Diabetes: The Sweet Plague (part 2)

I am sorry, I lied to you – this is going to take 4 parts, not three – there is a lot of stuff here, and I get fatigued easily.

I will continue with definitions – labs and meds:

Diabetes: The Sweet Plague (maybe)

First, thank you all for your interest in my first attempt -I received very thoughtful and useful (to me) responses.

I would next like to speak to you about diabetes.   There are several reasons for this – first, there is tremendous media attention to this issue currently, with a flavor that this is a new occurrence, that a previously uncommon condition is now becoming epidemic, that this is very dangerous, and so on.  Second, there is also an undercurrent of suggestion that if we lost some weight, did more exercise like funky dancing in doctor’s waiting rooms, changed school lunches, taxed soda pop, etc., we would stop this trend (and conversely that if we don’t we will die, lose our sight, limbs, yada yada).  Third, of the people for whom I am their physician and adviser, I would guess about 30% (maybe more) actually have diabetes, and so I spend a lot of time thinking about it.

This is actually a very complex issue, and therefore I would like to approach it in three parts:  first, definitions and history; second, current diagnosis and treatment; third, complications.  To do otherwise would take me too long to do all at once, and you too long to read.

Vitamins: not magic beans

There is more magic associated with vitamins than any other pharmaceutical, including antibiotics. All people like magic, including me, and are hopeful that somewhere there is a panacea that will protect us from things we fear – with vitamins, it is disease, aging, death – and grant us restored youth, strength, sexual performance.

Unfortunately, vitamins are not the magic beans.