Myths and Facts in Diabetes
You have probably heard a lot of things about diabetes, true and untrue. The list below contains 10 commonly believed myths about diabetes, along with some facts that will answer your questions.
MYTH 1: Diabetes is contagious.
Diabetes is an endocrine disease and is basically caused by a problem with the amounts of insulin produced by the beta cells in the pancreas. Diabetes tends to be an inherited trait that runs in families-it is not contagious.
MYTH 2: If children get diabetes, they'll eventually outgrow it.
When children get diabetes, it is usually Type 1 or insulin dependent diabetes. This form of diabetes is caused by the destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. At this time, beta cells cannot be regenerated, nor is it practical to have them transplanted. Until a cure for diabetes is found, childhood diabetes will continue into adulthood.
MYTH 3: Kids with diabetes can't exercise.
Just the opposite is true. In fact, food intake (meal plans), insulin, and physical activity or exercise is the basis for treatment of Type 1 diabetes. Exercise lowers the amount of blood sugar, which results in a person feeling better; it helps to avoid being overweight, and lowers the chances of developing the long-term complications associated with diabetes. However, it is important to test blood sugar levels before and after exercise in order to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
MYTH 4: People with diabetes (kids, adolescents, and adults) should avoid parties.
There is no reason to do this since everyone needs to relax and socialize. In fact, parties are a great way to lower or avoid stress, which can affect blood sugar levels. People with diabetes just need to be careful about the amounts of food or alcohol that they use. It's important to discus the use of alcohol with your doctor, diabetes educator or dietitian. Your dietitian can also show you how to substitute various foods in your meal plan, and what types of foods to avoid.
MYTH 5: Insulin cures diabetes.
When used properly, insulin is a medicine that helps to keep the levels of blood sugar in the near-normal range. In Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes, insulin must be used because the pancreas is not producing] the insulin the body needs. In Type 2 diabetes, diet (meal plan), exercise, and oral diabetes medications are used, with insulin sometimes used for additional control. Insulin itself does not cure diabetes.
MYTH 6: Pills for diabetes are oral insulin.
Pills for diabetes (oral hypoglycemic agents or anti-diabetic oral hypoglycemic agents) work to affect the ability of the body to use insulin better-they are not oral insulin. There are several types of pills that work differently, so it is important to work with your health care team to be sure that you get maximum effect of this kind of treatment.
MYTH 7: People with diabetes can't eat carbohydrates.
Not true-however, when a person is first diagnosed with diabetes it is important to meet with a dietitian who is aware of the medical treatment planned by your doctor. The dietitian can then help you balance medication (if you take any) with physical activity, life-style, and the amount and types of food that you eat. This will help you keep blood sugar levels at near-normal levels, feel healthy, and prevent long-term complications.
MYTH 8: Diabetes in women prevents them from having children.
In the past, few technologies existed that would help people keep blood sugars in the normal range. We now know that if a woman with diabetes becomes pregnant, she can deliver a healthy baby by maintaining normal blood sugar levels both before conception and throughout the pregnancy.
MYTH 9: If my insulin dose is increased, my diabetes must be getting worse.
The most important goal for people with diabetes is keeping near-normal blood sugar levels in order to feel well and avoid long-term diabetes complications. To do this, each person needs different amounts and types of food, physical activity, and medicines like insulin.
MYTH 10: Insulin must be injected directly into the vein
When patients first learn that one area used for insulin injection is the arm, they may envision inserting the needle directly into a vein in the antecubital area as in blood withdrawal. The patients must be reassured that insulin is injected into the fat tissue on the back of the arm (or on the abdomen, thigh or hip) and that the needle is much shorter than that used for vein puncture.
MYTH 11: There is extreme danger in injection insulin if there are any air bubbles in the syringe.
Patients may have a fear of dying if air bubbles are injected with a syringe. (This may be related to the misconception that insulin is injected directly into the vein). Reassure patients that the main danger in having air bubbles in the insulin syringe is that the amount of insulin being injected is less than the required dosage. It is often difficult to remove every small "champagne" bubble from the syringe. Thus the patient should be reassured that injection of insulin when these bubbles are present will not cause any harm.
MYTH 12: Urine and blood glucose testing are interchangeable (i.e. they provide the exact same information)
Explain to the patient that directly testing the blood is the most accurate method of measuring the glucose level. The urine glucose test, which measures the amount of glucose that was 'spilled' into the urine since the bladder was last emptied, is only an indirect way of determining the glucose level in the blood. The kidneys will not allow sugar to spill into the urine until the blood glucose reaches a level above 180-200 mg/dl (10-11.1 mm). Therefore, the urine will test negative for glucose when the blood glucose is at any level between 0 and 200 mg/dl. Hypoglycemia cannot be detected with urine testing, nor can the blood glucose level be strictly controlled.
MYTH 13: Blood glucose levels remain the same throughout the day
Explain to patients that there is normally a variation in blood glucose levels, with lowest levels before meals and highest levels 1 to 2 hours after eating. The goal of the diabetes treatment plan is to minimize wide swings in glucose levels, not to eliminate the normal variations.
MYTH 14: Once insulin injections are started treatment of type 2 diabetes they can never be discontinued.
During periods of acute stress (such as illness, infection or surgery) or when receiving certain medications that cause elevations in blood glucose, some patients with type 2 diabetes will require insulin. If the diabetes had previously been well controlled with diet alone or diet with oral hypoglycemic agents, the patient should be able to resume previous methods for control of diabetes when the stress is resolved. In addition, insulin is sometimes used to control blood glucose levels in obese type 2 diabetic patients who have been unsuccessful at weight reduction after insulin therapy is initiated, the insulin doses may be tapered and the patient may be able to switch to diet and exercise alone or with oral hypoglycemic agents for control of blood glucose. (For patients with type I diabetes, insulin is needed on an ongoing basis. For thin patients with type 2 diabetes once insulin has to be started, it is usually required permanently.)
MYTH 15: If increasing doses of insulin are needed to control the blood glucose, the diabetes must be getting "WORSE"
Explained to the patient that, unlike other medications that are given in standard doses, there is not a standard dose, there is not a standard dose of insulin that is effective for all patients. Rather, the dose must be adjusted according to blood glucose test results. If the initial insulin dose prescribed for the patient does not adequately decrease the glucose level, the patient may assume that he or she has case of diabetes or that the diabetes is getting worse. It is important to instruct patients that many different factors may affect the ability of insulin to lower the glucose, including obesity, puberty, pregnancy, illness and certain medications. In addition, to avoid hypoglycemia, physicians' frequently initiate insulin therapy with smaller dosages than will eventually be needed. The doses are than increased in small increments until blood glucose levels are in the desired range.
MYTH 16: Insulin causes blindness (or other diabetic complications)
When patients have a diabetic acquaintance in which the initiation of insulin therapy happened to coincide with the onset of diabetic complications, the patient may view insulin as the cause of complication, such as blindness or amputations. In these situations, the acquaintance probably had type 2 diabetes, which was no longer controllable with diet and oral hypoglycemic agents. It must be explained to the patient that factors such as elevated blood glucose and elevated blood pressure levels (and not insulin therapy) contribute to some of the diabetic complications. Furthermore, emphasize that insulin is a natural hormone present in every person's body, which helps control glucose levels, and which definitely does not cause long-term complications of diabetes.
MYTH 17: There are many jobs that people with diabetes can't do
People with diabetes can do almost all jobs. In the past, some positions in the military, and occupations like airplane pilot or interstate truck drive were not available to people with diabetes. Today, many of these professions are changing those requirements.
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