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I don't know where to start ...

Widgets

Well-Known Member
Messages
283
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I admit I've not read the whole of this properly, it's a combination of incredibly sad and incredibly infuriating.

It's about how diabetes (pretty specifically type-2) is treated in the USA.

One quote stood out for me, among oh so many: " “We had to be aggressive with his insulin,” given how high his blood sugars would run, Kodl told Reuters. At the same time, “severe hypoglycemia was a risk we took very seriously.” "

So many warnings and lessons in this article.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-diabetes-overtreatment/

(I've not found Part 1 yet)
 
Hi @Widgets, thanks for posting. Interesting article but it focuses on the set hb1ac target for those on insulin or glucose lowering meds, and the apparent issue that setting those targets 'too low' causes people to aim for it and suffer the consequences of dangerous hypos, all whipped up by big pharma who were only interested in profits (correct).. This to my mind comes long after the actual issue they should be focusing on, ie, has the person been over medicated in the first place, are they put on insulin as a matter of course because 'type 2' is seen as progressive from day one (the subject referred to was a type 2 male who was on insulin, was aiming for an hb1ac of 7% causing him to have several lows, one of which caused him to fall off his bike and killed him). The pharmaceutical companies were (rightly) getting a roasting but to my mind, for all the wrong reasons! The article never delved into why some people were being put onto an aggressive regime from the start, it seemed to simply accept that the dishing out of insulin to a diabetic, no matter the type was all perfectly normal & natural.
 
The whole gist of both articles seemed to be 'if you're diabetic you have to be on lots of medication'. It really is all about the drug companies, but it's people who suffer the consequences.

That only the USA and New Zealand allows advertising of prescription medicines is telling I think - I don't think many people would argue that advertising is a powerful and very well polished technique, it's no wonder that so many people believe that medication is the only option.

I found the whole thing incredibly sad, so much suffering that would be preventable with reasonable support and education.
 
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