The Treatment of Modern Western - Biblio.nhat-nam.ru

27DIABETES MELLITUSDiabetes mellitus (DM) is the name of a syndrome whosemain characteristics are abnormal insulin secretion, elevatedglucose levels, and a variety of complications, such asnephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, and accelerated atherosclerosis.Its etiology seems to be a variable interactionbetween hereditary, dietary, and environmental factors.Many Western scientists consider it an autoimmune disease.There are two main types of diabetes mellitus, Type I orinsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and Type II ornoninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).Type I patients are dependent upon exogenous insulin to preventketoacidosis and death. Seventy-five percent of Type Idiabetics have antibodies to their own pancreatic cells, andviral infections may be responsible for initiating such anautoimmune response. Viruses which may induce this reactioninclude pertussis, hepatitis, rubella, coxsackie, Epstein-Barrviruses, cytomegalovirus, and herpes virus 6. Susceptibility toType I diabetes may also be genetically predetermined.Ongoing immunologic research suggests that Type I diabetesoccurs predominantly in persons with specific tissue types. 1Type II patients may or may not use exogenous insulin butdo not need exogenous insulin for survival. Diet, obesity,allergies to certain foods, viral infections, and stress are allfactors that can contribute to the onset of or aggravate TypeII diabetes. An estimated 85% of Type II diabetics are overweightwhen diagnosed. 2 As Dr. Ernest Pfeiffer, Professor ofMedicine at Ulm University in Germany says, “It’s almost alaw that any person 30% overweight for 30 years willbecome a [Type II] diabetic.” 3There is also a third type of diabetes – gestational diabetes.This is where glucose intolerance develops or is discoveredduring pregnancy. Characterized by excessive hunger, thirst,and a need to urinate, it is a mild condition and often goesunnoticed. However, it is an important condition to treatbecause elevated blood sugar levels can damage the fetus.Gestational diabetes can usually be controlled with diet butmay require insulin. This type of diabetes usually disappearsor becomes subclinical following the end of pregnancy.According to the U.S. Department of Health & HumanServices, there are nearly 6,000,000 diabetics in the U.S.which was the seventh leading cause of death in 1991.The earliest symptom of elevated blood glucose is polyuria.Continued hyperglycemia and glucosuria may lead to thirst,hunger, and weight loss. Glucosuria is also associated with anincreased incidence of monilial vaginitis and itching.Accelerated fat catabolism in untreated insulin-dependentpatients may produce ketoacidosis leading to anorexia, nausea,vomiting, air hunger, and, if left untreated, coma anddeath. The onset of this condition tends to be abrupt in childrenand insidious in older patients. In older patients, theage of onset is usually over 40. Diabetics are 3.5 times athigher risk to die of cardiovascular disease, 30% of diabeticsdevelop peripheral vascular disease, and leg and foot amputationsare five times more common in diabetics than in nondiabeticpersons. A significant majority of these amputeeshave a history of smoking. Renal failure is seen in 50% ofIDDM patients after 20-30 years of diabetes. Diabeticretinopathy is usually first detected five years or more afterdiagnosis of DM and is present in 50% of patients after 10years. Impotence in the male is the most common symptomof neuropathy in DM, affecting 50-60% of male patients.The Western medical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is basedon 1) unequivocal elevation of plasma glucose concentrationalong with the typical symptoms of polyuria, polydipsia,ketonuria, and rapid weight loss, 2) a fasting plasma glucoseconcentration equal to or above 140mg/dL, or 3) elevatedplasma glucose concentration after an oral glucose challengeon more than one occasion. Unfortunately, the absence of asingle precise marker for DM continues to be a problemwithin Western medicine.