A United Kingdom woman's death by diabetes made the news recently. But empathy had no place in the story. Instead, she was recorded as having died of natural causes, yet also convicted of her own murder.

The point of the story, which was reported nearly six months after she was found dead in her home, appears to be the fact that her boyfriend was found not to be responsible for her death. The death was originally ruled suspicious because the 41-year-old woman who lived alone was found partially disrobed in her home. Turns out, the boyfriend didn't kill her, but saw her dead through a window and decided to rob her. That's not all he did. He paved the way for her to be publicly ridiculed for struggling with a chronic illness and ultimately dying from it.

A coroner's examination "revealed that due to diabetes and a lack of its treatment, she had a chemical imbalance in her blood" and that she "failed to co-operate with doctors who advised her about how to control the condition" and then died "after she let her diabetes get out of control." The coroner recorded that the woman died of diabetic ketoacidosis, apparently considered a "natural cause."

Type 1 is not 'juvenile diabetes' anymore. It can strike during the adult years. My brother is the only one who got type 1 as a juvenile, my other brother and both my parents developed type 1 as adults. Undiagnosed type 1 diabetes is dangerous. In a previous post, I shared how quickly my brother deteriorated from undiagnosed type 1, but my mom's stubbornness got him diagnosed. The following news story just made me feel sad.

Doctors make mistakes, but this one cost the life of Adam Bell, 34, of Watford, England. Mr. Bell had typical symptoms of undiagnosed type 1 diabetes -- the thirst, weakness, repeated vomiting, hallucination, hyperventilation, faintness, and rapid pulse. He was so weak he could not make the two-minute walk to his doctor. So his doctor came to him.

Dr. Paul Davis missed it. During a 15-minute examination he diagnosed a viral infection and anxiety. No blood or urine test was administered. Mr. Bell died 48 hours later of ketoacidosis. This story is especially devastating for his five-year partner, Helen Rowe. She had been on vacation at the time, phoning in to see how Adam was feeling. His body was discovered after Ms. Rowe called her mother to check on him.

When TIME magazine does a piece on your plight - it's definitely gaining public interest. The fact that 1 in 3 people affected by Type 1 diabetes manipulate their insulin to lose weight is an eye-opening statistic. This lethal coping mechanism is termed diabulemia and a major national TV show is seeking diabulmics for a "sensitive, accurate portrayal of the condition" - at least that is what they told me.

I volunteered myself for the interview. I've struggled with diabulemia for the past 15 years until I did something a doctor would NEVER recommend. I called the station back - it was CNN. I divulged what a day in the life was like when I practiced diabulemia -- and I was good at it! When I told the interviewer that I noticed a world of difference when I changed my insulin from human synthetic to natural animal, she was surprised (so was my doctor). The key to mitigating my angst with insulin was getting the message to my brain at the same time the rest of my body was getting the glucose. This is less effective in newer insulin analogues. Big Pharma does not profit by selling natural vertebrate insulin even if it is better for hormonal response in suppressing appetite and preventing your body from entering ketoacidosis (DKA). Big Pharma profits if they own the patent for the specific insulin analogue you use. In my land of milk and honey - I realized Big Pharma is not my mom, not my dad and not my best friend. Big Pharma is not personal -- Big Pharma is business. So I took my business elsewhere because I didn't like the way Big Pharma was handling my business.

I don't mind explaining my abusive relationship with insulin if it helps anybody struggling with diabulemia. It's a shameful thing but it doesn't have to be. It's controversial but it's all true. For those of you considering your 15 minutes for diabulemia -- don't be concerned about your privacy. The TV show is planning to shoot the interview in shadow. If you wish to learn more about contributing to this documentary, please see The Sugar Shock.

A recent study found an anti-obesity effect in a variety of squashes and pumpkins.

Over an eight-week trial, mice were fed a high-fat diet and supplemented with PG105, a water soluble derivative of the Cucurbita moschata. Their body weight and fat storage was successfully suppressed with PG105. The overall amount of food intake was not affected. Furthermore, PG105 protected the development of fatty liver and increased the hepatic beta-oxidation activity. Results from blood analysis showed that the levels of triglyceride and cholesterol were significantly lowered by PG105 administration, and also that the level of leptin (excreted by fat cells) was reduced. Adiponectin, the modulator of a number of metabolic processes, including glucose regulation and fatty acid catabolism, was increased.

This remarkable effect on fat metabolism was made possible by the decreased abilities of lipogenic genes (fat-producing) while simultaneously kicking up the lipolytic genes (fat-burning). Since this affected the beta-oxidation of fatty acids, it would presumably create a rise in ketones. If the body can maintain normal blood glucose while producing all these ketones, this might demand consideration that ketosis is not only safe for diabetics, but healthy. I'm anxious to see further research.

For thousands of years, Ayurveda has used meshashringi as a treatment for adult-onset diabetes, a condition once described as "honey urine". Meshashringi is a climbing plant that grows in the tropical forests of India and could be just the thing to combat high blood sugar.

Thousands of years ago, type 2 diabetes was treated with meshashringi. The plant's sugar-destroying property was released when a person chewed on one or two leaves. Meshashringi was said to "paralyse" a person's tongue to sweet and bitter tastes. This taste-blocking reaction lasted for several hours. Meshashringi blocked sugar in the digestive system, resulting in a decrease in blood sugar. This is known as a hypoglycemic effect. This action has been studied since the late 1930s.

Recent studies have shown that meshashringi helped control blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin release from the beta cells. Meshashringi enhanced natural insulin production, which was evidenced by an increase in levels of C-peptide. C-peptide is the connecting peptide that is found along the amino acid chains in natural insulin (insulin produced in the islets). When insulin is cleaved apart, the connecting peptide disengages and floats off to preserve and protect the body's cells from microvascular damage resulting in diabetic complications like blindness, kidney disease, and neuropathy.

Another study found that 400 mg a day of meshashringi produced similar results for non insulin-dependent diabetics. Fasting blood glucose, A1c and glycosylated plasma protein were significantly reduced compared to baseline values after 18-20 months of treatment. By the end of the treatment period, cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and free fatty acid levels were also significantly reduced. It is possible that the blood sugar lowering effects of meshashringi are mediated through their cortisol inhibiting potency. Clinical trials have recorded the benefits of meshashringi in diabetic patients where 400 mg a day reduced insulini requirements by about 50% in insulin-dependent diabetics.

Hello? Did that study say I might be able to cut my daily insulin requirements in HALF? Where on Earth (besides the Saharan terrain of Africa and the jungles of India) can I find this green Goddess? Somebody clear the fog in my head - does India even have jungles? I'm not a Globe-trotter (not yet, anyway). Irrational fear of turbulance.