How far away do you think we are for finding a good cure for diabetes?

A very long way. Remember that transplant is not a cure. It is a different form of treatment. I have a friend who was diagnosed in 1956. Her Mom was told there would be a cure in about 10 - 15 years. I was diagnosed in 1966 and Mom was told there would be a cure in about 10 years. My friend was diagnosed in 1978 and was told there would be a cure in 10 years. In 2000, the Edmonton Protocol made a breakthrough with islet transplants and they said that within 10 years islets would be more available to the average person with diabetes. I know that they are no longer accepting new patients.

So, sorry, but it is a long way away. I'm not going to quote the 10 year thing because that has been wrong for the last 50.

Cora

There won't be any "cures" as long as the evil heart of man remains evil, and his desire to paper his pockets with money is still his chief objective. "Cures" do not provide nearly as much sales potential as long-term management.... therefore, it is not attractive to research for a "cure".

"Cures" also will not be paid for by insurance unless they are substantially cheaper than the average treatment cycle. They will be grouped into the same "bag" as preventive medicine.

Diabetes is one disease where there are two very large industries -
drugs, and food, at the forefront. The "conspiracy" will continue - produce more refined carbohydrate cheap junk which can be sold for huge profits, and will induce diabetes which can then produce more huge profits.

Selling apples is not nearly as profitable.... firstly, apples are apples, someone else's apples are the same as yours. Therefore, your price cannot be higher than his, and you cannot justify your price based upon any reasoning which says your apples are better. They are expensive to buy, and salable only at small margins. They are heavy to transport, perishable, and subject to parasites.

However, if you provide manufactured food, made of the cheapest crap you can find, flavor-enhanced with refined sugar, you can say that yours is better than his. You can put more vitamins in it than him, more sugar, more carb, you can say it has "less fat", "no trans-fats", "more fiber", etc. so you and him can both raise the price.

They are light, easily packaged into uniform containers, have a long shelf-life, and have so little nutrition in them that parasites don't care about eating them.


If you produce a "cure" for diabetes, virtually all your large margin will be gone in 17 years when the patent runs out on it. You will then be clawing and scratching against 5 competitors to sell it.
However, if you provide "treatment", you can turn around and offer a "better" one in 17 years, and a "better one" in 17 years after that.

Greedy phamacutical companies and testing companies will never allow a cure.
sam

I tend to agree with you. I think there could be a cure for most things but then researchers, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, hospitals and really any healthcare related job or company would be seriously impacted. Sad really.

Look at the work being done overseas. They do wonders over their that are not allowed in the US.

A very long way. Remember that transplant is not a cure. It is a different form of treatment. I have a friend who was diagnosed in 1956. Her Mom was told there would be a cure in about 10 - 15 years. I was diagnosed in 1966 and Mom was told there would be a cure in about 10 years. My friend was diagnosed in 1978 and was told there would be a cure in 10 years. In 2000, the Edmonton Protocol made a breakthrough with islet transplants and they said that within 10 years islets would be more available to the average person with diabetes. I know that they are no longer accepting new patients.

So, sorry, but it is a long way away. I'm not going to quote the 10 year thing because that has been wrong for the last 50.

Cora


Yeah I tend to agree with Cora. I was diagnosed in 1983 at 18 years of age. Nice present!

Anyhow, whenever I here 'breakthrough' mentioned on the news, I tend to just ignour it now, as my hopes have been dashed so many times.

Like Cora said about the islet cells transplant in 2000, you hear about it - then it all goes quite!

Also I sadly have to agree with cfkeel, although very cynical, unfortunately, I think he is right.

It all takes time with trials etc etc, but having type 1 diabetes now for just approaching 24 years, I feel I am living on a timebomb waiting for something to go wrong.

But lets keep hoping:)

As someone who has been cured of two different kinds of cancer, I just don't buy into the "greedy pharmaceutical companies and doctors" theory. If that were the case, then they would never develop cures for ANYTHING, but they do.

I think diabetes is just a very difficult disease to find a cure for. In Type 1, the body's immune system is out of whack and attacks its own cells...figuring out why is complicated, and they haven't got there yet.

In T2, the body's cells become resistant to insulin. While we know being overweight can contribute to this, it's also a fact that there are many thin people who also have T2, so obviously weight alone isn't the answer.

And all diabetes is a disease of the metabolism...an extremely complicated process. We have a long way to go in understanding how ALL the body's systems, down to the cellular level, work together and, even if that were understood, there are various individual differences that further complicate matters.

I agree fully with Cora that we're still a long way away from a cure, but I think it's a very positive thing that we now have much better tools for managing diabetes and avoiding complications. While I'm sure there's not one of us who wouldn't rather NOT have this disease, I for one am very grateful that I have these modern tools to keep my blood sugar levels under control. I've lived with it for 22 years now with only very minor complications (carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger fingers). Rather than spending my time wishing for a cure, I intend to keep on doing what I do best...getting on with life!

Ruth

While I do have a certain amount of skepticism, I have to agree with Ruth. Believe me that the drug companies and researchers will be able to make a profit from a cure. Keep in mind that because they can cure it doesn't mean they can prevent it. So there will be a demand for the cure for a very long time.

As Ruth said to, diabetes is a very complex disease. It affects the entire body and does not always come from a single source, as cancer can. There are issues of immune system malfunction as well as systemic metabolic issues. Both of which are very complex unto themselves. They are still discovering different aspects of the immune system and those discoveries are bringing about changes in transplant protocols. So even on that front there is a long way to go.

Too bad, but let's keep hoping.

Cora

While I do have a certain amount of skepticism, I have to agree with Ruth. Believe me that the drug companies and researchers will be able to make a profit from a cure. Keep in mind that because they can cure it doesn't mean they can prevent it. So there will be a demand for the cure for a very long time.

As Ruth said to, diabetes is a very complex disease. It affects the entire body and does not always come from a single source, as cancer can. There are issues of immune system malfunction as well as systemic metabolic issues. Both of which are very complex unto themselves. They are still discovering different aspects of the immune system and those discoveries are bringing about changes in transplant protocols. So even on that front there is a long way to go.

Too bad, but let's keep hoping.

Cora
Cora,
My doctor told me I will not have any problems as long as my A1C is at 6.5 or lower. Have you heard that? - sam

Sam,
There is, unfortunately, no way to predict who will get which complications. There was, however, a very large study done several years ago, called the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT for short) which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that tight control minimizes complications dramatically (as much as -87% for some complications, and no less than -50% for most types of complications), so obviously, the tighter you can control your blood sugar, the better.

An A1c of 6.5 is considered to be in very good control...the closer you can get to 6.0, the better. However, if that 6.5 is being achieved because you have a lot of lows mixed in with a lot of highs, then it might not be as good as someone whose A1c is 6.5 and maintains a steadier blood glucose level with fewer highs and lows. Having said that, 6.5 is still pretty good! When it starts getting above 7.0, then you have to be really concerned.

Ruth

I'm with Ruth, and Cora. There is no cure for diabetes simply because it's complex, not because it's too profitable. Honestly, any company would LOVE to cure diabetes, as the cure in and of itself is quite profitable. Think, amoxicillin, vaccines, etc. Think of a company having something ANYONE diagnosed with diabetes needs. That's better than an insulin, cause now there's 3 producers of insulin- you don't have the market corner like you would with a cure.

In terms of good treatments, cures, etc being available overseas, that's bull. THEY'RE not available here either because they don't exist, don't work, or the FDA had other good reason not to approve it.

I'm with Ruth, and Cora. There is no cure for diabetes simply because it's complex, not because it's too profitable. Honestly, any company would LOVE to cure diabetes, as the cure in and of itself is quite profitable. Think, amoxicillin, vaccines, etc. Think of a company having something ANYONE diagnosed with diabetes needs. That's better than an insulin, cause now there's 3 producers of insulin- you don't have the market corner like you would with a cure.

In terms of good treatments, cures, etc being available overseas, that's bull. THEY'RE not available here either because they don't exist, don't work, or the FDA had other good reason not to approve it.

After reading, I see that I am being completely paranoid. Thanks- sam

Cora,
My doctor told me I will not have any problems as long as my A1C is at 6.5 or lower. Have you heard that? - sam

Hi Sam. Now, I don't mean to scare you, but here is the medical double talk. An a1c of below 7 is "associated with significantly lower risk of complications". Unfortunately there are no guarantees in life. With an a1c like yours, you stand a much, much lower chance of getting complications. That is a really good thing. And while you shouldn't worry, there is still a small chance that something may (stress "may") happen. I have a good friend who has been pumping for decades, and he still ended up with kidney failure. I also know of another person who never has taken care of himself, and yet has no complications.

The bottom line is that the better your glucose levels, the better the chances that you will always be healthy. But there are no guarantees. Keep up the good work!

Cora

There's also a lot of other things you can do to prevent your risk of complications-

1. ACE inhibitor
2. Keeping cholesterol in range
3. Exercising
4. Preventing glucose swings
5. Keeping blood pressure in range
6. Wearing shoes

Etc. Given time, I'm sure I could go on forever.