Misunderstandings about Type 1
There are many things that I want people to know about type 1 diabetes and one of them is the "truth" behind all the misconceptions, ya I know that is a loooooong list. But one I recently realized was surrounded insulin. There is a big, hug massive misconception behind insulin and the amounts needed and what it all means.
Many people especially those behind healthy eating "cures" for diabetes believe that reducing the amount of insulin you need correlates with your health. This is not true for people with Type 1 diabetes.
Insulin is not a type of medicine that a type 1 takes to make themselves healthier and therefore the less you need the healthier you are.
Insulin is what keeps T1's alive.
Everyone, type 1 diabetics or not needs insulin. Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone in all our bodies and the reason why type 1's must inject insulin via syringe, pen or pump is because their pancreas no long produces insulin.
It is not something making them healthier, it is something that is keeping them alive.
The amount of insulin need is in direct correlation to the amount of carbohydrates a person eats. Insulin is used as a key to open the cells within a persons body to let in sugars/glucose from carbohydrates which is then used as energy for the body's cells to function.
For example Cara is on a carb ratio for her meals. For lunch her ratio is 1:16 which means for every 16 grams of carbohydrates she eats she will need 1 unit of insulin to ensure her body the ability to fully use the carbohydrates as energy for her cells. If she eats a meal with 50 grams of carbs she needs 3.1 units of insulin or if she eats a meal with 25 carbs she will only need 1.5 units of insulin.
This difference in amount of insulin does not mean that she is getting any healthier or closer to curing her body from one meal to the next because she needs less insulin.
You see the amount of insulin a person with type 1 diabetes needs does not imply the health of that individual. Until a cure is found type 1's will be injecting different amounts of insulin because their bodies do not and will not produce it.
and of course we all know there is NO cure for type 1 diabetes...healthy eating or not!!
1 comment:
Great post Nic! Insulin is such a tricky thing to explain...need it to live...too much of it can kill ya...many variables come into play when dosing...you cannot just take it and forget about it...and on...and on. Wouldn't it be nice if it was just a pill that type 1'ers could pop twice a day?!
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