Q&A (^) AS
K^ RAC
HE
L
My doctor and diabetes
educator have begun
talking to me about
starting insulin. Does
this mean I’ve failed to
manage my diabetes?
Rachel says:^ This does
not mean you have failed.
Research shows that about
50 per cent of people with
type 2 will eventually require
insulin. The younger you are
when diagnosed, the more
likely you’ll need insulin in
the future, as type 2 diabetes
is a progressive disease.
Insulin is really just
another type of medication
that can help manage BGLs.
It is sometimes introduced
early as a treatment option,
depending on the personal
preference and lifestyle of
the person with diabetes,
or if other types of glucose-
lowering medications are
unsuitable.
It shouldn’t be seen as
‘the end of the road’ or a
‘last resort’. People are put
off by the fact it needs to be
injected, but there are other
medications for diabetes
now on the market that are
also injectable, and so that
factor is becoming more
acceptable.
Rachel Freeman, diabetes educator
Email your questions to:
[email protected]
Post: Diabetic Living, Q&A: Health,
GPO Box 7805, Sydney, NSW 2001.
Researchers at the
Universiti Putra Malaysia
were recently able to prove
that the tropical plant, and
widely used medicinal herb,
known as wild cosmos
(Cosmos caudatus) can
be used as a potential
treatment for type 2.
The study, published in
BMC Complementary
and Alternative Medicine,
looked at the therapeutic
effects of wild cosmos
extracts through a
randomised clinical
trial of patients
with type 2.
Could
be^ the^
answer
?
wild^ c
osmo
s
Easy way to
check meds
Want to know more about the
medication you take to help
manage your type 2 diabetes?
Book a Diabetes Medscheck
with a pharmacist at TerryWhite
Chemmart to find out how your
medications should be taken
and stored, what they are used
for and how they can affect
other conditions you may have.
For more information, visit
terrywhitechemmart.com.au/
health-programs.
diabetic living MARCH/APRIL 2019 13