Sunday, June 26, 2011

1 or 2 ?

I have to say I think Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes should have completely different names. They are completely different diseases! Too many times do they get grouped together incorrectly. Can you reverse your diabetes with diet? Sure! I personally know people who have. But there is one problem. They have Type 2! Type 2 means your body is not using the insulin produced effectively. So if you cut back on the diet, there is less work for your body to do with the food and in turn it will help to correct the problem. Also if you lose weight, if that happens to be an issue, that can add to your success. Most of the time, there are all types of things Type 2's can do to help themselves. Now jump into the Type 1 world. A Type 1's pancreas is completely "broken" That darn thing is not producing any insulin for the body. So no matter how much you control your diet, when and how you eat, how much you weigh, yada yada yada, it is useless as far as any type of reversal what so ever.  The only thing that will help you is insulin. 
It is so aggravating to a Type 1 when you see commercials or magazine adds on how you can reverse your "Diabetes" with this or that diet. Do they bother to say which type? 1 or 2? Nope. How about when a Type 1 is overweight and and people just assume they should just loose weight to be healthier and fix their Diabetes? It all comes down to false advertising. People truly do not understand the difference. I know I didn't before I met Vince. Growing up, I had a distant relative who was Diabetic. I remember him saying that he really shouldn't have that dessert he wanted. But he decided to cheat and have a little bit. I thought, okay, he is Diabetic, he shouldn't have sweets and I guess I assumed he took insulin shots at one time or another. Then years later I met Vince and saw his Diabetes care and realized these are two completely different diseases and are managed differently as well. I suppose you are wondering why I am going on and on about this. Well, the other day when Vince and I were sitting in a waiting room at a doctors office, an advertisement came on their tv for Diabetes. A few minutes later they finally mentioned it was for Type 2. I was actually intrigued at first. It had to do with treatments, but as soon as I heard Type 2 I got annoyed and stopped listening. "Type 1's need help too!" I thought. Haha. Here's to hoping that advertising and such will be more clear and state Type 2 more often since most if not all of the advertising types of things you see are for Type 2.

4 comments:

  1. My hubby and I find this frustrating as well! I think I read somewhere that only 5 to 10% of diabetics are Type 1. So most of what you see and read about diabetes is about Type 2. But it is often NOT specified which type "they" are talking about. Although diet plays a huge role in both, simply losing weight will not "cure" Type 1. In fact, nothing short of a pancreatic transplant will. However, the 2 types are related as far as types of complications go.

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  2. BOTH types need help..and a CURE! : )

    We fight on. Keep fighting for truth, though-it takes all of us! : )

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  3. That name thing will always support confusion, unfortunately. I have found that I have to put up blinders when consuming media etc...misinformation is EVERYWHERE. I educate when I can...but it does become exhausting, doesn't it?

    Have a great day Sandy!

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  4. I understand your frustration, Sandy
    its not just the media
    well-intentioned friends and family offer advice when they see a type 1 eating and drinking
    based upon what they saw on tv
    but it really is different
    not judging -- just saying
    as we all know -- there is only one person who can take care of the diabetic
    yes, that's the diabetic
    advertising for drugs to help
    do they really help? or offer false promise and an avenue for the diabetic to deny responsibility for a few more days?

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