Author: Staff Writers

Marvin Isley: In Memory: A driving force in R&B music recently passed away due to complications from diabetes. Bassist Marvin Isley from the Isley Brothers was only 56 and his life story provides a cautionary tale.

Isley was just 42 years old when both legs were removed due to diabetes. By that time Marvin had helped provide the bass signature that differentiated The Isley Brothers music from other R&B artists. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Isley Brothers in 1992, but it was with uncharacteristic regret that he spoke in an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 2001.

In that interview Isley was quick to express regret that he allowed his diabetes to go so long without treatment. He indicated he had ignored the disease for years. “If I would have listened, if I would have understood diabetes like I understood music, maybe these things wouldn’t have happened,” said Isley.

Isley first suffered a stroke that led to the lack of use in his left hand and an end to his musical career. The effects of diabetes quickly claimed Isley’s legs. His wife Sheila remembers him as a man who always treated her work as more important than his own.

Marvin provided bass duties and background vocals from 1973-84 and again from 1991-97. It was 1997 when diabetes complications took both legs. Marvin was with the group during their most commercial successful years.

The cautionary tale of Marvin Isley’s life is too important to overlook. By all accounts Isley was an important figure in his band and perhaps in the overall scheme of American music to a greater or lesser degree, yet even after being diagnosed with diabetes in 1990 Isley apparently failed to follow a committed treatment plan for his health. By the time severe health issues conspired against him it was too late to continue with life as he had known it.

He lived with that regret for more than a dozen years.

Isley’s wife, Sheila, has nothing but wonderful things to say about Marvin, and rightfully so. His contributions to music and family are well noted, but again his most memorable regret reads, “If I would have understood diabetes like I understood music, maybe these things wouldn’t have happened.”

A site like this seeks to provide tools to eliminate this kind of regret. The information we provide can help you follow up with your primary care physician on treatment plans or new innovations that have provided meaningful assistance in diabetes management.

We seek to bring you the latest diabetic news, government health care information, and statistics. We also work to find great stories about diabetics who overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve incredible things.

Knowledge is power, and when it comes to diabetes we want you to be empowered. The more you know – the more you can affect the outcome of your disease. The more you read – the greater the sense of encouragement you will find.

We believe that no one should have to be isolated in their disease. We recognize that depression can be a component in diabetes (especially in Type 2 diabetics), but we will always attempt to use this space to provide the greatest wealth of diabetes information available. We welcome you back on a regular basis and encourage you to spend some time in our archives. There’s much to be discovered – right here.

Diabetes and Increased Cancer Risk: It has long been understood that Type 2 diabetes contributes to the potential for certain types of cancers. Recent findings suggest the increased risk may be higher than originally believed. The good news is there may be a way to reduce the risk of both diabetes and diabetes-influenced cancer.

According to EmaxHealth.com, “The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in collaboration with researchers in Sweden and the United States, evaluated data from 125,126 Swedish citizens who had been in the hospital for problems related to type 2 diabetes.”

What they discovered was that there were two dozen different types of cancer that were more prevalent in those with Type 2 diabetes. The EmaxHealth.com article stated, “The comparison showed that people with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing 24 different types of cancer among those the epidemiologists explored. The greatest risks were for pancreatic cancer (sixfold increased risk) and liver cell cancer (4.25-fold risk). Cancers that posed more than twice the risk were those that affect the kidneys, thyroid, esophagus, small intestine, and the nervous system.

“A curious finding was that people with type 2 diabetes have a significantly lower rate of prostate cancer, which was especially obvious in patients who had a family history of the disease.”

A secondary report from EmaxHealth suggests, “Diabetes, primarily type 2, doubles the risk of liver, pancreatic, and endometrial cancer. It also increases the risk of colorectal, breast and bladder cancer by 20 to 50%.” Add to these findings the fact that individuals with Type 2 diabetes also have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

To reduce the risk of diabetes complications, heart issues, stroke and diabetes-influenced cancer people need to understand that exercise may be as close to a magic bullet as they will find. By reducing weight a diabetic can improve glucose control as well as decrease heart, stroke and certain cancer risks.

The report is clear that scientists are currently at a loss as to how to explain the link between diabetes and cancer risks. What they are aware of is the fact that when diabetes is in control multiple risks are reduced.

According to the American Diabetes Association(ADA), “The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest how much activity Americans should do. Keep in mind they are goals, not the place to start.

• People with pre-diabetes, diabetes, or the general adult public should aim for a minimum of 30 minutes most days. Walking, gardening, doing yard work, swimming, or cleaning house will all work to meet this goal. Anything that increases your heart rate and causes you to break a light sweat.
• Children and teens should aim for at least 60 minutes most days.

In addition, the Diabetes Prevention Program—a large study done in people with pre-diabetes—showed that 150 minutes of physical activity a week (30 minutes, five times a week) helped prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. In this study, people also lost 10 to 20 pounds by making changes in their eating habits.

Do these guidelines seem hard to fit in to your busy life? It’s not easy to find the time. You won’t go from zero to thirty or sixty (minutes), in a day or week. Take one step at a time. Slowly build up to your goal. (Source: ADA)

Following a season of stretching these are the most recommended categories of exercise.

• Aerobic Exercise
• Strength Training
• Flexibility Exercises

$15 Million Texas Experiment: The residents in one Dallas, Texas neighborhood are much more likely to die of diabetes than other neighborhoods in the same county. Poverty adds it’s own wrinkle, but one costly experiment seeks to discover if a prevention program can be developed to overcome daunting odds.

Baylor’s Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute opened the Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute, a health center that cost millions of dollars to develop. The city of Dallas chipped in $2 million as a health investment in this south Dallas neighborhood. Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert referred to the facility as a “passport to health”.

When you consider that direct and indirect costs associated with diabetes totals more than $12 billion in Texas each year you can see that a $2 million investment is perhaps conservative. However, if the program ultimately works it could spread in the Lone Star State and around the country.

According to the Dallas Morning News Baylor’s Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute, “Includes a full-time physician; a pharmacy with lower-priced medication; nutrition and healthy cooking classes; a farmer’s market with fresh fruits and vegetables; and exercise and weight training programs.

“Their experiment pits money and a comprehensive wellness program up against poverty and unhealthy lifestyles.”

According to the report Baylor believes that preventative care will ultimately be less expensive than emergency room care and they are hoping the data will ultimately confirm their initiative.

There’s actually a lot riding on the success or failure of this Texas-sized experiment. According to the Dallas Business Journal, “Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, representing the state’s 30th congressional district. [She] spoke at the event, where she emphasized on the significance of preventative health care, adding that with the new diabetes center, Dallas has positioned itself as a model to the rest of the country.” If the program fails then it contradicts many of the presuppositions in the new Health Care Reform Act.

How Bad Is It In The Neighborhood?

The average annual income in this targeted area is just over $14,000. Some make less than $10,000 a year. The result is very little regular physician care coupled a diet that relies on calorie rich, but inexpensive foods. The combination means obesity among the poor in this south Dallas neighborhood.

The initial idea for the facility was unveiled in 2006 and the Baylor board has indicated they have been solidly behind the experiment.

Because Baylor is a non-profit hospital they must spend 20% of revenue from patients on what is known as “community benefit”. Some may argue this is simply a way to spend that money, but Baylor claims a more thoughtful approach to this experimental facility.

Baylor CEO Joel Allison is quoted by the Dallas Morning News as saying, “Health care organizations need to expand their role in the community, and this initiative is one example. Hospitals have not traditionally been in the business of providing cooking classes, farmers markets, treadmills and computer labs. But this new model of care represents the future.

“We are now working to improve the health of a community beyond the walls of the hospital.”

Diabetic residents are already taking advantage of the new program and have expressed gratitude that the facility is geared toward their neighborhood.

And as many eyes watch the program plans are sure to follow for other facilities if this should prove successful.