Myths and Misconceptions in Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease with rising prevalence all over the world and more so in our country. It is associated with great morbidity and premature mortality. As this disease is chronic and more people are affected at a younger age, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions prevalent regarding the disease.
The greatest misconception regarding Diabetes is that it is a disease of affluence and rich. This is totally untrue as the disease affects the rich as well as poor alike and is seen in all strata of the population. The belief that it is contagious is untrue as the disease is not transmitted by any germs but runs in families as it is transmitted to the offspring by genetic transmission. Diabetes is seen in obese and thin individuals. It is seen in children as well as adults. Males and females are affected alike.
There are misconceptions regarding diet and exercise. It is believed that once diabetes is controlled, one can take liberties regarding diet as medicines are controlling diabetes. Many patients take extra helping of food and sweets and compensate this with extra medications / or insulin. This is dangerous and the practise should be discouraged as it can lead to various complications associated with diabetes. Regular exercise will help all diabetic patients and miss-concept that diabetes can be controlled with drugs is not true. As is well known to patients who miss their exercise due to various reasons, experience high blood sugars with same medications and weakness associated with it. Regarding diet various belief and practices prevail amongst patients. It would be advisable to consult dietitians / doctors regarding various types of food to be taken rather than going by the advise of friends and acquaintances. Also many queries regarding direct sugar, fruits, rice and sugar free foods will be easily solved with
your doctor.
Thus diet and exercise remains the cornerstone of diabetes management.
A word of caution regarding Insulin Dependent Diabetic young patients is that one should not go by hearsay and claims of cure for this type of diabetes. One should not switch Insulin with any other treatment as this can be fatal if left unattended. In Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes loss of weight alone in obsese patients by Diet and Exercise can bring down the blood sugar to normal values.
A popular myth amongst diabetic patients is that once Insulin is started in patients it becomes life long treatment. This is especially not true in type 2 diabetes patients.
There have been claims of curing diabetes with various therapies. It would be advisable to follow this patients for a longer period of time to judge the control of blood sugar. A person diagnosed as diabetic, will always remains so life long. His diabetes can be controlled but never cured.
As high blood sugar in patients remain asymptomatic, patient do not feel the effects of blood sugar most of the time unless complications sets in. Hence, it is advisable to monitor the blood sugar at regular intervals and look for complication at an early stage,
so that steps can be taken to delay or arrest the progression of various complications.
Greater awareness of the disease will remove the myths and misconceptions of Diabetes prevalent in the society.