Type 2 diabetes is a stubborn disease to treat and leaves a lot of people feeling out of sync with life, and desperate for answers. Ever wonder, “How can I regain my energy and control those wildly high blood sugars.” Mayo clinic and other academic medical institutions concede the best way to control this disease is to start with lifestyle change. Diet and exercise are key.

Two Studies…

Here are two studies that give credence as to why we need lifestyle changes to control and prevent this disease. The first study took severely obese diabetic patients and put them on a calorie restricted diet for 1 week. At the end of one week of calorie restriction, blood tests revealed a marked increase in pancreatic function, lower blood sugars and decreased triglycerides.*

In 2002, the National Institutes of Health published results from the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program study in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the trial, 3,234 overweight people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes were split into three groups to test whether lifestyle changes or the drug metformin could prevent the onset of diabetes.

• Group 1 received extensive training in diet and exercise, with goals of exercising 150 minutes per week and losing and keeping off 7% of their body weight.
• Group 2 received 850 milligrams of the diabetes drug metformin twice a day.
• Group 3 received placebo pills.

The Results?

• Moderate weight loss and regular exercise could prevent Type 2 diabetes.
• Those in Group 1 reduced their risk by 58%; members of this group who were 60 and older reduced their risk by 71%.
• Lifestyle intervention worked equally well across all ethnicities and both genders.
• Those in Group 2 reduced their risk by 31%; metformin was less effective at preventing diabetes in people older than 45.

What We’re Doing about Diabetes

Programs like NEWSTART here at Weimar that teach “lifestyle change” have helped reverse many type 2 diabetic patients’ disease. Through the diet and exercise learned here at NEWSTART many get off medications and these medications themselves may prove baleful with untoward side effects. NEWSTART helps people lose the weight that predisposes and causes diabetes.  The many walking trails here at Weimar prove a positive benefit to many and burn off unneeded pounds.

Calorie restriction here at NEWSTART is almost automatic as the food that is offered here is low calorie and full of nutrition in stark contrast to the caloric dense, high fat, average American diet, which is largely lacking in real nutrition. NEWSTART is truly a place where we educate people to live and eat for health.

* Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Feb 8. Department of Medicine, University of Rome

by Dean, NEWSTART Alumni

We had some time to “kill” after the completion of our Newstart program at the Weimar Center and before we were due to arrive at our new post in Thailand.  We thought it would be a nice to visit Alaska, so we booked a 7-day cruise out of Seattle.

We traveled on Norwegian Cruise Lines, and if you are trying to follow the Newstart diet and also want to cruise, I think NCL is probably the most vegan-friendly cruise line.  This is because they promote “free-style” cruising.  This means you aren’t assigned to a table with a set menu, but you can go have buffet meals three times a day and can go at a time that suits you (as long as the buffet is open).

Many of our friends and relatives had a good laugh about that and all said we should have gone on the cruise FIRST, so that we could enjoy all the delicacies they served at three buffet meals each day!  We wondered how it was going to work out, but we determined to do our best to stick with the Newstart lifestyle we had just learned.

Shortly after we boarded our ship, we went to the exercise gym and weighed ourselves.  Our weight was about the same as when we left Newstart.  We discovered that they had an early morning exercise session that was free, so we tried to attend as often as we could.  We noticed that some of the stretching exercises were identical to those we did at Newstart, but some were a little more challenging,  but we found that the mezzanine deck with its outdoor circuit was ideal for going on daily walks.  We tried to exercise a minimum of 1 hour daily, and we frequently did more than one hour.

Now for dining during our cruise.  We found there were plenty of fresh vegetables for salads and we started each meal with a good raw salad.  We found lemon slices and squeezed them over our salad in lieu of salad dressings.  There was fairly good granola available and cooked oatmeal each morning.  We discovered little boxes of unsweetened “Mini-Wheat” cereal and were pleased that it was one of the most healthful cereals we have tried to date.  If we were going on another cruise we would probably bring along some soy milk, because we didn’t find any on board.  Therefore we used a little fruit juice to moisten our cereal at breakfast.

We also found fresh fruit and dried fruit at each meal, as well as walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds.  There was excellent multi-grain bread at the bakery bar.  At lunch we usually found some good vegetable dishes that were either boiled or lightly sauteed that we enjoyed.

About the only food bar we did not patronize much was the desert bar.  Even though they had diabetic deserts, they usually contained eggs.  But we could always find fresh fruit or fruit salad for desert.

The morning we reached Seattle at the end of our voyage, we got up and weighed ourselves before breakfast.  I was pleased to discover that I had lost another 4 pounds during the voyage, despite the cruise director’s predictions that people on average gain a pound a day during a cruise.  If that is true, then technically I lost 11 pounds!

So did we do Newstart and the cruise in the wrong order?  Actually, we were lucky and did them in the right order.  If we had gone on the cruise first, we would likely have eaten many of the dishes that were not the best for our health, but by going to Newstart first, we were able to select food that we knew was healthy and we ate well!

There were vegetarian Indian dishes available at each meal, but the curries looked like they were very well oiled, so we resisted the urge to eat one of our favorite kinds of food.  As for hot drinks, there was a variety of fruit infusions and Splenda for sweetener available around the clock.

For your interest, here is a list of some of the foods we found to eat each day.  It is not an exhaustive list, but it is a good sampling of some of the healthy options we found.

Dried Fruit:

* apricots
* prunes
* raisins

Fresh Fruit:

* apples
* cantaloupe
* grapes
* pineapple
* watermelon

Raw Vegetables:

* avocados
* bean sprouts
* bell peppers
* broccoli
* carrots
* celery
* cucumbers
* greens
* lettuce
* onion tops
* radishes
* tomatoes

Boiled Vegetables:

* broccoli
* cauliflower
* carrots
* corn on the cob
* green beans
* kidney beans
* peas

Nuts/Grains:

* multi-grain bread
* almonds
* artichoke sushi
* brown rice
* whole wheat roti (Indian bread)
* roasted brown beans
* sunflower seeds
* walnuts

I was born in San Francisco, CA. I became well acquainted with the streets and was deeply involved with drugs, and thought nothing of drinking a bottle or two of wine with dinner most of my life.

At age 62 I was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. The doctors wanted to do a 5-way bypass and I resisted to the end. I looked for an alternative and found a place called Weimar Institute that could reverse my condition. I called Weimar and was advised to get up there right away and go through the program. When I told my wife and family they thought I had flipped out. After visiting UC Davis Medical Center and talking with five cardiologists, they advised me to proceed with the surgery. I underwent a 5-way bypass and I thought this was the end of my days. After the bypass I began my long road back to being able to walk and take care of myself.

One day I realized I couldn’t go on living like this. I was scared to death with diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity, I couldn’t sleep, was angry most of the time and the truth be known, I was a drunk. My wife said, “What about that place you told me about, Weimar?”

I signed up for the 18-day NEWSTART® Lifestyle Program. After three days on the program I stopped taking my diabetes meds, and three days later I stopped two high blood pressure meds. The excess weight began to melt away and by the end of 18 days I lost 20 pounds. To date I have lost a total of 70 lbs, have more energy than when I was a young man, look better than ever, and can actually walk several miles per day without panting.

We are truly blessed and owe a great deal to Weimar, the NEWSTART® program, and the staff that made our stay an experience of a lifetime. Wellness is a matter of choice. By following the NEWSTART® Lifestyle Program, I have regained my health and hope for a long and happy life.

In December of 2005 the bottom of my feet got really tender, but I shrugged it off. Then I experienced night sweats and sleeplessness with muscle twitching. Soon my wrists ached badly.  More symptoms occurred as months rolled by. I lost my appetite and felt tired continually.

Overcoming Lupus

By April 2006, my legs started to swell up with fluid, I had edema in both legs. One morning, I woke up with a fever and chest pain. The x-rays showed fluid in-between my lungs and chest cavity.  At the hospital they concluded I had hyperthyroidism and prescribed two medications. Two weeks later, they found that the medicines had  lowered my white blood cells so dangerously low that I could have died.  Deep down I knew there was more to it.  The impact of the thyroid medication caused major flare-ups during the course of eight months. I couldn’t walk, my joints felt like they were stiffening, my hands could not make a fist and I couldn’t grasp onto things. I had lost 40 pounds, had rashes all over my body, excruciating muscle spasms and my eyelids would flake so badly that when I woke in the morning I couldn’t open my eyes. My hair began to thin and fall out. I was experiencing headaches and chronic fatigue. By June of 2007, I got shingles on my right thigh and the pain was unbearable. Back to urgent care again, more medicines that nearly killed me and then after two weeks I was finally diagnosed  as having Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with a rheumatoid factor and prescribed prednisone. After a week I felt strong but was always so hungry that I would constantly eat. I had gained 50 pounds. This made me not want to leave the house, I started to disconnect myself from my friends. All I wanted was my old self.

Getting off Lupus Medication

One day my sister stopped smoking and I was dumbfounded.  Her turning to the Lord made me open my heart again to Him.  I was deeply convicted to eat the way I needed to help heal my body and to taper off my medications.  The day I arrived at Weimar I was in bad shape and I worried that I wouldn’t be able to put in enough effort to get the results that I desired. But I was determined because I knew God was with me.  After a couple of days the doctor took me off the methotrexate.  After a week, I started to walk longer and faster.  My body was getting stronger with the food, hydrotherapy treatments, and daily walking. With encouragement I realized that Lupus can’t control my life.  By the second week, I was completely off my medications and taking brisk walks.  I still had some emotions that needed to get worked out and many times I experienced God’s comfort.  I am forever grateful for NEWSTART. I praise God for the experience and especially for strength to move forward.  I pray that this, through God’s encouraging power, will uplift someone, anyone, who is dealing with lupus.!!

By the late 1980s, American citizens had already demonstrated a long history of voicing their dissatisfaction with conventional medical options. They were turning in ever-growing numbers to lifestyle therapies, vitamin and mineral supplements, herbs, spiritual approaches to healing, and other natural alternatives.

Public Support for Natural Alternatives

Many didn’t seem to care that the medical community collectively seemed to pride itself on being a world leader in the development of high-tech drugs and surgical procedures.  Ultimately, this public dissatisfaction made its way into the legislative realm, bearing fruit in 1991 when congress passed Public Law 102-170 which provided $2 million to establish the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM), a new component within our National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The OAM, charged with evaluating promising unconventional medical practices, thrived under the umbrella of the NIH, the most respected research funding and directing organization in our nation.   By 1998, further legislative efforts (P.L. 105-277) promoted the OAM to the level of an NIH Center.  In 1999 this newly elevated entity was named the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

Increased research on Lifestyle Interventions

Over the last decade NCCAM has worked to bring a higher level of scientific rigor to an area that historically has often relied on anecdotes and testimonials.  NCCAM’s involvement coupled with public demand has contributed to an increase in research on herbal therapies, spiritual practices (such as prayer), and lifestyle interventions.  With that increased research has come further evidence that many of these time-honored practices do, indeed, have scientific merit.  Such discoveries come as no surprise to NEWSTART® alumni who have experienced the power of non-drug therapies.

Unbiased Information Source on Natural Therapies

On the other hand, increased research suggests that other “natural healing” approaches are not of value.  Although this may seem obvious, lay consumers are often put in an awkward position.   Where can they find unbiased information on what natural therapies may or may not be effective?  Let me suggest you not forget the NEWSTART® program as one source of information.  If you have friends or family members who might enroll in an upcoming 18-day program, they can rest assured our doctors will help them determine whether a given supplement or treatment strategy is likely to be helpful in the course of their stay here.

As an average person, we each take approximately 21,600 breaths each and every day.  This is about 88 pounds of oxygen.  But what kind of air are we breathing in?  Does it make a difference?

Fresh air from outside as nature makes it has a much higher concentration of small, negative ions. Sunlight, plants, mountains, turbulent water and thunderstorms produce these. Plants actually take in carbon dioxide which we breath out as waste and convert it to fresh oxygen. Keeping your windows open at least a little all the time to let fresh air circulate is important, especially at night while you are sleeping.

Polluted, stale, and indoor air has many more positive ions. 700,000 of the 2.7 million deaths from lung disease each year are caused by indoor air pollution from smoke, chemicals, bacteria, dust, air conditioning, etc.

So how does fresh air benefit us?  For starters, taking deep breaths of fresh air can:

• Increase mental concentration
• Help relieve headaches, backaches, stomachaches
• Decrease insomnia
• Help normalize blood pressure
• Increase natural mood enhancing hormones
• Decrease depression and anxiety

On the other hand, polluted air, from inside or outside, has the negative effects of:

• Increased asthma and allergies
• Decreased life expectancy (by 1 year)
• Decreased HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
• Increased atherosclerotic plaque
• Increased anxiety and depression

To assure that you get adequate fresh air:

• Be outside in natural surroundings as much as possible.
• Deep breath fresh air frequently throughout the day.
• Have proper posture.
• Do not wear tight clothing that would restrict your breathing.
• Keep fresh air circulating inside summer and winter.

So go outside and take 10 slow deep breaths and have a better day!

In November 2008 I weighed 303 lbs. I was drinking beer about three times a week, gambling until all hours of the night and eating a steady diet of McDonalds and Burger King. It became so bad that I began missing work. My sister talked me into going to NEWSTART and a couple of days later I was on a plane. I went through the 18-day Newstart Lifestyle program and lost 19 pounds. My ankles were no longer swollen and I was off my medication, even though I really did not make an effort to learn as much as I could and I did not participate 100% in the program. Sadly, when I returned home I returned to the old lifestyle.

Almost a year later in September 2009 I was now up to 316 lbs.  My blood pressure was high again and my knee was swollen. I went back to NEWSTART, but this time I was totally dedicated and my results were great. The swelling on my knee was gone in four days from the excellent hydrotherapy and massages. I could not touch my toes when I arrived I could barely touch my knees.   My therapist was amazing and he really pushed me to walk and stretch, my mobility has improved 100%. I lost 25.6 pounds and my blood pressure is now in the 118-114/82-78 range. My total cholesterol came down 77 points to 166 and my LDL came down 13 points to 94. My triglycerides came down 105 points to 148 and my sugar came down 29 points to 78. They are now all normal again! I am going back home with everything I need to implement this lifestyle and live a healthy life.

Coming to the NEWSTART® Lifestyle Program at Weimar has been a wonderful experience and we feel fortunate to have participated in it.

I had a few health issues for which I hoped the doctors would be able to find an answer. First was the limited ability to use my arms – I had a difficult time raising them above a 45 degree angle or extending them for more than a few seconds, before they would become extremely painful. For the past 8-10 years, I have undergone x-rays, injections, NSAID’s, physical therapy and none have worked. The hydrotherapy and massage treatments here at NEWSTART® greatly improved my shoulder range of motion and eliminated most of my arm pain.

Also, I first arrived at NEWSTART® I could only walk abut 1/2 mile. Weimar Institute has several miles of walking trails and walking is strongly encouraged each day. This has improved the circulation in my legs and I can now walk 5 miles a day in divided intervals.

My eyesight was also a challenge. For the past 2+ years I have experienced blurred vision when reading. My medical provider has checked my vision several times and has told me that my eyesight was fine for my age and I just needed to change my glasses. New glasses never solved the problem. When my eyes were checked at NEWSTART®, all I could see with my right eye was the big “E”. Dr Ing examined my eyes very thoroughly and discovered what the problem was and what to do about it. I am so grateful.

Jean has experienced left leg edema for the past four years and the doctor has always told her that she would just have to live with it. After receiving the massage and hydrotherapy treatments, walking the minimum of 3 miles a day and changing to a vegan diet, she has improved to where she does not have the pain and the edema has decreased substantially.

The dedication of the doctors and the rest of the staff is absolutely outstanding. The care we have received has been individualized to each ones needs and has been provided by very dedicated professional staff members. With the knowledge that we have gained during this 18-day program, especially regarding nutrition and exercise, we will be able to live a healthier lifestyle.

I have suffered with hypertension for the past thirty-two years and was very excited to know that I could live a lifestyle that could reverse or improve my condition. I imagined how I would feel not having to take my medication and with my high blood pressure under control just from eating the right kind of food and exercise.

My dream eventually became a reality in October of this year when I registered for the NEWSTART® Lifestyle Program. From the moment I entered the facility I felt confident that this was an answer to prayer. I started learning the importance of exercise, proper nutrition, fresh air and rest. I am also being taught how to prepare these meals so that I will be able to do this by myself at home. I feel pampered with the hydrotherapy, massages and personal attention, visits to the doctors and the interest displayed in my recovery to good health.

After only 11 days at NEWSTART my blood pressure was already lower – and without medication! I have gotten to like the food which was totally new to me and I have been surprised, because the food, which is the key to all these illnesses, coupled with the benefits of exercise has totally turned my life around. I am still working on getting the blood pressure to normal levels after 32 years of medication.

NEWSTART® is really a new start for me for the rest of my life and with the help of God, I plan to continue this lifestyle. My life is completely changed and TO GOD BE THE GLORY.

“A cruise aboard ship couldn’t be better than my experience here at NEWSTART®. I feel so good after just one week! The food is marvelous and guilt free and the hydrotherapy and massage has been so relaxing. I sleep at night and awaken with more energy and I’m gaining strength. We have made new friends and have enjoyed hiking and going on picnics with them. The care we receive is genuine because the staff care about us and even pray for us. The most exciting thing is how my husband David’s blood pressure and cholesterol has dropped to normal without medication!”

David Rollans

“My experience here NEWSTART® has been a wonderful blessing. I came just in time because when I came my heart wasn’t getting enough blood. Now I praise God I’m not having the same amount of angina that I had before. My blood pressure has dropped over fifteen points and I have been taken off my cholesterol medication. I’ve lost three pounds and I feel wonderful. Now when I sleep I wake up rested. I haven’t felt this good in years. I can’t praise the Lord enough!”