From the No, Duh file: Apparently diabetes doesn't stop destroying kidneys within the borders of India.

According to a recent study conducted there, diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) in that country.

The doctor who conducted the study offered another shocker when discussing the results of the study, stating that the "major reason behind diabetics developing kidney disease is uncontrolled diabetes." Wow.

It's a pretty well-known fact that type 2 diabetes is hitting New York City hard. And the powers-that-be in the City are doing something about it: New York City was the first place in the nation to initiate a diabetes-tracking registry intended to guide healthcare spending to maximum effect.

So, just how bad is the situation? The city's health department just completed a major study on that very topic and made the results public this week. Some numbers: diabetes causes 20,000 hospitalizations, 3,000 amputations, 1,400 cases of kidney failure, and 4,700 diabetes-related deaths annually. The financial cost of treatment is a staggering $6.5 billion annually.

The report clearly shows that people in lower socioeconomic groups, clustered in a handful of poorer neighborhoods, are suffering disproportionately to the well-heeled and well-educated residents of the chic Upper East Side.

As is the case everywhere in the US - not to mention, globally - a great many people with type 2 diabetes or who are at risk for the disease do not know it, and city officials are aiming to exponentially increase awareness in coming years. The entire report is accessible online in PDF-form at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website.

When treating diabetes, today's doctors focus on establishing blood glucose control, but often overlook the need to protect against common diabetic complications such as blindness, kidney damage, and nerve damage. The DCCT, even with a comprehensive treatment program, had a complication rate of approximately 40% of participants.

People who do not have diabetes make insulin with C-peptide. Those of us diabetics who inject synthetic insulin do not get the C-peptide. When scientists began developing insulin - they weeded out the pieces of the amino acid chain they felt were insignificant in lowering blood glucose. Synthetic insulin was designed to reduce the dangerous buildup of excess sugar in the bloodstream. Uh oh - hindsight is surprisingly clear! The long-term complications were initially thought to be caused by lack of insulin - not lack of something that should've been in it. It would make sense if insulin came equipped with this critically important element, wouldn't it?

Tada! C-peptide is the connecting peptide found on the amino acid chain of naturally produced insulin, but left on the cutting room floor in the lab. Studies have shown that C-peptide prevents the development and progression of many diabetic complications and was shown to improve glucose metabolism up to 66%.

Regardless of the potential profit decay C-peptide might cause the production of insulin - the bottom line is the salvation it will provide every man, woman, and child injecting insulin. If you're taking insulin injections, chances are you won't stop taking insulin because you're adding C-peptide to your daily lineup. Chances are - you'll be around a lot longer, and a lot healthier because you do not have the complications most often associated with long-term diabetes.

Wouldn't that be reason enough for you to celebrate the company that brings C-peptide to the drugstore nearest you? Consumer loyalty goes a long way. For those companies who knew a long time ago how beneficial C-peptide would be but didn't do a thing about it - is it really the 33% loss in insulin sales you didn't want to encounter? C'mon. We can handle the truth.

Tai Chi for Diabetes is easy to learn, effective and safe. It is designed to prevent and improve control of diabetes. The program will help to improve muscle strength, increase heart and lung activity, as well as improve balance and harmonize mind and body.

Gentle exercise helps people with diabetes by improving the control of blood glucose level. Tai chi is a gentle exercise with strong emphasis on mental relaxation, it is reasonable to assume tai chi can help to control diabetes by improving cellular uptake and glucose metabolism. Tai chi can also help mitigate the effects of stress, which is shown to make the control of diabetes worse. Tai chi reduces stress and improves relaxation.

The major problems of diabetes are complications such as hypertension, heart disease, visual impairment and vascular problem. Diabetes causes peripheral neuropathy, a condition that the nerves of feet are damaged thus affects balance and walking. Tai chi has been proven to be effective in improving balance and mobility.

The immense power of the mind has not been fully estimated. As one of the most effective mind-body exercise, Tai Chi teaches the student to be mindful of the intrinsic energy from which he or she can perceive greater self-control and empowerment. The mental training in Tai Chi will enhance clarity of the mind, improve relaxation and uplift mood.

The Tai Chi for Diabetes DVD costs $25. It includes 90 minutes of a general introduction of Tai Chi and diabetes, warm up and cooling down exercises, Qigong for Diabetes, 11 basic movements and 8 advanced movements. Viewers can learn different part at their own pace using the easy-to-learn and step-by-step instructions. If you prefer a less expensive option, you can order the Tai Chi for Diabetes Handbook for $10 or you can subscribe to the newsletter for free. Your budget, your decision.

Below I've included some feedback from people who have firsthand knowledge of Tai Chi for Diabetes. Here's what they have to say:

"I use your video a lot to perfect my technique, to check accuracy of movements, listen to instructions and recall various Tai Chi principles." Jana Solovka, Vic. Australia

"I have been practicing Tai Chi for over 20 years, and I have found no one that compares with Dr Lam - your presentation and expertise are what make the difference." Ted Stark, OR, USA

"The other day I was at the library and saw your video on the shelf... I was impressed with your presentation and the ease of following along. It is clearly one of the best Tai Chi instructional videos I have seen." Allan J. Glazer, DPM USA

Any headline that features die is bound to grab your attention. The headline appeared in an article published by The Scotsman. What the title lacks in sensitivity it makes up for in reader feedback. Both, statistically eye-popping and universally alarming, I give you extracts from the article and a few passionate responses from readers. How does it make you feel?

Research from Edinburgh University reveals the number of people diagnosed with type-2 diabetes will soar by 60% within the next ten years. This is mainly due to the obesity crisis, with current estimates showing a quarter of the population is likely to be classed as obese by 2018. Doctors say they are treating an increasing number of teenagers for type-2 diabetes, which traditionally only develops in older people. Being overweight is a strong factor in becoming a type-2 diabetic, which can lead to complications of diabetes like blindness, amputations, cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. Diabetes and complications therein are estimated to costs the NHS nearly a tenth of its yearly budget. With future expectations of diagnosis -- the strain on the NHS will get worse. Andy Kerr, the health minister, admitted diabetes would prove to be a time bomb if the Executive's healthy eating initiatives failed. But he ruled out screening children for diabetes or rationing healthcare for people diagnosed with type-2 because of their unhealthy lifestyles.

And now for the comments:

Commenter #3 says I daresay the Scottish obesity/diabetes problems predates devolution.
Commenter #9 says, The statistical analysis regarding type 2 diabetes is flawed; the medical profession have been guilty in prescribing drugs and reissuing prescriptions for drugs that are only safe for short periods. One such drug has had its usage limited by the authorities within the past 3 years in Scotland and has only been reclassified in England and Wales in the past 6 months. This drug is now listed as causing type 2 diabetes, how many more are there out there? Hence the statistical analysis is being used to cover a grave error that is to be covered up.
Commenter #20 says, Perhaps we should take a closer look at why our kids are obese. They are marooned in the house for most their lives and when they actually do go out mum or dad are suckered into driving them everywhere. Tackle the fear which causes this situation and you are half way to solving the obesity problem of our youngsters.

All things considered, what if this headline was featured in the New York Times or more revealing - the 5 o'clock news? How would you react to it?

Bariatric surgery is the term for operations to help promote weight loss by making it difficult for the patient to consume a lot (or even a normal amount) of food. It offers a viable solution of mitigating type 2 diabetes, if not curing it entirely. In 2004, a major study showed that after 10 years, diabetes disappeared in 36% of patients who had the surgery, compared with 13% who did not.

Bariatric surgery is an increasingly popular option for people who can't lose enough weight by diet and exercise. The number of such surgeries has quadrupled since 2000, reaching 177,600 this year. For morbidly obese patients with type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery results in a cure rate of 80-98%. About 90% of type 2 diabetics are overweight. In terms of just diabetes alone, the cure rate of serious illness after surgery is greater than 80%.

Bariatric surgery is nothing to take lightly. Although it is a serious procedure, it gives type 2 diabetics a token of hope they may never have to rue the day of diabetic complication like blindness, amputations, neuropathy, stroke, heart attack, and life itself. Is the risk worth the reward?

The Center for Disease Control announced that they will run a study to examine the cost-effectiveness of treatment interventions for type 2 diabetes. "People with diabetes are at considerable risk for heart disease, strokes and other serious health complications," said David Fleming, M.D. acting CDC director. "This study confirms that aggressive treatment interventions aimed at reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease increase life expectancy and, at the same time, may reduce lifetime health care costs," The footer of the Press Release where I got this story says:

CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations.

Here comes my spiel, so grab a seat. Remember that huge event back in 1993? I'm talking about the announcement of the DCCT study that proved tighter control reduces the complications of eye, kidney, and nerve diseases caused by type 1 diabetes. And 5 years later the UK reiterated these results for type 2 diabetes. The $2.5 billion question is (yes, diabetic complications cost the United States $2.5 billion in 2005): why are we still relying on an antiquated test that can only be administered every 3 or 6 months to tell us how well we are controlling our diabetes? If more accurate testing and earlier therapeutic intervention result in less diabetic complications - where is the holdup?

To those concerned at the CDC, in an effort to protect people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries why haven't we seen a new test that can monitor our overall diabetes control on a monthly basis, rather than waiting to test every 3 or 6 months? This would, in effect, allow tighter control, which has been proven to reduce the potential of diabetic complications. (Please note: the original issue of the sited press release was May, 2002). Just a thought - you could use that extra $2.5 billion for something else like promoting healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations.

Obviously, developing Type 2 diabetes while you're still a young 'un is bad for your long-term health outlook, period. Here's a specific example of how it might negatively affect you or someone you know: a new study reports that kids or teens who develop T2 diabetes face a high risk of also developing serious kidney problems down the road, including kidney failure and even death.

The study looked at the long-term health records (almost forty years' worth) of Native Americans from a Southwestern tribe. It was found that the incidence of serious kidney disease in people under thirty-five years of age was much higher if they had first developed diabetes while under twenty years of age. That is, higher than for those diagnosed with T2 diabetes as adults, between the ages of twenty and fifty-five. In addition, the death rate for those first diagnosed under the age of twenty was - very scarily - double that for people diagnosed as adults.

To read more, check out this article in Forbes online.

High rates of obesity and diabetes amongst Americans may be the reason why people in the US experience a higher rate of kidney failure than Europeans. That's the word from a group of researchers who have studied the subject extensively, looking at the medical records of 65,000 Norwegians and compared them with those of 20,000 Americans.

The conclusion? Americans with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are two and a half times more likely to have their condition develop into end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and loss of kidney function. Serious? Yes, very. When your kidneys cease to function, you're looking at drastic measures: dialysis or a kidney transplant.

The interesting thing though is that the overall prevalence of CKD is about the same in the US as in Norway. So, researchers asked themselves, why is it that rates of ESRD are so much higher in the US? The difference, they say, is the aforementioned obesity and diabetes, both of which are major risk factors for kidney disease.

One of the most serious health complications caused by diabetes is kidney failure, which has to be treated with either dialysis or kidney transplants. The results of a new study suggest, however, that the younger a person is when he or she develops Type 1 diabetes, the less likely they are to experience kidney failure down the road. The study was conducted by researchers from the Umea University Hospital in Sweden. The results have been published in the medical journal Diabetes Care. After analyzing data from two nationwide registers, it was found that while 0.7 percent of the patients developed kidney failure after a period of more than fifteen years, none of the patients aged younger than five at the time of onset (of diabetes) developed the condition. While the research does not explain why this should be the case, the results are likely to be some comfort to parents of very young children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.