Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the great health problems on the Navajo nation as well as the US. It is primarily a result of diet, obesity and lack of exercise. It uses up about a third of the health care budget in the Navajo Nation and for the most part can be prevented... But not always. Yesterday one of my fellow Pediatricians felt faint and weak in the middle of the clinic day. An alert nurse brought him into the treatment room and ran some fluid into him by vein. Even after all the fluid his blood sugar was 550(less than 120 is normal). The guy had never been sick and was not overweight. It is still difficult for me that he has diabetes as he is my age and in good shape. So diabetes can strike anyone. We all share in the problem through the lives we lead or the health bills we pay. The good news is that it is very treatable and most can avoid the complications of the disease. Even as a Pediatrican or should I say especially as a Pediatrician I can do much to avoid the disease by working with families to change diet and lifestyle. Today I am in Albuquerque enjoying my first latte in six weeks and the life of the "big" city. It is quite the cultural shock with stores of all kinds, restaurants, and the noise. I never realized how noisy a city can be after so much time with only whistle of the wind. I will join my brother shortly who I have not seen since last year.