1. What kind of diabetes?

2. how can it be reversed?

Great questions! Diabetes in cats is different than in humans. in humans there is type I (where the body is not producing enough insulin) and type II (“non- insulin dependent,” often caused by obesity, which can be controlled). Diabetic cats are not classified as type I or II; they are borderline diabetics. If we were going to classify diabetic cats capable of remission they are most closely related to type II diabetics.

Cats can go into remission and stay there for various periods of time. Sadly, with time, stress, diseases or weight gain will cause the pancreas to eventually give out, and the cat will become diabetic again (similar to type I). The goal of therapy is to reverse the symptoms of diabetes, including increased thirst, excess urination and weight loss, by lowering the blood sugar levels closer to that found in “normal” cats.

How can they go into remission?

Diabetics have high blood glucose levels, which negatively affect the beta cells in the pancreas. Insulin allows these cells time to recover and start working again properly. But cats that are overweight are resistant to insulin. therefore, it is important to put your diabetic cat on a weight-loss diet to allow the insulin to start working more efficiently. a low carb and high protein diet is thought to prevent spikes in blood glucose levels so the cat produces less simple sugar. Carbohydrates readily convert to simple sugars and raise blood glucose levels. High-protein and high-fat diets, on the other hand, are less likely to raise the cat’s blood glucose level than a diet consisting of carbohydrates.

Some fortunate cats are transient diabetics and no longer require insulin treatment after initial therapy. this type of diabetes is typically caused by drugs or other diseases. If the pet’s underlying disease is cured (often related to pancreatic diseases), or particular medications are discontinued, the transient diabetic cat can become a non-diabetic.

Unfortunately, diabetes in cats is very complicated and there is still a lot that is unknown. Fortunately, diabetes is on the forefront of numerous research projects.

Alia Kroos is a veterinary nurse at Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos. Visit adobe-animal.com.

Send in your questions

If you have questions about pets, The Daily News would like to answer them, with help from experts at Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos and other Peninsula vets. Just write to us at petpointers@dailynewsgroup.com.

Sharon McCarthy was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was only 16 months old.

She gives a lot of credit to God for keeping her alive, because without her strong faith, she says she probably wouldn’t have her eyesight, her kidneys, her legs or her life.

One thing is certain though: She would not be alive without insulin injections — a treatment developed just two decades before she was born, said the 64-year-old retired nurse.

“I grew up with it (diabetes). In that sense, I don’t know what life without diabetes is like,” McCarthy said.

Since she was 12 years old, she has been injecting herself with insulin. Now that she’s in her mid-60s she wears a timed pump from which small doses of insulin are periodically pumped into her stomach from a thin tube. She pricks her finger about five to seven times a day, depending on whether she’s working out or not, to check her blood sugar levels. She is on a low glycemic diet that includes food like whole wheat items, milk and certain vegetables.

McCarthy knows to carry a glucose tab and some grape juice with her at all times. She knows that stress could send her sugar levels up or down and she knows that very ripe bananas, as opposed to the mildly ripe and slightly green ones, will send her sugar soaring, she said.

“Diabetes is a tricky disease,” McCarthy said. “If you’re just diagnosed with diabetes, give yourself at least nine months, better a year, to learn how you’re going to react adjusting to diet, exercise and everything else that comes along with living with diabetes.”

Every person’s body reacts a different way to the disease.

One young man said to McCarthy, “‘I love Mexican food and now I can’t eat it.’ And I said that’s not true. He said, ‘the dietitian said I can’t eat it.’ I said, ‘well ask the dietitian if she has diabetes.’”

Some doctors may not always know what’s best; and that is what she teaches to the members in her diabetes support group every third Thursday of the month with the Southern new Mexico Diabetes Outreach program. People have to stand up and be their own advocate and speak up for themselves when they think they need more medication or more test strips to test sugar levels more often. get another doctor if you have to, she said.

One of the most important things she teaches at the meetings is “Diabetes is not a death sentence,” she said. “Now, it can be if a person newly diagnosed says ‘eh, that doctor doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’”

It’s easy for a person to spiral downhill with depression, stubbornness and carelessness. People have to have kidney transplants, they loose their sight, they loose a limb or they develop another disease like high blood pressure or heart disease.

Other complications include kidney disease, nervous system disease, dental disease, complications with pregnancy and overall illness, which could lead to coma, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder caused when the body is not using food correctly. there are two kind: Type 1 is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body produces no insulin from the pancreas, which helps sugar absorb into the cells for energy or growth. Anyone can have type 1 and it doesn’t matter whether the person is healthy and eats right. Type 2 is the most common and is mostly caused by the unhealthy ways a person eats and lives. Those with type 2 either don’t produce enough insulin or the cells are not responding to insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association website.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes include urinating frequently, extreme thirst and hunger, weight loss and fatigue. Type 2 includes type 1 symptoms, plus frequent infections, blurred vision, slow healing and numbness and tingling in hands and feet.

According to 2011 statistics by the CDC, diabetes is most common in those of black, Hispanic and Native American origin. More than 14 percent of Native American adults have diabetes, nearly 12 percent of Hispanic adults have diabetes and nearly 13 percent of black adults have diabetes. the disease affects nearly 26 million Americans in all, or 8.3 percent of the population. about 2 million people were diagnosed last year and about 79 million adults, aged 20 and older, have prediabetes.

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney disease and non-traumatic limb amputation. It’s is also the seventh-leading cause of death, according to 2007 statistics. the cost of treating diabetes in the U.S. reached $174 billion in 2007, because most patients’ medical expenses are twice as high than for those without the disease.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes

“I see a more and more obese population,” said Dr. Andrew Lancaster, an endocrinologist at Nzhu Endocrine and Diabetes Care in Alamogordo. “The portion sizes in the last 40 years have gone up dramatically and the activity level has been going down.”

His example comes from a conference where a color-coded map showed the growth of the population every five years. every year, the obese colors got bigger and then new colors had to be added for the more extreme numbers in certain areas of the country, Lancaster said.

At Lancaster’s clinic, he sees about 20 patients a day and has about 1,500 patients in all. because he works a lot with diabetics, he is booked clear until the end of the year and so are other endocrinologists and doctors like him who specialize in diabetes care, Lancaster said.

“Food is so easy to get these days and it’s cheap, because a lot of the cheap stuff is processed and full of sugar and fat. the focus here, and the whole ‘cure’ for diabetes, is eating right, exercising and making healthier choices,” Lancaster said.

“The less processed the better,” he said.

In fact, the best thing to do would to have a garden and a few farm animals, because that gives people a chance to exercise while chasing around the animals for dinner, Lancaster said.

Other healthy eating tips he suggests are not to be a compulsive shopper while in the grocery store. instead of buying whole bags and boxes of cookies and junk food, get a small portion or a single serving. having it in the house is always going to be a problem and telling yourself “no” often doesn’t work.

Also, during the holidays, if you know a member of the family who has diabetes, bring some healthier foods to the table. Put out some un-sweetened tea and water instead of regular sodas. It’s just like having an alcoholic around and “can an alcoholic just have one beer?” Lascaster asks. “Maybe, but you don’t want to take that risk.”

“Diabetes is not a death sentence,” he said. “It’s a wake up call to have one take over their diet.”

Diabetics have to take it one step at a time, they can’t change suddenly or stop their habits cold turkey. sometimes a person has to hit rock-bottom and have some sort of epiphany to make a change, he said.

Change isn’t easy

For Beatriz Favela’s mother, making changes to her diet was hard.

“I started noticing that my mom was doing a lot of things wrong,” Favela said. “The fact that I started learning more, I started passing on this information to her.”

Favela is the program operations director with Southern Area Health Education Center and part of the Doña Ana Diabetes Action Coalition.

Although she does not have diabetes, her mother was living with diabetes for 23 years and her father is currently living with the disease and has had it for 20 years.

After Favela’s parents were diagnosed with the disease, she started working as a social worker and then a diabetes educator.

“That was very, very difficult for us to help her because — typical Hispanic family, you know? we are very much into family gatherings and eating,” Favela said.

Her mother went into depression, because she felt like she couldn’t be part of the celebrations because of food restrictions. For a time, all she drank was orange juice, because she thought artificial things were bad, but natural things were good — this isn’t true; orange juice is loaded with sugar and it’s something doctors give to patients whose blood sugar is dangerously low, because orange juice spikes blood sugar up very quickly.

But after her mother started listening to what Favela was learning about diabetes and teaching to other people, living with diabetes became somewhat manageable.

She died a few years ago, but Favela’s father is still coping with the disease and he pricks his finger abut twice a day, Favela said.

Moderation is key

Carl Zimmerman, on the cover, has had diabetes since 2004. it wasn’t a surprise to the 75-year-old, because the disease runs in his family.

Zimmerman is a no-worry diabetic. He doesn’t have to take insulin shots and only pricks his finger occasionally. And in a nonchalant way, he says he lost about 40 pounds from dieting and excersicing.

His wife is a biologist and an excellent cook who knows what he needs and what he needs to avoid or moderate. He cooks also, he said.

“You can have a pretty broad section of food, it’s just that if they’re on the suspect list, you just moderate,” Zimmerman said.

On his suspect list are fried foods and ice cream.

“It’s easy to fall off the wagon,” Zimmerman said. “I encourage folks not to get discouraged with wrestling with diabetes.”

Everyone is different

Betty Ayer is in Sharon McCarthy’s diabetes support group and others refer to her as a “light diabetic,” because she is checked about every six months, takes medication only twice a day and she doesn’t have to check her blood sugar often, she said.

“One thing I’ve learned in Sharon’s group is that it’s a different illness with everybody,” she said. “Each person has his or her own idiosyncrasies and you just have to take that into consideration.”

She found out she had diabetes from a regular checkup, when a blood test showed she had a blood glucose level of 200. She then changed her diet and started exercising — and lost about 25 pounds in the process.

She particularly stays away from russet potatoes and prefers the smaller red ones, because they have a much lower glycemic index, the term meaning the rate at which the food’s sugar is dissolved into the blood stream and cells. Sweet potatoes are the best to eat.

“I gave up cake and ice cream — except on birthdays,” she said with a laugh.

Andi Murphy can be reached at amurphy@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5453

I want to know if this is a symptom,so I know if its important or not.

Itchy dry skin can just be caused because it is winter. Heated air dries skin really badly.

Hypothyroidism causes dry skin too. not certain about diabetes.

It can be, but it's not the one that'd be first and foremost on a doctor's checklist. It can also be a symptom of a stack of other things, so if you're worried I'd just get it checked out.

There are MANY precursors for Diabetes. the best way is to get your blood sugar levels checked….

It can be one of the symptoms, but its not necessarily diabetes. If in doubt have your doctor check you out

Sci Tech

HbA1c diabetes blood test not as effective for children

The haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test has become the preferred way to diagnose diabetes among the millions of Americans who have diabetes but show no symptoms. the simple test measures longer-term blood sugar levels — without requiring patients to fast overnight.

Not best way

But a study by the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital shows it’s not the best way to diagnose diabetes in children.

But U-M researchers say more study is needed before doctors can safely rely on using haemoglobin A1c for children.

“we found that haemoglobin A1c is not as reliable a test for identifying children with diabetes and pre-diabetes compared with adults,” says study lead author Joyce M. Lee, a paediatric endocrinologist at Mott Children’s Hospital. “using this test in children may lead to missed cases.”

The study was published online ahead of print in Journal of Pediatrics and provides new insight on effectively diagnosing diabetes in children.

In 2010, the American Diabetes Association released guidelines recommending HbA1c be exclusively used for diagnosing diabetes in children and adults.

For the study, Mott researchers evaluated the testing results of 1,156 obese and overweight adolescents, ages 12-18. the ADA recommends screening only obese and overweight kids because their weight puts them at higher risk for developing diabetes.

According to the guidelines, individuals without symptoms would be classified as having diabetes if HbA1c values reach 6.5 percent and as having pre-diabetes if HbA1c values reached between 6 and 6.4 percent on two separate tests.

According to a University of Michigan press release, the cut-off point may need to be lower for kids.

Until more definitive studies are available, it’s premature to use HbA1c for children, authors say. — our Bureau

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Sci Tech

Magnesium deficiency may result in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms. The reasons for this involve understanding what Magnesium is and how it works in our bodies.Magnesium is a mineral. it is the 4th most abundant element in your body. Studies have shown that Deficiencies in magnesium can bring about a host of problems and symptoms are among the symptoms that have been linked to nutritional Inadequacies of this mineral. The majority of teens in this country have, according to ADHD studies performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Unites State Department of Agriculture, significant magnesium Deficiencies.Magnesium is necessary for hundreds of chemical reactions in the body. our muscle and nerve function depends on magnesium as do our skeletal system and our immune system. Magnesium is needed to maintain normal blood sugar levels and a normal blood pressure. Perhaps the most important role that magnesium plays is in protein synthesis and energy metabolism.Magnesium works with calcium to power the cells in our body but according to the 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and published in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, what we Eat in America, 2006-2007 Report, most of our kids have magnesium Deficiencies. many younger children and adults do as well but the statistics are most alarming for teens. Eighty-nine percent of boys and seventy percent of girls aged 14-18 have inadequate nutritional intake of Magnesium.Scientific studies have found that magnesium can be used to improve a host of conditions including anxiety and depression. there is some scientific evidence that magnesium may be able to regulate neurotransmitter function. Deficiencies in magnesium, which can bring on by excess perspiration or by decreased nutritional intake will worsen these conditions.these Inadequacies may bring on faulty neurotransmission as well as anxiety, depression, migraine headaches, mood disorders, hyperactivity and decreased concentration. Low magnesium has also been linked to sudden cardiac death, mitral valve prolapsed, diabetes and hypertension.several Studies have shown that supplementation with 80 mg to 200 mg of magnesium daily improves anxiety, depression and ADD and ADHD symptoms. Most multivitamins have between 20mg to 50 mg of magnesium. this may be plenty of supplementation if you, or your children, are eating foods that are rich in magnesium such as green leafy vegetables, lot of whole grains, walnuts, cashews, and peanuts, beans, fish, pumpkin, bananas, avocados, raisins, milk products and tomato paste but is likely not enough if you are not and if this is the case then supplementation is required.Magnesium is an essential nutritional element that may be deficient in the diet of most Americans. Teen age children in particular, are likely to have magnesium Inadequacies. Magnesium is lost through respiration and sweating and active people are more at risk for having borderline low magnesium levels than people who are sedentary. Eating foods high in magnesium or supplementing your diet with a magnesium vitamin is essential to avoid the poor health outcomes that result from low magnesium levels.Check your multivitamin to insure that you and your children are getting enough magnesium. Those of us, who like hot chocolate and coffee, have yet another reason to drink more of these beverages. it turns out that cocoa and caffeine both contain a fair amount of magnesium. some of the mood lifting effects of chocolate and coffee could be attributed to these magnesium levels.The Attention Deficit Disordercommunity has been quick to recommend fatty acid supplementation to improve the behavioral symptoms that bring on problems in people with ADD and ADHD. The research community is only now learning that nutritional substances such as calcium, magnesium and zinc also play a role in moderating our mood and our behavior. By supplementing our diets with magnesium we may avoid worsening the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and may, in the process not only improve our overall health but also diminish the incidence of developing conditions such as depression and anxiety that often accompany a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder.