There was a recent news article that reported bariatric surgery may cure diabetes. Now before you get too excited, this is not news. We’ve known about this for some time. Bariatric surgery is meant to reduce the size of the stomach so the patient loses weight. There are several forms, but most of us are familiar with the “banding” approach. This is where a band is placed around the stomach, reducing its size and making the patient feel full after having eaten very little food.
The headlines mislead people into thinking that a cure has been found for diabetes, but surgeons have known for a long time that Type 2 diabetes improves with this type of surgery. Even losing a lot of weight without the surgery can normalize blood sugar levels.
Be aware that there are two types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes, or juvenile onset diabetes, is genetic. It is also an immune system disorder where the body’s own immune system attacks the part of the pancreas that produces insulin. Pretty soon that part of the pancreas is totally destroyed and the patient produces no insulin at all and has to take shots for the rest of his or her life.
Type 2 diabetes, or adult onset diabetes, usually takes place later in life. Recently though, this has been changing. Because of our unhealthy diet, more and more teenagers are getting adult onset diabetes and obesity plays a crucial role in this. I like to call this type of diabetes “lifestyle diabetes” or “self-imposed diabetes” because the patient helps bring it on themselves through eating too much junk food and not exercising enough.
Again, when you reverse these bad habits, a lot of the time you can reverse the diabetes as well. But Type 1 diabetes is still a scourge in our society. If not properly controlled it can lead to blindness, kidney failure, and loss of limbs. The loss of limbs part is similar to leprosy. That’s right, leprosy. Hence, it is very important to take good care of our health in order for us not to experience or suffer from these diseases. The good thing is, there are some over the counter medications such as [google_bot_show][/google_bot_show]sugar balance to help us regulate our blood sugar naturally.
The difference is that the excessive high blood sugar of diabetes damages the nerves in the limbs and results in a lack of feeling in the feet and legs. It can also affect the hands and arms as well. So if the patient injuries himself he’s not aware of it and the resulting infection can lead to gangrene and amputation. In Leprosy, the bacteria responsible for causing the disease causes a similar type of damage to the nerves.
There is promising research being done to cure diabetes, but as yet we have no cure. The best that someone who has it can do is to control it as best as possible and try to prevent complications. Patients who have bariatric surgery and lose weight can improve their blood sugar levels and even get them back to normal, but they still have diabetes. If they gain the weight back, the disease will return.
