Changing lives: ‘The natural way’

By Dr. Walter Vermeulen 23 September 2018, 12:00AM

Talofa Samoa! We have reported several times previously, how people that have been on pharmaceutical drugs for decades, which didn’t stop the progress of their disease, were able to reverse their Type2 diabetes in a matter of weeks by strictly following the whole foods plant based diet. Today’s testimony is another witness to this.

Having practiced ‘conventional’ medicine for over 50 years, I cannot stop marvelling at the way natural remedies, like a whole foods, plant based (WFPB) diet can achieve this in such a short time. 

Having reversed my own medical conditions by following the WFPB diet I have become a strong believer in the ‘natural way’ instead of relying entirely on pharmaceuticals to regain our Health. But let me be clear:  I firmly believe that certain pharmaceuticals can be life-saving, especially when used in emergency situations. 

However, I now believe that natural remedies, like a healthy diet, regular exercise, proper sleep and moderation in our living will achieve far greater results than relying on the belief that there is a ‘Pill for every Ill’. Medical statistics support us in this view: complications following the taking of these pharmaceuticals –even when prescribed by well-meaning doctors- are so frequent that world-wide ‘adverse drug reactions’ are now the third most frequent cause of death after heart disease and cancer. In the United States alone, about 125,000 people lose their lives –each year- as a result of these ‘adverse drug reactions’. Someone commented that if these were soldiers that would die in a war in which the US was engaged, there would be mass protests and a public outcry to find a diplomatic solution and stop the war. Not so with the pharmaceuticals that the Public continues to use obediently.

That brings me to the observation that so many patients seen at METI’s Clinic are on cholesterol-lowering drugs, also called ‘statins’. Worldwide the prescription of statins by the medical profession is staggering, leading to US$13 billion yearly sales. The statin, most commonly used in Samoa, is Atorvastatin sold under the brand name Lipitor. 

Statins do bring down cholesterol levels, but by unnatural means and at the cost of sometimes severe side effects. Let me explain.

There are two types of cholesterol that are found in our bloodstream. The cholesterol originating from the food we eat, specifically animal-based foods (since plant-based foods do not contain cholesterol): and the cholesterol produced by our liver. The way statins work is that they interfere with the production of the cholesterol produced by the liver, by blocking a protein (an enzyme) essential for cholesterol production. Basically, statins interfere with normal liver function, which can have many serious side effects.

The benefits of statins have been overrated by scientific studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry, conducted more than ten years ago. More recent and more independent research has identified that the risks of taking statins is more serious than previously thought.  For example, a 2010 study covering 2 million statin users in England and Wales reported increases in the risk of liver damage, muscle related side effects and acute kidney injury. It has been estimated that 17% of people who take statins experience not only the adverse effects just mentioned, but also complain of decreased energy, fatigue on exertion, depression and memory problems. 

But it gets worse: In 2013, research funded by the American National Cancer Institute found a doubling of breast cancer in women, aged 55 to 74, who had been on statins for ten years or more. 

In that same year, a study of almost half a million Canadians found that there was a 22% higher risk of developing diabetes by users of Lipitor, which is considered one of the higher-potency statins. 

After reading the above, you could have guessed: the moment the patients seen at METI Clinic make the commitment to follow the Whole Foods Plant Based diet, they are advised to stop taking statins. And that is for a simple reason: since they only eat plants, which contain no cholesterol it is important that the cholesterol producing function of the liver is restored to make sure that the liver is again capable of producing those amounts of cholesterol that the body actually needs. 

We are happy to present here –in his own words- the testimony of Filoitumua Fou Eetau, another one of our ‘champions’, who has reversed his diabetes by strictly following the WFPB diet. 

Name: Filoitumua Fou Eetau

Village: Vailoa-Tai

Age: 62 

I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000. Two years later, the doctor prescribed metformin and later, he put me on insulin 10 units in the morning and night, because my blood sugar was still going up. 

In the middle of 2005, the doctor further increased the units of insulin, 50 units in the morning and 50 units at night plus two metformin. My blood sugar got worse and worse and started to affect my sight. The eye doctor lasered my left eye and she said if my blood sugar was out of control it would affect my other eye as well. I was afraid with that saying, and I asked them is there any way that I could do to prevent my other eye getting affected. They suggested I go to the METI Clinic. I attended METI’s Health Seminar in May 2018 and it’s a message of hope for me. Starting from that day until now, I love my vegetable stew and poka. After one week, I felt my body lighter and first time my blood sugar came down. Right now I am back to my normal duties: I help my boys building my house and my eyesight is back to normal: I can read again and watch TV. Those are the big changes that took place since I attended METI’s Health Seminar. Before, I felt weak, dizzy and sleepy all the time. 

Now my blood sugar is normal and I am very happy to say that I’m free from drugs and especially this insulin. I would like to say thanks to my family for helping me in different ways, also a special thanks to METI for this great work that saved my life. 

If you need help go and see METI at Motootua. Soifua.

 

*If you, reading this Health column or any of your family or friends are suffering from NCD, it might be wise to come to the METI Clinic at Motootua to enroll in our Health Seminars to get all the details of how to start the life-saving WFPB nutrition program. You can reach us at 7625528 or 7239297 during working hours, 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday.

By Dr. Walter Vermeulen 23 September 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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