April 29, 2006
Other
Question from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA:
My teenage daughter has type 1 diabetes. I am often bombarded with information from friends and acquaintances who claim to have a “cure” for diabetes. It may be nutritional supplements, taking cinnamon every day, “glyconutrients,” or other things. I know many of these things are marketing schemes. How would I know if any of them really work? I don’t want to try everything I hear about, but I also don’t want to pass up an opportunity that may help her. I also feel that if any of this were to work, doctors would be aware of it and have their patients use these supplements. What should I do?
Answer:
First rule: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true. Second rule: be “nice” to all who volunteer their “cures,” but check with your own diabetes team before buying anything. Usually, the packaging is worth more than what is inside such “miracle cures.” When there is a real cure or a major breakthrough, you will hear about it on television, radio, the Internet, diabetes organization reports, your own diabetes team or some combination. It is not likely to be kept a very big secret.
SB
