The charges against Doug "Mr. Natural Universe" Burns, who police say resisted arrest and assaulted an officer in April outside a movie theater in downtown Redwood City, were dropped Wednesday by the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Burns, 43, has maintained that he was unaware of his actions during the incident, which the diabetic bodybuilder claims occurred as a result of insulin shock.

But prosecutors had steadfastly refused to drop the charges, claiming Burns needed to provide more medical evidence that he is, in fact, a type 1 diabetic who suffered insulin shock at the time of the incident.

The district attorney's office and Burns' defense attorney had spent the past two months wrangling over the required medical evidence, but the issue began moving quietly toward a resolution two weeks ago, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, after Burns supplied more detailed information of his condition.

Several days ago, prosecutors discussed the evidence with an endocrinologist, and on Wednesday, Wagstaffe dropped the charges, proclaiming "that (Burns) has a valid defense of unconsciousness -- that he was not aware of what he was doing at the time of the conduct.

"We did the right thing today -- we dismissed the charges -- and I think the members of our community can be satisfied that we did handle the situation in a proper manner," Wagstaffe said.

"Obviously, we're very pleased," said defense attorney Micah Jacobs. "It does send a message out to those who are suffering from diabetes that law enforcement will take seriously the issues facing diabetics."

Burns, the reigning winner of the Mr. Natural Universe event, a steroid-free competition for bodybuilders, said Wednesday afternoon that he felt "vindicated" now that he does not have to stand trial for alleged crimes that he only committed unconsciously, if at all.

Burns recalls that he went to see a 7 p.m. movie at the Century 20 movie theater, but a security guard ejected him from the theater lobby, mistaking his insulin shock for an alcohol- ordrug-induced stupor.

Burns, who remembers that he had gone to the lobby to search for popcorn to deal with his insulin shock, was standing in front of the theater when two police officers attempted to prevent him from re- entering the building, according to police reports. The reports state that Burns reportedly "lunged" at an officer and that several police officers were called to forcibly subdue the 207-pound bodybuilder.

Witness statements indicate that Burns struggled with officers during the arrest, but Burns maintains that he was unaware of his actions due to his condition. According to paramedics, who treated Burns at the scene, the bodybuilder's blood sugar was extremely low.

Jacobs has stated that Burns' low blood sugar, documented in the police reports, should have been enough evidence for the district attorney's office never to have pressed charges in the first place.

Only, according to Wagstaffe, "it was necessary to go through this process, because we had police officers who were victims."

One officer suffered "a major shoulder injury" during the incident, while another's finger was slightly cut, said Wagstaffe.

Meanwhile, Jacobs claims that Burns' scuffle with police has caused nerve damage in the bodybuilder's right arm and prevented him from training.

Burns previously said he planned to file a civil suit against the Redwood City Police Department. Now, however, he said he would prefer working with the department to educate officers about diabetes.

"My concern is that this doesn't happen to someone else, and probably the best thing to do would be to try to work in a positive light," he said.

"Suing them is like trying to punish (police) for what they did, and that's not what Doug wants to accomplish," said Amy Tenderich, a Millbrae-based diabetes advocate who edits Diabetesmine.com, a popular blog on the medical condition. "He wants to help prepare and train the authorities to better deal with these situations going forward."

Burns, a board member of the Silicon Valley branch of the American Diabetes Association, said he is talking with the ADA about producing a training video to educate police departments about diabetes-related insulin shock. The Redwood City Police Department, he added, also has been receptive to better preparing its officers about the medical condition and its potential effects.

Wagstaffe applauded Burns' decision to use the incident as an educational opportunity.

"Mr. Burns can take the approach that the police and the officers are ogres ... for what they did, or we could turn this into a positive and bring more community awareness to what diabetes is and what diabetics go through."

Burns, a father of three, expressed gratitude that prosecutors have dropped the charges against him, optimism that international media attention on his case had improved diabetes awareness, and relief that he could finally put this chapter of his life behind him.

Welcome to The Lean Plate Club, hosted by Washington Post health and nutrition writer Sally Squires . Share your tips on healthy recipes, meal plans, sugar alternatives and resisting overeating with other readers.

On Tuesdays at 1 p.m. ET , Sally, who has a master's degree in nutrition from Columbia University, leads a lively discussion for readers looking for new ways to eat smarter and move around more throughout the day. The Lean Plate Club is dedicated to healthy living -- whether you're trying to whittle your waistline or simply maintain it.

We want to hear your tips, strategies, meal plans, successes, setbacks and more. Of course Sally will be happy to answer questions and turn others over to the Club. None of this, however, is a substitute for medical advice.

Squires is a veteran health reporter for The Washington Post. She is co-author of "The Stoplight Diet for Children" and author of the upcoming "Secrets of the Lean Plate Club" (St. Martin's Press; 2006).

Sign up for the free Lean Plate Club e-mail newsletter . The Lean Plate Club column appears weekly in the Washington Post Health section and is nationally syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group .

Welcome to the Lean Plate Club. And Happy Day after July Fourth! I'm reading David McCullough's fine book 1776 and must say it is a wonderful reminder of the gifts that so many have given us in generations before and continue to do so today. So thank you to all of them. But I know, that's not what we're here to talk about so pardon the digression.

If you'd like to subscribe to this free service, just log onto www.leanplateclub@washpost.com. And if you have subscribed and don't receive your copy, please let me know at leanplateclub@washpost.com.

The well-known and oft-used body mass index is one of the topics up for discussion today. As you'll see in today's Health Section, there's a lot of discussion about the BMI leaving some people feeling too secure and others too worried.

In today's LPC e-mail newsletter which should be in your electronic in-boxes now, you'll find more on the BMI, plus plenty of recipes and links to activities that will help keep you moving this summer. Summer is the perfect time of year to try out new eating and exercise habits. So tell us about yours.

Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: SCII), a company in the field of research and development of stem cell transplantation therapy and regenerative medicine, announced today the successful treatment of a stroke patient from the United States with its stem cell transplantation therapy protocol conducted at one of their affiliate clinics in Kiev, Ukraine.

Dr. Rich James, 50, a practicing Chiropractor in New York City, whose left arm and left leg were paralyzed as a result of a stroke that he suffered in February of 2006, had undergone traditional medical treatment available for stroke survivors here in the US with only limited results.

Dr. James said, "I realized that I could live for another thirty years. I did not want to live with the crippling effects of my stroke. Physical therapy and occupational therapy could only do so much in helping me get the function back on my paralyzed side."

Dr. James, after his stroke, became a member of the on-line global stroke survivor support community StrokeNetwork.org and was able to contact Stem Cell Therapy International from the information posted by SCTI on their website with the permission of Steve Mallory, the founder, President and CEO of the StrokeNetwork.

Steve Mallory stated his reasons for creating the StrokeNetwork: "I founded the on-line stroke support network so that we are available to everybody around the world on a 24/7 basis. Our mission is to provide on-line stroke support to all adult stroke survivors and also to stroke caregivers."

Mr. Mallory goes on to say, "In the future, I foresee stem cell transplantation therapy being used by stroke survivors to regain physical improvements on some of the deficits caused by their stroke. The resulting effects will definitely improve their 'quality of life.'"

Calvin Cao, CEO of Stem Cell Therapy International, said, "After his stroke Dr. James was in a wheelchair but could walk short distances with the aid of an AFO and a quad cane. He traveled to our affiliate clinic in Kiev and received stem cell transplantation therapy as well as physical and massage therapy. At six weeks post treatment, Dr. James can walk without any aids and at four months post treatment he is now able to take the NY subway on his own to get around."

Mr. Cao said, "Dr. James has been posting a blog journal about his experience in having the stroke and the support of the members of the StrokeNetwork and Stem Cell Therapy International. We invite everyone to log on to our website at www.scticorp.com , click on the 'In The Spotlight' section and read the comments from Dr. James about his continuing recovery from his stroke after stem cell transplantation therapy."

Stem cell transplantation therapy is a field of medicine, which uses techniques and technologies that rely on replacing diseased, damaged or dysfunctional cells with healthy, functioning ones. The SCTI proprietary therapy is similar to the process of organ transplantation, only the treatment consists of the transplantation of stem cells into the body rather than entire organs, thus eliminating any chance of rejection or the need for expensive and potentially dangerous immunosuppression drug therapy. These new techniques are being applied to finding a cure for a wide range of human disorders in SCTI affiliated medical facilities outside of the United States.

With the enactment of Proposition 71 in California in November 2004, a fund of $3 billion was created to fund stem cell research. Since then a number of other states such as New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois and Wisconsin, have allocated funds for additional stem cell research in the US.

Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. is engaged in the field of regenerative medicine. This includes ongoing research, development and the treatment of patients with stem cell transplantation therapy. SCTI manufactures the stem cell biological solutions that is currently being used in the treatment of patients suffering from degenerative disorders of the human body such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease, ALS, leukemia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, spinal cord injuries, brain injury, stroke, heart disease, liver and retinal disease, diabetes as well as certain types of cancer. The Company has established license agreements with highly specialized, professional medical treatment facilities around the world in locations where stem cell transplantation therapy is approved by the appropriate local government agencies. SCTI plans to provide these stem cell biological solutions to universities, institutes and privately funded laboratory facilities in the United States for research purposes and clinical trials. Its products, which are available now for treatment, include various stem cell biological solutions which contain human stem cells, low-molecular proteins and human growth factor hormones.

This report includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The information in this news release includes certain forward-looking statements that are based upon assumptions that in the future may prove not to have been accurate and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including statements as to the future performance of the company. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations or any of its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to, successful performance of internal plans, product development acceptance, and the impact of competitive services and pricing and general economic risks and uncertainties.