Helping Type 2 Diabetics and Pre-Diabetics

So today's post is about some diabetes misconceptions that I would like to see cleared up.

Hmmmmm... I was catching up on my "light" reading this afternoon and happened to see and read an article in O Magazine. The article was by Dr. Oz. If somehow you live in an alternate universe and have not run into Dr. Oz, I might like to live with you. Dr. Oz is one of Oprah's finds. He is a cardiac surgeon and TV personality. One might think that the cardiac surgeon gig would be rather fulfilling and time consuming but not for the ever energetic Dr. Oz. This month in O Magazine, he decided to take on preventing Type 2 Diabetes. He is offering a rigorous 4 week plan to change the life of the possible future diabetic. I am not going to knock his plan (okay, I really really want to but I would have no sound basis to do it - we are going for mature here.)

My problem with his approach is the problem that I have with some medical personnel. First of all, he strongly suggests that most people who become diabetic are fat slobs who got the disease because they are fat slobs. This might be a bit of oversimplification. There is a hereditary component to the disease that cannot be overlooked. Also, do you really want to be helped by someone who tells you that you are heading toward this disease because you are a fat slob? It really doesn't do much for me as far as bedside manner.

Perhaps an alternate approach might be to explain the health problems associated with the disease and start the patient with a nutritionist. A great approach also might be to have the spouse present at the meeting. Discuss the team approach with the patient and the spouse or significant other. I think that finding out that you can lose your sight, your limbs and your life can have an impact on a person especially if you explain why that happens. Ask the patient to incorporate the changes slowly. Try to get them to start a reasonable program that could sound like it would be easy. Ask them to start with easy changes that don't sound like their world is coming to an end and that they will be eating twigs and berries for the rest of their lives.

I guess it all comes down to encouragement rather than threats. Bringing the patient's lifestyle into balance not condemning them to the "bad child chair".

Okay, this is more than enough of a rant for the day. Happy Day 5 of Diabetes Blog Week! I hope you are enjoying it. Tomorrow is picture day! This will be interesting....

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend!