I admit I have a difficult time
following some people and where they come up with some of the ideas
about diabetes. Fortunately, those in our support group know better
and even we get tired of some of these ideas. A few will listen to
us, but others have some of these ideas buried in their psyche and
nothing we say can change their mind.
Myth 1 Obesity and laziness cause
diabetes. Being obese and not exercising can be risk factors for
type 2 diabetes, but they are not the cause of diabetes. Most people
forget about genetic factors and heredity of type 2 being in some
families. Even thin people develop type 2 diabetes, but many people
conveniently forget about this. In type 2 diabetes, the body can no
longer make or use insulin properly.
Myth 2 You won’t always have
diabetes; your doctor can cure it. This is a belief that is hard
to beat back. We are told that this is the twenty-first century and
there has to be a cure. Another statement many make is that your
doctor is not telling you everything and holding back the cure so
there is something to treat. All I can say is BS, and I don't mean
blood sugar.
Type 2 diabetes is incurable; once you
have it, you will always have it. However, you can keep your
diabetes under tight management with diet, exercise, and medications
so that you can live an otherwise normal life with minimum damage.
Myth 3 You can’t prevent
diabetes. Eating a healthful meal plan and getting daily
physical activity can prevent almost 80 percent of Type 2 diabetes
cases. Keeping weight in the ideal range will also help.
Myth 4 You can feel when your blood
glucose is too high or low. There is no guarantee that what you
are feeling is accurate. Some people are irritable during elevated
blood glucose and after a recent type 2 diagnosis, many can
experience shaky, dizzy, or lightheaded when blood glucose drops
rapidly. Other experiences can be an increase in urinating when
blood glucose is elevated, but this could indicate a bladder
infection. Testing is the only way to be sure if your blood glucose
is high or low. Do not trust your feelings.
Myth 5 When you have diabetes, you
can’t eat sweets. This is partly true and most people don't
need them. Many people think that if you eliminate other
carbohydrates they can have sweets, but they don't realize that most
sweets have more carbohydrates than they have allowed. Others say
that they are doing extra exercise to make eating sweets possible,
but again they eat more than the exercise relieved. Many people
overeat sweets when their blood glucose levels drop below 70 mg/dl.
Generally, they would be smarter eating glucose tablets of known
glucose amounts rather than sweets which might not be known. Then
they wonder why they go high and often yo-yo up and down, especially
on certain oral medications and insulin.
Myth 6 If you eat right and
exercise, monitor your blood glucose, and take your meds or insulin
correctly, you can keep your diabetes under tight management.
Oh, if it was that easy! However,
there are other factors that affect your management. Illness,
injuries, stress, hormone changes, and periods of aging that can
cause blood glucose to become unmanageable. Even when you do
everything correct, managing diabetes isn't always easy and
corrections are needed. Many people do not believe this and diabetes
becomes progressive and the complications flourish.
Myth 7 Diabetes only affects old
people. Diabetes affects all age groups and the sooner people
wake up to this, the better prevention can become.
Myth 8 Diabetes is not a killer
disease. Diabetes is a global killer, rivaling HIV/AIDS in its
deadly reach. The disease kills more than 4 million people a year.
Every 7 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes.
Myth 9 Diabetes only affects rich
countries. Diabetes affects all populations, regardless of
income. It is becoming increasingly common everywhere.
There are many other myths and
misconceptions, but I will halt this for now. This blog and thisarticle are sources used.
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