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Lawyer Mike Berns had a difficult decision to make after he passed
his bar exam. It wasn’t a decision about where to practice
law, but rather a decision about whether he could practice law.
Mike has Type I diabetes, which means he must take a daily insulin
injection. Just as he was about to finish his bar exams, Mike’s
diabetes began to affect his vision.
Throughout his life, Mike had learned to deal with the symptoms
of his condition. His childhood friends called him "Mr. Lifesavers"
after the candy he kept in his pocket. He was involved in sports,
which helped him manage his blood sugar levels. Mike was accustomed
to living with his disease, but he felt shocked when his condition
worsened. When he was in college, Mike awoke one morning seeing
red. He says, "everything I saw out of that one eye I saw red
. . . turns out there were blood vessels rupturing in there."
This experience began Mike’s battle with his deteriorating
vision. He visited many specialists and underwent surgery to prevent
his retina from becoming detached. Although his eyesight improved
slightly, he was left with double vision. The hectic life of a law
student prevented Mike from taking good care of himself. He says,
"numerous times going from one court to the next, grabbing
a chocolate bar, maybe some milk . . . the sugars were going a little
out of range." Mike’s eyesight wasn’t getting any
better, and he was looking for new kinds of treatment.
He met Cheryl Ivaniski, a wellness practitioner specializing in
diabetes treatment, at a health show. Within forty-five minutes,
she changed many of Mike’s ideas about his diet. She says,
"Michael had poor digestion and wasn’t able to assimilate
the foods that he was eating. He’s found that combining vegetables
with proteins and eating carbohydrates on their own has made a big
difference." Mike also began to attend acupuncture sessions
in order to stop the deterioration of his vision and to alleviate
jumpiness in his legs. He says, "my treatments have alleviated
some of the aches and pains, that’s quite a relief." Mike
now feels much more energetic, although he realizes that his treatment
is part of an ongoing process. He says, "it’s going to
take time but I’m willing to stay and work on it as long as
it takes."
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Mike
also began to attend acupuncture sessions in order to stop the deterioration
of his vision and to alleviate jumpiness in his legs.
"It’s going to take time
but I’m willing to stay and work on it as long as it takes."
-- Mike Berns
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