diabetes

Is it true that there is a cure for diabetes that they are working on, a protien found in the body that may reverse diabetes?
I heard a story about something called leptin being injected into the blood stream or the brain and it has reverced diabetes in mice, I hear there are cures out there for certain diseases that are being hidden because they would possibly kill the pharma companies.  

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

Leptin is a small protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism. Although current research is directed at obesity, leptin could be used to help regulate metabolism in obesity that often goes along with diabetes and reduce the dependency on injected insulin.  It's too early to tell if this approach will be useful in diabetes, but it appears to be promising research.

Big pharma looks out for their bottom line, and they are always looking for ways to knock out simpler, often natural methods to control disease.  Since their profits depend on the development of new drugs, which costs them a bundle to bring to market, it's natural that they would try to minimize any simple, natural treatments that could not be easily patented.

[Sallysmart]

Thank you for this reply. It is too bad that the system for meds controls us when in the long run we are suffering a slow painful death because of money. It should be about a cure, not a slow fix  of happy pills around the main issue.
I find some of the meds I have been given will kill some of the pain but while this is going on I am getting progressively worse because the main problem is still there and no one seems to want to give me a real answer how to get rid of it.
When I say this to my doctor he just says make sure all of the food you eat is good food, sure I did that and for a long time I waited for my pains to get less and it never did happen, possibly because I had neuropathy years before I was diagnosed with diabetes, so who even knows if it is diabetes that caused it but I am sure it is not helping it any, I worked on heavy machines out in cold weather in steal toed rubber boots for 11 years on a midnight shift  and I am hearing now that this kind of lifestyle can cause nerve issues too, but somebody has to do it, if not me then someone else and we need to find a cure for all of these things cos the work aint gonna stop as we keep growing in population even if they keep moving all of the jobs to the other countries there is just gonna be more suffering for less money.
Diabetes is an epidemic and we all know that so it is time we get our priorities straight, now before the cost kills our medical system anyway and there is nothing left, since it is about money.
I am really hoping that before I die like my poor grandmother did someone will come along and tell me there is a cure and I have a second chance.
I dont do the same work anymore cos I got fired in a really nasty way having my medical coverage taken away first and then blamed for not trying hard enough, how can you try any longer when you can hardly walk anymore?
I have been reading anything on leptin I can find and I am praying that is it, the cure, and we can see it on the shelf in short time.

[Sallysmart]

I have been tried on many pain drugs and all of them so far are drugs that you need to keep in your system for a long period of time (maybe weeks) before they really take effect, they are not just poppers for instant pain coverage and the sad part is some of them can cause other issues to your liver or kidneys etc, since the pain relief was always so minimal just taking the edge off of some of the pains I decided not to give my money to those companies anymore till there is one that will do all of the work safely, I have learned to live with it for the most part by taking on another job that does not take me out of the house for eight hours a day and that is a great help, the pain is still annoying as heck and I get daily sharp shots of pains as reminders not to do anything beyond my abilities but at least I am saving my liver or what ever else could be affected.
As rebelous as this may look it is more me thinking I have enough issues to worry about and I just dont want another disease trying to attack me.
Right now it is scary to hear stories about diabetes drugs that are being found to cause cancers and heart issues that we have to take, who needs pain killers after that news.
Sorry for sounding like a sad sack but that is how it is.

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

Since you had health issues before becoming a diabetic, have you ever considered that you might have had chronic pancreatitis for all those years.  This can cause the symptoms of diabetes, but it is not quite like classical diabetes in that infection causes the problem not "metabolic syndrome", the underlying problem that eventually becomes diabetes.

[Sallysmart]

No, gee wizzz, I never thought of that before, how would I know tho?
I have known since age 13 that I have thyroid issues cos my doc back then spotted a goiter on my neck and all these years every time I move and get a new doc they see it and before I can say anything they poke at it and order tests but the numbers seem to be under the worry line so there is never any drugs ordered to help and yet it runs in my family and my mother is on drugs for it,  cant figure that out and she dosent even show a goiter.
I read that an untreated thyriod issue can over time lead to other autoimmune diseases as well.
I also read that those numbers are not the same anymore, now there is concern earlier but my doc just looked at me when I asked him.
My great great grandmother died of a goiter supposedly choking her, not possitive on that tho, so many stories that are not written properly.
Something else you might be interested in, as a child I used to get colds and ear aches and hayfeaver and when these problems came up I had little bumps in front of my ear lobes just above my jaw bone about the size of a large pea that were totally sensitive, the colds and other illnesses dont happen up as much anymore but on the odd occasion I can feel the one on the left for no reason so it is really always there sometimes about the size of a pea and sometimes very small but is there, is that a gland or something, docs didnt seem to be concerned about it when I was a kid so quit asking about it.
Thanks BTW for all you are doing for us on here, we all appreciate your valuable time you are giving us.

[jltcamp]

Hi Sally,

I have been diabetic for 34 years since I was 4.  You should go to the faustmanlab.org website for the newest research.  They apparently have reversed diabetes in mice and are trying to get funding for phase II studies in people.

My understanding is that they used a t.b. vaccine to do this and that it kills the "bad antibodies (T-Cells?) that are killing the insulin islets.

My Dad had an islet transplant  at the U of A in Edmonton, AB Canada and he is one (if not the only one) who is still not taking any insulin or Type II pills.  (BTW, he had TB as a teen and for thre months as a teen, he also did not require any insulin at all.  Not sure if this is related,  but it is definelty somthing to consider)  He was a Type I diabetic from the age of 2.  He is now 63 yrs old and has been off insulin for over 10 years!

Hope this info is helpful.

[Sallysmart]

wow!!!!!!!!!! what a hunk of good news, gonna go and see whats being said. I can believe it because they have been discovering that diabetes is possibly an infectious kind of disease lately and also possibly a gene thing as well, still lots to do but I sure hope when a cure is spotted we are told and offered it, I am done with supporting the big guys needs for industry while I hurt anymore. I am almost in a wheel chair as it is and that is on a day I can admit I can go there cos it is just too painful to walk.  
I take care of 2 people who are dissabled and lucky for me they are supplied with lift equipment so there is no heavy work and I love helping people. But I sure dont want to be there with them yet having others do for me. How could I help them then? Of course hubby and I are both into it together but he got into it just because he knew he might be taking care of me not so far away and lucky for me he is totally understanding when I am out of sorts a day here and there.
We took our two young men out for a family day event not so long ago and I had such a styflling pain in one foot I couldnt get out of the van, hubby took the guys into the house and brought back a transfer chair and I struggled into it feeling like I broke my foot. One of the guys of course seeing this got all upset and started to get an immagination he would have to move out, as much as it scared me it upset me more to see his reaction. I am 47 for crying out loud, this cant be real!