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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Diabetes Management and Care

Diabetes Management and Care are important issues that the diabetics are faced with every day so it is great to be reminded by this monthly feature of the Doctor is In: Health 101. This time the columnist is Dr. Fred Dolgin who gave us a rundown on the rising statistics on diabetes and the complications associated with it.

The doctor also shed some light on the history of diabetes which is covered in details there. The significant thing though is what the doctor said that without important changes in physical activity and nutrition, approximately one-third of the American adults could have diabetes by 2050.

Dr. Fred Dolgin also let us know of the different types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes known as juvenile onset diabetes happens when the beta islet cells are destroyed by the immune system resulting in the absence of insulin. Long time ago, this was a death sentence. Thank goodness Dr. Fredeick Bunting discovered insulin which became a life saver for millions of people.

Lives were saved then by insulin that was purified from beef and later on by pork pancreas. Now it is much easier to administer insulin with the technological advances. Synthetic can now be administered through implantable pumps. There are also insulin pens with tiny needles that can adequately make the job easier.

Type 2 diabetes used to be known as adult onset diabetes. At the start their beta cells still produce insulin but this progressively declines making the blood glucose levels rise. Oral medication can still do the job of making the the blood glucose tow the line but eventually with age, insulin resistance increases. At this point, I like what Dr. Dolgin said that the cause of type 2 diabetes is most preventable, it being obesity.

Genetic factors play a role in diabetes. It runs in families so some of us have to work harder to keep diabetes at bay. The good news is that it can be prevented. This has been said many times, in many ways before, that they are coming out of my ears. Don't get me wrong though because I don't get tired hearing them over and over again. Why? Because this is our lifeblood.

Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes In contrast to the long ago starvation threat against the survival of the human race, nowadays the threat is over consumption most especially of sweet food. Corn was exponentially produced starting in the 1970s leading to the use of cheap high fructose corn syrup. Add to this the lower physical activity or the lack thereof and you have obesity which makes one vulnerable to develop diabetes.

Knowing this makes the solution simple. To prevent type 2 diabetes therefore, we should eat healthy meal plans that include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and fiber and move more. Drink less high calorie drinks and you may find yourself avoiding the dreaded diabetes and its concomitant complications.

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