Ok, it’s time to get our priorities straight, unless we’ve got a bigger shark problem than I thought.A recent American Diabetes Association survey says that despite the devastating impact unchecked blood sugar and type 2 diabetes can have on your health, fewer Americans actually fear diabetes than plane crashes, snake bites, lightning strikes or shark attacks.
Even though shark attacks get the scary headlines, tens of thousands more lose limbs each year to diabetes than Great Whites, and the numbers diagnosed with diabetes – or on the verge of a pre-diabetes diagnosis due to elevated blood sugar, high triglycerides, increased weight or insulin resistance – are skyrocketing.
Comparing a few stats shows our misplaced fears beautifully. Less than 500 deaths were attributed to commercial aviation accidents in 2007, while in 2005, diabetes contributed to almost 234,000 deaths.
No doubt about it, diabetes is scary. If you have diabetes, you’re at least twice as likely to die of heart disease or stroke, perhaps as much as four times as likely. Nearly half of new cases of kidney disease are caused by diabetes. At least 12,000 new cases of blindness occur annually, thanks to unchecked blood sugar and insulin resistance.
According to the American Diabetes Association’s Ann Albright, “We can no longer sit back and politely tap people on the shoulder to get their attention. The future of our country – and the future of our children – is at stake.”
But why then are our fears so misplaced? I’d like to think that it’s because of the success Dr. Whitaker has had helping tens of thousands reverse diabetes and beat back blood sugar problems, going back decades.
If you know that blood sugar problems aren’t beyond your control, and your blood sugar can be managed naturally, easily, and permanently, it makes sense you’d fear something you can’t control, like being struck by lightning, I suppose.
“The good news is there are steps people with diabetes can take to manage their disease and prevent or delay these serious and deadly complications from developing,” says Albright, and I have to agree. Plus, many of the steps towards managing or reversing type 2 diabetes are natural, safe, and very effective.
Of course, you could argue that lifestyle changes make it easy to prevent shark attacks too. When you hear that “Jaws” theme music, get out of the water, pronto.
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