The Rise of Lazarus

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Updated on November 12, 2013

Does a Primal lifestyle help with type 1 diabetes? Today it is my pleasure to share with you the sixteen year journey of Dr. Lazarus.

If you have your own Primal Blueprint success story and you’d like to share it with me and the MDA community please feel free to contact me here. Have a wonderful Friday, everyone, and thanks for reading!

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Mark,

My name is Ryan Lazarus and I have an incredible story. Sixteen years ago, at the age of eighteen, I crushed two of my organs in a serious sports accident. I had emergency surgery to remove my spleen and 60% of my pancreas. After a prolonged stay in the hospital, my athletic 160 pound frame was transformed into a feeble 120 pound skeleton who struggled just to get out of bed. After I was released, I participated in 3 months of intensive physical rehabilitation to regain my weight and treat the 8 inch incision scar in my abdomen. My life had been transformed in the blink of an eye.

I returned to my medical doctor and surgeon for advice on how to regain my health. I was quite optimistic for proper guidance regarding my diet and lifestyle due to my rare circumstances. I was told that everything should be fine so just keep eating what you’ve been eating. They also mentioned I might get sick a bit more so make sure I’m vaccinated regularly. So, having faith in the expertise of these medical professionals – I did just that.

I lived like the majority of Americans following the conventional wisdom of being healthy. I was eating the standard American diet rich in grains and processed refined carbohydrates. I avoided the “unhealthy fats” and minimized my meat consumption to protect my heart. I made sure I was getting my intense cardio in 4-5 times per week to train my heart and maintain my figure. I became an impressive “sugar burning machine” and appeared to be in decent shape.

Unfortunately, I was wreaking havoc on my insides and was slowly eating away at the 40% remainder of my pancreas. All the refined grains and hidden sugars – the ones recommended as the “Staff of Life” of the American diet – eventually caused my downfall. I became a Type I (insulin dependent) diabetic and was required to begin injecting insulin to maintain my blood sugar levels. My psyche had hit an all-time low as I was transformed from a vibrant young boy to an unhealthy, insulin injecting, pill popping young man who struggled with finding energy for my everyday tasks. Nearly every day I suffered with high and low blood sugar, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, GI distress, abdominal discomfort, GERD, jittery symptoms and heart palpitations.

I had hit rock bottom when I finally decided to take my health into my own hands. Over the past 10 years I have been on a journey to improve my health without all the drugs and injections. I spent countless hours reading and researching ways to restore my health naturally. My passion and hunger for the truth of achieving optimal health was relentless. I received my degree in kinesiology and furthered my training as a Chiropractic Doctor specializing in Nutrition. I was introduced to The Primal Blueprint by a friend and picked it up that evening. I could not put it down and completed the book the next day. It was an accurate, well-designed summary of the facts and myths regarding the history of man and his well being.

The Primal principals outlined in your book made a “life-changing” impact on my health. I cut all the grains and the sugar. I now consume countless amounts of healthy fats and quality protein. I move slowly with frequent, moderate sustained efforts and lift heavy things. My current exercise emphasizes functional movements like Grok once used. I now live a lifestyle that will enhance my genetic destiny and will remove the burden off my remaining pancreas.

Having experienced this dramatic change, I proposed the idea to my Doctor’s to eliminate all meds and injections to assess my pancreas’ ability to function under these Primal conditions. I received heavy skepticism from my medical doctors claiming it was unrealistic and that type of lifestyle is nearly impossible to maintain.

My Doctors were wrong. This lifestyle modification was immediate and dramatic. I am hopping out of bed well rested and excited for the day. I can work and play for 16 hours straight without any physical or mental fatigue. My workouts are highly productive and do not struggle to maintain optimal blood sugar levels. My suppressed immune system is stronger than ever and I have altered my body composition and currently stand proud with 6% body fat. I’m healthy, vibrant and best of all… controlling my diabetes naturally which has previously hindered my life.

After persistent persuasion, I finally convinced the Doctors to allow me to apply the Primal fundamentals with the objective of removing all dependence of insulin injections and medications. After 6 months, the results were nothing short of spectacular. At 9 months, they were so significant that an observational case study was conducted under the supervision of my Endocrinologist and under the observation of a pancreas surgeon. Without going into too much detail, the results were as follows. My fasting glucose dropped from 152 mg/dL to 80 mg/dL and my HbA1c from 6.9% to 6.1%! For the non-diabetics reading this, this is evidence of healing a pancreas using the Primal fundamentals.

The Primal Blueprint was the most powerful book for me because it summarized perfectly the comprehensive approach to health and wellness. It resonated with all the research I had done over the years and was written with a clear and entertaining elegance. I now recommend The Primal Blueprint to all my patients, family and friends and have generated great interest in “going Primal” in the Napa Valley. I currently speak to the Napa community regarding my dramatic results and promote the Primal philosophy. I encourage everybody to embrace Mark Sisson’s Primal movement and implement it as a lifestyle – a lifestyle that facilitates vitality, optimal health and disease prevention.

-Dr. Ryan Lazarus