Insulin is a hormone whose main mission is to control blood glucose and allow the body's cells to feed.This page will address about the most common myths and beliefs about insulin:
Insulin is like a drug, once you use the organism it becomes addicted.
false , insulin is a hormone that we all have circulated in the blood and that is necessary to live well, the pancreas produces.Many times it can be used as a transitory indication for a variable time from days to months, being able to be left later as the case of decompensation of diabetes, severe infections, or in pregnancy.In cases of permanent use, it is because the body no longer produces insulin, as occurs in type 1 diabetes, or in the person with other types of diabetes that exhausted its insulin production in its body after years using oral medication.
insulin shortens vision or produces blindness 1
false , blindness is produced by the damage caused in the retina to raise glucose, often agrees that diabetic retinopathy advances at the same time that oral medications fail and have spent years without anyInappropriate control or control, after placing insulin they lose vision, instead of thinking that their lack of control and always high sugar left it blind, they look for a culprit and blame insulin.In cases where changes in the vision, this decrease is explained because when the glucose lowerand that even occurs with oral medication.I usually tell my patients once they have controlled glucose and have suffered that visual change ... "Now they are seeing with their true eyes"
If I have to use insulin, it means that I am a failure
false , needing insulin does not mean that you have failed to handle your diabetes correctly.Since type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease, in the long run your pancreas will not be able to produce enough insulin that your body needs, regardless of whether you are very fulfilled in your treatments.When other medications no longer manage to keep blood glucose in the goals, insulin is usually the next step.
If I need to use insulin I have reached a terminal phase
false , which its failed pancreas does not mean that its organism has been destroyed by diabetes, if the organism has no insulin or ability to produce it by oral drugs will have no way to work in their body.It is more insulin, in this case, it is used to protect you from the complications caused by high glucose.
insulin damages the kidney, causes complications or death
false , the belief that insulin causes death or complications such as amputations, blindness, kidney damage or infarctions, often comes from seeing what has happened in the past to the family, members or friends with diabetes.What happens is that doctors and patients begin insulin in such an advanced stage of the disease, that these complications are often inevitable.And I reiterate when insulin is necessary it is to use it as a resource to control diabetes and avoid late complications.
Insulin increases weight
partially true , but only when diabetes is chronically decompensated and has generated weight loss, in this case it helps to recover the weight, however the weight depends on the calories ingested and the physical activity and the own activity and the own activityindividual particularities.
Insulin injections are painful
false , insulin syringesCurrent use a needle No. 29, they are thin as hair, and if you have had its insulin refrigerated, your syringe once loaded téngala inside your fist and temper it to prevent the cold from increases its sensitivity.Many people say that the punctured to measure sugar with the glucometer hurts more than insulin injection.
Insulin causes hypoglycemia
partially true , it is true that insulin can cause a reaction of glucose reduction beyond what is desired, however, with the new prolonged action insulins, hypoglycemia is less likely to occur.
Insulin is expensive
False, because by putting the costs of patient treatments on a balance and evaluating costs of possible complications, in the long run;Using insulin prevents them and is more effective cost.Insulins are usually cheaper than the cost of the latest oral diabetes treatments.
Insulin will set limits to my life
false , many people believe that once they begin to insulin, they can no longer be independent, live alone, travel or eat out of home.None of these statements is correct, the patient with diabetes can lead a life without limitations, but making adequate planning.
insulin cures diabetes
false , even scientists are looking for a cure, I hope they succeed, insulin is one more treatment.
Insulin is extracted from human corpses
false , currently it is produced by a bacterium in industrial quantities, the gene has been added to produce insulin by genetic engineering, then it is purified and introduced in cartridges or roads, it is exempt from pollution and notIt produces allergies.