Leonard at Large

Diabetes: it does not go away

Recently, I passed the sixth anniversary since my physician told me that I am diabetic. Learning that I am diabetic has affected my lifestyle in many ways.

I am fortunate to know that I am diabetic and I was fortunate not to have it when I was young.

It has been a while since I have discussed this subject, which is of special interest to many readers who either have the disease or know someone who does.

A continued concern that there are many people who have diabetes and do not know it.

There are nearly as many pre-diabetics as there are diabetics.

Many of these people can prevent the disease by changing their lifestyles now, by doing things such as watching the diet, stopping smoking, exercising, and in many cases, reducing weight.

Constantly, I hear about different individuals being diagnose with diabetes, a deadly disease.

For example, I heard about a young guy finding out that he had diabetes. He had not been feeling well, drinking a lot of fluids, and lost weight.

So, uring a visit to the doctor, health professionals performed a glucose blood check and it was over 500 -- the desirable level is between about 70 to 120. He is fortunate to find out what his illness is. Now, he is taking steps to get his diabetes under control. Still, it will be several weeks before he cans see an endocrinologist.

Another example is a guy who's approximately 50 years of age. I was talking to his mother, and she told me that he now has diabetes. He was rather heavy and was tired. His physician found that he is a diabetic.

I am always sorry to hear about someone being diabetic.

A person with diabetes can have a full life if the diabetes is kept under control.

The challenge is to eat properly, to take the needed medication, exercise and to get the proper amount of sleep. This is a disease that will not go away.

Perhaps sometime in the future there will be a cure -- that will be a special blessing indeed.

Without a cure and without keeping it under control, diabetes can cause many complications, including death. It is a progressive disease. Even when those with diabetes do every thing possible to keep it under control, it generally will eventually get worst.

I've made an attempt to learn as much about the disease as I can and what is needed to keep it under control. I belong to the American Diabetes Association. I do not always agree with some of the foods that they recommend. Nevertheless, I think it is an organization that everyone should join. I try to read their publication and I get two weekly newsletters from them on the Internet. Sometimes, I go to their Web site for information.

Sammy Gabriel has type l diabetes. He was raised near Hennessee, Okla., and now lives in Texas. I have some cousins who were raised in the same community. One of them introduced me to what he is doing on the Internet and I was able to get on his list.

I do not know how he does it, but at least once or twice a day, Sammy searches the Internet to get the latest information on diabetes. Some of it has been there only a few minutes and other information has been there only a few hours. He gives a brief summary of the articles. Then, if a person wants additional information, by a click of a mouse the entire article is available and can be printed.

This method of getting information has been helpful -- but it's sometimes hard to keep up with it. However, almost anything can be printed in a paper or placed on the Internet. Much of the information is good and solid information, but some of it is not. You have to consider many things before accepting some of the information. I am fortunate to have gotten on Sammy's list for the information he sends.

It seems that the more information one obtains on diabetes, the less a person knows. I know that is not true, but by obtaining information, a person realizes that there is much more to learn. Some of it is conflicting information.

There are many indications that one of the factors for contracting diabetes is obesity. There continues to be an increase in number of people with diabetes and there continues to be a great amount of obesity. A big factor is the lack of exercise.

There are also far too many children who are obese. Many of these children are not getting enough exercise. I should say they are not getting any exercise. This is true of adults, also.

Sorry, but sometimes I cannot help being judgmental. The other day I saw an obese guy, maybe about 30 years old or so at a grocery store with products in his cart. He had a large amount of soda pop and junk food, including potato chips. My thinking when I saw this was no wonder he is obese. He apparently is not doing anything to correct his condition. He could easily be a pre-diabetic, if he isn't already a diabetic knowing it..

I am convinced that too many people drink too much soda. Each can has approximately equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar.

Many of our children are drinking to much soda and sugar-added fruit cocktails. My opinion that this is a factor for obesity.

This is verified by a study by Harvard monitoring 52,000 nurses found that there was a link between drinking regular soda and greater weight gain and risk of type 2 diabetes.

Still, there is an article by www.junkscience.com on the Canada Free Press which says that the soda-diabetes link was a scientifically flawed. According to this article it wasn't the soda alone that contributed to the weight gain and diabetes, but the condition was more complex and there were other factors involved.

This often happens. One study will come up with something and other studies or articles differ with it.

Gets confusing doesn't it? Still, it is good to get the information and study it.