Myths About Diabetes

Myths About Diabetes

MYTHS ABOUT DIABETES

It is human nature to fear the unknown. Tribesmen

told stories of trolls and demons; early sailors kept watch for sea monsters. We're still

afraid of not knowing—and we tell a lot of tall tales about diabetes! Scary stories

fill a void when we don't know the truth—and disappear when the truth is known. Here

are a few myths about diabetes, and the answers.

"I got it from eating sugar."

Gobbling sugar isn't good for anyone. Usually the

preceding statement means sweets, which also have LOTS OF FAT, so the end result can be a

serious weight problem, not to mention those trips to the dentist. People who "stuff

up" on cakes and ice cream often miss essential nutrients found in other foods...but

their bad eating habits didn't cause their diabetes.

Doctors and researchers are still unsure what

causes diabetes. There appear to be a number of factors, some of them genetic. Once

diabetes appears, gorging on sugar is a bad idea—but it DOESN'T cause the disease.

"I'm gonna go blind."

While it is true that all diabetics are at risk

of its ramifications, such as blindness, heart problems, and renal disease, it is equally

true that only a small percentage actually experience the full force of such

complications. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial proved that the better the

blood sugar control, the less the likelihood of ramifications. Anyone already experiencing

side effects of diabetes needs to achieve and maintain the tightest possible control, to

minimize their further progression.

"My child will be diabetic too."

Children of diabetics, and close relatives, are

considered at increased risk to develop the disease. Your child, your brothers and

sisters, and your cousins should all be periodically checked, if you have the disease.

Current statistics suggest that the child of a diabetic parent may have, at worst, a

one-in-four chance of developing diabetes. Don't forget that it sometimes skips a

generation or two—so that diabetic grandparent may be significant.

"Since I don't have to inject, it isn't

serious."

A surprising number of people still believe this

myth. Non Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (type 2 diabetes) can produce destructively

high blood glucose levels, if it is not kept under control. Type 2 diabetes often grows

more severe with time, so a person who starts with "a touch of sugar," will

probably need to progress to diet-and-exercise-based blood sugar control, then to oral

diabetes medications. Many veteran type 2 diabetics find their "oral meds" have

become ineffective with time, and they need to switch to insulin injections to maintain

effective diabetes control. Type 2 is serious, and if your numbers "aren't that

bad," you're probably in the early stages of the disease.

"I'm losing my sight, my kidneys are

going—its all over for me!"

The best answer for this antiquated myth is to

look at the evidence. Having diabetes is not pleasant, but its ramifications do not

present a bar to continued participation in the main stream of life. With mastery of the

proper skills and possession of the proper adaptive equipment, diabetics can continue to

live full lives, even with severe ramifications. Many members of the Diabetes Action

Network of the National Federation of the Blind are living examples of just how much is

possible, once one rejects the idea that blindness, or kidney failure, or neuropathy,

means inability.

Diabetes doesn't mean a quick death, either. Many

diabetics, even insulin-dependent, live well into old age. With recent improvements in

diabetes care, younger diabetics should do even better.

"I've gotta eat that horrible diabetic

diet!"

Far from horrible, unless you're a confirmed

junk-food addict, today's "diabetic diet" is a well balanced, sensible

presentation that would be healthy for anyone to adopt, with or without diabetes. And gone

are the days when anything with sugar was "off limits"-under today's system, all

carbohydrates are counted equally. If you want to eat something rich in carbs, you

"pay for it," by cutting an equivalent amount of carbs from somewhere else in

your diet. There is a lot of flexibility, and the rest is just a matter of care and

moderation.

"I don't need that meter; I can tell if I'm

too high or too low."

This myth is dangerous because it's sometimes

true. Sometimes people can sense a "low," without a meter, and take appropriate

action. Sometimes they can't, and they wind up in the ambulance. Hyperglycemia is harder

to detect by "feel," and either way, making do without regular blood glucose

tests is like flying without a parachute. You're guessing. Learn your body's signals when

you get into trouble, but use your glucose monitor to be sure.

"I can't exercise; the stress would make

things worse."

Physical exercise burns blood glucose, pulling

your numbers down, and lessening your need for insulin or oral medications. Care is

required to make sure you do not drop dangerously low, or head into other complications

such as foot irritations (especially if you have decreased sensation in the feet); but

such care is just an expansion of what you should be doing already and the benefits of a

carefully planned and faithfully followed exercise program far outweigh the perils.

Discuss exercise plans, and any adjustment in medications, with your doctor, first. You

might consult with an exercise physiologist as well, one with experience in the diabetes

field.

The above are just a sample of the myths of

diabetes. There are hundreds—some scary, some dangerously rose-colored. There is no

substitute for knowing. Pay attention to your body. Keep ahead of what your diabetes is

doing— his is no time for surprises! Consult with your doctor, or your diabetes

educator.