Myths and Facts about Diabetes and Insulin

Hello everyone, I am Dr Hanish Gupta. I am an expert in Diabetes and cardio vascular diseases. I am working in various major Hospitals in Delhi. Today I am delighted to be with you to discuss about Diabetes and Insulin.

Lot of our patients is using Insulin as a medicine for diabetes. And they are always under an impression that the Insulin is not a very good choice, that has been made by their doctor for the treatment. The first thing that crops their mind is that, Insulin once started will always going to be a drug of choice for them. But believe me, it is not so. Insulin can be started at any stage of the diseases and it can be continued/ discontinued at your doctor's impression for your disease process. Meaningby. Insulin is not only a best medication for you just because it is the most natural thing available in your body, but because of the fat that Insulin is the most easy prescription that a patient can get.

I will explain you why..

Lot of people belive that by giving Insulin as a medication which is used with an injection, they are doing something un natural. But that is not the case. Diabetes is not basically a sugar problem, rather it is a problem for Insulin. It is a problem of imbalance of Insulin in the body. There is sugar in the body that needs to enter the muscles, but it is not able to enter the muscles, primarily because Insulin is not available in the body. And that is why, whenever a diabetics comes to a doctor, the choice of medicines that runs across the minds of a doctor, is Insulin. Doctors believe that it is easy to take medicines by mouth rather than taking by injections. And that is the primary reason that Insulin is not prescribed to everyone.

There is a myth that is attached to Insulin that Insulin is a medicines which is prescribed to failure patients. Patients who cannot do anythinga and those which are at last stage of the disease are prescribed Insulin. But belive me, Insulin is not such a medicines which can only be prescribed to the patients on last stage or the failure patients. Insulin infact, can be prescribed at any stage of diabetes. And it can be discontinues also at any stage of the diabetes. There are some patients who have been taking Insulin from number of years but because their diabetes get controlled due to good amount of exercises and good amount of diabetic control, their Insulin is stopped. And they coninues to have a very healthy and a very natural life onwards. Just taking medication. There is also one thing that Insulin causes highest amount of hypoglycemia, meaningby which the lowering of blood sugar. I believe, that patients dont take Insulin that they believe that their sugar level rae going to be so low that there will be no sutainance of life.

But that is the problem, that is more prominent with cases of oral medicines taken. Infact, oral medicines cause Hypoglycemia upto a very prolonged period, upto a matter of 48 hours. But in Insulin, when there is a lowering of blood sugar or Hypoglycemia, tat lasts only a matter of 4-6 hours. Because the action of Insulin is such that it stops acting after it is eliminated from the body after 6 hours. But as far as the oral medication concern, they continue to be in the body for a long period of time, they also keeps on continuing and the Hypoglycemia also continues.

So friends, that is all for now. I hope that I have been able to dispell some of your doubts on Diabetes and Insulin. And I hope to get in touch with you through Lybrate very soon, through audio or text consult, which ever is your choice.

And you are free to take offline appointments also by visiting my profile on Lybrate.com.

Thanks alot, be healthy and be disease free.