Education and misinformation

There's been quite a bit of chatter in the diabetes community during the last couple of days regarding today's Oprah show devoted to "America's Silent Killer", diabetes.  Many were very hopeful that she and Dr. Oz would share helpful, correct information that differentiated between Types 1, 2, MODY, gestational.....since there isn't just ONE type of diabetes.

I will be honest and say that I did NOT have great expectations, because in general any time you hear a show promoting "DIABETES", everything is geared towards Type 2 with no distinctions made.  As such, I did not set the DVR to record the show.

Reading the comments on the Oprah.com site and from the D-Moms via Facebook, it seems that my low expectations may have been too lofty.  SIGH......  Now millions of people have heard Dr. Oz and Oprah say that if diabetics would just stop drinking pop and eating "white carbs", they'd be all better!  Double sigh.....
Apparently there was one brief mention of the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 partway into the show, but they were never differentiated clearly.

To say that all forms of diabetes are the same and should be treated in one way is like saying all forms of cancer are the same and should be treated with the same methods.  Oh, except you really don't ever hear someone telling a person with cancer that it was THEIR fault - if they just hadn't eaten that donut or had they exercised just a little more, their brain tumor wouldn't have developed.  I suppose people with lung cancer do get that blame put on them (if you'd just not smoked all those ciggies), but there are people who have lung cancer who've never smoked a single puff, just as there are people with diabetes who have never been obese, have eaten healthy diets and exercised - but still have the damned disease.  (pardon my French)

So to HELP spread the word about Type 1, please go to Mark Sanchez's Pepsi Refresh Project   and vote to help Mark and JDRF teach schools, teachers and children about the signs and symptoms of Type 1.
Let's try to spread the TRUTH about Type 1 diabetes instead of the Oprah-ized version.