Type 2 Diabetes By: April Scott

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

     Type 2 Diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, and occurs when the body can not regulate and use sugar (glucose) as fuel. There is a lack of insulin (a hormone made by the pancreases) resistance caused by the pancreases failing to function properly resulting in too much sugar circulating in the blood (Chatterjee, Khunti, & Davies, 2017).  Blood sugar or blood glucose is the main source energy that comes from the food you eat. Obesity is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. When blood sugar is consistently too high, other health complications may arise. When someone with type 2 diabetes does not manager their blood sugar levels, it could lead to:

  • Heart Disease and stroke
  • Kidney Disease
  • Foot problems
  • Eye disease
  • Gum disease 
  • sexual and bladder problems  (Basu,2017)

     

                                                         

                                 https://www.drugwatch.com/health/diabetes/


Historical and Contemporary overview

     The early Greek doctors recommended treating diabetes with exercise by way of horseback ridding; they believed it would reduce excessive urination. Other methods of treatment were:

  • milk and carb diet
  • powders of fenugreek, lupin, and wormseed
  • opium
  • tobacco
  • fasting
  • animal food
  • green vegetables
  • a carb free diet (Weatherspoon, 2023)
There were other doctors that suggested a diet of 65 percent fat, 32 percent protein, and 3 percent of carbohydrates. Other experts recommended chemicals and drugs such as magnesia, sulfide, lithium salts, chalk, etc. Some doctors recommended lifestyle changes like:
  • exercising
  • avoiding stress
  • taking baths, including cold baths
  • getting massages
  • wearing warm clothing (Weatherspoon, 2023)
     Scientists are working on various treatment options that may help people with diabetes such as:
  • Immunotherapy ( identify the possible trigger)
  • Artificial pancreas 
Stereotypes and Stereotypical thinking 
     
     There is a stigma behind type 2 diabetes, and most of the time it starts with people not being educated about the disease. A lot of people believe that people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, obese, lack caring for themselves, and lazy. Yes, those factors can cause a person to develop diabetes, but not the only factors that can cause the disease. Your genetics and socioeconomic status can contribute to the onset on type 2 diabetes also (CDC, 2022). Not being able to afford or obtain the proper food to have a healthy diet can cause someone to develop diabetes. 

Cultural Perceptions
     
     There is about one-third of the population suffering from diabetes in the United States. Diabetes is significantly higher amongst the African American community. The risk of an African American developing type 2 diabetes is 77% higher compared to non- Hispanic white Americans (Shiyanbola, Ward, Brown, 2018). Although African Americans have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes, other cultures experience the disease as well. 

     

References 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, November 3). Diabetes stigma: Learn about it, recognize it, reduce it. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes_stigma.html

Chatterjee, S., Khunti, K., & Davies, M. (2017, February 9). Type 2 diabetes - the lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(17)30058-2.pdf

Shiyanbola, O. O., Ward, E. C., & Brown, C. M. (2018, March 27). Utilizing the common sense model to explore African Americans’ perception of type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0207692

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Type 2 diabetes - NIDDK. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/type-2-diabetes

 Weatherspoon, D. (2023, May 4). History of diabetes: Early science, early treatment, insulin. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317484



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An overview of Autism in children

Image
 Autism: An Overview of Autism in Children   What is Autism?       Autism spectrum disorder is defined as a lifelong deficiency in the early stage of development that is manifested in deficiencies in social communication and interaction, limited, repetitive behavior patterns, obsessions and  interest or activities ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Historical and contemporary overview An American Psychiatrist by the name of Leo Kanner identified autism in 1943. The symptoms that were displayed by the children with autism during  that era were thought to be caused by lack of affection from the mother. Historically, Autism Spectrum Disorder was called childhood schizophrenia, infantile psychosis and infantile autism. During the 1980’s, there was an update to the DSMIII which lead researchers to second guess their previous hypothesis about autism. They no longer looked at autism from a psychodynamic perspective , but a biological p...
Read more

Type 2 Diabetes

Image
  Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes        The symptoms for type 2 diabetes can develop over the course of several years, and can be mild to the point where you may not notice them. There are a lot of people with type 2 diabetes that may not display any symptoms at all until the disease worsens. Some of the most common symptoms of type 2 diabetes are as followed: increased thirst and urination increased hunger blurred vision sores that due not heal unexplained weight loss feeling tired loosing feeling in feet (Basu, 2017) Please click on the video for a brief overview on symptoms of type 2 diabetes.  Disability Impacts Development       According to the CDC (2017)  , the number of youth from ages 10 to 19 living with type 2 diabetes is 67 per 100,000. Type 2 diabetes can effect almost every organ in a child's body including blood vessels, nerves, kidneys, and eyes. the long term complications of type 2 diabetes develops over the years; which m...
Read more