Home
You can view the current or previous issues of Diabetes Health online, in their entirety, anytime you want.
Click Here To View
See if you qualify for our free healthcare professional magazines. Click here to start your application for Pre-Diabetes Health, Diabetes Health Pharmacist and Diabetes Health Professional.
Latest Type 2 Issues Articles
Popular Type 2 Issues Articles
Highly Recommended Type 2 Issues Articles
Email to a Friend
Send a link to this page to your friends and colleagues.
Debunking Myths About Diabetes
Here are some of the many myths about diabetes that still circulate today.
Remember Zeus, Athena and Medusa? The mythological stories we learned as schoolchildren entertained and thrilled us, but we knew from the start that they were pure fantasy. Diabetes myths, however, are believed by many and can lead to inappropriate treatment choices and behaviors.
Here are some of the many myths about diabetes that still circulate today:
Type 2 diabetes is not as serious as type 1
False. Type 1 and type 2 may differ in the way they develop in the body, but if neglected, both can lead to devastating complications such as heart attack, stroke, sexual dysfunction, nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness, amputation and even death. Both types are serious and require full attention.
Eating sweets causes diabetes.
False. Being a chocoholic doesn’t mean that you are destined to develop diabetes. It is speculated that type 1 is caused by heredity and certain environmental factors not yet clearly understood by experts. On the other hand, lifestyle, obesity, heredity and age play a part in developing type 2. Sweets may cause cavities and unwanted weight gain, but they don’t cause diabetes.
People who have diabetes must avoid sugar
False. Recent studies show that sugar and sugar-containing treats can be enjoyed, in reasonable amounts, without negatively affecting diabetes control. One study published in the February 2001 issue of
Diabetes Care
found that individuals who consumed 10 percent of their total energy as added sugar or sweets ate significantly less carbohydrate, starch and calories than the group that was forbidden to eat sweets. Avoiding sugar is not necessary—limiting it is.
No matter what you do, you will develop complications
False. With good diabetes care and regular medical checkups, you can avoid or delay complications associated with diabetes such as blindness, kidney disease and neuropathy. If you maintain a healthy body weight, stay physically active and keep your blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid levels within a healthy range, you will lower your risk of having complications from diabetes.
If your blood glucose results are high, you’ve done something wrong
False. Even if you do everything right—exercise, follow a good meal plan, test regularly and take your medication—your blood glucose level may refuse to behave. Diabetes is not an easy disease to manage. One day will be fine, another more challenging. Glucose levels can be affected by stress, developing infections, hormonal swings, even the start of a cold or flu. Your body changes as you age, and so does your diabetes. A treatment plan that worked flawlessly 5 years ago may no longer be right for you today. Fortunately, new treatment options have been developed. If you have difficulty maintaining good diabetes control, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider and ask about the innovative products that are now available. Also, schedule a “diabetes refresher course” with your certified diabetes educator.
Don’t waste your time and take risks with myths. Ignore those crazy gods of Mount Olympus and base your diabetes decisions on the information that you get from Diabetes Health, diabetes.org, Joslin.org and other reliable sources.
Categories: Blood Glucose, Diabetes, Diabetes, Discrimination, Type 2 Issues
You May Also Be Interested In...
-
Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
-
Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
Comments
Add your comments about this article below. You can add comments as a registered user or anonymously. If you choose to post anonymously your comments will be sent to our moderator for approval before they appear on this page. If you choose to post as a registered user your comments will appear instantly.
When voicing your views via the comment feature, please respect the Diabetes Health community by refraining from comments that could be considered offensive to other people. Diabetes Health reserves the right to remove comments when necessary to maintain the cordial voice of the diabetes community.
For your privacy and protection, we ask that you do not include personal details such as address or telephone number in any comments posted.
Don't have your Diabetes Health Username? Register now and add your comments to all our content.
Register...
Register your Diabetes Health Username here.
Have Your Say...