A Cure For Type 1 Diabetes! Prof Eli Lewis On A Medical Holy Grail

A cure for type 1 diabetes! Prof Eli Lewis on a medical holy grail

Dr Eli Lewis, professor of clinical biochemistry and pharmacology at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, a public research university in Beersheba, Israel, may have stumbled across one of modern medicine’s most enduring holy grails: a safe, effective way to reverse type 1 diabetes. Lewis’s research focuses on the tissue damage that plays a role in type 1 diabetes, and which he says is often overlooked and under-studied. Back in 2003, Lewis began researching the role of inflammation in injured islets – tiny clusters of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas – and the effects of transfusions of an anti-inflammatory drug based on a protein the body produces naturally all the time, known as Alpha 1 Antitrypsin (AAT, or alpha1). AAT has so far been used mostly only to treat emphysema, but Lewis’s breakthrough research shows the protein’s promise via transfusion in reducing insulin dependence in type 1 diabetics, and in some cases actually reversing the condition completely, if caught early enough. He believes it may help type 2 diabetes, again if the disease is caught early enough, and supported with lifestyle change, including keeping carbohydrates low, which he says is essential for diabetics.
Lewis describes AAT as a form of ‘immuno-modulation’, and says its application goes beyond diabetes: US researchers are currently studying inflammatory bowel disease in patients; bone-marrow transplant prognosis is ‘phenomenal’ with AAT according to a Seattle trial; researchers are testing it in ischemic heart disease for diminished cardiac scar size; and it shows pr Continue reading

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Non-Diabetic’s Guide to Helping Loved Ones with Diabetes

Whether you’re a brother, mother, aunt, boyfriend, wife or best friend, knowing how to support the people in your life who live with diabetes isn’t all that easy. In fact, it can be very tricky. Mostly, because:
We all have different needs when it comes to the kind of support we want in diabetes.
You, as the person who loves us, really want to make sure we’re safe and healthy, and sometimes that might come off as overbearing or controlling or nosey…but really, you just really love us.
We don’t always behave the most wonderfully when we’re having a high blood sugar or a low blood sugar. And while we can’t always control that behavior, it does make communication a lot harder for you, the person who loves us.
To help you be the best support system you can possibly be for the person in your life with diabetes, here are a few tips (and in video form here):
Ask us what we need. Personally, I don’t need someone to remind me to check my blood sugar or help me count my carbohydrates. That would irritate me. On the other hand, it is incredibly helpful when my boyfriend reminds me to take my Lantus before bed, and I sincerely appreciate when he asks me what my blood sugar is after I check. To me, that’s great support. I want him to know what my blood sugar is so he can be aware of how my mental state is. For others, those things might drive them nuts. Giving us support we don’t want isn’t going to help; in fact, it might lead us to blocking you out of our diabetes management altogether. Let us tell you, in our own words, how you can support us.
Please don’t lec Continue reading

Diabetes & Dating: To Date Or Not To Date

A question we get asked all the time: Should I date someone if I have diabetes? or Should I date someone who has diabetes?
Take a look at these Diabetes & Relationship stats:
Relationships are tough in this day and age. With approximately 60 percent of all marriages ending in divorce, does diabetes stack the deck against you in a committed, long-term relationship?
When Dennis contacted The Diabetes Council last week, he was concerned that dating Susan with Type 1 diabetes may not a good idea. He didn’t know if he could handle her having a low blood sugar during their time together, and he worried that his own fear of needles would make him too squeamish to deal with the day-to-day aspects of diabetes care.
Dennis and Susan have only been out on three dates. Dennis enjoyed his time with Susan, and wanted to see if they could have a future together. However, it was at the end of the third date when Susan informed Dennis about her diabetes.
Dennis had been at a loss for words since finding out about Susan’s diagnosis. He was ashamed to say that he had not called her in three days.
So what kind of advice should we give Dennis? Although we may not be in the position to give him an answer as to whether or not he should date Susan, what kind of relationship advice might be helpful in this situation?
For starters, if Dennis wants to pursue a future relationship with Susan, he should ask himself just how much he cares about her, and whether or not he thinks that he is capable of supporting someone with diabetes through the long haul of life.
If the answer is yes, then a diagnosi Continue reading

A Visual Guide to Type 1 Diabetes

What Is It?
When you have type 1 diabetes, your pancreas can’t make insulin. This vital hormone helps your body's cells convert sugar into energy. Without it, sugar builds up in your blood and can reach dangerous levels. To avoid life-threatening complications, people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin for their entire lives.
The symptoms of type 1 diabetes tend to come on suddenly and may include:
Feeling more thirsty than usual
Dry mouth
Fruity breath
Peeing a lot
As blood sugar levels remain high, type 1 diabetes often leads to:
Weight loss
Bigger appetite
Lack of energy, drowsiness
Many people with type 1 diabetes get uncomfortable skin conditions, including:
Bacterial infections
Fungal infections
Itching, dry skin, poor circulation
Girls with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have genital yeast infections. Babies can get candidiasis, a severe form of diaper rash caused by yeast. It can easily spread from the diaper area to the thighs and stomach.
When blood sugar isn't controlled, type 1 diabetes can cause more serious symptoms, like:
Numbness or tingling in the feet
Blurred vision
Low blood sugar (called hypoglycemia)
Passing out
If your blood sugar gets too high or too low, you could go into a diabetic coma. You may not have any warning signs before this happens. You will need to get emergency treatment.
Without treatment, type 1 diabetes deprives your cells of the sugar they need for energy. Your body starts burning fat instead, which causes ketones to build up in the blood. These are acids that can poison your body. This plus other changes in your blood can Continue reading

Can a Newborn Baby Have Diabetes from Mother?

Diabetes is a complicated problem and the same becomes all the more complicated when a woman who is pregnant develops the disease. The high glucose levels in the mother cause the child to suffer from various problems as we shall see in the article that follows. So, join in for the article “Can a Newborn Baby Have Diabetes from Mother?”
Types of Diabetes During Pregnancy
In today’s world, nearly 3 to 10 percent of all the pregnancies have the problem of high glucose levels in the blood. Out of these cases, around 80 to 88% of the mothers are affected by gestational diabetes. Out of those who suffer from pre-gestational diabetes, 35% are affected by type 1 while the remaining 65% have type 2 diabetes.
During pregnancy, there are two different types of diabetes that women might have:
Gestational Diabetes: This is the type where the woman suffers from the problem of high blood sugar and diabetes which she contracted at the time of pregnancy.
Pre-Gestational Diabetes: Type 1 or type 2 diabetes which affected a woman before she got pregnant.
How Does the Child of a Diabetic Mother Get Affected?
When an expecting mother has diabetes, she should be extremely careful in effectively managing the condition. If the diabetes of a pregnant mother is not managed well, the child that is so born will be exposed to a lot of risks and unwanted diseases.
The excess blood glucose in the mother leads the child to secrete an excess of insulin to deal with the situation. However, this gives rise to several complications in the child including hypoglycemia, premature birth, amongst others. Th Continue reading