Rights of the diabetic child

Sadly, the diabetic child may face challenges at school and at daycare just because of the condition. The diabetic child may be prevented from participating in sporting events even if they are good at what they do. 

The best way to deal with discrimination against the diabetic child is to educate the school or daycare community. The biggest reason for discrimination is normally a lack of knowledge. Once you let the offending parties know how to care for a child with diabetes, the issues should be put to rest. However, there will still be those who are afraid that something may go wrong and therefore prohibit the child from taking part in certain activities. In these instances, you may need mediation or even legal intervention. 

Discrimination and the diabetic adult

Workplace discrimination is one of the biggest challenges faced by the adult living with diabetes. Some adults may be bypassed for a promotion simply because they are diabetic and their employers feel that this may affect their performance.

Most, if not all, workplace anti-discrimination laws should address discrimination based on diabetes. However, you must be able to prove that discrimination really occurred and that it happened as a result of your illness.

Discrimination against diabetics is felt in different spheres of life. One area where this is most prevalent is in obtaining a driver’s license. The fact that diabetics may have certain physical limitations if their disease is not managed properly is used as a reason not to issue a license. Yes, some diabetics do become hypoglycemic and find themselves unable to safely operate a vehicle, but this is not a frequent occurrence. Each diabetic who applies for a driver’s license should be dealt with on an individual basis and not across the board.

People with diabetes have the right to own and operate a motor vehicle. Each individual should be assessed and medical records provided to highlight their medical history, as it concerns problems related to their illness. Only based on such a report should a decision be taken whether or not to issue a driver’s license.

Fight against discrimination by educating employers and school officials about diabetes and any complications that may occur. Fear is the driving force behind some of the discrimination diabetics face daily. Once others understand and know more about diabetes their attitude may well change. If all else fails, seek legal representation to protect your rights. Getting the assistance of people in the political arena to call for new legislations is also another great way to protect your rights.

To learn more go to Causes of Diabetes and at Juvenile Diabetes Foundation

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We all know that diabetes is one of the top diseases that are killing and affecting more and more people in the whole world. That is why not only those patients who are suffering from the disease are experiencing to have behavioral changes that are mostly negative, but along with it, there are more and more people who are keeping a positive outlook and still have high hopes since there are many health professionals who are dedicated in finding cures for diabetes and research.

Here is a great website that has been known to advocate diabetes education and research to many people whose lives are affected by it and they still are not stopping and still fighting to find the best cure or at least, improve the lives of the people who are suffering from diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is one of the greatest organizations in the country and is known to be dedicated to diabetes education and research and through the years, they have continued to change the lives of many people whose lives have been affected by the illness. With their advocacy and tireless fight to fulfill their mission, they have already encouraged numerous breakthroughs of diabetes education and research.

To know more about their organization and their advocacies, you may visit American Diabetes Association website. You will also be directed and linked to other websites that are supporting diabetes advocacy and research.

They Have Found Out

Recent studies regarding diabetes and research could also be found in their website and one of the latest researches that they have had is about the role of Exercise and Blood Glucose Control in diabetic patients. Though these two are a separate study, they have listed proofs and tests that could testify that leading a healthy lifestyle and having a daily exercise regimen could greatly improve your health and your state in diabetes.

Also, there is an article that was written that pertains to the big relationship of diabetes, exercise, and glucose control. Not only that but they have also found out in this diabetes study and research that exercise and keeping an active lifestyle could greatly influence the body’s ability to handle glucose and insulin. Some even suggested that exercising on an empty stomach may be more beneficial for diabetes patients but still, little is known to prove this theory.

So if you are looking and interested in knowing and keeping updated on diabetes studies and research, you may just log on to American Diabetes Association website for more information. You could also sign up for their free issue of Diabetes Forecast magazine which is also one great way to be updated and be more knowledgeable about this illness.

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This was a news item that I got from the Times of India Newspaper print edition, also published in their website. It gives us hope on a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

In a discovery that could help prevent children from becoming diabetic, scientists have found a gene that increases a child’s risk for type 1 diabetes.

In the breakthrough, scientists have found that the gene KIAA0350 on chromosome 16 triggers the immune system cells to attack the pancreas. It is the loss of insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas that causes type 1 or juvenile diabetes. The team from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and McGill University in Montreal have announced their findings in the July 15 issue of the journal Nature.

During the study, investigators examined the genomes of 1,046 children with type 1 diabetes from paediatric diabetes clinics in Philadelphia and four Canadian cities. The researchers then compared the genomes of 563 patients with type 1 diabetes with those of 1,146 matched control subjects.

The researchers confirmed the four previously identified genes contributing to type 1 diabetes, but also stumbled upon a new type 1 diabetes variation on chromosome 16, occupied by the gene KIAA0350.

Hakon Hakonarson, director of the Centre for Applied Genomics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said, “The role of KIAA0350 needs to be investigated. However, a special cell type called a natural killer (NK) cell expresses this gene abundantly. Our hypothesis is that a special mutation in KIAA0350 may influence the sugar binding of the protein and trigger an autoimmune response that activates these NK cells in such a way that they attack and destroy the islet cells in the pancreas, resulting in type 1 diabetes.”

“A particular version of the gene protects against this inappropriate autoimmune response, while a different version of the gene makes it more likely to happen,” he added. According to Dr Anoop Mishra from Fortis, a complicated disease like diabetes will have atleast 8-10 genes that influence various aspects of the disease. While some will trigger diabetes early, others will cause complications early or lead to higher Blood Pressure in some patients. Some genes will also control all aspects of the disease.

This research adds a new gene to the four genes previously discovered for type 1 diabetes, in which the immune system destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and makes patients dependent on frequent insulin injections to keep the body’s blood sugar under control.

Constantin Polychronakos, director of Paediatric Endocrinology at McGill University, said that better knowledge of genes that predispose to type 1 diabetes may later enable physicians to screen newborns to predict those at high risk for the disease. “If we know the gene pathways that give rise to type 1 diabetes, we hope to intervene early in life with targeted drugs or cell therapies to prevent the disease from developing,” said Polychronakos.

It is an exceptionally good news for all those people suffering silently from Type 1 Diabetes. It is also quite reassuring that medical scientists have considered it extremely important and urgent to find a cure for both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. All of us can hope that a remedy should be commercially available in the very near future.

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I saw a very interesting news item today. Pumpkin to the rescue of Diabetics! A new study by Chinese experts has found out that certain compounds in pumpkin could potentially replace or at least drastically reduce the daily insulin injections.

Researchers led by Tao Xia of the East China Normal University, found that diabetic rats fed with the pumpkin extract had only 5% less plasma insulin and 8% fewer insulin-positive (beta) cells compared to normal healthy rats.

According to Xia, “Pumpkin extract is potentially a very good product for pre-diabetic persons, as well as those who have already developed diabetes”.

David Bender, sub-dean at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, was very excited about the findings but was insistent about the tests being carried out on humans before reaching any conclusions.

He said, “This research is very exciting… the main finding is that feeding pumpkin extract prevents the progressive destruction of pancreatic beta-cells… but it is impossible to say whether pumpkin extract would promote regeneration in humans. I think the exciting thing is that this may be a source of a medication that could be taken by mouth”.

Experts feel that the protective effect of pumpkin may be due to both antioxidants and D-chiro-inositol, a molecule that mediates insulin activity.

Boosting insulin levels has the effect of lowering blood sugar levels, which reduces levels of oxidative oxygen species that damage beta-cell membranes, preventing further damage and allowing for some regeneration. Beta cell levels in the diabetic rats are, however, unlikely ever to reach that of controls, because some of the cells will have been damaged beyond repair.

But, I feel that we can achieve diabetes control if the preventive and regenerative procedure is started early enough.

The rats used in this study represent Type 1 diabetes, but the researchers believe the pumpkin extract may also play a role in Type 2 diabetes.

Any research in the field of prevention, control or at least reduction in insulin injections for type 1 diabetes is great news! Presently, type 2 diabetes is controllable through the means of medication, exercise, diet and an active lifestyle but type 1 diabetes is still not controllable.

Let us really hope that in the very near future, we have some break through for controlling type 1 diabetes.

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