The first attempts to treat diabetes were made before our era.. Ancient Greek and Roman physicians used massage, gymnastics, baths, aromatherapy and much more for this.. In the 19th century, a meat-based, low-carbohydrate diet was developed for diabetic patients..

A few decades later, many more diets appeared, opium therapy and bloodletting became popular.. However, the most effective were diets in which the amount of calories consumed was strictly limited.. It was difficult for patients, but somewhat prolonged the life of patients with type 2 diabetes, in which not the production of insulin decreases, but the sensitivity of cells to it.. With type 1 diabetes (partial or complete cessation of insulin production), things were much sadder: before the advent of insulin therapy, patients with this disease died soon after the onset of the first symptoms.

The first attempt to treat diabetes mellitus with insulin injections was made in 1922.. But it was not entirely successful: the patient, 14-year-old Leonard Thompson, immediately developed adverse reactions.. The drug had to be hastily finalized and in just 3 weeks, scientists managed to create a drug that effectively and without side effects lowered glucose levels from 28.9 to 6.7 mmol / l. After the start of insulin therapy, Thompson lived for another 13 years and died of pneumonia, which developed, however, against the background of ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes mellitus..

Fact # 2 About “insulin addiction” There is an opinion that, having started to inject insulin, a person will no longer be able to refuse it, so it’s better not to use “this disgusting thing” at all, or at least postpone the first injection “for a rainy day”. However, in reality, this behavior is fraught with complications.. In diabetes mellitus, insulin deficiency is always observed, it can be absolute (in type 1 diabetes) or relative (in type 2 diabetes). Medicine does not know any way to make up for the absolute lack of insulin, in addition to regular injections.. Therefore, if insulin is called a drug, then it would be fair to attribute air and water to this category..

However, in type 2 diabetes, the start of insulin therapy can be delayed for a long time or even forever by following the recommendations of the attending physician: following a diet and taking antidiabetic drugs. But if it is not possible to keep the glucose level within the normal range and the doctor advises starting insulin therapy, it is better to agree, otherwise serious complications may develop prematurely: including diabetic foot syndrome and diabetic encephalopathy, characterized in particular by impaired memory and attention.

Fact #3 About new methods of administering insulin In the 1940s, the first long-acting insulin appeared, which lasted twice the standard 6-8 hours. By our decade, the duration of action has grown to 26 hours, and at the moment the injection scheme in general looks like this: injections of “long” insulin 1-2 times a day and “short” insulin before each meal.

However, it is quite possible that this state of affairs will change in the near future.. A group of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a new insulin delivery method for type 1 diabetics - an injectable gel with nanoparticles.. According to scientists, it may eventually become the main treatment for diabetes and allow patients not only to live without frequent injections, but also without much monitoring.. The nanoparticles contained in the gel react to the concentration of glucose in the body and automatically produce the right amount of insulin.. So far, however, the gel has not yet reached the stage of clinical trials..

In addition, the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk recently announced that by 2020 insulin tablets will be on sale.. But Pfizer's inhaled insulin failed to gain popularity.. Some other methods of insulin delivery (in particular eye drops or injection of insulin using a needleless injector through the pores) are also now not bet because the exact dose of insulin that enters the blood cannot be calculated in these cases..

Fact #4 About Diabetes Prevention Type 1 diabetes is usually caused by autoimmune aggression - the destruction of insulin-producing cells by the immune system. The process can be provoked, for example, by a cold - any physiological or psycho-emotional stress, but only if there is a genetic predisposition that modern medicine is not able to influence. However, recently a project was launched in the UK to develop a vaccine for type 1 diabetes.. It is unlikely to completely protect against the disease, but it will prolong the period of life preceding the disease and slow down the development of the disease..

But in general, it is possible to protect yourself from type 2 diabetes. True, you will have to give up not only sweets, but also fatty and starchy foods, as well as long gatherings on the couch, because the risk of developing this disease directly depends on the number of extra pounds. It should, however, be remembered that avoiding sweets alone is not a cure for diabetes that has already developed, for much the same reason that wearing a hard hat does not cure an existing concussion.. Frequent consumption of sweets depletes the reserves of the pancreas and reduces the sensitivity of body tissues to insulin, and these processes are weakly reversible.. It is much easier to prevent the development of insulin resistance (violation of the relationship between insulin and receptors) than to restore the ability of tissues to interact with insulin.

Fact #5 About Diabetes and Sports Although diabetes is a serious and sometimes disabling disease, modern drugs and glucometers (devices for measuring glucose levels) allow patients to lead an active lifestyle. How active? It depends on the person. The famous Brazilian footballer Pele, diabetes did not prevent him from becoming the record holder for the number of world championships won. Titled American tennis player Bill Talbert lived with the disease for exactly 70 years (he fell ill at 12 and died at 82); and the famous Canadian hockey player Bobby Clark (who fell ill at 13) played as an amateur for 19 years and played hockey professionally for another 15. Manufacturers of glucometers over time began to focus on active patients and began to produce devices that, for example, can be used during high-altitude hikes. In particular, the entire line of One Touch glucometers operates at altitudes up to 3050 m..

Fact # 6 About folk methods Of course, there are many who want to make money on such a common disease as diabetes. Supplement sellers often list diabetes as an indication simply because it boosts sales.. But, of course, diabetes is “treated” not only with dietary supplements. Among the variety of methods offered are hundreds of herbal treatments, bioresonance therapy, taking all kinds of chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide, blood ozonation, the use of silicon, vanadium and other elements.. There are even lovers to treat diabetes by wearing a string of pearls - supposedly it lowers blood sugar.

All " It is difficult to build on effectiveness, since, of course, no clinical studies of these methods have been conducted, and stories of “happily healed” are always found. At the same time, there are stories of those who have worsened their health by taking unknown and advertised drugs.. For example, homeopathy is unlikely to harm anyone: the active ingredients in these preparations are present in such dilutions that, most likely, not a single molecule of it will simply be in solution.. But herbal medicine can be dangerous: plants contain a lot of all sorts of chemical compounds, and the side effects from them can be unpredictable.. For example, Galega officinalis (goat's rue), which is used as a hypoglycemic agent, is toxic, although the substance guanidine obtained from it led researchers to create metformin, a drug often needed by patients with type 2 diabetes (available in tablets).

Fact #7 About the belief in the benefits of alcohol and smoking. However, this is not true, and, moreover, " In fact, the level of sugar from alcohol does not fall at all: alcohol only blocks the flow of glucose into the blood from the liver.. The supply of carbohydrates in this organ is needed in order to maintain normal blood sugar levels: when all carbohydrates from food are consumed, glucose from the liver enters the blood. In the event that this mechanism is blocked, a hypoglycemic coma may develop in a diabetic patient.. This does not mean that people with diabetes should not drink at all.. With well-controlled diabetes and the right therapy, a moderate amount of alcohol can be allowed, preferably with food, to avoid hypoglycemia.. It must also be remembered that after drinking alcohol, the dose of insulin should be reduced..

With regard to smoking, there is an opinion that diabetics who smoke should never get rid of this habit, since in the end you can gain weight and worsen control over the disease.. And if in healthy people quitting smoking can cause diabetes. As it recently turned out, the development of type 2 diabetes can indeed be associated with smoking cessation and subsequent weight gain (4-5 kg). However, researchers note that the risks of developing cardiovascular diseases associated with smoking are much more serious than the danger of getting better..

Fact # 8 About the genetic predisposition to diabetes In the development of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, heredity does play a role. This disease is polygenic - a whole group of genes is responsible for its appearance.. But different types of diabetes depend on hereditary factors in different ways.. If the mother has type 1 diabetes, the chance that the child will also have it is 1% if the woman was over 25 at the time of pregnancy, and 4% if less. If the father has type 1 diabetes, the child has a 10% chance of developing the disease..

With type 2 diabetes, the situation is worse: if parents have this disease, the risk of developing it is significantly higher.. However, this is not a sentence.. The fact is that parents do not inherit the disease itself, but the factors leading to its development: a tendency to be overweight, problems with fat metabolism and with the cardiovascular system. Thus, a balanced diet, weight control and regular sports training will be the most effective prevention..

Fact #9 About Other Types of Diabetes. For example, neonatal diabetes. This is a fairly rare disease, a change in one gene is responsible for its development.. The problem in this case may be a congenital defect of the channels that release insulin.. Neonatal diabetes can be transient, that is, passing on its own by about the 3rd month of a child's life (and sometimes returning later), and non-transient - in this case, children are transferred to insulin therapy or sulfanylurea in tablets.

In addition, there are several other types of diabetes associated with a breakdown in a single gene.. Sometimes these diseases do not require any treatment other than exercise and diet.. Also, a few decades ago it became clear that there is a so-called type 1.5 diabetes (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, LADA). In simple terms, it is slowly developing type 1 diabetes, which is often mistaken for type 2 diabetes.. According to doctors, LADA develops in 10% of patients with diabetes.

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