The Zen of Diabetes

          I have recently been diagnosed as having Type 2 Diabetes. I know personally that two of the folks that follow this blog have conditions that make Diabetes look like a walk in the park so this is not an attempt to elicit sympathy.

         Type 2 Diabetes - A Progressive Disease whose natural course in most cases is the worsening, growth, or spread of the disease. This may happen until death, serious debility, or organ failure occurs. But it is it appears also a booming new industry. I have found myself shoved aboard into a freight train of diabetic information, products, medications, testing systems and the list goes on and on.
          Interestingly enough the first thing I noticed was as soon as I was diagnosed I was more or less passed from my doctors to the care of the “Diabetes Certified Nurse Practitioner”. The epidemic of Diabetes has apparently created a boom career path for nurses. All the diabetes education programs were run and taught by these ladies.
          The next thing I noticed was just how much the big drug company’s cared about me and my health. Here is a wonderful example. It is from an online article (sponsored by Abbot Laboratories, the corporation voted by someone or other as the drug company they most admire (this is no joke its on their web site.) In the new Diabetes jargon I am learning it’s called a “well-being article”

“Meditation and Diabetes Control”

                                                     What Meditation Is — and Isn’t

                "  Meditation is a type of relaxation technique. It’s about paying attention to what you’re doing, focusing on the present moment, and promoting a sense of inner calm and self-awareness. Meditation helps you enter a relaxed, restful state of mind, which can help you manage stress and anxiety — conditions that can contribute to a variety of diseases, like heart disease, or make an existing health problem worse. It’s not about crystals and it’s not necessarily about burning incense, looking for the meaning of life, or sitting cross-legged on the floor and chanting “ommmm” for hours on end.
           Meditation is an area of mind/body medicine in which the workings of the mind influence the health of the body. It originated as a religious practice in India some 3,000 years ago, and exists in a variety of forms in most religions: prayer, reading scripture or religious writings, or saying the rosary.
            Whether it’s transcendental meditation, relaxation-response meditation, or mindfulness-based stress-reduction meditation, the principle is the same: to focus one’s full mental attention on something. The object of attention can be an image, a sound, a word or repeated phrase, or one’s own breath."

                    I can not tell you how impressed I was with Abbot Labs take on meditation and what it is, no really I just can’t.
              Interestingly enough in another article by another drug company they warn against such things as sitting crossed legged.

                " It can cause both Nerve damage - neuropathy (nu-Rop-a-thee) and Poor blood flow - peripheral (puh-rif-er-uhl) vascular disease, casing gangrene (GANG-green) - a condition in which the skin and tissue of the infected area dies and becomes black and smelly. Amputation is the most common treatment for gangrene."

             You have just got to love the flood of information they send you and the advice you get poured down upon you. such as;


                     People with diabetes are at higher risk for foot problems. Nerve damage, circulation problems, and infections can cause severe foot problems: sooooooooooooooo

"You should never wear sandals that require a strap to go between your toes."
"Avoid wrinkles in your socks, they could create pressure points."
"Never use a hair dryer on your feet."

"Avoid sitting cross-legged for a prolonged period of time, as sitting cross-legged can cut off blood flow to your feet."

               I guess I will go to the Zendo tomorrow and apply some mind/body medicine, but it seems I must not go bare footed (I swear this one was on the end of the class test for the last class I took a diabetic must never go barefooted anywhere) or cross my legs …