Look Who it Was Random video

Diabetes Doesn’t Disappear

544 views · Published 1 November 2015 · 1:53 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

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Chalk it up to our expanding waistlines, experts say the figures on type 2 diabetes are blowing up, and creating a health crisis in the process.  

“We do recognize that in the year 2030, it’s estimated that type 2 diabetes will be one of the top ten leading causes of death,” says Lee Memorial Health System’s certified diabetes educator, Sharon Tilbe.
In simplest terms, diabetes means your pancreas either isn’t making any insulin or not enough insulin to process glucose the body needs for growth and energy. Treatment centers on maintaining proper blood sugar through insulin injections, medications, even lifestyle changes.
“If you are exercising regularly, you will improve your ability to use your own insulin. As far as diet is concerned, cutting calories, which is portions of food - that will reduce your requirement for insulin,” says Tilbe. 
Unlike the condition pre-diabetes or gestational diabetes, which some women experience during pregnancy, full-blown diabetes is a life-long companion. Even when blood glucose levels fall below the threshold for diabetes, the disease is still with you.

“If a person has a diagnosis of diabetes, they’re following a meal plan to help control their diabetes, they’re exercising and perhaps taking a medication and they are able to get their A1C down below 6.5. That doesn't meant that they don't have diabetes anymore, it just means that they’re managing it very, very well,” says Tilbe. 
Diabetes doesn’t disappear, so people shouldn’t think they’re cured and let off the gas.
“These metabolic disorders, they can rear their ugly head again if we forget about lifestyle change. Maintenance is very important,” says Tilbe. 
A complicated condition, people with well-managed diabetes can avoid complications by enjoying a healthy lifestyle. 

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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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