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Juvenile or Type 1 diabetes is serious and life long.  Parents, researchers and medical professionals have been looking for ways to limit or overcome the disease for a long time. 

Though there is medication available to control Type 1 diabetes, there is no cure at this time, and no way to reverse the symptoms and side effects more than just somewhat doing so. 

Researchers have been looking at nasal insulin for a while as one means of avoiding or controlling Type 1 diabetes.  Recently, however, there was a study done with nasal insulin and the results were not as promising as researchers had hoped.

The study included 264 children who tested positive for two or more antibodies associated with diabetes.  Blood samples to test for the antibodies were taken 3 to 6 months apart.  In the study, 137 children were given nasal insulin for nearly two years and 127 children were given a placebo.

In the group given the placebo, 53 children eventually developed diabetes.  In the group given the nasal insulin, 56 children eventually developed diabetes.  These results show that the nasal insulin did not delay or offset the development of diabetes in children with genetic risk of the disease, even though the nasal insulin began to be administered very soon after the antibodies pointing to risk and eventual development of Type 1 diabetes were found to be present in these children.

Prerequisites for developing Type 1 diabetes are usually present very early in a child’s life and the development of Type 1 diabetes usually takes place before age 13.   More research will be done to determine whether or not a different type of nasal insulin will at least control Type 1 diabetes.

There is a common misconception that if a person gets diagnosed with diabetes – especially Type 2 diabetes – they can make some changes in diet and lifestyle and not have to begin taking medication that their doctor prescribes.  Depending on your health care professional, in a small number of cases it is possible that medication will not be necessary right away.  This depends on numerous conditions including whether you are pre-diabetic, whether your symptoms can be controlled without medication because they are not severe or have not progressed, or whether there are natural or homeopathic alternatives to help control your symptoms.

The best advice, however, comes directly from your doctor or medical practitioner.  If they tell you to take medication for your condition, you should do so.  If you trust your doctor, you should do what he or she says to do.  If not, you may need to get a second opinion or another doctor.

Years ago, when individuals were found to have Type 2 diabetes, doctors often put them on a specific diabetic diet and a good exercise regimen and helped track their blood sugar levels to see if they were coming down over the period of a few months.  Sometimes this worked and many times it didn’t.  The problem is that we know more now, and research has shown damage that diabetes can do to the body.  The longer the need for insulin, the more potential there is for damage to the body.  Therefore, even with diet and exercise, without medication or insulin injections, the kidneys, eyes, cardiovascular system, nerves and brain could be affected.

Another situation that has been more prevalent most recently is that there are  more children who have Type 2 diabetes.  This was not the case in the past.  If a child is diagnosed with diabetes – especially Type 2 diabetes – they should start their medication immediately if the doctor prescribes it.

This is not to say that diet and exercise are not helpful when it comes to diabetes, because they are.  However, if medication is prescribed, it will help control your symptoms even better when combined with diet and exercise. 

When trying to control your diabetes it is important to think of it in the same terms as you would think of high blood pressure or heart disease.  If your doctor prescribed medication for those conditions you certainly would not delay taking them because of obvious and possibly immediate consequences.  People don’t always realize that the consequences and complications of diabetes may not be immediate, but may very well be just as serious in the long run, so take your medicine!  Now.

If you have diabetes or know someone who does, you probably know that one of the most serious problems resulting from diabetes – especially if the diabetes is out of control, increases in severity or has been a long term issue – is blindness.
This does not happen over night, in fact, it doesn’t always happen.

Diabetes-related retinal damage usually happens gradually over time. If diabetes can be controlled especially if diet is carefully monitored, retinal damage may be limited.  This is an issue that individuals with diabetes must watch carefully.

There is good news that has been discovered regarding help for those who are dealing with diabetes-related retinal damage.  Medical College of Georgia researchers have recently discovered that a painkiller called pentazocine may help the diabetes-related retinal damage that leads to vision loss and possible blindness. 

Dr. Sylvia Smith is co-director of the Vision Discovery Institute at Medical College of Georgia’s Medical Center.  She is also a retinal cell biologist and has stated that “the effects of this drug on retinal health are phenomenal.” 

During the study, Dr. Smith studied retinas of mice and compared retinas treated with pentazocine with those who did not receive the medication.  In her findings she states that the differences were staggering and extremely encouraging.  “The findings strongly suggest that the drug and compounds related to it that bind to the sigma receptor in the eye may help treat the two leading causes of vision loss – diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.”  

Dr. Smith also discovered in the study that the medication did not affect the levels of insulin in the body.  She notes, however, that “just because one happens to have diabetes or is hyperglycemic, does not mean that they will have diabetic retinopathy.”

More studies by Dr. Smith and her team are being planned including studies on mice without sigma receptors to determine whether or not pentazocine would be effective in mice with other types of retinal disease.

Being clean is something we are all taught from the time we can barely walk.  In fact, they invented those little wooden stools just to make sure that wee little kids could reach the sink in the bathroom to wash their hands – with soap!

Now, it seems, that we don’t have to push our own children to be quite as meticulous as our parents pushed us to be.  The reason is astounding but somewhat logical.

Researchers have studied “good” bacteria and “bad” bacteria for years, and a new study in Britain has just revealed that a lack of exposure to bacteria and viruses during childhood may lead to high blood sugar and related diseases, such as diabetes.

In addition, research indicated that children who are exposed to “good” or “friendly” bacteria are often protected from developing Type 1 diabetes as a result.  The tests were done on mice that did not have the part of the immune system that responds to bacteria.  The study reported that 80% of he mice raised in an environment that was completely germ free and lacked all bacteria usually found in the gut – even “good” and “friendly” bacteria – developed severe diabetes.

When the researchers took the same mice and gave them a mix of the bacteria that are usually found in the gut, the number of cases of diabetes fell dramatically.  It is important to understand the relationship between bacteria, our immune system and diabetes, and now that the connection is clear studies will be performed to determine which “good” or “friendly” bacteria have what type of effect, which ones help control Type 1 diabetes and which ones can be used to treat, limit or eliminate Type 1 diabetes. 

Researchers have also made the point that this study does not relate to Type 2 diabetes.  Type 2 diabetes has much more of a link to diet and lifestyle as causes and part of their treatment. 

There are a lot of studies being conducted regarding health issues from diabetes to heart problems to cancer and everything in between.  Most of the studies are conducted on animals before moving on to testing on humans and having clinical trials.

One study being conducted with mice by the Harvard School of Public Health shows a great deal of promise with humans struggling with obesity and the problems that come with it, especially diabetes.  Scientists conducting the study think that they have discovered a new class of hormones in mice that reverse or eliminate obesity.  The main effects of this hormone is said to be reversing or stopping insulin resistance.

If this discovery can be applied to humans, it will help develop treatments for overcoming obesity and as a result dramatically reduce some of the related issues including diabetes and atherosclerosis.  One of the hormones discovered in the mice – palmitoleoate – was able to block the absorption of fat in the liver of the mice and help increase sensitivity to insulin.  It also seems to reduce inflammation which is a strong factor leading to metabolic disease.

The researchers also discovered that even the mice who had a high fat diet were able to be “remarkably resistant” to metabolic diseases like diabetes and heart disease when they showed increased presence of palmitoleoate because the palmitoleoate sends signals to the cells and stimulates the muscles and the liver to improve the functioning of insulin, making it easier for them to absorb essential nutrients, as well. 

Scientists believe that they can possibly help the cells manufacture “good fat” which could help the metabolism and interact with increased palmitoleoate in a healthier way.  More tests and studies will be done, including future tests to see if the results are as promising in people as they are in mice.

Whatever you have to say about Wal Mart, whether it’s good or bad, there is one thing that they have done to help people throughout the country.  Because they are a big enough retailer with a big enough pharmacy network, they started creating savings on medication for people several years ago by implementing their $4 prescription plan for medications that are commonly used and easily found in generic form.

This has been a lifesaver – often literally – for people without insurance and people on limited incomes.  We all know people who use Wal Mart as their main or only pharmacy because they can afford to get the medicines there that they might otherwise have to do without.

Wal Mart has also gone the extra mile when it comes to patient and community education regarding serious health concerns such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

In another move toward helping individuals with diabetes, Wal Mart has lowered the price of the ReliOn brand of diabetes management products to $9 each.  The ReliOn Blood Glucose Meter, Test Strips and Ac1 Tests will all sell for $9 each nationwide, which is a substantial savings over other brands.  The ReliOn brand is available exclusively at Wal Mart and it is part of Wal Mart’s commitment to affordable health care products.

Traditionally, other brands of these items, especially the glucose meter can cost from $25 to $75, and though there are some programs that will help offset those costs, it is necessary for the patient to have paperwork filled out by doctors or other health practitioners in order to be approved.

With Wal Mart’s new program none of the paperwork, doctor visits or extra steps are necessary.  The products are $9.  Period.

Whatever your opinion of Wal Mart’s policies, practices or politics, in the case of diabetes supplies and in the case of the prescription prices, they have done a good thing to help people who need these items to maintain their health.

One way of dealing with obesity during the past decade has been gastric bypass surgery.  The surgery, in which a small pouch is sectioned off in the stomach and bypassed directly to the intestines, helps extremely obese individuals lose weight quickly.  This surgery literally saves lives.  In addition, it has the ability to help individuals normalize blood and insulin levels, avoid heart attacks and heart failure and other issues that could be fatal.

Studies have shown, however, that the results of gastric bypass surgery are different when performed on individuals with diabetes as opposed to individual who do not have diabetes.  Though there is substantial weight loss in both groups, the individuals with diabetes experience less weight loss than the individuals without diabetes.  92% of patients without diabetes who underwent the procedure lost 40% of their total weight, while the patients with diabetes showed a 40% weight loss in only 79% of the cases.

Researchers are currently trying to figure out the reason that this occurs.  One theory is that the new stomachs used in the surgery are not “one size fits all.”  They are each measured to fit the anatomy of the individual they are being used for.  As a result, 5% to 15% of all gastric bypass surgeries result in little or no weight loss because the new stomach can be stretched to hold enough food to prevent the loss of weight.

The other more important and relevant reason for the lower percentage of weight loss in those individuals with diabetes is medication.  Medication that individuals with diabetes use to control blood sugar also keeps them from losing weight.  The fact that diabetes is often connected to being overweight does not help this situation.  This results in a sort-of catch 22.  It’s not that gastric bypass surgery does not work for individuals with diabetes.  It does work and it works well.  It is an incredible alternative to many of the health issues that would occur had surgery not been performed. 

The basic difference is that the body of the person with diabetes has to overcome some extra issues – including the medication situation – in order to help the individual lose the weight, even with gastric bypass surgery. 

Nonetheless, gastric bypass surgery has significant benefits for individuals who are overweight and have diabetes.  If you think that this might be a possible option for you, talk to your doctor about the possibilities.

Statistics regarding amputation due to diabetes are alarming.  Individuals with diabetes are 25 times more likely to suffer an amputation than those without.  Every 30 seconds a person with diabetes undergoes an amputation.  Within 3 years, 30% of these individuals have a second amputation and 70% will possibly die within 5 years.

These facts are startling and sobering, but they are not cut in stone and they are not true in every case.  There are ways to avoid symptoms getting to this point.

For one, recognizing symptoms that could lead to amputation is extremely important.  Many individuals with diabetes experience neuropathy, which is a form of nerve damage, usually in the feet.  Neuropathy, in conjunction with impaired or limited blood supply to the feet often cause sores or ulcers on the feet which are slow to heal or get infected.  If the infection does not heal, the unfortunate result is often amputation.

In many cases, individuals experience the neuropathy – which can involve numbness or tingling – long before they have been diagnosed with diabetes.  It is important to talk to your doctor and/or a neurologist if you are experiencing these symptoms to any degree so that the cause can be determined.  If the cause is diabetes, your doctor will be able to help you develop a plan to treat and control the symptoms through diet, exercise and possibly medication.

A new study called the FIELD study has determined a way to help eliminate or reduce these issues.  Over 9,000 individuals with diabetes were studied and given fenofibrate, which reduces lipids in the body.  The effect is a normalizing of lowering triglycerides and balancing HDL cholesterol, thus markedly lowering the probability of cardiovascular issues.  In addition, researchers were delighted that the decrease of neuropathy and amputation was notable in the study which followed patients for 5 years.

While waiting for results of studies such as this one to produce medications that are available to the public, it is important to make diabetes prevention, control or care a priority.  It is also important to remember that while you are taking care of yourself, new research reveals solutions every day.  Your job is to stay as healthy as possible until the solution for you is available.

Researchers have discovered a vital link between Vitamin D and controlling diabetes symptoms, especially in patients who are obese.

The way obesity affects Vitamin D is that it makes the body unable to absorb and use the Vitamin D effectively.  When Vitamin D is deficient in a person’s metabolism, the results include insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction.  This creates a vicious cycle, as the obesity continues to get worse, the insulin resistance increases, the beta cell dysfunction worsens and the Vitamin D deficiency also gets worse.

New studies suggest that increasing the amount of Vitamin D in the body, even by taking Vitamin D orally, could substantially decrease the body’s resistance to insulin, but could also reduce various cardiac problems.

More importantly, Vitamin D has the potential to eliminate diabetes in many cases.  Since type 2 diabetes involves insulin deficiency and Vitamin D is significantly involved in improving the function of the pancreas as well as improving the release of insulin, using Vitamin D to help achieve this could dramatically improve the health of scores of individuals with diabetes.

In addition to this information, Vitamin D is present in the nucleus of beta cells, which provides evidence that using Vitamin D could help them function better and help them release insulin more efficiently without causing inflammation.  Since Vitamin D is an anti-inflammatory, it would be effective in eliminating or avoiding inflammation leading to toxicity in the cells.

One test that was performed with Vitamin D was to give over 10,000 children in Finland 2,000 units of Vitamin D during their first year of life.  This resulted in a 78% reduction of developing type 1diabetes.  The study was followed up for 31 years.

These studies suggest that obese patients with diabetes or patients with a family history of diabetes should be screened for Vitamin D deficiency.  If they are deficient, prescribing daily doses of Vitamin D could control, prevent or eliminate their diabetes and at the very least, help them live a healthier life.

There are millions of people in the United States who have diabetes.  Some of them have the information they need to understand and control their symptoms and others do not.  This is not necessarily for lack of trying on their part or the part of their health care providers, it is often because individuals don’t know what they are looking for and don’t know what questions to ask.

In addition to the millions of people who have diabetes, there are about 60 million people who have pre-diabetes and are on the verge of developing full blown diabetes.  Most of these individuals don’t even realize that they are in this situation and they have no idea what the consequences could be.

Recent studies have discovered that one of the best methods of getting the essential facts and information about diabetes to these individuals is through the community.  This is easier said than done, since some communities may not have a solid network to present information and programs in a way that would truly educate the individuals by giving them the actual information they need.

Researchers at Indiana University Medical Center have studied the situation to determine how to get the information and statistics into the hands of the people who need it – and how to do this in a usable and understandable way.  Their conclusion is that the YMCA is the perfect organization to get the job done.

Most communities – whether rural, inner city or somewhere in between – have a YMCA.  The YMCA is equipped to deliver programs to help people in the community, and does so on a regular basis, whether presenting an afternoon seminar or an ongoing series. 

Researchers have determined that many of the individuals who are dealing with diabetes and others who have pre-diabetes – whether they know it or not – are not aware of some of the essential information they need, and those who have information about lifestyle, diet and other changes do not know how to translate this information into action.

A pilot study showed that by using the YMCA to provide an education and exercise program at a reduced rate in conjunction with community health services, it helped individuals who had pre-diabetes to understand and control their symptoms over a long-term period and it helped those who had diabetes to control their symptoms better and stay healthier.

The pilot gives encouragement and new ideas as a model for what could be achieved throughout the country to combat diabetes at a community level and support people in trying to live healthier lives.