Being Diabetic is your own fault?

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Permalink Reply by Mr. Peachy (Craig) on July 24, 2008 at 9:55pm

Since I don't have the luxury of being able to afford insurance, I have a slightly different perspective...

What if it was our fault? What if you had no choice but to take complete responsibility for your own health? Surely you've heard the old saying, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse."... right? What if we were placed into a situation (like me) and had to learn as much as we could about the disease... like what groups are more susceptible to type two, what groups are less susceptible, and (most importantly) why are they more or less susceptible?

After several years of comprehensive research into conventional and alternative treatments, it seems that it is someone's fault, because many of us, who have learned to eat a high nutrient, low glycemic index, low calorie diet and combining that with plenty of daily exercise, have achieved remarkable success in reversing the disease.... enough to put away all medications. Hopefully, for good.

While I'm not a big fan of insurance companies, I am a big fan of personal responsibility. Expecting others to pay for our own ignorance is biting us all in the butt right now in the form of higher insurance rates, costly lawyers, higher taxes, bigger government, safer this and that, etc. etc.

FYI, I'm 5'11" tall and currently 172 pounds (BMI 24). Just a few years ago, I was 215 pounds (BMI 30). I was diagnosed in 2003... I don't know how long I was diabetic prior to the dx. Last fall, my BGL was creeping up above 120mg/dl despite "healthy diet and exercise" and 1000mg/day of Metformin. I became desperate. I read and read as if my life depended on it. I finally found a combination that not only brought my glucose numbers down... in the first week, they actually dropped below normal... into the fifties and sixties as my body adjusted to the new nutrient rich, low glycemic index natural foods based diet. So, I quit taking Metformin last December. My BGL has been in the upper 80s to lower 100s ever since.

No, you're not obese at a BMI of 29.5... neither was I at 30. But you could certainly stand to lose forty pounds and I'm willing to bet you don't get nearly as much exercise as you should. I'm 56 and walk at least an hour and a half throughout the day... averaging nearly four miles and hour. I keep up with many joggers.

Certainly you know that diabetes is not just a disease of the obese. What you may not know is, that it is a disease of those who subscribe to the typical western diet of way too many refined carbs and not nearly enough fresh fruits and vegetables with lots of TV time. Since increasing my daily intake of bananas, apples, apricots, tomatoes, spinach, etc, etc, I watched in amazement as my sugar dropped. If you think about it, our bodies were optimized for foods like these. Whether you're into creation or evolution, it makes perfect sense that natural foods are what our bodies thrive on. Not man made crap stripped of many important and essential nutrients.

Should we force insurance companies to pay for our ignorance? No.

Should we encourage improved health education? Yes.

Should we teach our kids personal responsibility? Absolutely

- A different Craig

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Permalink Reply by Khürt Williams on July 27, 2008 at 6:11am

Craig,
That was a very informed and reasoned post.

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Permalink Reply by Mr. Peachy (Craig) on July 31, 2008 at 7:41pm

I'm reasonably sure that was aimed at my comments... thanks Khürt.

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Permalink Reply by Danny Weems on July 27, 2008 at 12:58pm

My mother had gestational diabetes when she was pregnangt with me, and when she was mid thirties, she was diagnosed diabetic, T2. At no time through her life was she ever over weight. I have many cousins who are diabetic and only one I would consider obese. When I was 33, my appetite went crazy, and my mouth was always dry. the epiphany occured when I went to see mom and dad one day and I turned down coffee for water. I had all the signs of diabetes. A few weeks later, the doctor told me I was prediabetic and to watch diet and all would be fine;. So, i simply paid attention to what my body was telling me. If it made me hungry for days after consuming it, I cut it outof my diet. over time, I cut 99% of the soda and 90% of the cakes/pies from my diet. I also quadupeled my garden. One acre was large enough to grow 80% of the vegetables I ate every year. The outrageous appetite, and "cotton mouth" disappeared, and I forgot about it.
Flash forward. In 2007 I was at the doctors office for another reason and was diagnosed diabetic. I was 10 pounds above my target weight. Once again I started paying closer attention to my diet. Excersize was no problem because I am a carpenter. this time, diet had no effect on my BS. Doc added metformin to my meds and it helped for about a year. My BS was once again on the rise. At and A1C of 7.2, Doc added Glipizide but its only affect was it made me go low too easy and I was outrageously starvind all the time, so I dropped it and now I am on insulin and metformin. The difference is dramatic. I am not ravenously hungry, I do not have cotton mouth and my spikes are small. I wouldn't trade insulin for anything. Anyway, by taking control of the diabetes in my 30's I didn't eliminate the diabetes, I simp;ly slowed its progression.

I do agree with Craig in a limited way. Diet can play a small role in diabetes. However, his arguements are over generalized and simplistic. He fails to take in consideration there are 8 genetic defects that individually can cause diabetes, or the gender differences in metabolisim.
Further, if we apply craigs metaphor to flood insurance and you lose your house to flood waters then your loss is your fault because you should have done more research so the insurance company should not be obligated to rebuild.......
Or, if you have an autombile accident and it is your fault then it is your fault because you should have been more careful, so the loss is all yours.......

danny

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Permalink Reply by Mr. Peachy (Craig) on December 7, 2008 at 5:46pm

I'm not sure which Craig you aimed this response at, but I'm going to assume it's me.

Genetics plays only a minor role. Diet plays the lead role. Exercise (or, lack thereof) plays the supporting role.

My arguments are sound and well thought out. Insurance companies are out to make money with the minimum amount of risk. They're not about to pay a claim (to someone who built their house on a flood plain) after a levee breaks, or someone who habitually runs red lights. Yes, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but as with just about everything, there's varying degrees of personal responsibility involved. We, as a society, are eating, watching TV, playing video games with complete abandon to our health as compared to what our bodies were designed for... healthy, natural foods and moderate daily physical activity. It's just a matter of time until the government steps in. In fact, with the failing insurance giants, it's right around the corner.

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Permalink Reply by Marston A on August 25, 2008 at 10:10pm

Amen to that, I completely agree. Great post.

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Permalink Reply by Harold L. on September 1, 2008 at 1:51pm

Hi...I am new here, but I did want to add something. I used to do walkathons, I have been very active most of my life and then I started to hurt all over and not be able to stand or walk long distances, as it turns out, I have Spinal Stenosis, which is very painful, and I am not able to stand any more than 5 minutes at the most, and I am not able to walk or run very far due to this horrible condition, and I am not having my back operated on due to the possibility of paralyisis as it is a risk factor. I also have Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy and Pulmonary Hypertension (Secondary), both of which put me at high risk for sudden cardiac death. All I am saying is this, could you at least recognize that there are those of us who wish that they could exercise and take better care of the diabetes but cannot due to other medical conditions? It is our responsibility, I agree, but there are situations that cannot be helped no matter what.

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Permalink Reply by debb on September 1, 2008 at 2:14pm

your right harold. there is a hugh amount of space between overweight and not overweight, the laymen's use of lazy and just trying to get through another day of pain and suffering. encluding your situation as well as very many others that we tend to forget about when type 2 is mentioned. we all do tend to think of our own situation first and forget about the other guy. yes we all have to take responsibility for our actions, but some of us did nothing to get where we are today. for me personally, i don't care how or why anyone gets diabetes. what has happened has happened. i care about the person who is trying to get a better hold on his/her situation and is doing the best he/she can to achieve that control. blame is for those who have time to blame. let them. i just don't have the time to blame anyone for any mistakes they might have made. i have made enough in my own life to know you just go on and do your best. we are not perfect. and believe it or not most of us here feel the same way. there are a great bunch of people here who care about the next guy and is willing to help them if they need it. we all do blow a little steam evey now and then. that's what makes TuD so great.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on September 1, 2008 at 4:31pm

Very good Harold, someone who knows what it's like to have problems that hinder their activity, not that we have chosen these, but we have them nonetheless and walking, sitting, standing or any other activity causes pain. Some days it is so hard to even open my eyes, that is when I do sleep, sometimes the pain is so bad, sleep does not come. Thanks for your post.

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Permalink Reply by PowerPumper on January 8, 2009 at 7:04am

Craig,

While your arguments are logical, you make inherent assumptions about the populace.

Not everyone is capable of taking control due to economics, lack of knowledge, lack of education, inability to read, etc, etc, etc. Add to that the food industry's bombardment of [disbetes causing] bad food products: packaged, preserved, sweetened, refined fat causing poisons! Those of us that have the means and do try hard eat right and exercise right know it's very hard to do. Bad foods are everywhere, and they are promoted as good, by our health teams no less!

Your argument only makes sense if we all have complete control over our lives, and most of us don't.

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Permalink Reply by Mr. Peachy (Craig) on January 24, 2009 at 11:00am

I'm not buying this for a second. I'm sorry, but as citizen of the USA, I'm going to fight until my last breath to make sure that I have control over my life. The only way this can not make sense is if you are a socialist.

I am a depression survivor, a fibromyalgia sufferer, and, of course, diabetic. It wasn't until I quit making excuses and started finding solutions that good things started to happen to me.

That's just the way it is.

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Permalink Reply by PowerPumper on January 26, 2009 at 12:10pm

As a US citizen, I think I understand what you are saying. Not only freedom to choose but a duty to exercise our freedoms is fundamental to beating not only diabetes but any of our woes.

What I'm talking about are the impoverished, the life-skill challenged, and the every day Joe that has been brainwashed by government policy, advertising, and even our health teams to live unhealthily. The high-carb, low fat diet, "The Pepsi Generation," "It's The Real Thing," "Where would you be without McDonald's?, "Finger Lickin' Good!" Show me a nutritionist that doesn't push 60% carbohydrate diets. Show me doctors not named Berntein who prescribe low-carb diets. We have been and still are totally inundated with bad messages. It is not an activity problem but a dietary problem. This much I agree on with people like Taubes. The recent HFCS adverts are proof enough: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0

These are the influences I'm asserting are the main cause of our woes: government policy based on bad science and big business trying to make a buck. All great intentions, but bad for us all. Don't tell me you weren't hooked on any of this stuff. You became diabetic. Was it your fault or were you led astray? Is this take charge attitude a change for you or did you just finally see the light?

Your remedy is the very best. We all need to take charge. I try to convert my support group ladies to make needed changes every month. But they won't budge an inch because that's not what the Teaching Clinic says. Pffft!.

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