{"id":21462,"date":"2025-09-18T15:41:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/?p=21462"},"modified":"2025-09-18T15:41:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:41:30","slug":"history-of-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/history-of-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"History of Diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HistoryThe American Diabetes Association reports that the number of people who suffer from\u00a0diabetes<\/a>\u00a0continues to grow each year.\u00a0 Today, 5% of the world\u2019s population has diabetes, a metabolic disorder that affects the control of blood glucose.<\/p>\n

Are there really more people developing the disorder or more people diagnosed?\u00a0 The question is difficult to answer.<\/p>\n

Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle illness that is often brought on by\u00a0environmental<\/a>\u00a0factors that trigger genetic predispositions.<\/p>\n

Nutrition, environment and genetics all play a role in the development and treatment of the disease.\u00a0 But\u00a0diabetes<\/a>\u00a0isn\u2019t a disease of just the 20th century.\u00a0 In fact, written history exists as far back as 1552 B.C. when physician Hesy-ra, an Egyptian, first wrote about polyuria as a symptom.<\/p>\n

This history dates back to centuries before Christ and continues to play a role today.\u00a0 In the early days doctors didn\u2019t have sophisticated methods of testing people so they employed the help of people called \u2018water tasters\u2019.\u00a0 Up through the 11th century these people would taste the urine of those suspected to have\u00a0diabetes<\/a>, or sugar in their urine, to see if there was a sweet taste to it.\u00a0 When the blood sugar increased sugar spilled out of the blood and into the urine.\u00a0 As a result the word \u2018mellitus\u2019 was added to the diagnosis (Latin word for honey, referring to the sweet taste).<\/p>\n

It was the early 19th century in history before scientists were able to develop the first chemical tests that would indicate if there was glucose in the urine, eliminating the need for \u2018tasters\u2019.\u00a0 This was an important breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.\u00a0 Now doctors could more consistently diagnose and monitor a condition that causes long-term health effects for the sufferer.<\/p>\n

Treatment at this time wasn\u2019t focused on diet until the 1870\u2032s when French physician Bouchardat noticed that the gycosuria (sugar in the urine) was more common in his\u00a0diabetic<\/a>\u00a0patients and decreased significantly during food rationing.\u00a0 The French were forced to ration their food during a siege by Germany during the Franco-Prussian war.\u00a0 After discerning this difference Bouchardat theorized that it was the diet that played an important role in treatment.<\/p>\n

Following the end of the war another French researcher, Claude Bernard, studied the function of the pancreas and liver.\u00a0 He made important discoveries in the metabolism of glycogen.\u00a0 At the same time in history Czech researcher, Pavlov, discovered the link between the nervous system and secretion of gastric acid.\u00a0 The combination of these discoveries later helped researchers to understand the physiology of the digestive system, ultimately important in the treatment of diabetes.<\/p>\n

In 1869 Paul Langerhans, a German medical student, announced the discovery of two systems of cells in the pancreas.\u00a0 One of these cells, Cells of Langerhans, was named after him.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t until 1920 that Dr. Banting conceived of the possibility of the hormone\u00a0insulin<\/a>\u00a0and began a quest to discover the chemical using dogs.<\/p>\n

It was 20 years later that the link between high blood glucose and damage to the kidneys and eyes was discovered and published.\u00a0 This led the way for more standardized\u00a0insulin<\/a>\u00a0treatment using a standard syringe.\u00a0 Then in 1959 physicians recognized the difference between Type 1 and Type 2\u00a0diabetes<\/a>.\u00a0 This recognition helped to individualize the treatment of diabetics and lengthen their lifespan.\u00a0 This helped to decrease the risk for the development of complications.<\/p>\n

With the advent of laser surgery in 1970 researchers learned how to slow the development of progressive damage to the eyes.\u00a0 Other researchers began to manufacture glucometers to make testing of blood glucose more accessible and easier.<\/p>\n

Synthetic insulin was introduced in 1983.\u00a0 Until that time standard insulin was supplied from cows or bovine insulin.\u00a0 Today synthetic insulin can be delivered through insulin pumps to significantly cut down on the number of complications that an individual suffers later in life.\u00a0 By delivering insulin in doses more in line with how the pancreas would deliver it to the body the individual doesn\u2019t have the highs and lows they once experienced.<\/p>\n

Because of the pump complications are decreased and insurance companies are saving money in the long run.\u00a0 This has led them to decide to cover the cost of an\u00a0insulin<\/a>\u00a0pump at earlier ages.\u00a0 Research is currently being conducted on the transplantation of pancreatic cells, without using immune suppressants, which will supply an individual with Type 1 diabetes with a natural source of\u00a0insulin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The diagnosis, treatment and complications of diabetes has come a long way from when \u2018tasters\u2019 were employed to diagnose diabetes through tasting sweet urine!<\/p>\n

Enrich your life and the lives of others<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0by learning Aromatherapy, Reflexology or Color\/Crystal Therapy at the\u00a0<\/span>Alternative Healing Academy<\/strong><\/a>!\u00a0Convenient and easy-to-handle payment plans are available!<\/span><\/p>\n

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