Originally published December 18 2005
New Mexico health officials encourage people to treat their diabetes
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The New Mexican reports on how people respond to diabetes and how changing lifestyle habits, namely diet and exercise, can be an effective countermeasure against the disease when it is caught early enough.
When most people think about diabetes, the first thing that comes to mind are insulin shots, but few realize just how deadly this disease can be.
Joe Vigil of Pecos knew he could have it --- his father, mother, brother and sister all had it --- but the 45-year-old heating and cooling technician didn't want to think about it.
Luckily for Vigil, his daughter, Jennifer Gonzales, 22, a medical assistant at the Pecos Valley Medical Center, recognized the signs of the disease in her father and brought him a kit to test his blood sugar.
Dr. David Young, a physician at Pecos Valley Medical Center, said denial and diabetes go hand in hand, especially in Northern New Mexico.
Young said most people with diabetes have to use some medication to control it.
Either pills or insulin injections are the most commonly used, but some, especially those that catch the disease early, can control, prevent or delay the onset of it by changing their eating and exercising habits.
He said seeing his relatives die or be hospitalized from diabetes-related complications --- it's also linked to heart disease and stroke --- helped motivate him to get healthy again.
Vigil said that controlling his blood sugar and reducing his cholesterol have improved his life.
The warning signs of Type 1 diabetes are weakness, rapid weight loss, ravishing hunger, insatiable thirst and constant urination.
Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent type of the disease.
It is also hereditary, but may not produce noticeable symptoms until later in a person's life.
Type 2 diabetes is associated with aging and its symptoms --- fatigue, weight gain, headaches and dizziness --- are often mistaken for those of other common ailments making it harder to diagnose than Type 1.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml