Diabetes: Wrestling with a Twenty-First Century Monster

While capitalism works well in most of the cases, there is an exception when it comes to discoveries and inventions in the field of medicine...

A good business model is the one where your customer have to buy a product from you on cyclic basis... If you invent a drug that finds cure for diabetes, your profits go down the drain... There will be no more patients and no injections everyday... So companies will invest in finding painless ways to take injections instead of finding real cure for diabetes.... Same goes for aids and other diseases...

Just a random thought....

Re: # 15
Thank you – truth100 - do I miss something here – your words sound more like truth101
Welcome to Chowk. Your comments are refreshing and touch a few deep thoughts - the “information overload� and “ego trips� – one is causing alienation of a new kind, the other has been our nemesis from time immemorial. The way out of both of these quandaries is MEDITATION.
Your 3-liner is like a Pythagorean Theorem.
Core of Islamic teaching (or should I say Quranic Teaching) is MEDITATION. Practicing meditation is recommended for 3 to 5 times a day (depending on how you interpret). In Urdu they call it ‘Namaz’; the original Arabic world is ‘Salat’. I call it ‘Yoga’ of Islam. (Ironically, Islam means ‘surrender’ viz., surrender of ego – and Quran itself, at its core and first and foremost, is a meditative discourse. But that is another topic) (Be assured – it will not take long before even by these a few honest comments many egos will be ruffled and I will be on the chopping block)
In our daily life, we receive bombardment of various kinds from all around us – information overload, concerns about trifles, emotional distress due to others etc. If we can cleanse ourselves from such disquiets, our system will try to tune itself to its natural BALANCED COURSE. That is the secret of secrets and it is an open one too, but only one with opens eyes will see it. A close mind will not even register what the heck I am talking about.

Re: # 14 Dear Mr. Saleem Ali,
Your point is most valid and I fully respect your opinion. I do acknowledge that the distinction between Type 1 and 2 is an important one, particularly, from the angle you have shown. Criticisms like yours is a blessing and most helpful. THANK YOU.
Regarding which area we choose for our struggles to make this world a wee bit better place is an individual choice. I focus on diabetes 2 which is spreading like a jungle fire and half of population will be at risk by the end of the next decade if nothing is done. You reaction highlights the need for being more sensitive towards sensitivities of Type 1. I will always keep that in mind.
And most definitely I will attend some JDRF events and will be in touch with them to bring synergy in our efforts.

Mutaal,

Very informative and he-artsy!

Could it be because of we are becoming less sensitive because of information overload? Are we more tuned to body-mind of Britney and Benezir? Are we more tuned to our ego trip?

When our mind is purified we can listen better to the mind. It works otherway also. Your body will react violently to dangerous/bad thought.

Yoga and meditation (includes hobby) is one of the methods to purify the mind. There might be equivalent methods in Islam.

Re: # 13 It is essential to make the distinction between Type 1 and Type 2 because we do not want Type 1 patients getting messages that somehow they are to blame for their disease because of lifestyle when they have no control over the disease. My eight year old son has to deal with this kind of innuendo all the time which is very hurtful. Someone will say to him "oh so you ate too many sweets," when he has always had a very healthy diet.

This is not a minor technical detail but an essential one which you should make as a writer (regardless of any axioms).

Thanks for your interest in the issue, however. You should attend some JDRF walks in your area. They are good events to get mobilized and help.

Re: # 12 saleemhali
Thanks for your important comment. It may appear that in my article no clear distinction is made between Type 1 and Type 2. However, thrust of my argument is that diabetes is a growing disorder and we must be proactive to counter it. No doubt, Type 1 is a genetic disorder and FDRF works for Type 1, yet the accident does draw attention towards the diabetes issue in general too. Moreover, spread of type 2 diabetes at an alarming rate in young people, which has clear correlation with lifestyle choices, is of great concern to me. In my article, I am not saying Type 1 and 2 are the same. I intentionally avoided going into technical details. There is an axiom of writing that more technical we get more we push the general reader away.
Besides avoiding technicalities, another cause of apparent confusion maybe the omission of a sentence in the published article that is clarified in my interact #6. After reading your comment, I realize that probably I should have included another sentence to make the distinction clear.
I do appreciate your comment and understand the pain as it is mutual – for me seeing a young daughter of my friend with Type 2 which clearly is because of her lifestyle choices. It is not a matter of blaming patients / victims. It is the pain and empathy which drive me to do something about it.

The author is confusing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

JDRF works for Type 1 diabetes which has nothing to do with diet -- this is a genetic autoimmune disorder. As the father of a young Type 1 child, I can certainly attest to the challenges of this misconception as well as the challenges of living with diabetes. It is important that we not blame the victims / patients in this regard.

You can read an article I wrote a couple of years ago for Pakistan's Daily Times on this topic at the following link

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C07%5C15%5Cstory_15- 7-2006_pg3_2

Re: # 5 NDocR: “… these (gluten-rich grain carbohydrates and casein-containing dairy products) contain opioid-like endorphins�.
This is very important point and I am grateful to you for bringing this up. Your detailed and enlightening commentary is much appreciated. Thanks for encouragement.
Humanity’s existence is under assault from so many fronts that despite my faith in human spirit to fight back and overcome the challenges (this thought always reminds me of Ulysses somehow – the ancient symbolic story of triumph of spirit against all odds) – however, I do go into bouts of despairs (and that reminds me of wailing and warning prophets of the old).
May God help us in finding the BALANCED COURSE.

Re: # 4 Delirium: I totally agree with your hunch. It only makes sense. Synthesized unnatural foods not only are deficient in essential nutrients but also often contain substances (for preservation or taste) which over time can be extremely harmful to our bodies. I don’t know all the technical details of metabolic mechanism, but by observation and by common sense – and besides how my own body reacts to these foods if perchance I even have to taste a morsel of it – I am certain that they disturb the fine balance on which this sophisticated machine we call our body runs.
I will try to find some study to corroborate this.

Re: # 3 akcheema: “surviving at the expense of anything else that ever lived�
Maybe “that else� is coming around – to get us.
“Perhaps we have stood in the way of Natural Selection for far too long�
So it is time --- to face the natural consequence. Seriously, there is no doubt in my mind about the perilous edge of cliff where humanity is right now. No doomsday soothsaying. It is scientific. Anyone who sees the ice sheets melting, or watch the acidity of oceans rising, or CO2 levels increasing and now less obvious but potentially most lethal trend logs of modern ailments – it is not huge stretch of imagination to see the writing on the wall – not to say all the economic and political mess.

Re: # 2 nb: I dare say that the biggest change that have taken place in last 20 years is in our dietary habits. The "larger waist circumferences" certainly are not an evolutionary growth - it cannot be in 20 years as you said - however, the co-relation with life style changes is hard to miss. It is true that there is and will never be an absolute and final answer to many questions and phenomena, but trends discernible in data are always revealing and often indisputable. To a non-professional but observant layman like me, the connection between what we eat and what we become is as an apparent one. In our schools, in our work place, in our homes, I see first hand examples of this co-relation every day. And above all, I know it from my own example. The dietary changes turned everything around for me.

Re: # 1 Nikhat: Very true that “Both these Monsters are preventable by minor alterations in our life style�. The big issue however is making those minor alterations. As NdocR in post #5 has pointed out, the metabolism disturbing foods also have opioid in them (or opioid like) – people become addicted to it. Changing eating habits is the biggest challenge. I know a relative, who despite knowing everything and having almost lost one eye due to diabetes, still cannot make the change. Having said that, it truly is so simple - B A L A N C E. Who gets it?
Regarding the matter of choice, the reason I made that statement is two fold. One is that though convenience and expediency has made us willing partner to our own helplessness, at the same time it is an arduous task for over-burdened families and individuals to figure out the right choices. When I start reading the labels on food items in superstores, it takes me forever to find the right stuff. Then misleading info of all sort. The second reason is that the way the society has developed into a monster itself, leaves us so alienated that we even find hard to figure out how and why of living. This alienation of authentic human existence is our Achilles heel. The “power to choose� is an area of constant struggle. The pendulum swings both ways. Presently, it is swinging the other way.
“Sanbhlnay de mujhay aei na umeedi kia quiamat hay ....
� - (Ghalib)

First I would like to point out that in second paragraph of the article, one sentence seems to got truncated. It should read as follows:
“This news is not just news of another accident: this news is also about juvenile diabetes. In the past, I have read with concern news about diabetes: “Half of world’s population at risk of diabetes by end of next decade.� But this news tore my heart for two reasons: ….�
Response to comments follows (with sincere thanks to all):

Viewed from a natural health professional’s perch it is hugely gratifying to see articles posted that touch on the heart of the matter when it comes to metabolic disease, such as heart disease or diabetes.

Your statement "The modern age that has given us million more choices also has taken from us the ability to make good choices," at first appears crass. However, there is eminent truth to it in that bad foods cause the kind of inflammations that lead to brain fog and clearly impair our ability to make wise decisions. When it comes to food choices, particularly gluten-rich grain carbohydrates and casein-containing dairy products are the culprits. Few people know that these contain opioid-like endorphins. No wonder that anyone who has the genetic make-up (43% in North-America, higher in Eastern cultures and Northern and Eastern Europe) gets “hooked� on them. Yes, carbohydrate addiction is real! There is a clear link to gastrointestinal disorders and diabetes.

On that same vein, I really liked your blunt call about mankind becoming an “endangered species.� When we consider that at present one in two individuals worldwide (that is over 3 billion people!) are at risk of developing diabetes during their lifetime, we truly can call diabetes a “monster!�

At present, worldwide, every 10 seconds someone dies from diabetes and diabetes-related complications and two individuals are newly diagnosed with diabetes. Are you aware that the WHO (World Health Organization) has calculated that the present deaths due to diabetes and diabetes-related complications cost us “25 million years of life lost EACH YEAR?� Add to that the 23 million years of life lost due to “disability and reduced quality of life caused by the preventable complications of diabetes� that the IDF (International Diabetes Federation) has postulated. Furthermore, due to sick days and untimely deaths over the next 10 years, the WHO estimates $555.7 billion in lost national revenue in China, $333.6 billion in India, $303.2 billion in the Russian Federation…

Pretty frightening! Yet, all you need to do is to look around you and see the growing “beer-bellies� and bigger “curves.� While all the environmental toxins appear to play an additional role (research does link PCBs, dioxin and many other toxins to an increased risk of diabetes and its underlying causes), body tissue-acidifying soft drinks and grain carbohydrates truly spell disaster.

Thank you for helping raise public awareness about the avoidable consequences leading to diabetes. Keep rattling the boat!

Is there any study or data that relates consumption of synthesized foods with the probability of developing the diabetes in an individual?

I have a strong hunch that straying away from the use of natural diets is one principal cause leading not just to diabetes but also hypertension and coronary diseases.

According to some medical circles, use of natural items such as honey and raw sugar (gur and shakar) greatly reduce the chances of developing diabetes as compared to the use of (white poison) sugar. Would some experts like to enlighten me on that please?

(As an “endangered species,� the quicker we realize this, the better our chances to slay this threatening monster)

Evolving from a wondering tribe of a few hundred (at most) members of the species homo erectus, more than 4 million years ago in modern day Africa, surviving at the expense of anything else that ever lived, at 6.6 billion we are hardly an endangered species.

Perhaps we have stood in the way of Natural Selection for far too long?!

Regards