Another article on diabetes

Diabetes makes the news a lot! This article is more of a success story, about two brothers who have lived into old age, against all odds. The article gives a really good description of how hard diabetes was to control "in the old days," and how far we've come in the past eighty or ninety years. Just like the men featured in the article, diabetes has made me more health conscious; I, too, compulsively read nutrition labels, and it makes me indignant when some foods (such as grocery store bakery products) or some restaurants simply don't offer a carbohydrate count. However, I don't agree that you have to be a food Nazi in order to stay alive as a diabetic. Modern medicine has made too many advancements for that to be necessary any longer. Even though we still have to be just as vigilant about monitoring and maintaining our blood sugar levels, the new insulins and rapid-result monitors also make it possible for us to live normal lives, complete with the same allowance (and limitations) on sweets that any non-diabetic should adhere to.

My only complaint about this article is its frequent reference to diabetes as a terminal illness. I don't think of myself as sick, and it pisses me off that anyone else feels that they should. I'm just as healthy as you are - hell, I may very well be even healthier.