The Sweetest Thing with Diabetes

Life has changed dramatically when I learned I had diabetes. My family has a long history of having it so I kinda knew it was just going to be a few more years before I would have it. I've seen my family members have tough battles with it. I do know most of them carry around shots of insulin so they could live like a normal joe. If you're in our shoes, it's hard to go out and have fun with family and friends because lack of it would pretty much make you experience fatigue, you would rather just lay around all day in bed than interact with your cute nieces and nephews. Aside from that, you can't travel much because you would often feel the need to urinate even if you don't need to and sometimes, get even more sick internally because you didn't manage your diabetes properly.

Yes, I'm so glad I'm managing mine quite well with the guidance of my endocrinologist who's also busy spreading her expertise here and around the globe. I make sure to watch what I eat (although that burger last night was not counted). I also think of it in a certain way – that if you take in a lot of sugar and it gets into your blood, it will eventually cause problems in different parts of your body. Obviously, it will pass through your heart, kidneys, eyes and your brain. When it damages parts of it, it could cause organ failure which would not be a good thing. I also take time to explain to my younger cousins, my nephews and nieces that this too could happen to them. These days, if I need to eat out or order food, I take time to look at the ingredients closely. I’m also so conscious about the nutrition labels on food when I go and get groceries to replenish our pantry. I also drank a lot of sodas in the past, but now if it’s not 4g or below per serving, I would think twice or just revert to my iced water if I get cravings. I also often drink carbonated water so I get the fizz of regular drinks I get but without the sugar and added ingredients that are bad for me.

The key is in moderation, to regularly see the doctor so they can tell you if your laboratory results are improving. Also, there have been tons of strides made in the development of insulin (second generation) which can have longer durations of action, and insulins that can address a variety of conditions and different types of patients. These products are also available for delivery, which is very convenient during the pandemic. Watsons (also Watsons Delivery that does insulin delivery). In the past, it would have been difficult to acquire it but we’ve seen the importance of insulin to be administered in a timely manner or else, it wouldn’t stabilize glucose levels in the bloodstream and cause hypoglycemia.

I realized how important it is for people to have access to medicine so we could live our lives as normal as possible. Even if we’re in this condition, we have the capability and become the best versions of ourselves out there. As you can see, it takes a whole town to manage what I have and I’m glad people are helping. From family members, to friends who refer you to the best doctors, to the company that produces the insulin and took the extra mile to get it to this patient who only wants to be as normal as possible. They’re in the best position to help, and they’re doing it. I’m just thankful to see they care about me, and my health. It is the sweetest, and for that, I’m grateful!  

For more information on second-generation insulin and diabetes management, you can watch the webisode series for lifestyle diseases, Health Speak, in this link https://www.instagram.com/p/CPaQ6nAhVpT/

Diabetes in the Philippines

 I live in a household where the word DIABETES is a norm. Sad but true. My lineage seemed to have all concentrated on this vicious chronic and lifestyle ailment; and it has claimed the lives of a lot of my relatives, I could count more than 10 just in my lifetime. It's scary and with my Dad and Mom's genes passed on to me, I could likely be a candidate if I don't take care of what I eat, my activities, and perhaps what I do everyday. There are various reasons on what causes this, but it is primarily a chronic disease. As some say, it is also a lifestyle disease. Just a few days ago, they announced quite disturbing data about it, which seems to confirm that it is happening in the Philippines. Just hearing that made me realize it's much closer than home, because I feel too that it is at an alarming rate. 

According to a study by the International Diabetes Federation, the Philippines is one of the world's emerging diabetes hotspots. Imagine, 4 Million Filipinos are suffering from Diabetes as we speak. That already puts us at the world stage with even a couple of million more that are unreported, or perhaps people that are unaware. IDF also reported 3.51 Filipinos at the age of 20-79 have it, and 51,127 have passed away because of it. Again, that's scary.

This chronic disease occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. So if it can't properly control the amount of sugar in the blood, you're in big trouble. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, rich or poor, everyone can be a candidate and it all boils down to one thing, you need prevention rather than cure. Data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute from the Department of Science and Technology's 8th National Nutrition Survey indicates diabetes prevalence has risen from 3.4 percent in 2003 to 5.4 percent in 2013. You can just imagine how much that would be this 2017 if we had current data. 

What's also alarming is that a great number of Filipinos who suffer from it are ages 50 to 69. Most of which are wealthy and also living in urban communities. The Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on the other hand is both a genetic and a lifestyle disease. It is also linked to old age, unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity, obesity (oh yeah you sit too much on the couch and in front of the computer!) and urbanization, all of which contribute to this disease. To control this, Doctors would recommend insulin to take care of the blood glucose levels. If you take care of that, you can get to have a normal and healthy life. Today, there are available syringes, insulin pens and insulin pumps so people who suffer from it could do what normal people would do. Of course, it all has to be monitored regularly so you and doctors would know if you have risks of developing hypo/hyperglycemia. Make sure you ask your doctor regularly if you are at risk, and do the annual/regular checkup if you can. As they say, knowing is half the battle. Try to live healthy as much as you can, and please trust your body.

Think about it.


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AstraZeneca and Recent Developments on Diabetes Treatments

We're at the AstraZeneca event today to know a little more about diabetes treatments and how you can save your future. Living with a family where it's loke a normal thing to have diabetes, I am absolutely scared about it but since bith my Mom and Dad has them I figured I probably don't have a choice but to live with it. Dr. Bobby Mirasol the former president of Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEDM) says "It's not an easy disease and you need early intervention, plus a deeper understanding of the need for lifestyle adjustments and pharma treatment". That means you need to have treatments and factors that should help in diabetes treatment so you can lower blood sugar levels, blood pressure and weight loss. It's not easy because you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and people would always have issues sticking to a plan. There are revolutionary drugs that you can take in order to make the goal easy to achieve.

AstraZeneca has introduced diabetes medicine and new drug entities to battle the disease. Their company is science driven and they've been trying to address how to manage weight issues, fatty liver disease, and other matters so they can bring potential medicines to the forefront and deliver life changing medicine for patients. They also want to push the boundaries of this science and pursue experimental treatment too. Dapagliflozin for example, it treats type 2 diabetes by preventing the kidneys to absorb sugar and release the glucose through the urine instead. It complements what you can say the normal prescription together with insulin therapy (if you are taking it). It did good in clinical trials and even beat leading diabetes medications too. 

In the Philippines, Dapagliflozin has been used to treat 20,000 Filipinos with Type 2 diabetes. It has been lauded for reducing blood levels and additional health benefits. It helps in making the patient gradually go to a good lifestyle change. They call it Diabesity, as these two things are intertwined and more overweight people develop type 2 diabetes and they hopefully want to address that. I am cringing right now because I feel they are talking about me LOL!

AstraZeneca is helping bigtime to fight type 2 diabetes. They want to use holistic diabetes care solutions together with Doctors, Nutritionists and Fitness Experts to do dapagliflozin treatments. If you need information about managing diabetes, please check out their website www.astrazeneca.com especially if you're looking for a second line of treatment. You have to ask your doctor of course and have a healthy lifestyle together with it.

Ciao!

KUMAGCOW

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