Bircher-Benner Manual for diabetics

Dr. med. Andres Bircher grandson of Dr.med. Maximilian Bircher-Benner. Medical studies in Zürich and Geneva, ten years practice as a hospital physician in anaesthesiology, intensive care, emergency medicine, surgery, paediatrics, psychosomatics, haematology, geriatrics, psychiatry and psychotherapy, medical specialist(Facharzt) in an administrative position at Zürich university hospitals, teaching analysis with Brian Kenny, chief physician (Chefarzt) of a hospital for internal medicine in Zurich and later in Western Switzerland, medical specialist (Facharzt) in TCM and acupuncturist in Vienna; studies of neural therapy, manual therapy and traditional homeopathy, successful completion of medical specialist (Facharzt) training in balneology, climatology and physical medicine in Germany, scientific work on food energies, dietetics and the effects of regulatory medicine. Dr. med. Andres Bircher is the medical manager of the Centre for Scientific Natural Medicine Bircher-Benner.

Preface 7
The nature of diabetes (diabetes mellitus) 9
The warning signs for diabetes mellitus 9
The blood glucose level 9
The standard value of the blood glucose level 10
Measuring the blood glucose level 11
The glucose tolerance test (oGTT) 11
Regulation of the blood glucose level 12
Correction of an excessive glucose level in the blood 13
Glucose utilisation in the mitochondria of the cells 13
Correction of insufficient blood sugar levels 14
The effect of stress on the blood glucose level 14
Sugar excretion in urine 14
Excretion of ketone bodies in the urine 15
Different types of diabetes mellitus 16
Type 1 diabetes mellitus 17
The causes of type 1 diabetes 17
The processes in type 1 diabetes 19
The clinical symptoms of type 1 diabetes 19
Type 2 diabetes mellitus 21
Generally accepted partial causes of type 2 diabetes 21
Genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes 21
Other partial causes due to lifestyle 22
Illness, wound healing, physical stress and lack of movement 22
Sugar metabolism and arteriosclerosis 22
Glycaemic index and glycaemic charge 24
The Glycaemic Index (GI) 24
The glycaemic load (GL) 24
Secondary diseases of diabetes mellitus 25
The physical damage from sugar 25
Exogenous glycation 25
Endogenous glycation 26
Endothelial dysfunction and arteriosclerosis 27
Late consequences of diabetes mellitus in the cardiovascular system 29
High blood pressure and diabetes 29
Diabetes and arteriosclerosis 29
Diabetic foot syndrome 29
Oxidative stress at the centre of the causes of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia 31
Diabetic polyneuropathy 33
Diabetic retinopathy 34
Diabetic maculopathy 35
Conventional treatment of retinopathy 35
Surgical treatment of diabetic retinopathy 35
Diabetic nephropathy 36
Generally accepted risk factors for diabetic nephropathy 37
The stages of diabetic nephropathy (according to Mogensen) 37
Gestational diabetes 39
The following risk factors are generally recognised 39
Pregnancy with diabetic nephropathy 40
Medical treatment of diabetes mellitus 41
Insulin therapy 41
Types of insulin 41
Methods of insulin injection 43
Forms of insulin therapy 43
Therapy protocol 44
Insulin therapy at shift work or irregular daily rhythm 44
Inexplicable blood sugar fluctuations 45
Insulin therapy for type 2 diabetes 45
Basal supported oral therapy (BOT) 45
Treatment with the insulin pump 45
The basis-bolus principle 46
The insulin pump with hybrid closed loop system 46
Adjusting the insulin pump 46
Sensor-supported pump therapy (SuP) 47
Treatment of Diabetes type 1 and generally accepted treatment targets 48
Treatment of type 2 diabetes 49
Quitting smoking as part of the basic treatment for diabetes mellitus 49
Diabetes and alcohol 50
Coffee and diabetes mellitus 50
Treatment of type 2 diabetes according to the guidelines of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Diabetes 52
Tables for ideal weight 54
The ideal weight of adult men 54
The ideal weight of adult women 55
The problem of food energy 56
Diabetes medicines (antidiabetics), effect and side effects 57
Non-insulinotropic antidiabetics 57
Insulinotropic antidiabetics 58
On insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes 58
Hypoglycaemia 58
Treatment of hypoglycaemia 59
Order therapy for diabetes mellitus 60
Two kinds of food energy 60
The basic regulation system of the soft connective tissue 61
The meaning of food economy 61
The integral law of nutrition 63
Vibrancy of food 63
Secondary plant substances (phytochemicals) with an antidiabetic effect 63
The mineral metabolism in diabetes mellitus 64
Medicinal herbs for treating diabetes 64
The meaning of movement 65
General directives for order therapy for diabetes 66
Regarding the diet 66
Quantity of food 68
Principles of the Bircher-Benner diet and order therapy for diabetics 68
Life order and body training 70
Hygiene 70
Water applications, stimulation of the circulation, air, light and sun 71
Psychological support 71
SHORT SUMMARY 73
Eleven basic rules 73
THE BIRCHER-BENNER DIABETES DIET 75
General information 75
DIET RECIPES FOR DIABETICS 75
General information 75
Bread units and their calculation 75
The carbohydrate unit 76
Sugar in the diet 76
Recipe section 77
Recipes for fresh plant-based foods (raw food) 77
The Bircher muesli 77
Raw vegetables and salads 79
Dressings for raw vegetables and salads 81
Sauerkraut 83
Fresh cereals 83
Fresh juices 84
Plant milk types 85
Hot food 87
Butter, health-food store vegetable fats and oils 87
Soups 88
Soup add-ins 89
Vegetables 96
Salads of cooked vegetables 112
Sandwiches 115
Potato dishes 116
Cereal Dishes 121
Rice dishes 121
Other cereal dishes 124
Sauces 128
Desserts 131
Teas 136
Annex and tables for the diabetes diet 137
Fresh juice day 137
MENUS by season 138
Note on menu design 138
Winter menus 138
Spring menus 140
Summer menus 142
Autumn menus 143
Calculated daily menus for the diabetes diet (1200–2100 K) 144
Table of glycaemic index and glycaemic charge 155
List of recipes 159
Literature 159

The Bircher-Benner diet has tremendous healing value.
This is why doctors, nutritionists and dieticians use our Bircher-Benner diet books.

Editorial reviews:
Prof. Dr.med. Halden, Graz, M.D.:
“I think the books are excellent. In addition to many spa plans, recipes and meal plans for a helpful and tasty diet, tried-and-tested instructions for a protective and uplifting lifestyle are also provided, which promote the understanding of the medical prescriptions.

Dr. med. Klimcyk , M.D. in the German Medical Journal:
"It saves a lot of time for the doctor and is very helpful to the patient."

Prof. Dr.med. K. Kötschau, Schlossberg, M.D. near Rosenheim:
“These books rank above all medicine, because they give you the chance to prevent almost every illness, and indeed some illnesses. That is my medical conviction, which I have come across in decades of working in preventive health care."

Dr. med. W.Matzke, M.D. in the Austrian Medical Journal:
“Everything is thought of and everything is well thought out. This is the special value of this diet book series. Every doctor should recommend it to their patients. "

Dr. med. J. V. Mengershausen, Bayrischzell, M.D.:
“Max Bircher-Benner was the leading pioneer of this natural diet and lifestyle. The series of Bircher-Benner Manuals for the most important disease groups has emerged from the wide and long-standing experience of his famous clinic, which can be highly recommended to anyone seeking healing. ”

Prof. Dr. med. Mommsen, Frankfurt / M ., M.D.:
“These books are a valuable aid for every doctor in the management of their patients. They show the sick and the person at risk of illness how they can regain health and resistance through proper nutrition. The reader will be amazed to see how varied a diet can be. It is not necessary to give up the joys of good meals. I wish the books the broadest distribution and I am convinced that our hospitals' susceptibility to illness and the resulting high occupancy rates could be significantly reduced if the nutritional advice of the Bircher-Benner diet books were followed by the majority of our population.”



Dr. med. Schoeler, M.D. in the general Homeopathic newspaper:
"It is most convenient for doctors and patients and the most reliable for success to use these inexpensive and practical diet books."


Prof. Dr..med. H. Warning, Saarbrücken, M.D.:
“Since the existence of this diet book series, many related authors have been trying to bring something equivalent and comprehensive to the diet book market that is equally practical for the dietetically informed professional and the general public. As far as I can see, this has so far been only partially successful. So the Bircher-Benner diet book series is marching at the top of its genre as before. ”
Dr. med. J. Zinke, M.D. "Classic Homeopathy":
“The diet books of the Bircher-Benner probably represent the best that is currently on the market in this genre. They save a lot of time for the attending doctor and are extremely valuable help for the patient. ”

This book is based on vast experience in the treatment of people suffering from diabetes mellitus. Since Dr. med. Maximilian Bircher-Benner discovered the immense healing effect of a strict plant-based fresh-food diet and an orderly lifestyle, the Bircher-Benner Klinik, today called the Bircher-Benner Medical Centre, has healed thousands of people suffering from type 2 diabetes and whose lives were threatened by the numerous secondary diseases and complications. In its typical commercial activity, the pharmaceutical industry is providing us with medicines and sophisticated injection devices for self-injection of insulin produced by genetic engineering. These usually permit partial control of the blood sugar level. However, it is clear from the enormous increase in frequency and prevalence of this disease since the end of World War II that diabetes treatment according to the current paradigm of medical science neither heals nor prevents the disease. The causes of diabetes mellitus and the effects of a “modern” lifestyle and nutrition on the metabolism and the matrix of the soft connective tissue have been thoroughly researched, yet they are barely considered in “modern” diabetes treatment. Medical treatment does not tackle the source. It only fights the symptom: “sugar level”. Therefore, the disease turns chronic, appears earlier in life and occurs more frequently. The costs for treatment of diabetes and its consequences comprise 20% of the total “healthcare costs” in industrialised countries today. Diabetes has become widespread in all areas of western civilisation. It is also referred to as an “epidemic of the 20th century”. In 1980, 153 million people were suffering from diabetes mellitus. In 2013, the number had grown to 382 million, or 8.3% of the world population. Prognostic estimates have to be continually revised upwards. Only one-third of this increase can be explained by an ageing population, which itself is not due to improved health but mostly to reduced death rates in infancy and to better accident prevention. Only a small contribution is made by life-saving surgeries and medicines. Severe secondary diseases can be delayed slightly by the pharmacological treatment of diabetes mellitus that is common today. Nevertheless, the disease continually progresses until severe consequences occur. This forces us to recognise that the “modern” diabetology has at least partially failed in its task of preventing and healing this disease. The generally widespread inappropriate diet attacks the fine structures of the soft connective tissue, and the fine capillaries integrated in it, with metabolic slags [translator’s note: “slags” are acids and toxins neutralised by minerals and trace elements, and deposited in the body] and inflammation of the intercellular substance. The molecular transport paths are blocked, and the insulin slowly loses its effect on the receptors in the cell membranes. The cells become resistant to insulin while insulin production increases. The islet cells of the pancreas can compensate for this for a long time, until they become exhausted and die. The fine structures of the cells and intercellular spaces and the vascular walls are slowly destroyed. The intercellular substance of the liver fills up with metabolic slags as well. Cholesterol is no longer able to reach the liver cells easily. They incorrectly measure low cholesterol values and increase cholesterol production. The interference with the sugar metabolism leads to high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis. Heart attacks and strokes threaten, as does death of limbs due to occlusions of the arteries in the legs. The fine structures in the eyes are also attacked, eventually leading to blindness from glaucoma, retinopathy and macular degeneration. The fine structures of the nerve sheaths are also affected, causing sensitivity issues and paralysis (diabetic neuropathy). Storage of degenerative proteins (amyloids) causes the capillary loops of the kidneys to thicken until they fail (diabetic nephropathy). Vascular occlusions and depositing of degenerative proteins (amyloids) in the intercellular substance of the brain puts patients with diabetes in danger of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease early on. Diabetes is not a single separate disease. It is part of the entire degenerative process of civilisation diseases. Only very rarely does it develop as part of a disease that cannot be healed. Diabetes mellitus, by far the most common type 2, is usually the consequence of a nutrition and lifestyle at odds with the natural condition of our biological system. Starting dietary treatment early enough can reliably prevent and heal diabetes mellitus of the much more common type 2, even where there is a genetic predisposition. Bircher-Benner's findings have been continually supplemented and reviewed by scientific examinations. They are continually confirmed, in particular very recently. This book explains carefully and yet comprehensibly the causes and nature of diabetes. It provides the reader with all knowledge needed to let him actively contribute to healing. True healing is not possible without a basic deepening of knowledge about the sense of life, the meaning of diseases, the orders of life, and the relationship to work, society, the self and the people with whom we share our lives. The beginning of this path is the great question of responsibility towards others and oneself. It is a path that will be worth taking, and will be the basis of the path to healing diabetes mellitus. For the treating physician, this book is a great time saver and a valuable aid in guiding and supporting his patients. Dr. med. Andres Bircher

This book is based on vast experience in the treatment of people suffering from diabetes mellitus. Since Dr. med. Maximilian Bircher-Benner discovered the immense healing effect of a strict plant-based fresh-food diet and an orderly lifestyle, the Bircher-Benner Klinik, today called the Bircher-Benner Medical Centre, has healed thousands of people suffering from type 2 diabetes and whose lives were threatened by the numerous secondary diseases and complications. In its typical commercial activity, the pharmaceutical industry is providing us with medicines and sophisticated injection devices for self-injection of insulin produced by genetic engineering. These usually permit partial control of the blood sugar level. However, it is clear from the enormous increase in frequency and prevalence of this disease since the end of World War II that diabetes treatment according to the current paradigm of medical science neither heals nor prevents the disease. The causes of diabetes mellitus and the effects of a "modern" lifestyle and nutrition on the metabolism and the matrix of the soft connective tissue have been thoroughly researched, yet they are barely considered in "modern" diabetes treatment. Medical treatment does not tackle the source. It only fights the symptom: "sugar level". Therefore, the disease turns chronic, appears earlier in life and occurs more frequently. The costs for treatment of diabetes and its consequences comprise 20% of the total "healthcare costs" in industrialised countries today. Diabetes has become widespread in all areas of western civilisation. It is also referred to as an "epidemic of the 20th century".In 1980, 153 million people were suffering from diabetes mellitus. In 2013, the number had grown to 382 million, or 8.3% of the world population. Prognostic estimates have to be continually revised upwards. Only one-third of this increase can be explained by an ageing population, which itself is not due to improved health but mostly to reduced death rates in infancy and to better accident prevention. Only a small contribution is made by life-saving surgeries and medicines. Severe secondary diseases can be delayed slightly by the pharmacological treatment of diabetes mellitus that is common today. Nevertheless, the disease continually progresses until severe consequences occur. This forces us to recognise that the "modern" diabetology has at least partially failed in its task of preventing and healing this disease.The generally widespread inappropriate diet attacks the fine structures of the soft connective tissue, and the fine capillaries integrated in it, with metabolic slags [translator's note: "slags" are acids and toxins neutralised by minerals and trace elements, and deposited in the body] and inflammation of the intercellular substance. The molecular transport paths are blocked, and the insulin slowly loses its effect on the receptors in the cell membranes. The cells become resistant to insulin while insulin production increases. The islet cells of the pancreas can compensate for this for a long time, until they become exhausted and die. The fine structures of the cells and intercellular spaces and the vascular walls are slowly destroyed. The intercellular substance of the liver fills up with metabolic slags as well. Cholesterol is no longer able to reach the liver cells easily. They incorrectly measure low cholesterol values and increase cholesterol production. The interference with the sugar metabolism leads to high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis. Heart attacks and strokes threaten, as does death of limbs due to occlusions of the arteries in the legs. The fine structures in the eyes are also attacked, eventually leading to blindness from glaucoma, retinopathy and macular degeneration. The fine structures of the nerve sheaths are also affected, causing sensitivity issues and paralysis (diabetic neuropathy). Storage of degenerative proteins (amyloids) causes the capillary loops of the kidney