Food for Thought

[skilz123]

Ok here is something I have been thinking about that is quite interesting. If you don’t agree with my thoughts, that’s cool just don’t criticize to hard, but think about it, I hope I'm not out of my mind here.

Most of us who have diabetes are very hopeful for a cure, and if there was anything we could do to help move it along then I’m sure we would. However, we leave it in the hands of the researchers, doctors, and drug companies, who are mostly out for one thing, money. Well ok, maybe not all researchers and doctors and hmmm are not in it for the money, but let’s face it, I don’t see any of them doing it for half price. So what’s my point, my point is we are the ones who want a cure, we are the ones who need a cure, the diabetics! How many of you see an endocrinologist, a nurse practitioner or a dietician who is a diabetic? I don’t think many of you. How worried are you friends, relatives, or significant others about diabetes? Of course they are worried cause they want a cure for you so you don’t have to deal with it, or live like you do, cause they see it everyday and it’s awful. Would they care if they didn’t know you? Would you care if you didn’t have diabetes? How much do you truly care about curing AIDS, or Parkinson’s disease, or Alzheimer’s disease? Of course you care but are you doing anything about it, probably not, not as much as you could.

Another thing is, those who don’t care do nothing, and the other’s are profiting, drug companies, insurance companies, etc… etc… These people don’t want to see a cure, think of all the money they lose, each one of us probably spends something like $5000+ a year easily, maybe not out of pocket but it gets spent for each of us, at least type 1’s. So what is that exactly, something like $50 billion a year, more? Who wants a cure unless you ended up a diabetic or a close relative, your making a fortune, your gonna do what you can to prolong a cure, which is why many of you were told 20 years ago (I didn’t have diabetes 20 years ago) that a cure would be here in 10 years….it’s 20 **** years later.

So what can we do? I thought about it and I don’t even think this makes much sense really, but what if every diabetic signed up and said, “Hey, I’m willing to pay $30,000 to cure 3 diabetics.” Now, not all of us can afford it, I’m pretty successful but I’d need to take a loan or use a few credit cards, but I’d be willing to cure myself and 2 other diabetics who couldn’t afford it. I’m sure 1/3 of all diabetics could afford $30,000 somehow. So there are how many diabetics? Let’s just look at the US alone, 15 million, ok so then 15 million times $10,000 cure per person equals $150,000,000,000 yup $150 billion dollars, to the one company who can cure it. Wouldn’t that make it worthwhile for a drug company to fund a cure and bring it to us? Bill Gates? Donald Trump? Isn’t it? If it only cost on average a $1000 per person to cure and $10 billion to find the cure, isn’t that a lot of left over cash? Then of course make us take some placebo so we can continue to enjoy being non-diabetics, at say $500 a month you keep insurance companies paying and more money to cycle. I don’t know, I’m just asking you as a diabetic, what do you think of this? Maybe I’m just being a little silly and ranted off in my head to much, but if this gave you any ideas, please let’s share, cause I’m tired of talking about how we deal with this disease, I’m more interested in how we are curing it.

[MarkMunday]

You are absolutely right! The last thing the medical establishment wants is a cure for diabetes. There are huge vested interests in its ongoing treatment. Which is why the cure, if and when it does come, will come from the outside. Big pharmaceutical companies like Lilly, Novo and Pfizer won't provide any of the funding. They will do their best to discredit a "cure", in the interests of maximising Humalog, Novolog and Lipitor sales.

Having said that, a lot of money will be made by whoever does find a cure. And this prospect is enough to attract a huge amount of creative effort and resources. I don't believe co-ordinated action by diabetics is required. But we need to be aware of research that is taking place. And we need to question what we are being told by the so-called medical profession.

I am frequently reminded of the fact that pharmaceutical companies ultimately fund most medical research. And that doctors are heavily influenced by information these companies directly or indirectly dish up. After 27 years of being T1, my faith in the medical profession has sunk to an all-time low. But don't get me started on that ...

Mark

[eevee]

Hey skilz...maybe we could set up a trust fund which would serve as a reward to whomever comes up with a sure-fire cure. If all diabetics put in $10 would make a sizeable incentive....

Cheers..........Eve

[mg_2204]

I too agree : the medical establishment makes a lot of money with diabetes.

But what if... there is NO cure? If there is none (that's a possibility!), no amount of money will make a difference. Just a thought.

Marie
:)

[Brent44a]

I am still new to this thread of thought, but find it fasinating. I would categorize the war against diabetes as being fought on several fronts, two of which are "control" and, for lack of a better - more descriptive term- "cure."

On the contol front I see more developed and more effective insulin and insulin delivery products like lantus, humulog, and novolog delivered through a syringe, pen, insuflon, pump and other items. I am thankful for companies like Animas, Medtronic, Deltec and the makers of the insulin products. Without their efforts, I would not be alive today. Sure its expensive, but who among us would prefer there to be no profit if there were no correlating development and progress.

On a second front is the struggle for a cure. In that arena I primarily see research organizations and the medical establishment. While I wish there were a cure today, I am thankful for those that are working hard to make a real cure a reality. In this area I see transplants, beta cell transfers, efforts to begin the regenerative process that would have our own bodies begin to give birth to the very cells that would manufacture our own insulin and stop whatever it is that causes those cells to malfunction. Those engaged in this "front" are often unheralded but none-the-less very important in the progress being made and that will be made against this disease.

So I guess I am optimistic that there will be a cure someday, and grateful in the meantime for the progress being made to help me control this affliction. I am eternally grateful to those people fighting the war on the front lines. I do believe my life is better for their efforts and offer my thanks to those that entered the pharmacutical, medical and medical research fields and who plow through the grind every day in search of better "control" and a hopeful "cure."

[duck]

There will never be a cure forthcoming, for reasons described above, and others. As a matter of fact, no disease will ever be cured again. Like commedian Chris Rock asks "What's the last disease that's been cured? Polio?" Rock goes on to joke that the guy who found the cure (Salk) must get nastigrams from the drug companies for destroying a potential source of income.

The drug companies in the world are over-bearing and I dare say untouchable. In the US alone I have now seen two Presidents from the opposite sides of the political spectrum bow and cow-tow to the drug industry. They control whoever is in office. Next time you sit down to watch your favorite TV show, count the number of commercials, and then count the number of drug commercials--They are out of control.

I hate to be such a pessimist, but I see no evidence of any major advances toward a "cure". Many of us here wax poetic about stem cell research, but in my view not even that potential avenue will yield a cure--But it will yield more drug therapies for us. Also, in the future, expect a vaccination for AIDS to become available, and expect your pediatrician to want to give your infant the shot to protect them (ie, make more money for the pharmaceuatical industry).

[skilz123]

Don't get me wrong, in some way I am grateful as well for the "control" I am allowed to have, which is made possible by the medical world, however, I have health insurance and luckily am able to afford the extras; extra testing supplies and syrignes, that they don't provide me enough of. But what about those who don't have health insurance, those who can't afford these things? Do you think better delivery systems are being made so you can live better? Or so you and your insurance can pay more because the research they produce says these delivery systems will allow you to lower your A1C by 5% which will in turn lower your % of death by 3%, which will in turn save the insurance company money sending you to the hospital. It's very confusing in my head I know that much, yeah I'm thankful, but if only those of us who posted in this forum were diabetic, believe me there would be no "control" and nobody working on a cure. It would be just us and Montel Williams. (He has that talk show where he always brings on random people with diseases you never heard of, which have no treatment or hope).

Preach on duck, although I pray to god someone with a lot of money can disprove what you say the future holds.

[gettingby]

skillz123,
I agree with everything you say. Yeah I was told 20 years ago (when dx'd ) that a cure was 10 years away. Well, it's been an awfully looonnngggg 10 years !!!!!! I'm optimistic that a cure can eventually be found but I don't think it will happen in my lifetime.
About the $$$$$ deal: Drug companies will be hurtin if all illnesses/diseases are cured. We have to cushion the pockets of the "fat cats". I believe though that if a cure is ever found and proven to work, I would hope that the children would be cured first !!!!!!!! The children are our future and they are what matters. I've lived with the big "D" for 20 years. With good control, I can get more time. We need to heal the kids first.
Ok, off my soapbox now. Sorry it's so long.
Cin:) :)
PS Don't get me wrong, I'm still fighting but I've begun to think in priorities.

[Dewey]

Originally posted by duck
There will never be a cure forthcoming, for reasons described above, and others. As a matter of fact, no disease will ever be cured again. Like commedian Chris Rock asks "What's the last disease that's been cured? Polio?" Rock goes on to joke that the guy who found the cure (Salk) must get nastigrams from the drug companies for destroying a potential source of income.

The drug companies in the world are over-bearing and I dare say untouchable. In the US alone I have now seen two Presidents from the opposite sides of the political spectrum bow and cow-tow to the drug industry. They control whoever is in office. Next time you sit down to watch your favorite TV show, count the number of commercials, and then count the number of drug commercials--They are out of control.

I hate to be such a pessimist, but I see no evidence of any major advances toward a "cure". Many of us here wax poetic about stem cell research, but in my view not even that potential avenue will yield a cure--But it will yield more drug therapies for us. Also, in the future, expect a vaccination for AIDS to become available, and expect your pediatrician to want to give your infant the shot to protect them (ie, make more money for the pharmaceuatical industry). I agree with what you both say, Skilz and Duck. However, I will say that cancer patients (I.e. those with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and other forms) have had a 99.8% cure rate with stem cell treatments.

For the record, Diabetes alone is a $132 Billion dollar per year cash cow for the medical companies, and the number is steadily rising. That's why I fear that a cure may not be "around the corner" either. Back in 1982, when I was first diagnosed, I was also told the cure was 10 years out. However, that time has since long come and gone. That's why I'm somewhat "cynical" about it. However, I do hope and pray for others at least. It would definitely be nice to see (and help) make a cure a reality for the right reasons, and Not money driven ones.

[am1977]

I really, really want to believe that there will be a cure for Diabetes. Saying that, I realize that if there was a cure, all those companie who profit from Diabetes and Diabetes products would not profit anymore. I don't know if that's what's holding things back, but it definitely does cross my mind.

I'd like to belive that all that money people have donated and spent on Diabetes research is being used for that purpose. I know that a great deal of money in the past and even today has been donated to this cause, yet I can't say that I believe all of it is working towards a cure. I mean, what are they really doing with all that money? I have donated myself towards the cure and recently participated in a walk for the cure. Yet I am stil skeptical and I wonder if a lot of are holding on to false hope. I hate to think that, I think that would be sad.

Yes, I know there has been advancements towards curing this disease with new types of insulins, monitors, pumps, etc. But what is holding us back from a cure, I think that is really the question .

[Eri's mom]

I, myself, do not have diabetes...my 11 yo daughter does.
Of course we're told..."don't worry, a cure is right around the corner".
I wish I could thoroughly believe that. I donate, I do the walks, etc. Watching her go through this for the past[5yrs in January], has been hard...the seizures, DKA, etc.

Duck, you're right, the number of commercials for medicines is unbelievable. And listening to the side effects alone makes you wonder why they are even on the market.

I have to say at the same time, I am grateful for what they have come up w/ for those w/ diabetes.

We had lost our insurance when my husband switched jobs(the cobra jumped up over 200 dollars/month...we were paying $800/month for health insurance)...and that didn't even cover the cost of her HBA1C reading...that alone is an extra $20, along w/ the $15 co-pay.

Eri, originally, DID have an endocrinologist who has diabetes also. The one she see's now does not.

I can see where you are coming from skilz...and it does make sense, but this world is so greedy, and sad to say, it seems as though they feed off those w/ illnesses...the sick make those in the pharmaceutical field all their money(and I have a cousin in that field).

I'm probably not making much sense here...my mind is all jumbled from the week I've had, but I hope I am making some sense.

I pray for the cure to come about soon...I would LOVE to see not only my daughter, but ALL w/ diabetes cured(along w/ all the other diseases out there...and I know that is "pollyannish", but it's ok to dream).

I'll shut up now!!!

Robin

[HeatherP]

I too have been hearing "the cure is coming soon" for the better part of my life. I know that the drug companies and such make a lot of money off of us. Many discoveries come as adjuncts to studies for another reason. And like Marie said, what if there there is no cure? So far, stem cell research seems like the most promising opportunity, but that will take years I think to see a breakthrough.

I choose to remain hopeful. If you don't have hope, you don't have anything.


HeatherP

[Brent44a]

I would imagine that the cure for diabetes would be particularly difficult since the problem lies within the body. A virus or bacteria would have an external origin and, therefore, I would think, easier to isolate and treat. Even then, most diseases are probably just treated, not cured. Not sure of the science but that's my guess anyway. I have not been promised a cure by any health care professional that I have seen so far, only that with proper medication and managment I can lessen the complications. And who among us would not like to walk away from this disease to be normal again!

Having said that, you have to admit that the world has made remarkable progress in disease prevention, quality of life issues, and even a few disease cures. I read somewhere that smallpox has been declared to be cured - years later than polio. Still, you have to admit that medical conditions that were once feared are now easily treated or avoided, like measles, malaria, chicken pox, dipteria, scarlet fever, whooping cough, cholera or even pnuemonia. While I wish for a cure for diabetes daily and struggle against it constantly, I choose to be grateful that I am alive today - I do not think that would have been possible 100 or 200 years ago.

I prefer to think of corporations like Animas (my personal heroes) as being a group of people very similar to me. Ordinary people that go to work every day, with the difference being that they bring hope to people that have a disease where once there was no hope. People that are working hard to bring even better devices into the marketplace that I look forward to.

Are there inequites in the availabilty of medical care, no doubt. Do some people profit unethically from others, sure. Is it all fair, no way. But I make the choice every day to be thankful for what I have been given, sometimes the day brings great and wonderful things and sometimes I'd rather not have to face things at all. To paraphrase Gandalf from Lord of the Rings (or should I say JRR Tolkien), ours is not to determine the time we live in, our duty lies in how we live in the time we are given.

Sorry for the long posts, this is simply how I feel. I promise I am not employed by a drug company nor do I profit from the medical field in any way. Unless, of course, you count the fact that I am alive today because of the work of others.

You guys are great and I am enouraged daily by reading the posts here. I feel like this is a group that understands what a lonely struggle it can be to deal with a disease no one wants and few understand. Thanks again for listening and being so friendly, understanding and caring.

[Brent44a]

BTW, I'd like to think some little guy in Iowa or Pennslyvania will someday come up with the cure for this disease. When he or she does, I hope it rakes in a fortune for that person. As for the medical industry that supplies diabetic products, I have complete faith that in the event of a cure for diabetes that there are plenty of other medical afflictions that would require their services and for which their current expertise and technology would be easily adapatable. I just wish we could figure out how to help them move on to those other medical conditions because of that little guy in Iowa, his new found fortune, and the cure we all pray for!

[Harold]

Thank You Brent well said and a breath of fresh air in all of this negativity.

I may also add that there have been and currently are many researchers that do have a personal interest in trying to cure this desease. Their efforts should be applauded and not forgotton.

[Dewey]

Originally posted by Harold
Thank You Brent well said and a breath of fresh air in all of this negativity.

I may also add that there have been and currently are many researchers that do have a personal interest in trying to cure this desease. Their efforts should be applauded and not forgotton. Brent, your thoughts are very well placed and well said, indeed - Thank you. Harold, I do not consider the collective views of others (including my own) to be "negative," rather personal experience. If you'd read another post of mine in another thread, you'd find that I share Brent's opinions (to some degree):

Originally posted by Dewey
Although there are days I wish I didn't have it (cause of high sugars and stuff), I'm very grateful for the current (and future) medical advancements that allow us (and will allow us) to maintain better control than ever before.

There are many whose efforts have very good intentions and hopes, and have definitely Not been forgotten.

[Harold]

Originally posted by Dewey
Brent, your thoughts are very well placed and well said, indeed - Thank you. Harold, I do not consider the collective views of others (including my own) to be "negative," rather personal experience. If you'd read another post of mine in another thread, you'd find that I share Brent's opinions (to some degree):

Actually I was going by how the thread made me feel. Now if I went back and assigned +.-, and 0 for those straddling the fence how would it add up before Brent's post?

[duck]

Inasmuch as I am generally a "glass-half-full" person, I am also a pragmatist. I would love to eat crow and be wrong about my feelings about this disease, and man would it be delightful crow, but I don't see where a cure for this disease is anywhere close...

(Duck stops himself from ranting about pharmaceuticals...again).

HOWEVER, since part of my reasoning is that the industry does not want to lose 10 million plus clients, I also believe that they need to make better and better treatment modalities to keep us healthier and living longer. So I expect soon that we'll have insulins that peak in half an hour and be completely done in an hour, pumps that are waterproof and heat proof, that integrate with blood glucose meters that we'll wear innocuously around our wrists. The catch is, someone will make money off of me/us, but at least my life will be better for it.

I have to say one thing, lest I let the drug industry off the hook: They didn't cure smallpox, we eradicated it systematically. And they are not willing to guarantee that those who got immunizations against it are still immune, just like they are not sure that immunizations for flu, measles, mumps, rubella do not wear off...And with incidences of autism, asthma and diabetes growing exponentially among our kids, one has to wonder if the cure is worth the cost? Okay, okay, I'll stop. But trust me if you ever want to waste hours of your time, get me started on the pharmaceutical industry...

:rolleyes:

[Harold]

Well I was probably biased towards the neg last night when I started reading this thread. So Dewey or anyone else Please accept my Apology if I made any of you feel bad, it was not my intention.

Duck I agree the pharms are only going to give us treatments unless one of them has a cure fall on them. Only then would they go for putting it on the market before somebody beats them to it. Brent's guy in Iowa will probably be our best bet and he will probably be the one to drop it on some pharm for all of the bucks he can get.

[Brent44a]

I've lived with diabetes for less than four years, and MDI for one or less. I can't imagine what it would be like to live forty or more years and during that time be promised cures that didn't materialize. I think the entire medical industry, including the fund raising arm are more careful today about how they describe progress and how they tell us what the future holds for their product.

I am also a realist about the way the world works. The guy in Iowa is an idealist, he wants to cure diabetes because he sees the need and wants to help. Large corporations are driven by their ability to stay in business and that requires profit for shareholders. It is the same system that produces cars and food and airplanes and the rest. It is a rough system that can wear down even the most idealistic research technician or doctor.

One of the great things about this forum is that it allows people to express their frustrations. The words sting sometimes and I do not always agree with some of the posts. But they always cause me to think, spur me to research the thoughts presented, and, most importantly, let me know that I am not alone. Oh yeah, they also gives me a chance to throw my two cents worth of ideas into the picture. I wonder which company I donate those two cents to, or maybe if I could get the addresss of that guy in Iowa?