The story is all over the news. You couldn’t miss it if you tried. If you follow the Food Network and in this case even if you don’t, you most likely know many, if not all of the players involved. If not, that’s fine as well because what I’m not going to do, is a make a judgment call in this particular case. It’s not my job to hash that out. Paula Deen isn’t a client of mine and therefore I don’t have all the pertinent information necessary to do so. If she were a client of mine, client privilege would keep me from even writing this article. However, in response to today’s breaking news about the beloved chef and her diagnosis of type II diabetes, I feel a responsibility to address the issue of diabetes and its impact on this country. From there, you can draw your own conclusions as hopefully; you’ll have a better understanding of the differences between type I and type II diabetes and what you can do to help prevent it.
It’s also my hope that armed with this information, you will take what you’ve learned and create an action plan beginning today , to protect you and your family (as much as one can), from the ravages of this devastating disease.
Today, our country is facing the largest Type II diabetes epidemic in HISTORY! That alone should gain our attention. But why type II and not type I? Here, in a nutshell, is what you need to know –
Type I is quite often still referred to as juvenile onset diabetes, because it occurs typically before the age of 20. Those with type I diabetes, usually tend to be on the thinner side of the weight equation; thus giving us a clue as to the history and cause in part of type II.
The cause of type I diabetes is due to the fact that the pancreas (the organ that secretes insulin), is damaged so to speak, causing people with type I diabetes to always need insulin. This can either be injection or distributed through an insulin pump. Interestingly enough, Type I diabetes accounts for approximately only 10-15 percent of all the diabetics in the country. Ya, it makes you go HUMM right? RIGHT!
So then, we’re left with type II. Type II is obviously the most common type of diabetes and is also known as “adult onset”. Type II diabetics tend to live on the heavier side of the weight equation and are also usually not diagnosed until after the age of 35. The cause for type I and Type II are quite different and there in lies the rub when it comes to the devastation it is wreaking on this country. Type II is often due to ‘Insulin Resistance’. With Insulin Resistance, unlike type I, there is plenty of insulin available but its lost the ability to do it’s job (control blood sugar). Treating type II diabetes is quite different as well. Usually a healthy lifestyle change, including diet and exercise will often do the trick. Though often, oral medications can aide in its treatment as well. One of the main culprits for the body’s inability to respond to insulin properly is over body fat percentage. OUCH!
Type II diabetes is responsible for a staggering 85 to 90 percent of all the diabetes cases in the country. Type II diabetes is also associated with heart disease, and that's why it's so important to not only treat the glucose levels, but also to attack blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well. Type II diabetes often crosses from generation to generation however…..IT CAN OFTEN, IF NOT MOST ALWAYS, BE PREVENTED! There in lies the crux of the matter.
While it is known that anyone at any age can have either type I or type II, in most cases, the writing is on the wall and this country is headed straight for it, at warp speed and without a helmet!
So now you do the math. It’s a sad state of affairs. I and my colleagues spend a good portion of each day in the trenches helping to fight this war but more ammunition is needed. Please, if you have children, do all that you can to pattern a healthy lifestyle. Do so by implementing a nutrient dense, fiber rich diet; one that’s low in saturated fat and sugar and include daily exercise as a part of your ever day activities. In doing so, you may not only save yourself and your family but you’ll also be winning one for OUR SIDE!
Paula, our prayers are with you.
God’s speed ya’ll and as always,
Power On…
Until next time,
Candace
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