November is National Diabetes Month, which raises awareness about diabetes prevention, detection and management. Since 1982, people suffering from diabetes all over the world have been recognized.
November 14 is the official World Diabetes Day, established by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization. Diabetes is categorized into two types: Type 1 and 2.
Type 1 diabetes is when one’s pancreas is unable to make insulin or can only produce very small insulin, so they need to take insulin every day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Type 2 is when one’s body is not able to produce the insulin receptor, and it can be caused by the increase of one’s age or even one’s ethnicity, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Type 2 disease can cause various health problems, like heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. Other key risk factors are someone’s height and size, family or genetics. A person can lower their chances of getting Type 2 through avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol consumption and eating a healthy diet, according to Diabetes.org in the UK.
Throughout the month, organizations like the American Diabetes Association and other health branches are actively encouraging people to get involved in understanding diabetes through education and advocating for a cure. To this day, there are no actual cures to Type 1 Diabetes; there are only ways to help it and control it through insulin therapy, healthy lifestyle habits and consistent blood sugar monitoring.
