Juvenile Diabetes & Omega 3s

[jbittner]

My 14-year-old niece has had JD for uncontrollable 2 years; in and out of the hospital, neuropathy, ketones in blood, etc. I once heard that JD may be caused by an autoimmune disorder and if so, can it be treated (or at least helped) by Omega 3 fatty acid supplementation?

Any advice or opinion is appreciated.

[Forum-vol-cmb]

Juvenile Diabetes or Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The only real treatment for diabetes is insulin, good diet and exercise. This is not to say that omega 3 fatty acids are not good for you, but will not cure diabetes.  I do not know much about Omega 3 fatty acids but when I googled it, it sounded as if it is a good supplement to keep your heart healthy.
It sounds as if your neice needs to follow a better health plan, which is easier said than done.  Does she an endocronologist?  Does she have a dietician?  Has she had any good diabetes education.  Being 14 is hard enough without dealing with diabetes, but she must get her health in order to prevent further complications, which are a real threat to those not keeping their glucose readings at a good level.  Maybe she needs to see a therapist in order to help her deal with the feelings she is having and why she is not taking care of herself.  
If you would like more information and answers to your questions I would suggest going to http://www.jdrf.org/, which is the JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation website.  This site can help put you in touch with someone in your area to help your neice.