Doing the Impossible

I was recently preparing for a lecture, and came across an oldie, but goodie…research study. 


I wondered how many people even know this bit of information, that has the potential to turn our belief systems about a certain, and very common, disease upside down.

The study was published in 1984, and changed the way natural medicine was practiced. Of course, it didn’t make the slightest impact in the protocols of pharmaceutical medicine. (by the way, I think I will refer to the two fields as natural medicine and pharmaceutical medicine…that sounds more accurate and descriptive, and…if you know the name of my book, you know who I think is “alternative.”)

Now, I know that the discussion of “research” might not get you too excited. But, listen up…if you haven’t heard this one…it’s pretty cool, and truly might make you wonder what the heck pharmaceutical medicine is doing with this all too common disease.

So what is this all about?

The study was from the American Diabetes Association’s medical journal, entitled, simply…Diabetes. Or “The Diabetes Journal.”

In this study, the researchers partially destroyed the pancreases of a group of rats. (sorry to the animal lovers…I like the results, not the methods), causing a metabolic state similar to type 1 diabetes in humans. Talk to any insulin dependent diabetic, Type 1 or 2, and get a feel for the misery they endure if you don’t know what that is like.

They then split the group into 2, and treated one group with niacinamide, and the other group with saline (salt water). I honestly didn’t think the placebo effect was too common in animals, but I guess the researchers didn’t want the rats knowing if they were getting treated or not.

They followed the rats for many weeks, and at the end of the trial the niacinamide fed rats had much more stable blood sugar…AND the pancreas tissue had regenerated. It grew back. The pancreas was dead, and it returned to life. It did not in the saline fed rats.

The heart cells then named the pancreas cells a messiah and savior, the liver cells built a temple for these resurrected pancreas cells, and the skin cells claimed it was the cells of the intestines that raised the dead, and a small war broke out. (KIDDING!!)

Seriously, I wish this potential was more widely known. As I was reading this study over again, it occurred to me that almost nobody knows this. And that’s too bad…really.

My disclaimer on this study is that these rats arrived in a diabetic state via a scalpel…and the scalpel was removed after the damage was done…so…the cause of the damage in either type of diabetes must be resolved prior to this miracle resurrection becoming possible. But that can be done…change in lifestyle, treat the immune system, stress hormones…etc. Then bring on the miracle.

I wonder how many insulin dependent diabetics would be interested in this now 25 year old study?? I wonder how many people with hypoglycemia…I wonder how many people with any chronic condition that is affected by blood sugar regulation?? (Cancer, PCOS, Neuropathy, Thyroid Disorders, etc., etc.)