But that's okay, we don't need health care. 1 in 3, must be faulty statistics. It's a socialist leftist plot. They are only doing this to effect the elections in about a week.

But we have the best health care in the world (even though we are rated 37th in the world).

(sarcasm)

Healthcare smealthcare.... You can't twist someone's arm and make them eat right. "It will take a combination of personal decisions and policy changes to turn the diabetes rate around. Making healthy food more accessible and implementing prevention programs will help, she said.".... WTF?? You can't make people do anything they don't want to do. Why should I pay healthcare on someone that doesn't have enough respect for themself to take care of their body.?

we do have great health care if your rich

Americans have to wake up...for hours every night we are forced fed commercials with literally MOUNDS of food, all steamy and good looking, which we just assume is natural to eat. Really unhealthy to ingest that much food in one sitting, for a slew of reasons.

Look at an Olde Country Buffet next time you're around the mall, it's appalling watching the kinds of people that go there. They literally waddle in and out of the place, each one of them is fatter than the next. I don't know whether to laugh or cry everytime I pass the one by me. And it's packed. Every single day...

Eric, so we need health care for people that choose not to take care of themselves. No amount of health care will make them eat properly, exercise, and lose weight. And face it folks, most (not saying all) cases in later life of folks with diabetes is because they are overweight. They think they can take a pill/shot and eat that big piece of chocolate cake.

Diabetes is in my family history. I'm doing everything I can to avoid it and that means weight control, proper diet, and exercise.

mmos, only type 1 is hereditary. . . type 2 is b/c of lifestyle.

stspecialk, I am well aware of the types. In 1960 I had a little known type of diabetes, shock/stress. I was a child almost on the verge of being insulin dependant. I've since had it occur 3 other times, the latest just a few months ago when I received 1 unit twice a day for 5 days.

Oops. Just realized I left out a word. Should have read 1 unit of insulin.

Blame corn surup. You know the industry that is heavily government subsidized. Corn surup that is saturated in every single American food. When fast food are cheaper than healthy foods, then something is wrong. Of course the recession has devastated family income and people are getting poorer. What kind of food you think Americans going to get to scrap by?

lucky you, sure would like to only take a unit a day

Yes American, I'm very lucky. I've dodged it for 50 years now. I wouldn't have even received those (clarifying here) twice daily shots (1 unit each) in the hospital if my regular Endocrinologist hadn't been on vacation. I couldn't seem to get anyone to understand that that wasn't how I'm treated. Thankfully, morning of day 6, my dr put a stop to it, otherwise I may have been stuck (pun intended.)

They got everyone to stop smoking (which kept them thin) now what are they going to do to get people to stop eating?

Why? Because Americans are fat, out of shape, ignorant, physically and mentally out of shape slobs That's why.

Well, According to another Newsvine , I guess the the Polar ice caps melting next week, and the Lack of oxygen will take care of that problem long before diabetes gets us.

Problem solved.

Or maybe just some exercise ...

Witchking -

Every generalization is wrong, including this one (and including yours).

Who's counting.

Getting Diabetes is usually from a genetic background of diabetics in the past generations.. One can stave it off if they keep their stomachs down, exercise, and eat whole foods; grains, fruits, veggies, little meat. Little Sugar. Hypoglycemia is an indicator of oncoming Diabetes. (Low blood sugar).

Some Ethnic groups are more prone to Diabetes; American Indians, Black People. This is because the American diet is not in their genetic background; the Native Americans relying on berries, caught salmon, and other natural foods. Put sugar into the diet, and they gain weight faster than anything. They cannot tolerate Alcohol either.

With all the "fatties" running around, we are sure to see more and more case of Diabetes. It's not a happy circumstance. Careful monitoring each day is a chore.

high fructose corn syrup. it's whats for dinner.

Another reason we don't need healthcare in this country. Only 1 out of 3 will be able to buy it. The rest will die with tea republican approval!

Fatties are the new group to hate, bully, and disparage!

If the CDC would do a study, they may discover that haters have health problems that dwarf the costs of obesity.

Who do the haters hate then?

Type 1 Diabetes has to do with genetic factors and is the only real disease.

Type 2 Diabetes has to do with OBESITY and nothing to do with genetic factors. That is why so many people can get off diabetes meds with diet and exercise.

I speak from personal experience and that my Mother is Obese and Type 2 Diabetes and she started trying to control her diabetes with diet and she would not do it, then pills did not work and finally she has been on shots for about 15 years. She still is obese and has all the additional medical conditions that come from being obese. She has high blood pressure, replaced knees, bad feet, mini strokes, congestive heart failure and this all started with her OBESITY.

I am so tired of hearing from people that they can not afford fruits and vegetable, so hence they can not control their weight. Buy canned fruits and vegetables, quit eating the convenience , processed and fast food and exercise so OBESITY does not set in.

I firmly believe that Type 2 Diabetes is within a person's control to stop.

Actually stspecialk-type 2 can be genetic as well as diet caused-some people are predisposed to it-even skinny healthy people! There is a gene inside you that can predispose you to diabetes type 2, diet, excersise and all just prolongs the inevitable.

Yes, it also comes from huge portions of the wrong foods, and being a couch potato, but I have skinny, healthy people in my family who eat correctly and excersise, and also have type 2.

Do your research before you totally blame "fatties" and their lifestyle.

I'm not saying that lifestyle isn't a major cause, but there are other causes too.

Sorry, only a small percentage of type2 diabetes cases are genetic and gives you a predisposition to the disease.

@prj1960 Since you say that only a small percentage are genetic, show us your statistics and studies-

We want your proof-

Obviously you don't have generations of family who have this disease, or are a person who just believes that all fat people have diabetes because they are fat.

Actually, there are lots of obese people who don't have type 2 and lots of thin people who do-so show us your proof please

Then why are there so many people that can change the diabetes diagnosis with a change in weight, diet and exercise. I have known many people that have changed behavior and in the end have changed the diagnosis. As the OBesity epedemic grows, of course so does the number of diabetics.

All fat people don't get diabetes just like all smokers don't get Lung Cancer.

obesity and genetics are both only risk factors for diabetes, much like diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and stroke.

If the researchers could point only to one factor that caused diabetes, I am sure that a cure would already have been found. apparently many people think that diabetes is a simple to understand disease.

Diabetes treatment is a managed (controlled if you like) disease balancing ones food intake with exercise and medication as required. Successful management requires daily blood glucose tests to monitor the affects of food intake, exercise and meds on your personal physiology + consults with your doctor or educator

Healthcare smealthcare.... You can't twist someone's arm and make them eat right.

Take a look at our diet compared to what it was 50+ years ago. The literally put corn syrup in everything, from soda to cereal to even bread and candy. They put it in health drinks, they put it in meat, they put it in chips for pete's sake. They put paint in our milk, along with hormones, antibiotics, they put weird preservatives and growth hormones in our vegetables and canned goods. There are hormone disrupting plastics used to contain just about everything. It is no wonder our society is now seeing an explosion of weight problems, of Alzheimers, of cancer, isn't cheapest and lowest product wins capitalism great? I guess until the trillions in health care costs catch up to us, right?

Stu... you hit the nail on the head. What this country needs is to EDUCATE people about nutrition starting in kindergarten. What ever happened to HOME ECONOMICS courses being taught in the schools where we learned about nutrition, cooking, finances, banking and all the things necessary to prepare us for life as responsible adults ?

If this country invested in educational programs which stressed good nutrition, health and wellness and PREVENTION, and followed the lead of most countries in the EU that actually CARE about the health and welfare of their citizens by banning harmful chemicals, food additives and the like... we wouldn't have all the health problems we have now. Having an UNEDUCATED public is the main cause for the rise in healthcare costs.

That stuff you buy on the grocery store shelf IS NOT FOOD !!! It's laboratory, chemically concocted frankenfoodstuff.

REAL food doesn't come in a box or a can. REAL food has 1 ingredient. REAL food won't kill you it will CURE you. Did you know that you can CURE any and all illnesses of the body just by changing your diet to one that is based on 51% or more RAW foods... fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and herbs ?

I suggest everyone watch this movie which is available for streaming on NetFlix ( sign up for the 2 wk trial if you have to ) FOOD MATTERS. It's a real eye opener.

Remember... YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT... no statement has ever been truer.

"Let FOOD be thy physician" - Hippocrates

The rates of obesity and diabetes are tightly linked. All you have to do is look around you and see the rates of younger obese people. I live in Alabama, one of the worst states, and more and more peoples' circumference exceeds their height.

But a MAJOR reason that obesity and diabetes is soaring is that physicians do not spend enough time with individual patients to really have any effect on obesity and diabetes. There essentially isn't any pill for obesity and most obese people are a) in denial, b) really don't care, c) don't have the willpower or motivation to lose weight or d) don't want or can't afford the surgery. And all a physician can do in a average 3 minute 20 second office visit is say, "You're obese. Lose weight." Working with the obese is a form of medicine that is "hands dirty" "in-the-trenches" medicine that requires that a personal connection be made and that a lot of work be done with the person to get them on the right track. Physicians are poorly trained in this, do not have enough time in their schedule to do it, and consider it less than cost effective for their practice.

And for stu, the major reason that high fructose corn syrup is popping up in everything is that fat is being removed. As fat is removed from foods they tend to taste rough, dry and crumbly. Corn syrup replaces fat and restores that velvety "mouth feel" that people expect in their foods. Also ADM and ConAgra (and others) own a large number of Congressmen and receive huge subsidies for growing corn. Part of the subsidies are for the production of ethanol (another 5% ethanol can now be added to gasoline without telling you, shortening the lifetime of your vehicle and making it harder to start in cold weather.) But ethanol production has created huge corn shortages worldwide and driven prices so high that the agricultural giants are making huge profits by combining high prices, huge subsidies, and artificially-created subsidies along with an increasing use of the most easily transportable form of corn.)

And for smc, I was the only boy in 1960 in my high school to take HomeEc. They mostly taught meal planning. cooking and "proper" cleaning. Balancing a checkbook was "man's work." There was very little taught about nutrition. I think most people thought I was gay because I took the course, but on the other hand I still enjoy cooking, and I enjoyed the opportunity to try to date my classmates with no real competition from other guys. What Hippocrates really said was, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food." He was exhorting people to eat well, but also to take the medicine he prescribed.

school lunch as a federally subsidized nutrition program also is to blame. some kids eat at school twice per day, 5 days a week. Processed everything. Remember a few years back when peta outed that cattle ranch with tons of contaminated beef slated for delivery to 1. Free Food Programs for the poor 2.Indian Reservations and 3. SCHOOL LUNCH
There is a reason organic/clean food costs so much. You must try and afford these products for your health. The clueless and poor consume dumbed down numbed out flouride and HFCS. yes that means drinking the kool aid. with tap water.

There is a celebrity UK chef called Jamie Oliver and he championed healthy school dinners in the UK. He made a huge difference. I believe he has started to do work in the US as well. The program will be on youtube and I imagine you would find it very interesting. He has some great ideas but really needs the support of the US parents. You should check it out.

ive heard of him.. i believe it was a documentary i saw.. as awareness spreads, i do believe change is possible. probable idk..
ty for the post.

I put my left shoe on first in the morning, I still plan to be here in 2050.

Gordy - Judging by your intelligent comment you sound a bit confused. It's pretty simple. I just said I won't be here in 2050. But good luck to you. Hopefully you won't be one of the 1 out of 3 people. It sounds like you and Eric are going to be good friends. Thats sweet!

Who's going where in 2050?---I'm staying, G-d said so. He told me to start saving money.

Do I need Jesus to confirm it?

Very funny retorts.

Or you'll be at least 70 by then.

But my childern will.

Gordyinlowa

Hey bro, is that a Shovel? Your pic's kind of small for these old eyes, I can't tell.

Yes, I hear that Jerry is running on higher fiber this election cycle. :-)

It's idiots like this that will bankrupt California.

sorry to burst your bubbles. Diabeties has been around since before aristotle. Method of confirmed diagnosis, urine was sweet tasting. As for obesity, my brother and I are both type 2's and have been physically active most of our lives and were not considered to be obese. i have obese niece, nephew and sister. not a freakin problem, they just waddle right along.

Main factor, family history of diabetes.

I had a diabetic classmate and she was a size 2, so not everyone who is diabetic is obese.

Main factor in diabetes development. Processed flour.

The US has successfully exported diabetes around the world via our processed flour.

The US has successfully exported diabetes around the world via our processed flour.

then our conservative right-wing plan has worked. exxxxxcellennnnt. sheesh.

Type 1 has nothing to do with weight or lifestyle.

Type 2 does.

Yes, it's partly white flour, corn syrup and a whole host of other faux foods, plus snack non-foods, plus lots of dead foods, and yes, it's partly our sedentary lifestyle too.

If it's processed, or comes in a package or a can, chances are it's some concoction that no longer qualifies as actual food. Or at best, it's a poor imitation, deficient in nutrient and loaded up with things artificial or unnatural. If it isn't organic, it probably comes with a good dose of toxins as well. If the beef you eat doesn't come from pastured, grass-fed cows (and how many of us buy that kind of beef?), then you are getting hefty doses of Omega 6's...the fat-storing kind...and not enough Omega 3's - the energy-producing kind. In fact, if your meat and poultry come from mainsteam grocers, you are probably eating sickly, weak animals.

Exactly what can we expect those kinds of foods to do for our bodies?

And all of these things are spoonfed to us and pushed on us by Corporate America, whose mission statement it is to extract the most possible money in exchange for delivering the cheapest possible products, and who cares not at all whether we live or die, much less whether their products are good for our health.

But that's how it is in America...

lawful:

great strides have been made in the field of Diabetes right now. By then, the researchers will have an easy solution to maintaining around normal blood sugars. Oral meds are the best right now. Seeing an Endocrinologist, if one is a diabetic is the best (Specialists in diabetes).

I still think the Government is warning/scaring the heck out of all Americans, because Health Care will not pay for expensive treatment. Watch, nothing will be paid for--just promises coming from O and his team of special Political Doctors.

No one truly knows what is in the Health Care Reform Bill---it needs to be Repealed.

What in the Heath Care Reform?

You have to get health insurance or be fined. That's what's in the Health Care Reform bill. Can you afford $600 per month, (exaggerated amount) for Health Care?

james h - $600/month isn't an exageration, mine used to be $410/month and in july went to $540/month can't wait to see what it is come january. single coverage btw.

..and the bleach white flour.

It is not corn syrup per se ....the problem is any caloric sugar. http://www.lvrj.com/taste/experts-blame-diet--not-high-fructose-corn-syrup--for-obesity-104844429.html

Refined white sugar is one of the most dangerous substances on this planet. Seriously.

Use raw brown sugar you'll be good.

Eric:

Now you are talking about a Gluten Free Diet. Another Fad. The OCD people practice this one. It is chic if they are on this diet these days---borrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.

Better yet... use Raw AGAVE nectar, Xylitol or Stevia. They are great for diabetics and have an extremely low Glycemic Index.

FACT: almost ALL processed white sugar found on the shelf and in just about every food comes from GMO sugarbeets ( which thankfully have recently been BANNED by the FDA ). Natural cane juice and raw organic honey are good alternatives for those who don't have to worry about diabetes.

FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup is processed from GMO corn that is not even fit for human consumption. It is also processed using MERCURY... the most toxic chemical on earth. It is also EXTREMELY addicting which is why it leads to obesity and why Big Food has added it to EVERY product on the shelf.. even cold cuts.

Oh... and for those of you who know about the dangers of ASPARTAME .....better start reading your frankenfood labels. They're now putting ASPARTAME in NON-diet foods. I'm assuming it's just for s h i t s and giggles... and your eventual death by brain tumor or some other debilitating disease it causes like RA, MS, Lupus, Fibromyalgia and other autoimmune diseases.

I think that could be said about pretty much anything we've created in a lab in an attempt to "improve" on that which Mother Nature already provides naturally. I don't by any stretch of the imagination begin to proclaim I'm a health nut who never eats processed food, not even close, but I can't help but believe that all of the chemicals we've created to replace actual food doesn't help the cause. More activity, less processed crap and I bet we'd all be in better shape.

Its hard to afford good fruits and veggies in this economy. The dollar menu at McDonald's is much more affordable.

You sound like my husband and many others its not all about the sugar you eat. The carbohydrates you eat are turned into sugar. Its just as important to cut down on carbs.

I call shenanigans! Fresh fruits and veggies in season can often be found on sale for prices that make them cheaper than the bags of chips many people buy instead. And canned or frozen fruits and veggies are always available, often with sales and coupons for great prices. 3 or 4 servings per package for the same price as one cheeseburger.

As a society we've become better at making excuses than dinner.

While the salad at Wendy's is $4 (and I'll say, they make a great salad for a fast food place), but a burger is $1. Quit subsidizing (with our tax dollars) large, profitable Agribusiness who are generating all the chemically enhanced, white flour, HFCS foods -- that would be the 1) burger bun 2) 'hamburger' patty, a conglomeration of meat from hundreds of slaughtered cattle ground together, and 3) the HFCS laden ketchup. Food, like everything else, you get what you pay for.

Alykatma... unless you're eating ORGANIC, you'll be lucky if you find 1 in 100,000 products on the shelf that DOESN'T have HFCS in it. It's in virtually EVERY processed product.

Correction - no sugar is good for the human body. HFCS is just the cheapest way to mass produce a sweetener, so it is used in place of cane sugar, which is just as harmful. Even natural juices should not be consumed liberally. Sugar is sugar, and it's all bad.

Actually, it is a bit more complicated than that. HFCS breaks down differently than organic cane sugar. And it is true that all sugar is harmful, but if you take your blood sugar measurements, as I do, there is a spike when I have eaten an item containing HFCS. My blood sugar does increase if I eat regular sugar, too, but not in the same way. That being said, sugar can be consumed, you just need to look at what you eat and remember that almost everything breaks down to sugar.

I've also found out that different starches react differently: I can eat a 1/2 cup of potato with no problem; but a 1/2 cup of rice - spike. Brown rice is not as bad, but rice is just worse than potato. My doc and I have started to think about ancestors - were they potato-eating or rice-eating. Anyway, after 10 years, 70 pounds lighter and an hour of exercise a day, I am considered "pre-diabetic" now. I can't take the oral meds; so, I am enjoying cooking again and exercising again and hubby is healthier for this as well.

Get of your lazy asses American or you deserve your sicknesses. Stop eating at fast food outlets, worse than drug pushers.

Eliminating any basic element from a person's diet completely (sugar, salt, fat, carbohydrates in general) is actually dangerous. It is good to limit; but the position that "all sugar" is bad is actually not correct and those that do eliminate all of these things leave extremely little to no food that is not off limits. Read, "anorexia"....

Any nutritionist worth a penny will stress this fact. Note I said *eliminate*...NOT *reduce*- which IS a good idea!

Miskaffon-thank you

Sorry Future, but there is quit a difference between Cane and HFCS. It has to do with how the body assimilates these sweeteners.

Although sugar should be used in moderation, HFCS should not be used at all. The ONLY reason HFCS is used is because it is cheap, cheap, cheap unlike cane sugar which takes extensive processing to manufacture.

anti that would be Monsanto!! people need eat closer to the farm.. All processed food that we have been eating for years and continue to eat has lead to the diabetes in America

Y'know...I am utterly tired of the 'Hurr durr, there wasn't a gun to your head!' response. That has never been, and never will be, a viable retort. They don't need to put a gun to your head because they have much more subtle and effective methods of doing so.

Import tariffs, for one. If real sugar wasn't so heavily taxed (at the behest of the corn lobby, the single largest lobby in the country), it would be cheaper than the heavily-processed, obesity-and-diabetes-causing garbage that gets used whenever possible to extract that extra little bit of profit.

Advertising, for another. Marketing is the science of subliminal suggestion, of forming habits or changing preferences based on presentation and repetition of bite-sized bits of information, which is proven to create lasting memories.

Shelf positioning, for a third. There's a reason the no-name brands...often stuff with real ingredients, rather than pasteurized processed imitation food-type product...are in out of the way locations, bottom shelves, and dimly-lit areas, while the products made by companies that are able and willing to shell out big bucks for preferential spacing are front, center, and brightly lit.

It's true that HFCS doesn't directly cause obesity or diabetes. However, indirectly I wouldn't be surprised if it's the second largest cause (behind genetics): HCFS doesn't trigger the 'I've eaten enough now' reflex that natural sugars do...be they sucrose, glucose, or even natural fructose. As a result, the hunger pang never goes away, overeating/overdrinking happens, and the body pickles itself in artificial sugar.

The proof is in this simple challenge. Go out, buy a 2L bottle of A-Treat Cola [it has to be the bottle of cola, they use HFCS in the cans and in some of the other flavors]. Buy a 2L of [your favorite HFCS-soaked brand here]. On an empty stomach and with a little pang of hunger, drink one on one day, drink the other the next, and continue drinking until that pang goes away. Then compare how much of one versus how much of the other you had. You'll be amazed.

After unsuccessfully dieting and not shedding a single pound, I found the best way is to cut out all sodas, juices and almost all processed food and drinking mostly water and green tea sweetened with Stevia herb. I always read the label on any food I buy and put it down if it has HFCS as an ingredient. Managed to lose over 10 pounds without excersizing(been too busy the last couple of months to make it to the gym) Yes there is a life without sugar. After a while most things you took for granted taste to sweet. I was surprised to find that regular Italian dressing tasted sugary, again that high fructose corn syrup, used as a preservative as well as sweetener. Too much of anything is not good for you. And to you manufacturors trying to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to corn sugar.... that is not going to work. It is still chemically altered corn syrup and is not natural. Also in my family all my siblings and father were type 2 diabetes, and I have managed to avoid that trap.

Foxden, I don't know about you, but as far as I can see, all soda producers have changed over to HFCS. That's what sparked Coke's campaign for the New Coke that didn't go over with the public. They claim to have returned to the old Coke formula, but really didn't. They just quietly changed to using HFCS instead of cane sugar because it was cheap, cheap, cheap.

If there is soda available without it, I centranily can't find it. But then I don't, or very seldom drink sodas.

Soda made with high fructose corn syrup does not taste as good. Just compare a heritage soda to the same soda made with HFCS, they do not add up. I also notice that using HFCS has not made the sodas any cheaper, in fact they are as high in price as ever.

Studder-post, LOL

Don't forget processed flour, raises that blood sugar in a hurry.

Just so there is no confusion I want to add to your post... you not only have to maintain that healthy lifestyle but MONITOR YOUR BLOOD SUGAR!! It must be kept between 80-120. Diabetics need to be checking their blood sugar 4 times per day- before meals and bed. Anytime your blood sugar is outside those parameters you are damaging your body.

agreed.

Gordy

You raise some interesting points. There is no carbohydrate or sugar in possum, or for that matter any meat. Eating fatty meats will actually lower your current blood sugar. However, diabetes is a disease of circulation as well. Eating high saturated fats, cholesterol, etc. will cause circulation problems, further exacerbating diabetes. Someone with diabetes has to eat a low saturated fat, complex carbohydrate diet. Say hello to the Hatfields and the McCoys.

I firmly believe that every time a new miracle drug comes to market, some guy on the top floor of a medical research building is pushing a new disease out the window into the world.

The cost of managing diabetes is expensive; medication, insulin, syringes, glucose meter, test strips (really expensive), etc. Insulin pumps are really really expensive.

But it is worth it. As a result, it IS a big business.

A "cure" for type 2? Wow... Ummm, hello... there is already a cure! Stop eating like crap and sitting on your rear ! DON'T BE FAT. Problem solved. When you go to the grocery store, do not buy ANY processed food ! Make lean meat, whole grains, oatmeal (plain), beans (NOT BBQ beans), and vegetables the staples of your diet. In other words, eat like a bodybuilder. Go get Tom Venuto's "Burn the fat feed the muscle" ebook. Google it.

I think that's why the endocrinologist in Santa Monica dumped me into the nutritionist's care. Think of that little south park boy whenever he was near that girl he liked - that's me taking metformin! And the rest of the meds for diabetes have too many warnings. Personally, I try to keep to meds that were OK'd before Reagan dismantled the FDA and put his big pharma pals in positions of authority. The FDA is lying to us about most new drugs and for 17 (I guess now 20) years they have patent rights that need to amass lots of money. Trust no one. Eat close to the farm. Grow your own veggies.

I totally agree. I've had type I diabetes for 16 years and the drug companies have made a killing off of me. There is way to much money for them to loose if there is a cure. :(

There is way to much money for them to loose if there is a cure. :(

EXACTLY. This is why there will NEVER be a cure for ANYTHING that comes from Big Pharma. CURING you puts them out of business. However, there IS a cure for EVERY illness/condition and Big Pharma is doing it's damnedest to keep you from turning to Alternative Holistic/Homeopathic / Ayurvedic/ Traditional Chinese medicine. Medicine and treatments that CURE disease, not treat symptoms. Chemical medicine CANNOT cure and only treats ONE ailment. Alternative approaches treat the entire body.. that's why it's called HOLISTIC. If you treat one ailment/disease you are treating them ALL and curing them ALL by dealing with the ROOT CAUSE. Food and herbs are some of the most powerful and effective medicines on the face of the earth.

Eat a healthy diet of unadulterated, organic, LIVE, RAW food. Believe it or not by eating real food, not processed food filled with pesticides, hormones and artificial who-the-hell-knows-what....you can completely REVERSE and CURE any health condition/disease... even serious heart disease.

Look for the video called FOOD MATTERS. It's available for instant streaming on NetFlix and yo may be able to find it for viewing on the web somewhere.

Ah, no no no - please don't do this. We have newborns dying from Pertussis because parents are fearing vaccinations. THe pancreas is attacked by fats and sugars. Please don't spread the anti-vaccination stuff. Our children should not go back to the days of my youth when I had friends who ended up in iron lungs with polio, etc.

Certain vaccines are necessary, but not most of them.

The real problem with most vaccines is the heavy metals that end up in the solution because of crude manufacturing methods (a widespread problem in the industry). Injecting heavy metals into your bloodstream is bad, mm'kay.

True about the heavy metals. It's a problem because like all jobs, we have shipped the processing of vaccines overseas so that there is no oversight. Still, I take the plunge every year w/the flu shot and I would immunize my children no matter what.

Actually, heavy metals are no longer used in vaccines. Aluminum is, however. It is added as an adjuvant - which is a compound that causes your body to have a stronger immune response to the vaccine.

Vaccines, while they might not be necessary on an individual basis, in terms of herd immunity, they are. In order to keep a given disease out of a population, a certain percentage of that population needs to be vaccinated, usually a very high percentage. This number varies for different diseases. If the number of individuals that have been vaccinated falls below that crucial percentage, you start to see breaks of the disease within the population and spread of the disease. Individuals that were not vaccinated get the disease, as well as those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, and even some people who were vaccinated. Why? Because vaccination does not guarantee 100% protection from a disease - not everyone will have the optimal response to a vaccine, and if the exposure dose of a disease is high enough, that can cause break through of disease in those individuals who did have a good response to the vaccine.

Essentially, the very reason you think that not all vaccines are necessary is that herd immunity has allowed some diseases to be reduced to a non-threatening level. Take away that herd immunity, and it will come back.

Or you can skip flu vaccines and instead work to build health and immunity so that you don't catch bugs from other people.

I have not had a flu shot for over ten years. I have not had flu in all that time, even though every year I am around sick co-workers who refuse to stay home with their germs.

vaccines still have mercury in them.

I dont believe that at all. My twin sister is a type 1 diabetic and my son was diagnosed at age 3 with Type 1. I see no direct connection to that. Please dont scare people into not getting vaccinations for children. Kids die from chicken pox when its preventable. I agree with RAISEDBYWOLVES.

The metal, mainly Mercury used in vaccines are only present in multi-dose bottles of any particular vaccine. In single dose vaccines, these metals are not used. The reason for using Mercury is extend the life of the vaccine once the seal has been punctured by the syringe needle.

Merury is an anti-biotic to the enth degree, extremely effective but also very dangerious for the human body.

I believe most vaccines are unnecessay. Now your children get 22 vaccines if not more. They should be only used for diseases that are a serious threat as an epidemic.

James... mercury is one of THE most TOXIC chemicals on the planet. It is NEVER safe to use under ANY condition... EVER.

This is silly. And most of you who are on other threads with me know just how liberal I am. It is our fault - we work too long; we have people who can't cook for themselves; we accept whatever is put in front of us and we don't look at ingredients. A lot of you laugh at California, but, as a native, I must say that we are health food freaks, and it's a good idea. The fresher, less processed your foods are, the better they are for you. Young people: learn to cook.

It's Bush's fault! (sic)

We dont have to sue anyone, we can hit em where it hurts, in thier pocket book. Stop buying thier crap and they will feel the pinch. You cant even buy yogart without high fructose corn syrup. Is so sad because I cant find organic yogart in peach flavor.. Yum. I remember having a Yoplait peach yogart and it tasted way too sweet. I had grown used to organic which has no added sugar. Its a shame that someone buying yogart thinks they are getting a healthy food when in fact it is loaded with high fructose corn syrup which does not appease your appetite. Same thing with artificial sweeteners, they leave you wanting more.

Some good points here. Agreed on HCFS and fast food.

It's all about personal choices and self control. Most people I see don't seem to have much of the latter, and don't seem to think much concerning the former.

Also attitudes in this country, to me, seem to not be about prevention but about 'treatment' and 'cures' and 'blame' for conditions, even though doctors point out that personal behavior can prevent many of the things we are about to see become epidemic.

Unfortunately the only motivating factor you can count on in this country is money. Once we can't afford to treat everyone and resort to rationing or needs testing for health care, well, then people might just pay attention and stop shoving corn syrup and fast food down their gullets.

It's going to get much worse before it gets better.

Alykatma - Stonyfield makes peach yogurt. So does a company called Kolana Organics. Or do what I do if you can't find a flavor you like.. buy the plain or vanilla yogurt and add your own. I make my own lemon blueberry poppyseed yogurt w/ Stonyfield LowFat Vanilla, organic lemon extract, organic blueberry fruit spread and organic poppyseeds. It's DELICIOUS !

Marty - you don't know cold. I have been diabetic (insulin resistant) since the late 80's and am currently using a pump. I wouldn't be a good diabetic educator as I would be to sarcastic to those who consistantly have high sugars. #1 would be that the patient overate (to much carbs or protein) without adequate medication. #2 the patient didn't take the appropriate dosage. #3 The patient didn't check sugars often enough. #4 the patient doesn't care or can't be bothered by any semblance of a routine..#5 the patient gives you a blank stare and says "I don't know?"

The scariest is that when the patient really and truly doesn't know why the blood sugar is high. It is disconcerting when 3-4 hours after eating you test under 120 and then the next morning you test nearly 400 and you haven't eaten. I have done all of the above , fortunately an insulin pump makes it really hard to lie to the doctor or yourself..

I have known thin people who have diabetes, not caused by their eating habits but an inherited disease.

The issue/article isn't about these people, it's about people who can prevent the onset of diabetes.

Oh how true DJ. People need to research the dangers of soy. Search the internet and you will be surprised how dangerous soy products are.

"as best I can tell the industrial food complex has put us in a food coma".Really? You mean that what you chose to eat or have your children eat isn't of your own doing? If you need business or the government to dictate your diet (for better or worse), you're an idiot.

@ Headhunter..I suggest you look at the World According to Monsanto on You Tube.. you'll get a better understanding of what the Industrial Food complex is doing to ALL of our food. Genetically engineered foods ie., fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, soy and others are being placed in our grocery stores..and this food is literally killing us all. The labels will not reveal what foods are altered. The human body is at odds as it receives this genetically altered food that lacking in nutritional value.. The body stores this food stuff as fat since it is not readily recognized therefore not metabolized..thus we consumers are getting sick. Take your pick: Diabetes, Inflammation, Auto Immune Disorder...

It is time to let the FDA know we want safe foods for our future generations.

Also be aware that THEY...and we all know who they are...are getting ready to radiate & irridate our organic foods. Let your gov't officials know...we don't want this!!!

Buying locally sourced foods from reputable farmers helps.

If they do start radiating and irridiating organics, then maybe it's time to start growing, canning and jarring.

If you're interested in learning more about the industrial/corporate food complex (agribusiness), watch the DVD "Food Inc" -- also read 'Fast Food Nation' by Eric Schlosser, a fascinating (and disturbing) look at the fast food industry and how our food is grown/raised. (note that Fast Food Nation was made into a movie, a lame movie - read the book, heavily researched and a compelling read).

There are a great number of good documentaries to watch that deal w/the food industry. Most of them can be found on NetFlix, Hulu or YouTube.

Food, Inc ( view on Netflix or YouTube )

Food Matters ( Watched this the other night on NetFlix )

The World According to Monsanto ( View on Netflix or YouTube )

The Future of Food ( View on Netflix or YouTube )

ASPARTAME : Sweet Misery ( View on Netflix or YouTube )

King Corn ( View on NetFlix )

Dirt ! The Movie ( I just watched this the other night on NetFlix. )

The Cove ( Hulu or NetFlix )

Just found this : http://lettuceeatkale.com/2010/10-top-documentary-food-films/

Here are some others worth mentioning:

Iodine – The Most Misunderstood Nutrient
Dying to Have Known – by Stephen Kroschel
The Beautiful Truth – by Stephen Kroschel
12 Steps to Raw Foods – by Victoria Boutenko
Eating – by Mike Anderson
Healing Cancer from Inside Out – by Mike Anderson
Simply Raw – Reversing Diabetes in 30 days
Raw for Life – The Ultimate Encyclopedia of the Raw Food Lifestyle

Blue Gold
Water – 2008
Nutrition and Behavior – A Lecture by Russell Blaylock, M.D. 2006
Genetically Modified Food – Panacea or Poison
The Fluoride Deception (2004) Christopher Bryson
The Hidden Agenda, Water Fluoridation (2005) Dr. Stanley Monteith
Mercury, Autism – Global Vaccine Agenda (2005) Dr. David Ayoub
Sweet Misery – 2004
Sweet Remedy – 2006

Fuel

Black Gold

We Feed the World
What’s On Your Plate?
Good Food
All In This Tea
Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution

thanks for the info SMC -- I'm doing some reading on Raw food - very interesting.

SMC -

thanks for the list. I've seen only a few of these, and I'm adding the rest to my must-see list.

1) That is nothing but an excuse. I eat 6 meals a day and I prepare them all the night before and take them with me to work. I have a busy life... demanding job and young children, but I make the time. Laziness and/or failure to prepare is the real reason they choose not to cook.

2) I refuse to be part of this trend.

Perhaps it's time we bring back Home Ec. How many kids these days don't have the foggiest idea how you'd make a meal from scratch? At least Home Ec classes gave them SOME exposure to the idea. Doesn't hurt to know how to sew on a button either...

it's time we bring back Home Ec.

Wow Suzy, I just got a flash back to Home Ec - back in the 70's, we had a huge room broken into 5 kitchens (they were pastel color coded, we all wanted to work in the pink kitchen!), and we learned hands-on about baking, cooking, meal planning, sewing. Fond memories. We also had FHA clubs in school (Future homemakers of America) with the same focus.

I don't think the education system today can handle adding Home Ec - we need the focus on math, english, and hard science -- BUT I think some type of 'home Ec camp' is a great business idea for someone with an entreprenerial mindset. We also had a course in 'Consumer Math' that taught us about mortgages, checking accounts, investments/compound interest, insurance, etc.... Another area where kids (and many many adults) today are sadly lacking in knowledge

Moonlighting... I mentioned this earlier on. I can't believe they are not teaching this in schools anymore. It was one of my favorite classes ! Couple this with some classes on proper nutrition, sustainable living and preventative health and start these classes in GRAMMAR SCHOOL !!!

In some respects I think Home Ec classes could be used to encompass all the important math, reading and science skills. It's practical application- fractions for halving or doubling recipes, science and baking are tight bedfellows (the chemical reaction between baking soda (or is it powder. I always mix 'em up) and the acid in a recipe to make baked goods rise, yeast working with sugar to create gasses to give dough it's texture... ALL about science). Learning to read recipes to create menus, shopping lists, calculate nutritional values. Lets face it, not all of us are cut out for hard science but a lot of us can make more sense of the basics with a practical application.

excellent points Suzy - hadn't looked at it that way (the math and science behind cooking and especially baking), and you're absolutely right -- and your approach would certainly be more compelling (i.e. memorable) than just throwing science/math data at kids.

Well said. I also hope for a Type 1 cure in the near term. I also agree that TYPE 2 DIABETES IS A CHOICE.

adesso - have to disagree that type 2 is by choice, read my post 4.2

Denise - yes, being a type one is a pain, I have a sister and nephew who are type 1 and they can get into a whole lot of trouble if they don't maintain control. as a type 2 my body is a little more lenient towards overindulging than they are. However, we all carry fast acting carbs in case we go low. one never leaves home without them.

My almost 5 yo is a type 1 diabetic and I wish that the was more emphasis on it. I get so tired of hearing people whine about their type 2 diabetes. Stop eating crap and exercise!! My son had no control about his diabetes but others do and they choose to do nothing about it. I have no sympathy at all.

yeh, right! I wish!

When I first started taking insulin a bottle cost under $15, now it is over $45 and the generic is under $30. If one uses fast acting insulin (as in humalog) it cost $45 a bottle now it is over $120 a bottle (no generic available yet). test strips cost about $1 ea (use 4 -5/day to maintain good to excellent sugar control. the test meters average $50, but are generally given to patients for free as costs will be made up by test strip usage.

If you maintain control thru diet, execise and consult with your dr/educator (say 4 times/year) healthcare cost are easily sustainable and the med/strip cost can easily cost more than the doctor.

Chose to ignore the doctors recommendations, then lookout! Want to learn more go to webmd or just type in "diabetes". While no longer the killer it once was it can still screw you up in a major way. Prior to the discovery of insulin, one had a 25% chance of dying the first year

One would think that with the increased numbers of diabetics that the cost of insulin would go down rather than up. Wonder if the oral medication cost are higher as well.

EXACTLY! As a type 1 diabetic it makes me sick how people cannot control themselves enough to watch what they eat in the first place. I have this for the rest of my life...it is not a choice because I gained so much weight that my pancreas stopped working. Also, the cost is outrageous because the supplies are a necessity.

As a type 1 diabetic it makes me sick how people cannot control themselves enough to watch what they eat in the first place.

That's the irony. Humans are creatures of the last ice age. People who packed on weight when food was abundant survived when food became scarce.

Overeating is hardwired into most people's genes. Even after 100 centuries, our genes haven't changed very much, at least as far as metabolism is concerned.

Most people gain weight easily and lose weight slowly. No two ways around it.

This wasn't much of a problem when most people were farmers, but life changed dramatically for most people in the industrialized world during the 20th century.

Both of my parents have Type 2 diabetes - too many calories, too little physical activity.

I'm largely resigned to ending up on medication for hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes by age 65. Probably half of all Americans will be on those medications by then.

I sure hope Medicare Part D will cover it :P

mandi - their lives are not in as much jeopardy as ours. If i stop my insulin my lifespan will be very short and very blind.

Amen!!

How about we just "reign in " all the crap processed frankenfoods instead? How about we start educated people on eating REAL food? How about the gov't stop subsidizing these crap crops and start subsidizing local organic farmers instead ? Now THAT sounds like a solution.

As a nurse, I agree with you 150%, Big Z!

I do a lot of public health surveillance, and I've found (in my experience) that one of the biggest obstacles to controlling diabetes for folks that are already diagnosed is (1) food choices and (2) cost. Poor food choices are definitely making this a fantasic challenge! The frankenfoods that surround us and very little quality make dietary changes a huge challenge.

What I've also found distressing is the cost! I spent a day doing diabetes education at a senior center outside of Denver recently and I was stunned when I found out how much it costs to purchase meters and strips...even for these patients that had Medicare. $75 for a box of 50 test strips when we're asking patients to check their blood sugar multiple times a day? I was just appauled!

It's a daunting problem, and it will take some real creativity in order to remedy this most recent health crisis.