Category: Diabetes

Diabetes~ Berberine and Metformin

As with any information, seek medical help and answers before trying something new on your own. I did not write this nor do I agree or disagree with the article. I am just passing along information so you can make a informed decision on your own.

MwsR

Metformin vs Berberine for Diabetes (Plus this yellow herb lowers blood pressure, fights parasites, and more)

By: Cat Ebeling, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Type 2 diabetes is fast becoming a real epidemic in civilized countries. The statistics show an ever-increasing trend of obesity, diabetes and its related complications like heart disease, kidney disease and peripheral neuropathy. Many experts are convinced that this fast-growing tidal wave of diabetes is the result of the global expansion of sugar, sugary soft drinks and major food corporations getting people addicted to terrible processed foods that are cheaper than most healthy foods and are heavily advertised to the masses.

However, type 2 diabetes has the potential to be completely reversed following dietary and lifestyle changes that dramatically reduce or eliminate sugar and starches.

Relying on lowering blood sugar with medication or insulin will not improve one’s health, nor will it counteract the effects of diabetes. In fact, relying on medications to lower blood sugar actually does NOT reduce the risk of death from any of the related health complications of diabetes of stroke, heart attacks, infections, and kidney disease. Aside from the fact that diabetes drugs do not actually do anything positive for a diabetic’s health, there are many negative side effects, many of which can be downright deadly.

In one large study, called the ACCORD study, that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008, the 10,000 patients who were being treated with insulin or blood sugar-lowering drugs were monitored and evaluated for their risk of heart attack, strokes and death. The National Institutes of Health ended the study early because the medical intervention was leading to MORE deaths, heart attacks, and strokes.

Many of the conventional medical methods for lowering blood sugar actually increase insulin levels, which in turn causes more harm overall. Avandia, one of the world’s best-selling diabetes drugs, has over 50,000 lawsuits filed in the United States alone, because the drug makers failed to inform patients about possible life-threatening side-effects that include stroke, heart failure, heart attack, bone fractures, vision loss and death.

While many of these drugs do lower blood glucose levels, there seems to be no real evidence that any of the diabetes drugs actually reduce the risk of the complications of diabetes.

Most diabetes medications aim to increase insulin in the body to counteract the ever-rising levels of glucose. One of the big issues with this conventional treatment is the negative side effects that actually seem to exacerbate the complications of diabetes. Below is a list of most used diabetes meds and their primary side effects:

  • Metformin — Metformin increases insulin sensitivity. Metformin also lowers glucose production in the liver. Side effects include nausea and diarrhea, and weight gain. Another significant, documented side effect of Metformin is Vitamin B12 depletion, further increasing the chances of neuropathy.
  • Sulfonylureas—This class of medications help your body secrete more insulin. Side effects include low blood sugar and weight gain.
  • Meglitinides – These medications stimulate the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Side effects include low blood sugar and weight gain.
  • Thiazolidinediones – Like metformin, these medications make the body’s tissues more sensitive to insulin. This class of medications has been linked to weight gain and increased risk of heart failure and fractures. Rosiglitazone (Avandia) and pioglitazone (Actos) are examples of thiazolidinediones.
  • SGLT2 inhibitors. They prevent the kidneys from reabsorbing sugar into the blood. Instead, the sugar is excreted in the urine. Side effects may include yeast infections, urinary tract infections, increased urination and hypotension.
  • Insulin therapy. Some people need insulin therapy as well. Insulin lowers blood glucose and is a fat storing hormone, so it causes weight gain. Insulin promotes inflammation in the body when used in excess, causes hormone imbalance and increases body fat storage.

Keep in mind, however, that while most of these diabetes medications may lower blood sugar levels, increase insulin, or make the body more sensitive to insulin, they still do not prevent the serious and life-threatening complications of diabetes: High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, poor sex drive, infertility, blood clots, kidney failure, infections and amputations, cancer, depression, heart disease, strokes, and Alzheimer’s, and more.

Insulin treatment also creates a greater susceptibility to cancer. The connection between diabetes and cancer is fairly clear—in fact, several studies have shown up to a 30% great likelihood that diabetic patients on supplemental insulin can develop colon, breast or prostate cancers.

Berberine for Type 2 Diabetes Shown to be as Effective as Diabetes Medication

There are a few natural solutions to helping to treat type 2 diabetes, and berberine is one that has a strong background of being especially effective for type 2 diabetes.

Berberine is a powerful plant extract with several impressive health benefits. It can effectively lower blood sugar, help with weight loss and improve heart health—two things that most pharmaceutical diabetic medications cannot do. It is also anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial and is effective against diarrhea, intestinal parasites, Candida albicans, and possibly Methicillin-resistant staph aureus.

Berberine works to:

  • Decrease insulin resistance, making the blood sugar lowering hormone insulin more effective.
  • Increase glycolysis, the breakdown of glucose inside cells.
  • Decrease glucose production in the liver.
  • Slow the digestion of carbohydrates.
  • Increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Berberine is a bioactive plant extract that comes from several different types of plants, including goldthread, Oregon grape root, barberry, tree turmeric and goldenseal. It has been used in both Ayruvedic and Chinese medicine for more than 2500 years and is now being used and studied extensively in the modern world.

Several impressive studies show that berberine can lower blood glucose as effectively as the drug metformin, without the negative side effects. Two of the best-known peer-reviewed studies published in the journals Metabolism and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology compared berberine in one group to metformin (Glucophage) in another group. The berberine group had very similar blood sugar-lowering effects as the metformin group. In addition, the berberine also effectively reduced the patients’ A1C, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure… Three things that metformin cannot do!

  • Hemoglobin A1c decreased from 9.5% to 7.5% (about a 21% reduction)
  • Fasting blood glucose (FBG) decreased from 190.8 to 124.2 mg/dl
  • Postprandial blood glucose (PBG) decreased from 356.4 to 199.8 mg/dl
  • Triglycerides from 100.5 to 79.2 mg/dl

Berberine works by stimulating uptake of glucose into the cells, improves insulin sensitivity, and reducing glucose production in the liver. This review published in the International Journal of Endocrinology further expanded on berberine’s role in treating type diabetes:

            “BBR [berberine] is used to treat diabetic nephropathy (DPN), diabetic neuropathy (DN), and diabetic cardiomyopathy due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.”

How does berberine work?

Berberine works by activating a metabolism-regulating enzyme within the body’s cells called AMPK (adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase).  Yes, that’s a mouthful! AMPK regulates a variety of biological activities that normalize lipid, glucose, and energy imbalances. Think of AMPK as your metabolic master switch. Definitely something you want to keep switched to ‘ON’!

Metabolic syndrome, a precursor to diabetes, occurs when these AMPK pathways are switched off. This triggers high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and energy issues. AMPK shifts energy to cellular repair and maintenance. Activating AMPK produces similar benefits for diabetes and metabolic syndrome as exercise, dieting and weight loss.

Berberine and Weight Loss

When overweight adults took 500mg of berberine 3 times daily for 12 weeks, they easily lost an average of 5 pounds. The researchers note that,

“…berberine has potential clinical application in reducing visceral fat and controlling obesity.”

Berberine has the ability to inhibit fat storage and also improves insulin function, leptin and adiponectin. Leptin is a very powerful hormone produced by fat cells. It tells your brain whether you should eat or not. Leptin is the way your fat cells speak to your brain. If Leptin signaling is working, when fat stores are full, they cause a surge in leptin which tells your brain to stop eating and storing fat. The problem is of course, when this signaling goes awry, it causes excessive eating and fat storage.

Adonipectin is a hormone secreted by fat cells that helps control glucose regulation and fatty acid oxidation. Obese people are often low in adonipectin, but berberine helps to increase adonipectin which helps to normalize metabolic function.

So, the bottom line here is that berberine could reduce the size of your fat cells and cut down on the number of them as well.

Berberine is also thought to enhance brown fat, which is a heat-generating special type of fat that burns energy instead of storing it. It is loaded with active mitochondria cells that convert this fat into energy which produces heat. This animal study shows how berberine increases energy expenditure, helps burn fat, improves cold tolerance and enhances active brown adipose tissue.

Berberine for Memory and Cognitive Function

Blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity and diabetes go hand in hand with memory and cognitive dysfunction. In fact, it is now thought that high blood sugar and diabetes are connected to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Berberine has been found to enhance memory function in some animal studies, by preserving a brain chemical, acetylcholine, that is important for memory, focus and cognition. The result for berberine was improved learning and memory, along with lower oxidative stress.

How to take Berberine

According to Dr. Josh Axe, berberine should be taken two to three times a day. Generally, most studies have used safe dosages starting at 500 mg a dose. So, 500 mg two to three times a day is a good place to start. Take berberine with a meal or on a full stomach to avoid any stomach upset and to take advantage of the post meal glucose and lipid spike that often occurs. It is best to start with just one dose/day and increase slowly to ensure they can stay in control.

When you take berberine, please note that insulin may need to be cut back significantly, so monitor blood sugar frequently.  Many diabetics have been able to totally stop their other pharmaceutical diabetes medications, with the inclusion of berberine. Be sure to monitor blood sugar regularly and consult your physician. Look for a berberine product with a standardized berberine extract so that the dosages and strength are consistent.

Berberine Side Effects

If you have a medical condition or are on any medications, including antibiotics, then it is highly recommended that you speak to your doctor. This is especially important if you are currently taking blood sugar-lowering medications, so that your physician can monitor your blood sugar and current medication levels.

Diabetics who are using other medications must use caution when using this supplement to avoid dangerously low blood sugar levels. People with low blood pressure should also be careful when using it since it can naturally lower blood pressure. Pregnant and nursing women should not take berberine.

Overall, this natural compound has an outstanding safety profile. Primary side effects are minor, but could result in some cramping, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation or mild stomach pain. Stay with the smaller dosages — spread out through your day and after meals — to avoid most of these side effects.

In addition to its huge benefits for diabetes, berberine is helpful for other health issues as well including:

  • Anti-aging
  • Gastrointestinal infections
  • Heart disease
  • High cholesterol
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Immune challenges
  • Joint problems
  • Low bone density

    Early Signs of Diabetes

    Diabetic food portions

    Continue reading Diabetic food portions

    Diabetic Tips

    Diabetes~Alcohol

    Alcohol

    Wondering if alcohol is off limits with diabetes? Research has shown that there can be some health benefits such as reducing risk for heart disease. But, there are also risks. Drinking alcohol can cause a drop in blood glucose because alcohol blocks the production of glucose in the liver. (The liver contains “emergency stores” of glucose to raise your blood sugar if it drops too low.) Once the liver’s stores of glucose are used up, a person who has drank a lot of alcohol can’t make more right away, and that can lead to dangerously low blood glucose or even death. 

    Also, alcohol is processed by your liver, which is responsible for removing toxins (like alcohol or drugs) and processing medication, so if you are taking other pills, drinking too much alcohol can cause damage to your liver.  If you have any questions about whether alcohol is safe for you, check with your doctor. People with diabetes need to use the same guidelines as those without diabetes if they choose to drink:

    • Women: no more than 1 drink per day.
    • Men: no more than 2 drinks per day.

    *One drink is equal to a 12 oz beer, 5 oz glass of wine or 1 ½ oz distilled spirits (vodka, whiskey, gin, etc.).

    Some Tips to Sip By

    • If you have diabetes, do not drink on an empty stomach or when your blood glucose is low, since your risk of low blood glucose increases after drinking. 
    • If you choose to drink, follow the rules above and have it with food. This is mainly important for those on insulin and other diabetes pills that can lower blood glucose by making more insulin.
    • Don’t skip a meal if you are going to drink. (If you use carbohydrate counting to plan meals, it is important to understand how the drinks you choose affect your blood glucose and often your insulin dose will need to be decreased if having more than one drink)
    • Wear an I.D. that notes you have diabetes. If you are in a setting where people are drinking alcohol, hypoglycemia may be mistaken for being drunk.
    • Watch out for craft beers, which can have twice the alcohol and calories as a light beer.
    • For mixed drinks, choose calorie-free drink mixers like diet soda, club soda, diet tonic water or water.
    • As with anyone with or without diabetes, do not drive or plan to drive for several hours after you drink alcohol.

    Alcohol can cause hypoglycemia shortly after drinking and for up to 24 hours after drinking. If you are going to drink alcohol, check your blood glucose:

    • Before you drink 
    • While you drink
    • Before bed and throughout the night
    • More often for up to 24 hours

    Be sure your blood glucose is at a safe level – between 100 and 140 mg/dL before you go to sleep. If your blood glucose is low, eat something to raise it and be sure to check again before you go to sleep, and again over night to be sure it’s not dropping too low.

    The symptoms of too much alcohol and hypoglycemia can be similar – feeling sleepy, dizzy and confused. The one way to get the help you need is to always wear an I.D. that says “I have diabetes.” Also, be sure that your family and friends know to be aware of your symptoms of hypoglycemia and what to do.

    Wondering if adding a glass of wine or beer might help lower your blood glucose if it is high? The effects of alcohol can be unpredictable and it is not recommended as a treatment for high blood glucose.  The risks likely outweigh any benefit that may be seen in blood glucose alone.

    Takeaways

    • If you choose to drink alcohol, follow the rules above and have it with food to help prevent a low blood sugar. Talk with your health care team about whether alcohol is safe for you.
    • If you drink alcohol several times a week, make sure your doctor knows this before he/she changes the dose or type of diabetes pills and/or insulin as well as changes to other medications including adding or changing other pills or injectable medication. See “What Can I Drink?” for non-alcoholic drinking guidelines.

    Adapted from the book Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy, 4th Edition, written by Hope S. Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, a nationally recognized expert on healthy eating and diabetes.

    • Last Reviewed: August 24, 2017
    • Last Edited: October 16, 2017

    Diabetes~ Genetics

    Genetics of Diabetes

    You’ve probably wondered how you developed diabetes. You may worry that your children will develop it too.

    Unlike some traits, diabetes does not seem to be inherited in a simple pattern. Yet clearly, some people are born more likely to develop diabetes than others.

    What Leads to Diabetes?

    Type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes. Yet two factors are important in both. You inherit a predisposition to the disease then something in your environment triggers it.

    Genes alone are not enough. One proof of this is identical twins. Identical twins have identical genes. Yet when one twin has type 1 diabetes, the other gets the disease at most only half the time.

    When one twin has type 2 diabetes, the other’s risk is at most 3 in 4.

    Type 1 Diabetes

    In most cases of type 1 diabetes, people need to inherit risk factors from both parents. We think these factors must be more common in whites because whites have the highest rate of type 1 diabetes.

    Because most people who are at risk do not get diabetes, researchers want to find out what the environmental triggers are.

    One trigger might be related to cold weather. Type 1 diabetes develops more often in winter than summer and is more common in places with cold climates.

    Another trigger might be viruses. Perhaps a virus that has only mild effects on most people triggers type 1 diabetes in others.

    Early diet may also play a role. Type 1 diabetes is less common in people who were breastfed and in those who first ate solid foods at later ages.

    In many people, the development of type 1 diabetes seems to take many years. In experiments that followed relatives of people with type 1 diabetes, researchers found that most of those who later got diabetes had certain autoantibodies in their blood for years before.

    (Antibodies are proteins that destroy bacteria or viruses. Autoantibodies are antibodies ‘gone bad,’ which attack the body’s own tissues.)

    Type 2 Diabetes

    Type 2 diabetes has a stronger link to family history and lineage than type 1, although it too depends on environmental factors. 

    Studies of twins have shown that genetics play a very strong role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

    Lifestyle also influences the development of type 2 diabetes. Obesity tends to run in families, and families tend to have similar eating and exercise habits.

    If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes, it may be difficult to figure out whether your diabetes is due to lifestyle factors or genetic susceptibility. Most likely it is due to both. However, don’t lose heart. Studies show that it is possible to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes by exercising and losing weight.

    Have you recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes? Join our free Living With Type 2 Diabetes program and the information and support you need to live well with diabetes.

    Type 1 Diabetes: Your Child’s Risk

    In general, if you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child developing diabetes are 1 in 17.

    If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child’s risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child’s risk is 1 in 100.

    Your child’s risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11. If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.

    There is an exception to these numbers. About 1 in every 7 people with type 1 diabetes has a condition called type 2 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome. In addition to having diabetes, these people also have thyroid disease and a poorly working adrenal gland. Some also have other immune system disorders. If you have this syndrome, your child’s risk of getting the syndrome — including type 1 diabetes — is 1 in 2.

    Researchers are learning how to predict a person’s odds of getting diabetes. For example, most whites with type 1 diabetes have genes called HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR4. If you and your child are white and share these genes, your child’s risk is higher. (Suspect genes in other ethnic groups are less well studied. The HLA-DR7 gene may put African Americans at risk, and the HLA-DR9 gene may put Japanese at risk.)

    Other tests can also make your child’s risk clearer. A special test that tells how the body responds to glucose can tell which school-aged children are most at risk.

    Another more expensive test can be done for children who have siblings with type 1 diabetes. This test measures antibodies to insulin, to islet cells in the pancreas, or to an enzyme called glutamic acid decarboxylase. High levels can indicate that a child has a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

    Type 2 Diabetes: Your Child’s Risk

    Type 2 diabetes runs in families. In part, this tendency is due to children learning bad habits — eating a poor diet, not exercising — from their parents. But there is also a genetic basis.

    More Information on Genetics

    If you would like to learn more about the genetics of all forms of diabetes, the National Institutes of Health has published The Genetic Landscape of Diabetes. This free online book provides an overview of the current knowledge about the genetics of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as well other less common forms of diabetes. The book is written for health professionals and for people with diabetes interested in learning more about the disease.

    • Last Reviewed: August 1, 2013
    • Last Edited: January 27, 2017

    Diabetes~Fruits that will or will not raise your blood sugar levels

    Fruits that may not increase blood sugar levels

    Strawberries

    Blueberries

    Blackberries

    Gala and green apples

    Avocado

    Tomato

    Cranberry

    Fruits that may increase blood sugar levels

    The fruits you may want to consider avoiding or not having as often:

    Pineapple

    Bananas

    Peaches

    Grapes

    Source I used washttps://type2diabetes.com/nutrition/fruits/?utm_source=weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=16fb4237-54c7-453b-b05b-1ef3a828cf5c&utm_confid=sovjx3i7q&aGVhbHRoIHVuaW9uIGJsYWg=1b753bb8d714b39d12c864e42a7a1b0558698f033eb4f3ad892af31ea1722434

    Diabetes~ Eating Disorders

    Eating Disorders

    The pressure to be thin can feel overbearing in our society. Research suggests that eating disorders are probably more common among women with diabetes than women who do not have diabetes. Eating disorders are common among women and girls in the general population. However, those with type 1 are twice as likely to suffer from disordered eating patterns. There is no data on eating disorders in men and boys with type 1 diabetes. However, disordered eating does occur among men and boys in the general population, so don’t ignore warning signs.

    Bulimia is the most common eating disorder in women with type 1 diabetes. Among women with type 2 diabetes, binge eating is more common.

    Because both diabetes and eating disorders involve attention to body states, weight management, and control of food, some people develop a pattern in which they use the disease to justify or camouflage the disorder. Because the complications of diabetes and eating disorders can be serious or even fatal, responsible, healthy behavior is essential.

    Eating disorders are illnesses with a biological basis modified and influenced by emotional and cultural factors. While eating disorders are serious, potentially life threatening illnesses, there is help available and recovery is possible.

    Types of Eating Disorders

    • Anorexia (or anorexia nervosa) is an eating disorder centered around an obsessive fear of weight gain. Anorexia involves self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Although anorexia is a psychological disorder, the physical consequences are serious and sometimes life-threatening.
    • Bulimia is characterized by recurrent binge eating (the rapid controlled consumption of large amounts of food). Purging may occur with self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, insulin omission or reduction, fasting, severe diets, or vigorous exercise.
    • Binge Eating Disorder (also known as Compulsive Overeating) is characterized primarily by periods of uncontrolled, impulsive, or continuous eating beyond the point of feeling comfortably full. While there is no purging, there may be sporadic fasts or repetitive diets and often feelings of shame or self-hatred after a binge.
    • Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) is a range of other disordered eating patterns that doesn’t fit the other specific types. These conditions are still serious, and intervention and attention are necessary. EDNOS, or other types of eating disorders, may include:
      • Eating problems or disordered eating with some, but not all, of the characteristics of an eating disorder; for example, people who severely restrict food intake, but who do not meet the full criteria for anorexia nervosa.
      • Chewing food and spitting it out (without swallowing).
      • Bingeing and purging irregularly, such as at times of increased stress.

    Warning Signs of Eating Disorders

    • Unexplained increase in A1C Levels
    • Repeated episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis
    • Extreme concerns of body size/shape
    • Excessive exercise and related hypoglycemia
    • Very low-calorie meals
    • An absence of menstruation

    Eating Disorders and Pregnancy

    Women with eating disorders have higher rates of miscarriage than do healthy, normal women. Also, your baby might be born prematurely, meaning that it would not weigh as much or be as well-developed as babies who are born full term.

    Women with anorexia nervosa are underweight and may not gain enough weight during pregnancy. They risk having a baby with abnormally low birth weight and related health problems.

    Women with bulimia nervosa who continue to purge may suffer dehydration, chemical imbalances, or even cardiac irregularities. Pregnancy heightens these health risks.

    Women who are overweight due to binge eating are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and overgrown babies. Low birth weight babies are at risk of many medical problems, some of them life threatening.

    Your teeth and bones might become weak and fragile because the baby’s need for calcium takes priority over yours. If you don’t replenish calcium with dairy products and other sources, you could find yourself with stress fractures and broken bones in later years. Once calcium is gone from your bones, it is difficult, if not impossible, to replace it.

    Diabulimia

    Unexplained weight loss is a symptom of diabetes that often alerts a person that something is wrong.  This, along with other symptoms such as excessive thirst and frequent urination often lead to a diagnosis of diabetes.  Treatment for type 1 diabetes is insulin.  “Diabulimia” is an eating disorder characterized by intentionally withholding insulin to result in weight loss. 

    The insulin restriction results in high levels of glucose in the blood that spill over into the urine, leading to the excretion of the calories from glucose. The repercussions can be severe, including dehydration, loss of lean body tissue, and, in extreme cases, diabetic ketoacidosis. 

    Diabulimia is shockingly common; as many as a third of women with type 1 diabetes report insulin restriction, with higher levels among those between the ages of 15 and 30. 

    Getting Treatment

    Once insulin restriction or other disordered eating behaviors become engrained, a cycle of shame, guilt, and other negative feelings can make it difficult to get help and the condition difficult to treat. 

    A team-based approach is the gold standard.  The team should include a mental health professional along with other team members such as an endocrinologist, nurse educator, nutritionist, and others as necessary. In very severe cases, hospitalization may be needed until the person is more mentally and medically stable.  Ongoing therapy at least monthly or more frequently with care team members may be needed. 

    Personal Story from The Type 1 Diabetes Self-Care Manual by Jamie Wood, MD and Anne Peters, MD

    Type 1 Diabetes Self-Care Manual

    I Knew How to Play the Game

    As a type 1 diabetic from the age of 7, I just knew I was an expert on this disease. I rolled my eyes at countless nurses, endocrinologists, and educators who lectured me endlessly on ways to manage my diabetes…I was invincible. No doctor or nurse or anyone could tell me any differently, especially if they didn’t have to live with it. How dare they?  My A1C, however, was through the roof. I had multiple retinopathy surgeries to stop the bleeding in my eyes, I only had four toes left, and yet, diabulimia was still strong. I lay in ICU on an insulin drip thinking, “I have got to get out of here and off this drip; I’m getting fatter by the minute.” I was so focused on carbohydrates and food and insulin, all day, every day—but not for the right reasons. I knew how to play the food-medicine game. I could eat anything I wanted and then some, and lose weight. I would live at my threshold, taking the tiniest basal amounts of insulin just to skirt by, exhausted and thirsty. I could hardly function day-to-day.  I had all these complications and forgot what it meant to “feel good.” I was an angry and sad person. The ignorance of the public, my friends, and some of my family was frustrating and hurtful… When I was pregnant, I was singularly focused on having a healthy pregnancy, bringing my A1C down to 5.6. But after Emmalyne was born, I didn’t want to gain weight, so I started cutting insulin again.  I was sacrificing my entire life to diabulimia, until my daughter was diagnosed at the age of 2 with type 1 diabetes. I was sick over it. And the comments: “If you just fed her right…” or “Maybe she will outgrow it…” Then it hit me. I cannot let her grow up feeling the same way I did: alone, frustrated, misunderstood, and judged.  More than anything, I wanted her to enjoy her life, which had just begun, and I wanted to be alive and well enough to get her to adulthood. I wanted to be a great mother but I was too tired to play, too sick to give her all the attention she deserved. She made toes for me out of Play-Doh so I could chase her at the playground. She looked up to me for guidance. Did she think this was her future?  We were a team. We would fight it together. I would not let her down. Screw this disease and everything it had already taken from me. I refused to let it now take her mother from her. —Kathlin Gordon, RDN, 40, is a registered dietitian nutritionist.

    • Last Reviewed: August 1, 2013
    • Last Edited: December 7, 2018