168 Achieving pH Balance to Treat Specific Ailments
who have normal insulin levels, a logical explanation is that glucose
(transported by insulin) can no longer penetrate the cells because the
membranes of the cells have been hardened by homocysteine wastes.Symptoms and Health Consequences of Diabetes
Once some of the glucose in the blood fl ows into the urine, the body’s
water reserves increase the volume of urine so that the urine is diluted
enough to dissolve the sugar. So much of the body’s water supply is used
up in this way that the diabetic patient develops excessive thirst. Other
symptoms of diabetes are weight loss, extreme hunger, and fatigue.
These symptoms are caused by reduced energy production due to the
fact that sugar is not being transported into the cells and used to manu-
facture energy.
The diabetic’s whole body takes a toll when blood sugar becomes
chronically high. For as the diabetics’ sugar-saturated blood circulates
through the organs, the sharp, pointed acid particles of sugar injure
organ tissues. They become infl amed and harden. The hardening
causes a loss of permeability making it diffi cult for the cells to absorb
nutrients and oxygen. When the cells become so stiff and hard that
they can no longer absorb any nourishment or air, they die. The eye-
sight is often the fi rst to go. The microscopic blood vessels in the
retina in the back of the eye harden, causing blurred vision and, if the
diabetic lives long enough, blindness. The National Society for the
Prevention of Blindness has found that 50 percent of those who have
had diabetes for twenty years develop neuropathy (nerve damage) of
the eyes, while 90 percent who have had diabetes for thirty years
develop it. Studies by this agency also show that diabetes is the leading
cause of blindness.
Elevated blood sugar also causes cataracts, breaks down the retina,
hardens the arteries and heart tissue, and destroys nerves. Other
parts of the body that are damaged in diabetics are the extremities,
particularly the feet and legs. This begins when cuts, scratches, and
rashes take longer to heal than they should. Eventually abrasions stop
healing altogether. The cells, choked with metabolic wastes and
starved for nutrients, die out, causing the fl esh to rot and become
gangrenous. Amputation prevents death—until the gangrene spreads
to vital organs.