I have on several occasions had the unpleasant duty of telling family, friends and clients about a
medical condition that they may be challenged with; heart disease, stroke, HIV, COVID-19,
cancer etc. but none of them seem to have the same impact as DIABETES. Many people who
have never seen the inside of a church building will break out into uncontrollable “tongues” that
will amaze even the Apostles at Pentecost. That is how much diabetes is feared and it can cause
havoc if not managed properly.
Diabetes on its own will not kill even if it wipes your bank account dry BUT the organ
complications that come with poor management or no management is the killer. That is why the
theme for World Diabetes Day (November 14th ) from 2021 to 2023 is ACCESS TO DIABETES
CARE. Insulin which is the mainstay of diabetes and its management was discovered a century
ago yet millions of people with diabetes around the world cannot access the care they need.
NO “SUGAR-COATED” STATISTICS
- 463 million adults have diabetes worldwide
a. To put in perspective, if people with diagnosed Diabetes were a country on its
own, their population will be more than that of the USA
b. THE International Diabetes Federation (IDF) predicts that 700 million people
worldwide will have diabetes by 2045. Well unless we all do something drastic
- Diabetes complications caused 4.2 million deaths worldwide in 2019
- Adults with diabetes have a two to three-fold increased risk of heart attacks and strokes
(WHO, 2020)
- 85% of the world’s foot amputations are a result of a diabetic foot ulcer. (The American
Journal of Managed Care, 2018)
- African Americans are four times more likely than whites to have a diabetes-related
amputation. (The American Journal of Managed Care, 2018)
- Diabetes Retinopathy (long-term damage to retinal blood vessels) causes 2.6% of vision
loss worldwide. (WHO, 2020)
TELL-TALE SIGNS of DIABETES
The majority (90%-95%) of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes and this starts slowly and
we may often ignore the warning signs.
If we can test for COVID-19 for FREE and vaccinate for FREE, I dare say we owe it a duty to
test every person over the age of 18 years for diabetes. Let us not wait. We have to stop the
march towards 700 million people.
Be wary of these and see your healthcare professional immediately:
Increased appetite or unexplained weight loss
Slow-healing cuts
Frequent yeast infections (including “whites”)
Pain or numbness in extremities
Vision changes
Fruity or sweet-smelling breath
Fatigue or weakness
Dry mouth or dry skin
Extreme thirst
Frequent urination
TO-DO LIST STARTS TODAY
We cannot avoid certain risk factors such as age, people in our family with diabetes (family
history) BUT we can modify some factors that will prevent or prolong the onset of prediabetes,
Type 2 diabetes and complications of diabetes. Many of these require individual effort and that
essentially means the power is in our hands to a large extent.
Today I will start the following and keep at it and I pray you do the same too;
Maintaining a healthy weight
o The body loves moderation. Being underweight or overweight is a risk for several
diseases including diabetes.
o Losing 5% to 7% of body weight and exercising at least 150 minutes a week in
addition decreased the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in a study group by up
to 58%.
Eating a healthy diet and in the appropriate quantity
o We definitely are what we eat…Haven’t we all had enough sugar? Can we start
by cutting out sugar and reducing our portions of refined carbohydrates such as
white bread and white rice?
Woman Exercising
Persistent physical activity or exercising at least five (5) days a week.
o Yes by all means walk, ride a bike, swim and engage in interval training but also
ensure you do “resistance exercises (using free weights, resistance bands, weight
machines etc.) increased strength in adults with Type 2 diabetes by 50% and
improved glycated haemoglobin by 0.57%.” (Diabetes Care, 2016). Glycated
haemoglobin is a measure of our long-term control of blood sugar.
Managing Stress
o Stress affects every part of our body and health. In addition to flooding our bodies
with cortisol that will lead the charge to lay down fat in our midsection, it also
affects our eating pattern, sleep duration and quality, drinking habits and exercise
schedules. Unfortunately it does all these in the negative way.
Checking blood sugar
o We surely need to check our blood sugar with or without symptoms of diabetes
o Do not be stuck on just fasting blood sugar but sometimes insist on random blood
sugar when you take a sample 2 hours after a meal for instance or even get a
glycated haemoglobin test as well. Oh and there is no harm in checking your urine
as well.
Diabetes is a PANDEMIC too and we need to take it more seriously. The cost to individuals,
families and countries when people have diabetes and especially those with complications has
always been underestimated. Very often we overlook the social, mental, physical/productivity
aspects and focus only on the financials and even that has totally gone through the roof and is
targeting space. I hope we can all do our bit to reach especially those who cannot afford to test
and adopt the appropriate lifestyle. May the powers that be listen and act.
Check out Diabetes, Ten Steps To Follow
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND
REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood
pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/ Mobissel Ltd
Dr. Essel is a medical doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness
nutrition and corrective exercise.
Thought for the week – “In 2012 about 56 million people died throughout the world; 620,000 of
them died due to human violence (war killed 120,000 people, and crime killed another 500,000). In
contrast, 800,000 committed suicide, and 1.5 million died of diabetes. Sugar is now more dangerous
thangunpowder.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow
References:
International Diabetes Federation (IDF)
World Health Organization (WHO)
