather than judgemental, and if I can see that this happens to all humans, not just me, then I suspect that it will then be easier to be mindful of the pain that I am suffering in that moment. It is then that I can reach for self-love, rather than self-hate. As Kristin Neff (2021, p. 113) puts it:

"We balance the dark energy of negative emotions with the bright energy of love and social connection".

Practices That Promote Self-Compassion

Kristin Neff’s (2021) book is full of examples of ways to practice self-compassion in our lives. It also contains a series of specific exercises that enable us to access this state. For these alone, I highly recommend buying this book. Some of my favourites (noted here as a memory prompt for me!) are:

Practising Metta (loving-kindness) meditation (Neff, 2021, pp. 211-212)
Silent prayer
Solitary walks in the woods
Becoming aware of the physical sensations in the body during times of stress or distress (Neff, 2021, p. 112)
The Pleasure Walk exercise (Neff, 2021, p. 253)

Type 1 Diabetes And Self-Compassion

I believe that having self-compassion is particularly challenging when you have Type 1 Diabetes. There are many overt and covert judgements that are made throughout your life with this condition. These include judgements about:

How well or not well you are deemed to be controlling your diabetes
Any additional health issues that arise out of this condition
What you are or are not eating at any point in time
How much you weigh
At doctors appointments, where you are told how you can do better or what you have done ‘wrong.
Developing T1D in the first place.

To stand in the face of these criticisms and be okay with yourself is a true act of self-love and self-compassion. It is a choice for peace and happiness in your life and acceptance of what is. That self-compassion then enables you to choose health and wellbeing for yourself and choose the proactive behaviours that support that desire (Neff, 2021, p. 12). And that can lead to healing.

Metta

Kristin Neff (2021) offers several versions of Metta, a kind of loving-meditation practice, in her book. However, I choose to end this article with a version I was given by a yoga teacher many years ago. I offer this to you with love and compassion:

Simply recite this to yourself, preferably on a daily basis but whenever you can, to give more compassion to yourself and others in the world. Try to really feel that love and compassion as you recite each verse:

For yourself, recite:

May I be happy and peaceful.

May I be healthy and at ease.

May I be able to take care of myself joyfully.

May I possess the wisdom, courage, and determination to meet and overcome problems and obstacles in my life.

Then, for someone you really respect who is not a partner or family member:

May they be happy and peaceful

May they be healthy and at ease

May they be able to take care of themselves joyfully

May they possess the wisdom, courage, and determination to meet and overcome problems and obstacles in life.

Next, a beloved family member:

May this family member (name) be happy and peaceful

May they be healthy and at ease

May they be able to take care of themselves joyfully

May they possess the wisdom, courage, and determination to meet and overcome problems and obstacles in life.

Next, a neutral person:

May this neutral person (name) be happy and peaceful

May they be healthy and at ease

May they be able to take care of themselves joyfully

May they possess the wisdom, courage, and determination to meet and overcome problems and obstacles in life.

Next, all beings:

May all beings be happy and peaceful

May all beings be healthy and at ease

May all beings be able to take care of themselves joyfully

May all beings possess the wisdom, courage, and determination to meet and overcome problems and obstacles in life.

Lastly, return again to the self:

May I be happy and peaceful.

May I be healthy and at ease.

May I be able to take care of myself joyfully.

May I possess the wisdom, courage, and determination to meet and overcome problems and obstacles in my life.

Metta. xx

Bibliography:

Neff, K. (2021). Self-Compassion: the proven power of being kind to yourself. Great Britain: Yellow Kite.

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Natalie Leader

Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

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April 3, 2023

Read more about the article Self-Compassion

Mind-Body Medicine / Physical Wellbeing / Taking Control of My Health

Béchamp and Pasteur

The Origins of Our Current Formulation of the Human Body

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Summary: Ethel D. Hume’s book ‘Béchamp or Pasteur? A Lost Chapter in the History of Biology’ challenges the conventional medical wisdom that is influenced by Louis Pasteur’s germ theory. Instead, Hume promotes Antoine Béchamp’s holistic approach. Hume’s argument is still relevant today, urging reconsideration of medical paradigms like Type 1 Diabetes treatment.

I have just finished reading the book ‘Béchamp or Pasteur? A Lost Chapter in the History of Biology’ by Ethel D. Hume. This book has challenged the way we think about our own bodies and the ‘illness’ of Type 1 Diabetes that our doctors tell us we have.

About The Book: Hume’s Attitude

Hume’s book is an exposé about the very beginnings of the germ theory of modern medicine. At the root of this issue, Hume argues, is the conflicting views and theories of two groups of scientists. The first group was led by the French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur (after whom ‘pasteurisation’ – a preservation technique used up to the present day that uses heat to eliminate bacteria and thus extend the shelf-life of products – is named).

The second group was led by his contemporaneous counterpart, and eventual adversary, Antoine Béchamp. Hume argues that medicine of today has been led astray by the erroneous, and sometimes fabricated, experimental results of Louis Pasteur. Hume believed that Pasteur’s conclusions have been accepted into the mainstream largely because Pasteur, unlike Béchamp, was a fabulous self-promoter who yearned for fame and glory in the scientific, and worldwide, community. He therefore promoted his findings as widely as he could (including to Napoleon III at Tuileries Palace in 1863!) and thus became sanctified in medical knowledge.

By contrast, Béchamp was a very unassuming man who did excellent scientific work but who was more retiring when it came to promoting his works widely. Unfortunately, he felt that his works would speak for themselves and that this was be sufficient. This turned out to not be the case.

On top of blaming Pasteur’s arrogance and self-promotion, Ethel Hume also believes the lack of appreciation of Béchamp’s works can also be blamed on mankind as a whole for not being clever enough to not be led astray…

“the majority of mankind, ignorant of the cytological elements, have been delighted with a crude theory of disease which they could understand, and have ignored the profound teaching of Professor Béchamp.” (Hume, 1923/2017, p. 219)

This book was not a happy book to read. I didn’t come away feeling fulfilled in any way. Not just because the content is complicated and, at times, hard to grasp. But also because Ethel Hume writes with such detest for Pasteur that I felt her argument at times descended into a bit of a moan fest about all that Pasteur had done wrong and how the wonderous, honourable Béchamp had been side-swiped. Indeed, she goes as far as to conclude her book with a final sentence that calls Pasteur a ‘fraud and charlatan’ (Hume, 1923/2017, p. 343)! I wish she had had a bit more of the discernment that her hero Béchamp demonstrated!

The Pasteur/Béchamp Balance: The Need for Béchamp’s Work Today

I understand Ethel Hume’s desire to redress the balance that she feels has been left out-of-balance by Pasteur’s wrongdoings but I feel that Béchamp’s work could have stood on its own in the debate, without such emphatic declarations of fraud and wrongdoing on Hume’s part. However, this book was published over 100 years ago, in 1923. I am aware that scientific writings in that time, such as those written by Freud, were as much personal writings as they were scientific proofs, a fine blend of friend-to-friend analogies and stories combined with excerpts of scientific rigour and experimental findings. Therefore, perhaps I am being unfair in expecting something more scientifically robust and emotionally neutral of a writer from this time period.

My view on the validity of the contributions to medical knowledge of Pasteur and Bechamp are also not as one-sided as Hume. I believe that modern medicine needs both the germ theory of Pasteur and the environmental and corporeal contribution to health that Béchamp argued for. After all, without Pasteur’s germ theory, there would be no antibiotics to treat viral infections and infected wounds. The bubonic plague that killed 50 million people in the 14^th century would not have had such a devastating impact if antibiotics were available then!

However, I am equally aware that the plague of the today’s world is chronic illness, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimating that noncommunicable diseases (otherwise known as chronic illnesses) ‘kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 74% of all deaths globally’. Of these, WHO states that 2 million are killed by diabetes (please note, though, that there is no delineation between the different types of diabetes in this figure). Perhaps a medical science based on Béchamp’s understandings would have taken us to a different point today, where more answers would have been found for chronic diseases, but maybe fewer for bacterial infections.

Progress Between Then And Now

What is particularly interesting about this piece of writing, considering the timeframe within which it was written, is how little progress we have really made between then and now in terms of developing a more holistic view of the human body. We’re still dominated today by a medical viewpoint that is looking for the germ or the piece of DNA or the bodily cell that has ‘gone wrong’ and needs ‘fixing’. We still believe that the illness is caused by something in the body (unless it something more obvious like, say, an allergy, but even then it is the body’s reaction to the stimulus that is ‘wrong’ rather than the presence of the allergen in the first place!).

The medical community mostly does not consider the environment (both internally and externally) of a patient and how that may be contributing to the illness or disease. For this reason, I feel it was worth leaning more closely towards this book’s contents and considering what may be gleaned for us today, searching to understand the highly medicalised version of Type 1 Diabetes in a new way.

With this attitude in place, I am going to try to outline the scientific theories of Pasteur and Béchamp, as outlined in this book, and then draw them into perspective for the relevance for Type 1 Diabetes today.

Pasteur’s Argument: All Illnesses Are Caused By Germs

Both Pasteur and Béchamp were involved in the discovery and theorisation of what has become known as ‘germ theory’ today. Pasteur’s views and conclusions are the ones that have become a central tenet of the ethics of modern, mainstream medicine. Pasteur argued that the all illnesses are caused by germs that infiltrate the body:

“For Pasteur… there is no spontaneous disease; without microbes there would be no sickness, no matter what we do, despite our imprudence, miseries and vices!” (Hume, 1923/2017, p. 218)

In Pasteur’s view, we are not responsible for our diseases, they ‘happen’ to us through the arrival of germs into our lives. By contrast, Béchamp provided multiple paths to consider in the development of disease (or dis-ease, perhaps!). I shall look at each of these in turn now.

Béchamp’s Alternative: Illnesses Are A Result Of The Bodily Environment

Béchamp took the polar opposite view to Pasteur. His rigorous scientific research gave rise to the conclusion that it is the environment itself, that which the cell is surrounded by, which will determine whether or not the cell develops a disease. Béchamp postulated that multiple factors could influence this environment. The first contributing factor that Hume highlights Béchamp considered as important in the development of illness was the place where the disease started:

“Diseased microzymas should be differentiated by the particular group of cells and tissues to which they belong, rather than the particular disease condition with which they are associated.” (Hume, 1923/2017, p. 243)

This belief is in alignment with the ancient practice of Tantra. Tantra outlines seven chakras of the body, which are understood to be centres in the body that are of physiological and psychical importance. In diabetes, it is believed that the third chakra, known as the Solar Plexus, is blocked. Thus, the energy of the cells and tissues surrounding the pancreas is disrupted and it is this disruption in the energy of the cells that is believed to contribute to the illness of diabetes that prevails.

I believe that this postulation of Béchamp’s (that environment matters) is key. We are so focussed on trying to ‘fix the disease’ of diabetes, to find ways to get the beta cells doing what they should be doing. But what about providing the right environment so that the beta cells decide of their own accord to switch back to producing insulin? How do we create the environment so that they do that? Ethel Hume hints at an answer:

“In place of the modern system of treating the phantom of a disease-causing entity, and trying to quell it by every form of injection, scientific procedure on Béchamp's lines would be to treat the patient taking into account his personal situation and characteristics; for those depend upon his anatomical elements, the microzymas, which, according to Béchamp, build up his bodily frame, preserve it in health [and] disrupt it in disease” (Hume, 1923/2017, p. 247).

Béchamp’s Role For Nutrition

As well as the environment that the diseased cells exist in, Hume highlighted how Bechamp’s work has led his collaborators to also question the role that nutrition plays in the health of the body:

“Is the supply of these little living bodies in the food essential to the continued vitality of human beings, or is it not?... He [Lord Geddes] thought there was the possibility - many think the extreme probability - that the presence of these little living bodies in the food is essential to health.” (Hume, 1923/2017, p. 259)

Whilst I am yet to hear that food is rich in these ‘little bodies’ (microzymas), I do not think it is a stretch too far to consider the role of food in our health, in order to create the ideal bodily system within which our beta cells can prosper and produce insulin again.

Béchamp’s Belief That Cells Can Revert To Their Primary Function

Indeed, my previous discussion about how delta cells can turn back into insulin-producing beta cells (see here) aligns perfectly with Béchamp’s early theories about the reversal of disease within microzymas:

“Similar observations had already been made by Professor Béchamp, who, with his collaborators, had demonstrated the connection between a disturbed state of body and the disturbed state of its indwelling particles, which, upon an unfavourable alteration in their surroundings, are hampered in their normal multiplication as healthy microzymas and are consequently prone to develop into organisms of varied shape, known as bacteria. Upon an improvement in their environment, the bacteria, according to Béchamp's view, may through a process of devolution return to their microzymian state, but much smaller and more numerous than they were originally.” (Hume, 1923/2017, pp. 275-276)

Whilst Béchamp’s work obviously focussed on bacteria and diseases that result from them, I do not feel it is particularly far-fetched to wonder if the same process may not be at work in ‘non-diseased’ cells, such as the beta cells that are so infamously “broken” in Type 1 Diabetes. As such, could these ‘smaller and more nuemours’ cells that Hume speaks of be the ‘abnormal gene’ that Daniel Darkes (link) was found to possess after his Type 1 Diabetes was healed…?

Béchamp’s Role For Beliefs In Health

Although slightly unrelated to the work of Béchamp that so far been discussed in this book, Hume continues her discussions on the implications of Béchamp’s work by outlining a case study of two men exposed to a disease called hydrophobia (known today as ‘rabies’):

“Two young Frenchmen were bitten at Havre by the same dog in January 1853. One died from the effects within a month, but before this the other young man had sailed for America, where he lived for fifteen years in total ignorance of the death of his former companion. In September 1868, he returned to France and learned of the tragedy, and then himself developed symptoms; within three weeks he was dead of hydrophobia! (Hume, 1923/2017,p. 291)

Even though I wasn’t particularly sure how this case study fitted in with Béchamp’s work, I found it fascinating in its own right. This example beautifully illustrates the importance of our beliefs in the trajectory of illnesses. As people with Type 1 Diabetes, we are led to believe by our medical practitioners that we have an incurable and potentially life-limiting disease and that this disease has only one outcome: a horrible decline towards death. For us, therefore, our beliefs around Type 1 Diabetes need to be tackled. Hume argues that ‘the avoidance of fear is… of fundamental importance after a dog bite’. I would argue that the avoidance of fear is fundamental for any illness, whether bacteria-driven or ‘autoimmune’.

My Thoughts Going Forward

I think what has been re-emphasized to me as I read my way through this book was how divided medicine has become and how much that might affect those of us with chronic illnesses, like Type One Diabetes. This divide reminds me of the ancient yet ongoing debate in psychology about the extent to which genes and environment contribute to psychological development and psychological distress. I suspect that this ‘nature versus nurture’ debate is exactly mirrored in the ‘Béchamp versus Pasteur’ debate. If so, I believe that psychology may be giving us a sneak preview of where this debate might lead to.

Psychology has now got to the point of admitting that the answer to the question ‘Is it nature or nurture?’ is ‘Yes’! The field of epigenetics has really helped here. It has demonstrated that genes are adaptable to environmental inputs. So, while you may have a particular genetic predisposition to a certain condition, the environment within which you find yourself (or create for yourself) is likely to impact, or even overrule, the genetics. Why should this be any different for physical illnesses? In that scenario, you may develop an illness that is provoked by your environment, but then why could the illness not be ‘switched off’ by changing these provoking environmental factors?

Perhaps medical science of today just hasn’t been sufficiently considering the environment within which a patient gets sick so they have not been looking for the environmental triggers that need to be removed.

In this book, Hume cited quotes by Florence Nightingale and Pidoux, both of which I want to leave you with now as I believe they so fantastically summarise my views in this post.

“Disease is born of us and in us” (Pidoux, cited in Hume, 1923/2017, p. 218)

“For disease, as all experience shows, are adjectives, not noun substantives” (Florence Nightingale, as cited in Hume, 1923/2017, p. 245)

So let us change our states, our current adjectives to describe our current selves, and find a new health in our lives today.

Bibliography:

Hume, E. D. (2017). Bechamp or Pasteur? A Lost Chapter in the History of Biology. [First published in 1923.] London: Distant Mirror.

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Natalie Leader

Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

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March 27, 2023

Read more about the article Béchamp and Pasteur

Emotional Wellbeing / Increasing Positive Emotions / Mind-Body Medicine / Taking Control of My Health

NEWSFLASH!

The Link Between Insulin And Dopamine

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Summary: Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered insulin’s impact beyond digestion, revealing its role in brain function and dopamine systems. This breakthrough aligns with Candace Pert’s holistic hormone theory. For the author, who has ADHD, this raises questions about insulin’s influence on symptoms and its potential link to depression and diabetes management through pleasure-inducing dopamine.

I have just come across an article in Science Daily that I wanted to talk about. It has finally been found that insulin not only plays a role in digestion but it also influences brain function. At last the wider scientific community are catching up with Candace Pert’s research. who argued that hormones like insulin are body-wide and influence both the brain and the body!

This research, undertaken by researchers at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has shown that insulin has a direct effect on the brain’s dopamine systems. When insulin is low or absent in the body, the dopamine pathways do not fire. This results in a lack of stimulation to the brain regions that recognise reward, attention and movement.

This is particularly interesting for me because of my ADHD symptomology. Could it be that my ADHD symptoms are purely a result of my insulin levels in my system? And, therefore, could they fluctuate in severity with any excess or lack thereof?

I am also aware how dopamine plays a key role in enabling us to feel pleasure. So that makes me wonder if an absence of dopamine is likely to cause an absence of pleasure i.e. depression? The rate of depression is diabetics is significantly greater than the general population, with adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes are five times more likely to be depressed than their healthy counterparts.

A final question that this research encourages me to ask is… Can improvement in pleasure (which would cause dopamine production in the brain) result in more insulin production (or a decrease in the inhibition of insulin production)? Could increased pleasure help to heal Type 1 Diabetes? It’s certainly worth investigating… Who doesn’t want more pleasure in their lives?!

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Natalie Leader

Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Recent Comments:

latestModapks on Daniel Darkes
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Natalie Leader on What Is Type 1 Diabetes REALLY?

0 Comments

December 20, 2021

Emotional Wellbeing / Fight-or-Flight Response / Mind-Body Medicine / Releasing Suppressed Emotions

Fight-or-Flight Response

Considering Type 1 Diabetes As A Prolonged Fight-Or-Flight Response

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Summary: The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction to perceived threat, which activates the sympathetic nervous system for survival. Could ongoing activation of this response be linked to Type 1 Diabetes? Exploring trauma as a cause, the author considers if unresolved stress may perpetuate this response, hindering healing unless discharged through physical release or other means.

What Is The Fight-Or-Flight Response?

The fight-or-flight response is a name given to a multifaceted automatic physiological response to real or perceived threat. This stressful, alarming or frightening situation leads the body to deactivate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for regulating the body’s rest and digestion responses. In its place, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system is activated. This results in a cascade of bodily changes, which include increased respiration, increased heart rate, increased hormonal production and decreased digestion. These changes prepare the body to fight or flee from the perceived danger. This danger can be real or perceived as real and can be physical or emotional in nature. Any perceived threat will kick the parasympathetic nervous system into life. Then, once the danger has passed, the system is re-regulated by the sympathetic nervous system, with rest and digestion resuming.

Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems consist of a series of nerves that are connected via the spinal cord. From the spinal cord, these nerves feed into a series of organs in the body. Interestingly, functions of the pancreas are regulated by the opposing effects of both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems with both having an effect on insulin production in the beta cells. The parasympathetic nervous system stimulates insulin secretion. By contrast, the sympathetic nervous system shuts down insulin production, in order to ensure higher levels of glucose are available in the body in order to facilitate a fight/flight response.

Defining Trauma

I think, before I go on, I need to make it clear what I mean by ‘trauma’. I like to use Bessel van der Kolk’s definition of trauma as being any ‘inescapable stressful event that overwhelms [the individual’s] existing coping mechanisms’ [1]. Sounds like moments in life with diabetes to me! For the purposes of this discussion, trauma can include both the huge, life-altering experiences of war or natural disasters, as well as the smaller, insidious traumas of neglect or the loss of a loved one or potentially the daily infractions against the body of medical interventions, such as those used for Type 1 Diabetes.

Can Trauma Be The (Ongoing) Cause of Type 1 Diabetes?

I am starting to wonder whether Type 1 Diabetes may be the result of a triggered fight-or-flight response that has never reset itself. This triggered response would switch off insulin production and raise blood sugar levels to facilitate escape or a fight. However, if the body then does not realise or learn that it is now safe again, this fight/flight response will just continue and Type 1 Diabetes occurs. So could Type 1 Diabetes in fact be an ongoing trauma response for a trauma that has never been fully processed?

Across the years, I have talked to a number of Type 1 Diabetics and asked them their stories of developing diabetes. What was going on in their lives at that time? Again and again, I have heard them say that they suffered a loss, an abandonment, isolation and/or anger. I heard them say how the person they relied on was no longer there, perhaps due to death or a change of circumstances. Did these losses trigger a fear response, a fight-or-flight response in their systems? If the person they relied on was no longer there, they would have had no one to process this through with. They would have had no way to discharge this response and reset their bodies into using the parasympathetic nervous system. Their trauma story gets stuck in their bodies and is perpetuated on a daily basis with a ‘diabetic response’ – the continuous and repeated activation of diabetes in the body.

Completing The Fight-Or-Flight Cycle…?

I am wondering if the way out of this continuously evoked fight-or-flight response is to find a way to fully discharged it. If it is pent up in the body, it needs releasing. Dr Peter Levine, author of ‘Waking The Tiger: Healing Trauma‘ [2], writes about how animals discharge the fight-or-flight response by vibrating, twitching, and lightly trembling. This sensation spreads throughout the body from the head to the toes and, in the process, resets the system to a resting state. Dr Levine goes on to discuss how, like animals, humans have instinctual power to heal that just needs tapping. The question is…. How?

My mind is going to Daniel Darkes as I write this. He is an ultra-marathon runner. Did he manage to discharge the trauma response from his system, and thereby restore his pancreatic functioning, by enacting the flight response through is running? If running does it, do other forms of exercise that stimulate similar levels of movement (swimming and cycling, for example) also provide the body with this flight response? As yet, I don’t know so, for now, I will sit with the question!

References:

[1] van der Kolk, B. A. (1996). Trauma and memory. In: A. C. McFarlane, L. Weisaeth, & B. van der Kolk (Eds.), Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society. (pp. 279-302). New York: Guildford Press.

[2] Levine, P. A., & Frederick, A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.

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Natalie Leader

Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

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July 26, 2021

Read more about the article Fight-or-Flight Response

Emotional Wellbeing / Intuition / Mind-Body Medicine / Nutrition / Physical Wellbeing / Taking Control of My Health

Hippocrates’ Wisdom

An Alternative View On Healing

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Summary: Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, founded modern medicine and his principles still guide medical ethics today. Exploring his teachings on nature, illness origins, and patient involvement sparks deep introspection into the author’s healing journey. While some ideas challenge, like self-contribution to illness, they offer holistic insights crucial for balanced health and wellbeing.

Who Was Hippocrates?

Hippocrates was a Greek physician who lived in Ancient Greece (c. 460 – c. 370 BC). He is thought of as the founding father of modern medicine, having established it as a distinct practice from the more spiritual practices of the time. Indeed, Hippocrates’ medical assumptions and beliefs still form the foundation of the Hippocratic Oath that new medical practitioners swear to upon completion of their training.

Why Is Hippocrates Relevant To My Healing Journey?

I think there is great benefit looking back at the old masters, when the field of medicine didn’t exist and spirituality and science were mixed in equal measure. Healing is a force that has always been present in human culture and I wonder whether its nuances may have been easier to see in ancient times, when life and medicine were much less complicated and the body and mind were not considered distinct entities.

I have been having a wander through some of Hippocrates’ writings and have fallen into deep inspiration… I’m having an inspiration bath today! I’m grabbing my rubber duck, my favourite soap and a good book for this one because I think I may be here a while!!

So, without further ado, I’m diving into Hippocrates’ observations and teachings to light my way on my journey…

Hippocrates On The Healing Force:

As I have read more and more on cases of spontaneous remissions (which, to be honest, are never spontaneous… They take months or years of hard work by the person involved… It’s just in the doctors’ eyes that the person was ill one day and well the next!), I have come to realise that our intuition is always available to us and is continuously trying to steer us towards better health. We just need to lean in closely and learn how to listen to it.

So I make it a priority to keep asking myself the question… ‘What are my mind, body and soul really asking for today?’.

Hippocrates On Nature:

I think, when Hippocrates talks about nature here, he is referring to it in ways that, today, we would understand as two distinct components. Firstly, there is the nature around us in the world. Trees, plants, forests, lakes, rivers, the sea, deserts, mountains. Being in nature restores me in a way that the modern world of cities and urban landscapes just doesn’t. I am therefore taking the reminder from Hippocrates to access it more. I need to find ways to make it a more consistent part of my life, even in the hot, arid climate I now live in.

Secondly, I think Hippocrates could also be referring to nature as the internal body system we have, made up of cells and organs and tissues. My own body can heal me better than any medicine, if I just let it. And, each time I am living in excess in any part of my life – diet, exercise, laziness, stress, work, too much sleep – I am contravening this natural force. A striving for moderation is key (without, well, striving because that would to excess too!). Balance is healing.

Hippocrates On The Origins Of Illness:

Now this quote really peeked my interest. When my daughter was a year and a half old, her blood sugars started oscillating quite violently. A diabetologist confirmed my worst fears – she was in the latter stages of developing Type 1 Diabetes. He suggested, as a last resort, that we could try giving her a range of vitamins and probiotics to support her gut health since research was starting to suggest that Type 1 Diabetes may in fact be a gut disorder. Roll forward six years, my daughter still takes her supplements each day and is still a non-diabetic.

Hippocrates’ observation that illness results from ‘small daily sins against Nature’ resonates with how I have come to understand my T1D (see my post on allostatic load for a deeper explanation). It’s great to have my thoughts supported by someone in a different country, in a different time. I feel like we’re both somehow tapping into the universal healing that has always existed across time.

Hippocrates On The Patient’s Contribution To Their Illness:

Okay, so now I’m heading into choppier waters. This section is looking at how the patient may have contributed to their illness. I want to make clear at this point that I am in no way blaming myself, or any other Type 1 Diabetic, for creating their own illness. I don’t think any one of us, having any choice in this disease, would have chosen to have this. This is not about objective choice. But I am starting to come around to the idea that maybe, somehow, my body developed the diabetes in me as a way to process the ‘small daily sins against Nature’ that Hippocrates refers to. And I do believe that these ‘daily sins’ are not necessarily just physical in nature, not just what we eat and drink or how much we exercise or rest or sleep. I think they also fall into the mental, emotional and spiritual fields – the ‘thoughts’ that Hippocrates refers to in the second quotation here. So, again, Hippocrates is supporting those small whispers of intuition I have that say that who I am, how I turn up in the world, and how I respond emotionally and mentally and spiritually, are also important in this healing journey. Healing involves all aspects on myself, not just a selected few.

The two latter quotes of this section don’t sit so easily for me. I guess I need to ask myself the question… How much exactly do I have to give up?? I suspect that there may be a lot of unlearning to do before true healing is obtained. Through my years of healing so far, though, I have learned that you are never presented with more than you can contend with at each stage of healing. You are asked to stretch but not to the point of breaking. It isn’t easy, it isn’t pretty but eventually you get there. Like, right now, I feel that I am being asked to give up sugar. Like, totally. It feels like an impossible stretch. But three years ago, the idea of meditating every day was too much of a stretch. One year ago, forgiving anyone for anything was just too hard. Slowly but surely, the process unfolds and I find that I unfold with it.

Hippocrates On Tools For Healing:

I think that Hippocrates seems to offer a fair number of insights for me to pursue on my journey from here. Of course, as I have just mentioned above, I feel that food is important on a healing journey and the next step of mine is asking me to be sugar-free. I am not ready for that yet but I suspect that my future will possibly contain that truth. I am reminded about how it is often cited that our bodies are made up of the food we eat so do we want our bodies to be made of french fries or healthy proteins, fat and carbohydrates? Of course, when put like that, it’s a no-brainer. But maybe this is where the second quote here comes in… I need to apply the warmth, sympathy and understanding to myself with this current struggle of mine. Removing the judgement around my current struggles with what I eat are more likely to lead to a better outcome than continually beating myself up for what I put in my mouth. Perhaps it is that hostility towards my perceived flawed nutrition that requires the healing, rather than the nutrition itself. I suspect better nutrition would naturally result if it wasn’t dragged through such hostility on a daily basis!

Okay, so maybe there is new ground for me to cover here… The spine and astrology! I know that Dr Joe Dispenza, as well as being a respected healer, is a trained chiropractor. Whilst I don’t necessarily want to do all that training, I wonder if an adventure into the world of chiropractics might yield insights for me. Similarly, I know very little about astrology and I’m not quite sure how it may be useful to me but, until I investigate, I won’t know more!

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Natalie Leader

Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

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July 19, 2021

Read more about the article Hippocrates’ Wisdom

Mind-Body Medicine / Taking Control of My Health

9 Key Factors For Healing

And Only Four Involve The Physical Body!

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Summary: This article explores the work of Dr Kelly Turner, who has identified nine key factors that are key to healing cancer. After outlining what these factors are, the author argues that these factors are likely to be required for healing the body from any condition.

Diabetes Resulting From A Lack of Emotional Expression

Whilst burying my nose in books and various other sources on diabetes and/or healing, I came across the PhD thesis of Kelly Turner [1].

This amazing piece of work sought to find an explanation for people who had spontaneously healed from cancer, after they had been given a terminal diagnosis or had stopped medical treatment.

What particularly drew me in was a conversation that Kelly Turner had with an oncologist from Japan (known as Healer #27 in her thesis). This healer stated that he believed that cancer and also diabetes, amongst other medical conditions, were mainly caused by a lack of emotional expression (known as ‘alexithymia’ by mental health professionals).

This healer’s ideas sound quite bizarre to the mind of Western medicine, where the body is treated by the doctor and the mind is treated by the psychologist or psychotherapist.

However, the neuroscientist Candace Pert has beautifully demonstrated the intricate links between the physical and emotional system and particularly insulin’s starring role in this process (see my post on Candace Pert’s work here). Diabetes resulting from a lack of emotional expression doesn’t sound so ‘alternative’ anymore. I know that, in my life, I can struggle to express myself. I often withdraw from confrontation or do not speak my whole truth. Having had diabetes for a long time, I have had more than a few times when I have had to ‘suck it up’ to get through medical treatments.

If Lack of Emotional Expression Has Caused (Or Contributed) To My Type 1 Diabetes, How Do I Reverse It?

Kelly Turner’s inspirational work doesn’t stop there. Having conducted numerous interviews with people who spontaneously healed from cancer, Kelly Turner [2] found that they all shared a series of factors that they felt contributed to their healing. She outlines these nine factors in her New York Times bestselling book ‘Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds’ (a book I highly recommend reading!).

Kelly Turner’s 9 main key healing factors, plus two that she states may be potential factors in the introduction to her book, are:

Kelly Turner’s 9 Key Factors For Healing:

Radically Changing Your Diet
Using Herbs and Supplements
Taking Control of Your Health
Releasing Suppressed Emotions
Promoting Positive Emotions
Embracing Social Support
Deepening Your Spiritual Connection
Following Your Intuition
Having A Strong Reason For Living

Kelly Turner’s Possible Additional Two Factors For Healing (Still To Be Researched):

Applying The 9 Key Factors to T1D

As I read through these factors, a couple of things really struck me:

1. The Healing Factors Did Not Appear To Be Specific To Cancer

Since these factors did not seem specifically tailored to cancer treatment, I wonder if these may be factors that are general to healing the human body, not just cancer.

2. Only four of the factors directly involve the physical body

‘Radically changing your diet‘, ‘Using herbs and supplements‘, ‘Taking Control of Your Health‘, and ‘Exercise‘ concern the physical body. The other seven factors concern mental, emotional or spiritual interventions. This shows to me that healing T1D cannot just involve the body. I must widen my remit to include the mind and spirituality too.

My Route Forward…

Having made the assumption (which also feels intuitively correct) that these 9 key factors are responsible for healing the human body, I am using them as the basis for my healing plan going forward.

There is an obvious revision that I need to make to the factor ‘Having a Strong Reason For Living‘. Unlike people with terminal cancer, I am not at-risk of an imminent death. Therefore, this factor appears a bit irrelevant to my healing. I am going to change this factor to ‘Having A Strong Reason For Healing’.

I hope that using these factors will produce a more hospitable environment in which my new beta cells can grow (or my delta cells can transform back into beta cells!).

However, I am also open to these factors changing or adapting as my work progresses. Perhaps there are differences between healing cancer and healing T1D that I do not yet know. However, these factors seem like a good place to start.

References

1. Turner, K. A. (2010). Spontaneous Remission of Cancer: Theories from Healers, Physicians, and Cancer Survivors. PhD thesis, University of California, Berkeley. [Link]

2. Turner, K. A. (2014). Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds. New York: HarperCollins. [Link]

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Natalie Leader

Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

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October 28, 2019

Read more about the article 9 Key Factors For Healing

Mind-Body Medicine / Taking Control of My Health

Type 1 Diabetes and the Mind-Body Relationship

The Real Descartes… Believing The Mind, Body And Soul Are In Relationship

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

From Descartes To Integration

I feel I need to start this post with a bit of a get-out clause… I am not a philosopher, nor am I thoroughly grounded in the huge body of works of Descartes. The intention of this post is not to provide a thorough account of the mind-body problem in philosophy. What I intend to do is to highlight how Descartes has influenced Western medicine today. From here, I will be able to focus on my goal for this post… To discuss how I believe that this philosophical position comes to bear on our understanding of Type 1 Diabetes and my ability to heal it.

Who Was Descartes?

By After Frans Hals - André Hatala [e.a.] (1997) De eeuw van Rembrandt, Bruxelles: Crédit communal de Belgique, ISBN 2-908388-32-4., Public Domain, Link

René Descartes (1596–1650) was a mathematician, scientific thinker and philosopher. He is considered to be one of the founders of modern philosophy. Descartes was born in France, where he spent the first 22 years of his life. In 1628, Descartes established himself permanently in the Dutch Republic (now Holland), where he wrote all of his major works. One of his most well-known doctrines concerned the relationship between the mind and the body. He explored this relationship in detail in two of his works: “Principia Philosophiae” [1] and “Meditations” [2].

Mind-Body Dualism

In Principia Philosophiae [1] and in the Second Meditation [3], Descartes outlines his thoughts on the mind-body relationship. Through a series of explorations, Descartes concluded that the mind and body must be made from different substances. He believed that the mind was made from a thinking substance that could not go beyond itself (it could not extend into space). This thinking substance, or “thinking thing”, he called “res cogitans”. The body, by contrast, was understood to be an unthinking substance that was able to extend itself in space. This substance, Descartes named “res extensa” or “extended thing”. Philosophers and theorists alike, since the time of Descartes, have therefore used this line of reasoning to emphasise how Descartes believed that the mind and the body were thus distinct entities. This line of thought is what is referred to today as “Cartesian dualism” or “mind-body dualism”.

The Real Descartes

Descartes [4] is well-known for his phrase “cogito ergo sum” (literally translated as “I think, therefore I am”). It is often used as a symbol to demonstrate how Descartes truly underlined the distinction between the mind and the body.

Such a statement is a debasement and truncation of the intended message of Descartes’ works. Descartes’ writings were, in fact, deeply involved in questioning not only the relationship between the mind and the body but also about the nature of the interactions between them.

A wider reading of Descartes reveals how he believed that the mind, body and soul were in fact not only in relationship with each other but connected via a small region of the brain known as the pineal gland [5, 6]. Descartes [7] posited that the pineal gland was the seat of the soul and the place where all thoughts were formed. Moreover, it was the place where the mind, body and soul interacted. However, throughout his lifetime, Descartes struggled to delineate exactly what the relationships between mind, body and soul were. In letters to friends [8], Descartes was known to devalue and dismiss his metaphysical ideas, aware of their inherent weaknesses and lack of successful theoretical foundation. However, he still maintained that there exists “experience within ourselves certain… things which must not be referred either to the mind alone or to the body alone” but “from the close and intimate union of our mind with the body” [9].

Descartes’ Division Of Mind And Body

As Descartes’ theories of mind, body and soul developed, he encountered trouble. His philosophies offended the Church, who believed that the soul was purely their remit. Thus, in 1663, the Church listed Descartes’ works on its Index of Prohibited books [10]. In order to resolve this growing conflict, Descartes and the Church came to an agreement… The Church would hold sole control over the theorising of the soul, mind and emotions. In return, Descartes would focus solely on the workings of the human body and would be provided with corpses by the Church for purposes of dissection [11]. Thus, the split between mind and body was decided.

Treating Diabetes Using Western Medicine

Mind-body dualism is at the very heart of Western medicine. In doctors’ surgeries, the patient is required to submit their body to be examined, like an object under investigation. Issues in the body are inspected, analysed and assessed. Mental, emotional and spiritual health issues are discussed separately to the physical body and each is treated separately to each other.

Diabetes is understood as a purely bodily, physical medical condition, which needs to be treated with medication [12]. The mental or spiritual elements are generally considered to be outside of the diabetologist’s remit. For me, this became wholly evident when, some years ago, I had a period of suffering from anxiety and depression. At my diabetes check-up, I discussed how my mental health was impacting my ability to maintain tight blood sugar levels. My diabetologist’s response was to refer me to see a psychologist. The diabetologist then continued to work on my blood sugars whilst the psychologist worked on my mind.

Revising Western Medicine’s Theoretical Foundation

Cartesian medicine is coming into question more and more today. With the arrival, and recognition of, psychosomatic illnesses, the line between the mind and the body is becoming increasingly blurred. Some such examples include chronic pain and fibromyalgia. Such conditions are seen as having both mental and physical components that interact with each other. For example, on days with higher pain, mental health can deteriorate. Equally, increased mental health issues, perhaps due to familial or work issues, can result in increased physical pain or decreased flexibility and motility. However, T1D appears to fall outside of that discussion and I question why. Perhaps it is because T1D’s treatment plan relies so heavily on the physical infusions of insulin. I don’t know.

What I do know from my own experience of T1D is that the link between the physical condition and emotions is strong. Personally, I know that my emotions can change quite dramatically when my blood sugars go too low or too high.

Furthermore, according to Diabetes UK [13], three in five diabetics experience emotional or mental health problems as a result of their diabetes. More dramatically still, stressful life events, such as bereavement, divorce and violence, in the family environment during pregnancy and the first two years of life, increase a child’s chance of developing type 1 diabetes [14, 15]. So the link seems to be both ways… The physical condition of diabetes affecting the emotional life of the patient and the emotional life of the patient implicating the onset of the condition in the first place.

So, for me, T1D is not a medical disorder. It is a psychosomatic condition that needs to be seen through the lenses of both mental and physical health.

Going Forward…

If I remove Descartes from my understanding of diabetes, then healing T1D becomes much more multifaceted. My new understanding needs to place treatment on both the mind and the body, preferably in an integrated and holistic way. As such, I will be open to the idea that mind practices can have an effect on my body system, and particularly on the functioning of my pancreas. I will assume that healing T1D involves healing the whole of me. That my immune system can be influenced by my mind. This idea, and practical strategies that I intend to employ, will be outlined and implemented in future posts.

Summary

Descartes’ bastardised philosophies of a disconnection between mind and body are the foundation of Western medicine today.
Cartesian medicine understands physical illnesses and conditions in term of the mechanics of the body, usually conferring that something has gone wrong in the system that is the human body.
Diabetes, as a physical disorder, is understood to result from a misfiring of the immune system. However, no physical cause for this misfiring has been found.
Diabetes can be understood as a multifaceted mind-body disorder, which requires both mental and physical treatment for healing to take place.

References

Descartes, R. (1644). Principia Philosophiae. Amsterdam: Apud Ludovicum Elzevirium. [Link]
Descartes, R. (1658). Meditationes de prima philosophia. Janssonium Juniorum. [Link]
Descartes, R., Sanderson Haldane, E., and Thomson Ross, G. R. (1993). Meditations on First Philosophy in Focus. London and New York: Routledge. (Original work published 1641.) [Link]
Watson, R. (2007). Cogito, ergo sum: The life of Rene Descartes. Boston: David R. Godine. [Link]
Descartes, R. (1972). Treatise on Man (trans. Hall, T. S.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1662.) [Link]
Descartes R. (1989). The Passions of the Soul. Indianapolis: Hackett. (Original work published 1649.) [Link]
Finger, S. (2000). Minds Behind the Brain: A History of the Pioneers and Their Discoveries. New York: Oxford University Press. [Link]
Clarke, D. M. (2006). Descartes: A Biography. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo: Cambridge University Press. [Link]
Gottlieb, A. (2016). The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy. New York and London: Liveright Publishing. [Link]
de Bujanda, J. M. (2002). Index Librorum Prohibitorum, 1600–1966. Montreal and Geneva, Mediaspaul and Librairie Droz. [Link]
Pert, C. B. (1997). Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel the Way You Feel. London & Sydney: Simon & Schuster. [Link]
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes/
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/three-in-five-people-with-diabetes-experience-emotional-or-mental-health-problems
Lundgren, M., Ellstrom, K, and Larsson, H. E. (2018). Influence of early-life parental severe life events on the risk of type 1 diabetes in children: the DiPiS study. Acta Diabetologica, 55(8), 797-804. [Link]
Nygren, M., Carstensen, J., Koch, F., Ludvigsson, J., and Frostell, A. (2015). Experience of a serious life event increases the risk for childhood type 1 diabetes: the ABIS population-based prospective cohort study. Diabetologia, 58(6), 1188-1197. [Link]

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Natalie Leader

Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only. It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime. HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

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August 5, 2019