Diabetes
Chronic & Acute Disease Paper
SCI 100
Chronic & Acute Disease Diabetes
"In the last 15 years, the number of people in the United States with diagnosed diabetes has more than doubled, reaching 14.6 million in 2005. Although more than 20.8 million Americans have diabetes, 6.2 million do not know they have the disease" (Unknown, 2007). With these staggering numbers, it is no surprise that Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in America. The real questions are, why is Diabetes such a threat to our existence, how does it go undetected and is it something we can prevent or at least limit the spread of within our population?
In order for us to prevent diabetes, we must first understand what it is. "Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, which is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life"(Unknown 2, 2007). Preventing our bodies from shutting down its insulin production is essential for our quest to live a long and healthy life. Understanding exactly how to prevent the insulin shut down is still an on going battle for doctors and medical researchers. "The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles" (Unknown 2, 2007).
Obesity and or poor eating and exercise habits seem to be the leading cause or onset of diabetes. However these known factors do not seem to deter most of us from indulging in our favorite foods. If we decide to choke down a double cheeseburger for lunch, most of us know how unhealthy the sandwich is, but we do not believe by eating this one sandwich we will die from it. However, if we eat the same sandwich day after day or week after week, the health consequences begin to stack against us. Once we are diagnosed with diabetes, the number of complications and health issues...
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