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No, the pandas don't have diabetes. They eat bamboo, not sugar cane. :) I'M the one who has diabetes, and on this page I share about living with and managing the disease, positive resources for other diabetics and their families, and a list of famous diabetics such as Halle Berry, Nick Jonas and B.B. King. (Lucille isn't diabetic because she's a guitar.) I bring up this subject on my site to offer hope for those who may have recently diagnosed with diabetes and were beside themselves as I was when I found out. It's not the end of the world, and it's not a death sentence. Quite the opposite, it can be the start of a healthier new life if you choose it. |
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> > diabetes for dummies What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the body's ability to properly use insulin, which is produced by the pancreas and converts glucose in the blood stream into energy for the body's cells. Glucose, or blood sugar, is broken down from the food we eat after it's been digested; hence the disease's nicknames "sugar diabetes" or just "sugar". The pancreas may either stop making insulin altogether or the body's ability to use it is severely damaged. Insulin's effect on glucose is like refining crude oil into high-octane gasoline. Everything we eat and drink is like the crude oil; insulin is the refinery that converts it into the gasoline that fuels our body's engine. When diabetes is present, some of the crude oil stays unrefined and useless, and like cruddy deposits in an engine block, it builds up and harms the body instead of feeding it. There are two types of diabetes: type 1 (formerly called juvenile diabetes) and type 2 (formerly called adult-onset diabetes). An estimated 90% of diabetics in the United States are type 2. Type 1 is when the pancreas doesn't make insulin at all. Type 2 is when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or the body's cells ignore the insulin. Diabetes is progressive in nature and can be fatal if not controlled. Complications include heart disease, blindness, nerve damage and kidney damage. Contrary to what some believe and what you might read on other websites, there is no cure for diabetes. Although glucose and insulin levels may normalize for some diabetics without medications through surgery, weight loss, diet, and exercise, it requires lifetime vigilance to manage the disease and keep it from getting worse. It's All About the Carbs, Not the Sugar One of the common misconceptions about diabetes is that those who have it must avoid sugar at all costs, and sugar itself is the culprit. Actually, foods high in starches and carbohydrates raise one's glucose level as much as table sugar, and seemingly healthier foods like corn, white rice and pasta are just as guilty as ice cream and soda pop. Carbs are a basic building block of energy and come from a variety of foods, and by counting the carbs in their daily meals, diabetics can still enjoy some of the same foods everyone else does, just in controlled moderation. Disturbing Stats According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have the disease. Within that large amount, an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, but the other 6.2 million (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they it. But There's Good News Despite that disturbingly large amount of diabetics in this country, the good news is that diabetes does not mean a quick death sentence. There are millions of diabetics who are living long, healthy and fulfilling lives by managing their disease through exercise, healthy eating, regular glucose monitoring and modern medicines, including daily insulin injections when necessary. Some diabetics say that having the disease was actually a blessing in disguise because the changes it forced upon resulted in healthy, positive side effects. The best authority on diabetes is the American Diabetes Association, which has all the latest information on diabetes management and research. > > my life with diabetes On May 8, 2006 I was officially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and joined the club that nobody wants to join but comes with lifetime membership. I have a family history of diabetes on both my mother and father's sides, so I was not surprised that I had it, but I was still shocked by the doctor's news. In the months leading up to diagnosis, I began having what are considered the classic symptoms of diabetes: frequent trips to the bathroom, excessive thirst, voracious appetite for sweets, prickly pear pains in my feet, sluggishness, and waking up in the middle of the night several times to make those frequent trips to the bathroom. I only got the glucose test because I was out of work and there was a free health fair at a nearby hospital offering those tests. When I went for the screening, the nurses' eyes bugged out at my glucose levels. A normal reading is around 100; mine on a 12-hour fast was 295. And they told me not to stress out, either. Diabetes changed my world forever -- but for the better. It forced me to make a sea change in how I take care of myself. Through a doctor-prescribed discipline of diet, exercise and medicines, my glucose levels are within normal range most of the time and I have lost 35 pounds. I have more energy, less stress and appreciate the little things in life a lot more than I used to. Of course, it also means I must avoid a lot of high-carb and high-sugar foods, but what I have recieved in return has been worth the sacrifice. In a strange and ironic way, diabetes has actually been a blessing. Don't ask me to explain it; it just is. And don't take it personally if I politely refuse that Krispy Kreme donut. > > famous diabetics When I first looked online for famous people with diabetes, I was blown away by just how famous they are, and how many of them have shaped all our lives. Most of this information is from AngelaRose.com. The rest is from DiabetesHealth.com, the American Diabetes Association and of course, those TV commercials for OneTouch diabetic products.
©2009 by Rich Rodriguez |
What? Diabetes in Pandapolis?