I am a diabetic and my doctor says I should not use an electrical blanket. Why?

Well, this is not an absolute contraindication. 


Diabetics can use an electric blanket but it should be with care and the temperature should not be very high. The reason for this is that diabetics do lose their ability to sense pain. If there is excessive heat the diabetic may not be able to sense the pain and this can lead to a burn. 


Since diabetics have diminished blood supply to their legs, this small burn can quickly get out of control and easily lead to a full blown infection or an amputation. Diabetics should use caution with all electrical appliances.

Do I really need to buy diabetic shoes?

Feet are the most neglected part of our body both when it comes to health and cosmesis.


Diabetic individuals are always at a risk for developing life threatening infections even after minor trauma. Besides having poor circulation in the feet, diabetics also have loss of nerves and are unable to sense trauma. These individuals should wear corrective shoes to protect their feet. Corrective shoes are available that can stabilize and support all types of foot deformities. In addition the shoes are designed such that they reduce shock and pressure on the joints.


Today, diabetic individuals with foot problems can buy supportive shoe wear in all styles and designs. Besides elegance, one should buy shoes that are comfortable and protective.


Unfortunately the shoe industry has gotten together with certain health care professionals and is making a killing from selling expensive footwear to all diabetics. Some of the shoes cost more than $700. The statement that all diabetics need specially fitted shoes is a bunch of crap- this is only to make the health professionals get much richer at your expense.


So if you do not have money, buy a pair of slightly large sturdy shoes and pack it with cotton. Always maintain good hygiene, do not wear sandals and never let a podiatrist touch your feet without first getting an approval from your doctor. 

How often should I measure my blood sugars?

The testing for blood sugar levels is more rigorous just after the diagnosis of diabetes. Once the diagnosis of diabetes has been established, the measurement of blood sugars does depend on the type of diabetes and treatment.


Individuals who have type 1 diabetes need to measure blood sugar levels anywhere from 3-6 times a day, at least before and after each meal.
Individuals with diabetes who exercise also need to monitor their sugars before and after exercise and just before going to sleep.


Individuals with type 1 diabetes who are ill or have a change in their routine (like traveling), stress or have been diagnosed with other medical disorder may need more frequent monitoring of blood sugar levels.


Individuals with Type 2 diabetes generally require less frequent glucose monitoring. Most of these individuals need to monitor blood glucose 1-2 time’s day if they are on any type of diabetic medications. Individual who are managing their type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise alone need to monitor their sugars less often. 

My father has diabetes, is there a chance I will get diabetes?

Diabetes does have a genetic link. If one or more members of your family have diabetes, then your chances of developing diabetes are high. 

Studies indicate that diabetes tends to occur in 30% of people who already have family members with diabetes. 

In the meantime, you should continue to get your blood sugars tested regularly, change your diet and watch your weight. The lower the weight, the less likely you will develop diabetes.

I am a 21 year old male, weigh 205 pounds and am always thirty and need to go the bathroom often. Do you think I have diabetes?

From what you have described, you may have diabetes. Being overweight is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. 

Moreover. feeling thirty and increased urination also go with diabetes. The first thing you should do is see your doctor and get a blood test. 

You can check your urine for sugar but this really is meaningless until your diabetes has been confirmed. In the meantime, start cutting down on your weight, eat less sugary foods and change your diet.

What are the common symptoms of diabetes?

In general, excessive thirst and increased urination are the two most common symptoms of diabetes. 

Many people need to get up several times in the night to urinate. Often one may develop blurred vision and excessive fatigue. The only way to confirm your diagnosis is to have your blood sugars tested by a doctor. 

Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you will need to monitor your blood sugars often

Are there any other methods to monitor blood sugar besides finger pricking?

Blood glucose measurements using finger pricks has always been the Gold standard. This method has been thoroughly analyzed and found to be reproducible, reliable and generates consistent results. Now this method is starting to face stiff competition.

The discomfort and inconvenience of finger pricking is one reason people with diabetes do not check their blood sugar as often as they should. Finger pricking is uncomfortable and is painful. To counter the finger pricking, researchers have been trying to develop novel ways to measure blood glucose. The following are alternatives available today: 

Blood can also be obtained from the upper arm, thigh or abdomen. These alternative sites of obtaining blood are much less painful than the finger prick. The only problem with getting blood from these alternative sites is that level of blood sugar obtained is not always accurate, especially in cases where the sugar levels may be quickly increasing or decreasing.

Infra red light monitors have been developed which use a beam of light to penetrate the skin and measure levels of sugar in the blood. However, these devices are not accurate and the levels of blood sugar can vary depending on the blood pressure, temperature of the skin or the presence of a skin ailment (lupus, ulcer, Reynaud’s, collagen vascular disease). When using the infrared devices, it is important to periodically compare the blood sugar with a finger prick to ensure that levels between the two methods are within a close range

Are there devices that continuously measure blood sugars?

Sure, there are. These watch like-devices have been available for sometime but definitely not worth it.

Continuous blood glucose monitoring devices can be worn as a watch on the wrist, waist or upper arm. The device then transmits the reading to a small LCD screen worn on the body. If the levels of sugars are too high or too low, the device will sound an alarm. These subcutaneous sensors are not cheap. The average price is about $1500 and the site must be rotated every few days. Like any of the above methods, the device must be compared to the finger prick method to ensure that it is giving reliable readings.

No matter what device one uses to monitor blood sugar, it is important to write the blood sugar levels and show them to your health care professional. If your readings are too high or too low, your medications may need to be adjusted. In some cases, the physician may recommend a change in diet or exercise.

Are skin-wearing devices adequate for blood sugar monitoring?

There are several skin wearing devices that can measure blood glucose. These watch like devices use tiny electrical currents to sense the fluid below the skin. If the blood sugar levels are too high or too low, the watch will sound an alarm.  

Do these devices work?

Not really. The blood sugar levels measured by the watch almost always varies the standard method of blood sugar measurement with a pinprick.

Other negative of the watch is that many individuals also develop skin irritation. Further these devices do not work if the skin is wet (e.g. if you sweat a lot). Like the infrared device, one has to periodically monitor blood sugar by the finger prick method to ensure that the two methods do not give drastically different results.

Finally, the devices are expensive and not reliable. Final advice- not worth the money or hassle.

Can stem cells cure my diabetes?

There is a lot of work being done on stem cells. However, most of the data are still in the infancy stage and in experimental animals. Even if this technology works, it will only be applicable to type 1 diabetics.


There is ongoing research showing that stem cells taken from the testes can be transformed into cells that secrete insulin. In type 1 diabetics, the immune system attacks and destroys the cells of the pancreas that make insulin.
The recent experimental studies show that the transformed cells can bring down blood glucose levels. However, the number of stem cells required is massive and the insulin produced is minuscule. So far, the technology seems to help diabetic mice only and lot of work is needed before the same technology can be applied to humans.


Similar work involving injections of fetal and adult cells from the pancreatic beta cells to type 1 diabetics has been done before but the results have never been satisfactory. Other work has attempted to coax adult diabetic cells to start becoming young and start producing insulin- however, in most cases this has resulted in growth of cancer cells. Now researchers are focusing on the cells from the testes that can easily be coaxed into acting young and made to produce insulin without mucking around too much with the genes. With the testes cells, few of them become cancerous. The aim of these studies is to use testes cells, make them young and enable them to produce insulin.


The other advantage of this technique is that the cells come from the patient himself and thus there is no problem of adverse immune reactions as would occur with foreign cells. So far, it is not known if the immune system in humans would recognize the testes cells as foreign and destroy them. In humans, testes cells do not normally circulate free in blood.

Therefore, for those who are diabetics there is still a long ways before a cure for type 1 diabetes will come. In the meantime, continue using your insulin, exercise and do not smoke. This will not cure your diabetes, but it will help prevent complications of diabetes.

I am a type 2 diabetic, can I take any alcohol?

There is no reason why a diabetic cannot consume alcohol. However, the question is what amount of alcohol can a diabetic safely consume? 

The answer to this is no more than one drink a day.  A single glass of wine is considered safe and is recommended by most experts. However, all diabetics who drink wine should be aware that sometimes the blood sugars may drop within 45-60 minutes after consuming alcohol - thus one should always have some candy or orange juice around. 

Moreover, a single glass of wine also adds about 130-150 calories and this should be factored into your diet.  Any diabetic who imbibes a lot of alcohol is only risking for more complications besides the diabetes. To be on the safe side, complete abstinence from alcohol is best remedy for diabetics.

Insulin pumps: Should you buy one? Part 2

Disadvantages of the insulin pump include:

- There is a learning period to use the pump most efficiently. Initially it takes time to obtain the baseline insulin levels. Frequent blood sugars need to be measured to obtain the desired levels of insulin.

- Pump malfunction can occur and one can develop too high or too low sugars.

- Individuals who are not good at maintaining their weight or calories are not good candidates for the insulin pump.

- The site where the plastic tubing enters the skin can get infected. When an infection does occur, one has to stop using the pump.

- Because the pump is a mechanical device, one has to repeatedly check to ensure that the batteries are working and that the tubing is not kinked.

- Insulin pumps are expensive and can cost anywhere from $2,000-$5,000. Not all insurance companies cover insulin pumps.

Final Point

The use of an insulin pump requires motivation and dedication. For those who want to use the device, the blood sugars must be checked 3-4 times a day. In addition, one has to control the diet and let the device know how many extra calories have been eaten. Individuals who are constantly eating require a lot of insulin. Anyone who needs more than 100-150 units of insulin a day, is not a good candidate for an insulin pump.

The biggest advantage of an insulin pump is that it can maintain glucose levels near normal and help prevent some of the feared complications of diabetes.

Insulin pumps are not for all diabetics. One does need to have training in how to use the pump. Further, blood sugars do have to be checked every 3-4 hours. The insulin pump also costs a lot more than syringes and needles.

Insulin pumps: Should you buy one? Part 1

For many diabetic individuals, monitoring blood sugar and taking diabetic medications or administering insulin every single day can be a chore. Now scientists have come up with an insulin pump.

The insulin pump delivers a constant amount (basal) rate of insulin 24 hours a day to control your blood sugar. One can program the pump to administer additional doses of insulin after a meal or to correct high levels of sugar.

The insulin pump is about the size of a thin wallet and can be carried on a belt underneath the clothing. A thin plastic tubing from this pump is then tunneled under the skin using a special needle. This tunneled site needs to be rotated every 2-3 days.

The insulin pump needs to be programmed for it to work.

Advantages of an insulin pump include the following:

- The pump controls your blood sugar levels without you having to worry about needles and syringes. Your basal rate is preprogrammed. If you do decide to eat an extra meal or have high sugar, all you have to do is press the button and a supplemental dose of insulin is delivered.

- Instead of giving insulin needle injections 2-6 times a day, you rotate the tubing site every 2-3 days.

- There is less time wastage and you do not need to carry a bunch of syringes and needles wherever you go

- In general, individuals who use the insulin pump have much better control of their blood sugars and hence fewer diabetic complications

- Individuals who use the insulin pump also have fewer incidences of hypoglycemia (low sugar).

Diabetes control via brain surgery?

Recently a group of surgeons from Pittsburg indicated that type 2 diabetes could be controlled by some type of brain surgery. Surgeons at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh conducted a small study of 10 patients with progressive type 2 diabetes. The surgeons compressed a part of the brain known as the medulla oblongata. It is believed that this part of the brain has some control over the pancreas. The patients were not permitted to make any alterations in their weight, diet, exercise for about 12 months after undergoing this brain surgery. This same type of procedure is often used to treat certain nerve compression symptoms.

Dr. Peter Jannetta, the neurosurgeon in charge of the study, reasons that decompression of the nerve in the medulla oblongata, which controls the pancreas, could ease function of type 2 diabetes.
 
The pancreas is the organ which makes the hormone insulin that burns the blood glucose. In type 2 diabetes, patients either can’t release the insulin from the pancreas, do not make enough insulin or the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin.

In Dr Jannetta’s study, 7/10 patients had better blood glucose control after surgery. These patients were able to decrease their anti diabetic medication dose and one patient was able to come of his anti diabetic medication completely.
Current estimates indicate that close to 24 million people live with diabetes in the USA alone and that the numbers are increasing each year. If type 2 diabetes is left untreated, it can lead to blindness, kidney failure, stroke and heart attack.

So what does this mean for the diabetic patient?

Put it mildly- do not believe all the BULL you read. This is an insane study. Just causing the pancreas to release more insulin is not the answer to treating type 2 diabetes. In the majority of type 2 diabetics, there is insulin in the body, it just does not work because of resistance. In addition, this study had only 10 patients and the study was not even randomized. 

Secondly, brain surgery is not very safe and complications can be devastating. You may lower your diabetic medications but the surgery may paralyze you, cause blindness and hearing loss and even your speech may become garbled- and these are permanent complications. For consumers who have common sense, avoid such cockamanny nonsensical procedures to treat type 2 diabetes. 

If you have type 2 diabetes, walk more, eat less sugar and do not smoke. Pharmaceutical drugs we have may not be the ideal answer, but they are a lot safer than some crazy brain surgery!