Diabetes treatment

'Complementary therapies' have been in use for thousands of years. Today they are increasingly popular with the general public and many health professionals, especially nurses and general practitioners. Despite the wide availability of conventional medications, over 50% of the populations of most Western countries use complementary therapies. This figure may be even higher in other cultures. Many complementary therapies can be used by people with diabetes, but there are associated risks that need to be considered.

President's editorial

Care of people with diabetes is in need of improvement. Patients are often left in the dark about their condition and many receive false or unnecessary medication. It has been shown in a recent German study, performed by the Centre for Sociopolitics at the University of Bremen, together with the medical insurance company, Gmünder Ersatzkasse (GEK), that too few people with diabetes are being subscribed much needed medication, too many are taking the wrong type of medication and many are inadequately informed about sensible diet and self-management techniques.

President's editorial

Today, the chances of a successful pregnancy in a woman with diabetes are close to those of a woman without diabetes, providing diabetes and obstetric care is optimal. In other words, if a woman is able to look after her health, then in most cases diabetes should not prevent her from having a healthy baby.

Diabetes prevention takes many forms. Other articles in this issue of Diabetes Voice describe primary prevention of Type 2 diabetes (the diabetes of obesity and Western lifestyles), while secondary prevention is the use of lifestyle

The development of new drugs might contribute to the defeat of some diseases, including diabetes, for which no cure has yet been found. New drugs are necessary and very welcome, provided that they are launched on the market following thorough, reliable and independent clinical evaluation of their safety and effectiveness. This article digs into this issue, providing an example of the repercussions that market pressures and inadequate clinical reporting have had in the lives of people with diabetes.

The global burden of chronic kidney failure (end stage renal disease) is primarily driven by the current parallel rise in the prevalence of diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension). Asia, which has more than 60% of the world’s population, is at the forefront of this global epidemic of diabetes and kidney disease. Juliana Chan offers some background on the current status of care for kidney disease and reports on the NephroAsia 2004 meeting in Singapore.

Together with its 'twin sister', childhood obesity, Type 2 diabetes is spreading among young people around the world. This constitutes a serious public health problem; by their 30s, generations of young people will have been living with Type 2

We usually assume that the ups and downs of blood glucose are solely responsible for changes in the release of insulin into the circulation, such as in response to a meal. However, the release of insulin from the pancreas is supported by signals from the alimentary canal (gut). When food is transported from the stomach into the small intestine, from which glucose, fat and proteins are absorbed into the blood, gut hormones are released into the circulation. Around 50%