Expert-reviewed by Ashwini S.Kanade, Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator with 17 years of experience
In my practice, I meet lots of diabetics every day. The one thing that is probably common amongst most of my patients is misinformation.
It is not uncommon for people to have many misconceptions when it comes to a condition as common as diabetes. And in this day and age when information is available at your fingertips, it is easy to mix facts with fiction.
But when it comes to your health, having the right information (from the right sources) is what will help you lead a happy, healthy life. And to help you do that, I wanted to clarify 5 common doubts that my patients (and probably you) have:
Diabetes medications will NOT harm you:
But uncontrolled diabetes mellitus DEFINITELY will!
You can start by eating healthy, exercising, meditation, natural remedies such as karela (bitter gourd), Jamun, dalchini (cinnamon), alternative medicine all you like but if your sugar is just not coming down, start allopathic medications before it is too late.
Any allopathic medication, especially those for diabetes, is subject to rigorous safety studies on thousands of human volunteers before being sold in the market. So far from harming you, they may actually save your life.
Mixing herbal and allopathic medications? Read this now.
Insulin therapy DOES NOT lead to death:
Unfortunately, our country’s current scenario is that the precious years of a diabetic’s life are wasted chasing a cure for diabetes or trying alternative medicines. By the time insulin is initiated, it is often too late.
And by this time, the patient already has underlying complications such as eye damage, kidney damage which come to light after initiation of insulin and are unfortunately attributed to insulin.
So it is not insulin but uncontrolled blood sugar levels that cause this damage which insulin cannot undo.
Get all your doubts about insulin therapy cleared here.
People with diabetes can have as much fruit as they like:
Many videos doing the rounds recently have caused a huge misconception in peoples’ minds that it is okay to have fruits without restriction in diabetes as the sugar in fruits is fructose and does not require insulin for its absorption.
This is categorically untrue!
All types of carbohydrates are ultimately broken down to glucose and necessitate an insulin response from the body. So unrestricted fruit consumption will definitely raise blood sugars and lead to problems for the patients.
Here is a list of fruits you can have if you have diabetes.
A pregnant woman needs to eat a lot to have a healthy baby:
Eating more or less is not the answer; eating right is.
There is an alarming rise in the number of women who have diabetes before becoming pregnant or develop diabetes soon after getting pregnant. Why is this so?
Sedentary lifestyles, calorie-rich diets, stress from having a full-time job, family members with diabetes – all of this increase the risk of diabetes during pregnancy.
Pregnant women require foods that have enough calories but are also rich in vitamins, minerals, and protein for the baby’s healthy growth. More calories mean greater the risk of diabetes and possible harm to the baby.
So, all of us ladies need to eat less, exercise more and be healthier!!
And lastly…
Don’t rely on internet searches alone for your health-related queries:
We are bombarded with messages on social media, highlighting some of the other health-related issue every day.
But remember, a lot of information on the web is unverified, designed specifically to create mischief or gain views or shares. A particular website will often advocate a certain type of diet, a specific food supplement, or herbal remedy promising cure of diabetes.
But here’s the thing – if these treatments were successful, why would we have so many patients crowding our clinics complaining about uncontrolled diabetes every day?
A lot of unethical people prey on vulnerable diabetics desperate for a cure of their diabetes. Patients end up spending thousands of rupees on herbs, supplements, health farms and a dozen diets but no cure.
So beware! Check with your doctor before starting a new diet or supplement – they know you, your medical history and the thing that will really help you manage your diabetes the best!
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