Diabetes Miletus, more commonly known as Diabetes, is a condition characterized by higher than normal blood sugar levels. This condition has many causes, but two of the most common are the inability of the pancreas to produce sufficient insulin in the bloodstream and the inability of the cells to respond to the insulin in the blood. Though it is one of the most common diseases today, several interesting facts about diabetes remain unknown to many people. According to studies, most people who are 40 years of age and above suffer from this disease. Because of this, many people are interested to know more about the little known facts about diabetes, especially those that have something to do with its causes and treatments. Most of the unknown facts about diabetes are useful in detecting the disease and treating it while it is still in its early stages. A person that has been diagnosed with this disease cannot just neglect the condition because it is known to lead to several complications that can eventually lead to death. Like many other diseases, it can be more easily treated and prevented if one is familiar with its signs. Knowledge about this condition helps diabetics deal with the disease straightforwardly and prevent it from getting worse. Here is a list of ten interesting facts for diabetics:
10. Diabetes was once labeled as the best chronic disease.
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In the past, Dr. Elliot P. Joslin said that diabetes was one of the best, if not the best, chronic diseases. According to him, diabetes is the only chronic disease that is “clean,” seldom unsightly and not contagious. Unlike most chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, he said, does not cause as much pain to the patient and is susceptible to treatment. This disease only leads to complications when it is not treated well, but it is not life-threatening in itself.
9. Diabetes can be classified into two types—Type 1 and Type 2.
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One of the most little known facts about diabetes is that it has two types. In 1936, the two types of diabetes were officially differentiated based on their causes, treatments and level of severity. Prior to that in the 1700’s, however, a physician already inferred that diabetes could actually have two different types after noticing that some diabetic people suffered from a more chronic condition while others died in just less than five weeks after the onset of symptoms.
8. Ancient doctors had their own way of diagnosing diabetes.
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Another interesting facts for diabetics is that during the ancient times, doctors had their own way of testing if a patient has diabetes—through his urine. Doctors would know if a patient has the condition by literally tasting his urine and trying to see if it is sweet. This is primarily because diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar levels. Doctors who test diabetes were called “waste tasters” because they literally tasted waste to check if the waste of their patient was sweet enough to invite ants or flies.
7. Symptoms of diabetes were noted around a dozen centuries before the disease officially got its name.
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One of the most important facts for diabetics is that the most common symptoms of diabetes are thirst, weight loss and excessive urination. Today, these symptoms are generally considered a common knowledge. However, one of the little known facts about diabetes is that these symptoms were actually recognized by ancient doctors 1200 years before the condition was officially named “diabetes.”
6. An ancient doctor once described diabetes as “the pissing evil.”
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A 17th century doctor named Thomas Willis once referred to diabetes as “the pissing evil” because patients who had the condition would always pee. Aside from that, he also described the urine of people with Type 2 diabetes as “wonderfully sweet,” as though it was imbued with honey and sugar. Willis was also the first doctor to describe pain and stinging due to nerve damage as symptoms of diabetes.
5. The first man to use a portable blood sugar meter was Dr. Richard Bernstein.
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The author of the popular book Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution, Dr. Richard Bernstein, was the first person to use a portable blood sugar meter to check his blood sugar levels at home. An engineer, he was suffering that time from Type 1 diabetes and asked his wife to obtain the device for him so he could monitor his blood sugar even when he’s at home. Eventually, his diabetes condition improved and he began to campaign for the use of portable home blood glucose meters.
4. An ancient method called “Clinitest” was used to test blood sugar levels.
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Introduced by Ames Diagnostics in year 1941, Clinitest was a method used for early blood testing. This method involved mixing urine and water in a test tube, then adding a little blue pill that would cause a chemical reaction and severe physical burn injury in a certain part of the body due to extreme heat. The resulting color of the liquid was used to indicate whether there was more than enough glucose in the urine.
3. The name “Diabetes Miletus” was used to label the disease because the phrase has something to do with the condition.
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One One of the unknown facts about diabetes is that Diabetes is a Greek word that means “to pass through.” This term was used to name the disease that occurs among people with high blood sugar levels because it was observed that people who suffer from this condition tend to pee quickly as their urine quickly passes through their system. “Miletus,” on the other hand, is a term that means “sweet like honey,” used to describe the urine of diabetics.
2. Diabetes is a disease that requires self management.
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One of the most interesting facts about diabetes is that it can be self-managed. Dr. Elliott P. Joslin was the first doctor to encourage self-management among diabetics. According to him, there is no cure to diabetes and the only way to avoid its complications is by managing it yourself through exercise and proper diet.
1. Whiskey mixed with black coffee is a good diet for diabetics.
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Another important fact for diabetics was discovered by Dr. Frederick M. Allen, who developed a hospital treatment program that could help patients improve their diabetes conditions. He encouraged patients to restrict their diet to whiskey mixed with black coffee, as this mixture helps sugar disappear from the urine in just a matter of five days. This is one of the major breakthroughs in the field of medicine and is one of the little known facts about diabetes.