palmi: 0:00

Welcome to our podcast when life gets you the limits. I'm Kevin.

Kevin: 0:06

And I'm Palmi. We consider ourselves disability advocates and intend to spotlight some disability issues and things we find interesting that we frequently encounter when we're out and about. Also, some history on disability that we find interesting. Hello, Palmi. Hey Kevin. Welcome back.

palmi: 0:27

And welcome back, listeners.

Kevin: 0:30

It's been a while since we've both been on here.

palmi: 0:32

Yeah, it is.

Kevin: 0:33

We changed up our um interviewing. We've been adding some interviews instead of just us talking for a while. We wanted to see if we could uh change up our um the way we've been doing it, and I think people have responded well to it.

palmi: 0:48

You think so?

Kevin: 0:50

Don't you think?

palmi: 0:52

Well, I know there's the episodes where you interview Paul, who has a really good voice for this sort of thing. The episode numbers are higher.

Kevin: 1:06

Oh, good. And I think the um the story content was good too, uh, with Maria. People enjoyed the story.

palmi: 1:14

Hers was more entertaining than his was. His was kind of real.

Kevin: 1:20

Yeah.

palmi: 1:21

But he speaks really with good voice. Yeah.

Kevin: 1:26

So recording, yeah.

palmi: 1:28

Yeah, it might have been a while from change.

Kevin: 1:34

So, um, what's our subject today?

palmi: 1:38

Well, we're actually gonna spend a little bit talking about diabetes, and that kind of comes close to ours.

Kevin: 1:46

We have several family family members that have diabetes in our family.

palmi: 1:50

I am just to set the record straight, I am pre-diabetic, which isn't a diabetic condition. If you look up diabetes, it will not be on there. What it means is your levels are above normal but below type 2.

Kevin: 2:11

But doctors do are treating you with diabetic medicines. Yes, and you do have to watch your uh diet, and um, and we'll talk later about what you can do to to uh work on your diabetes. One thing they recommend is exercise, but that is um in your case, is not able you're not able to do that.

palmi: 2:32

Yeah, everybody who's listening to this podcast is gonna be in a bit of a different situation. There's no one thing for everybody, right? Some people are gonna be in realtors yet a lot more active than people on two feet. So it's hard to say exercise. What uh that really means uh when you break it down is weight control. If you're obviously overweight, it's gonna contribute to your likelihood for diabetes. So watch what you eat and when you can't be as active as you want to be.

Kevin: 3:21

Okay, well, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. So when you say diabetes, um diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body processes uh blood sugars, which is glucose. And there are several different types. Um, we're familiar with type one, which is the autoimmune condition where the body attacks the um insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It is also often starts in childhood or in adolescence. Now, my brother-in-law has that, and he um he has type one, but he did not find out he had type one until he was almost in his 30s. So that's not always true, and he is um insulin dependent at this point. Now, there's also type 2 diabetes, which is the most common, where the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't produce enough of it. It's often linked to lifestyle, like Kevin said, factors, meaning that you're gaining weight or you're not eating um properly. The third is gentational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy and usually resolves itself after childbirth, although it increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later. Um, prediabetics are a condition where the blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as the diabetic. Now, they tested me when I was pregnant with rose, they tested me for gestational diabetes, but I and it's the worst test in the whole world. You have to take a this huge amount of sugar liquid, most disgusting thing you've ever tasted, and you have to get it down with this within a certain amount of time, and then they test your blood after that. And I remember it being just terrible, and I did not have it. But um, they said I later did, because of my weight gain after pregnancy, I did ha end up with um type 2 diabetes, but after I lost the 103 pounds, I am no longer diabetic. So there you go. That's that connection between weight loss and um diabetes.

palmi: 5:30

And we have a very unusual situation here where we uh they actually discovered or recategorized a different, kind of hard to describe, it's called type 5 diabetes, it's a new addition to the diabetes factor family, and it's uh basically hypoglycemic only. So even though you're diabetic, which in the case of type 1 to type 2, you're right. Their devoids manage those. And type 5 diabetes, your numbers are low, you don't have enough blood sugar, which is like a different way of managing it.

Kevin: 6:30

That's linked to malnutrition, and we'll talk about that later.

palmi: 6:35

Yeah, I just wanted to throw it out there so we talked about all the different types.

Kevin: 6:40

Right, I get it.

palmi: 6:41

And if you uh happen to go on the internet and look up diabetes, depending on when the article is written, that uh doesn't include dia five, it just was put in there this month, so gestill it's on there last month or earlier.

Kevin: 7:07

Now the symptoms can include uh increased thirst, frequency urinating, fatigue, bur blurred vision, many and managing diabetes includes a combination of medication lifestyle changes and regular modern monitor monoton monitoring of the blood sugar levels. We talked about adapting a uh balanced diet, so that's one thing we work on for your diabetes, your pre-diabetic is focusing on whole foods.

palmi: 7:40

And it's very difficult when you're a pre-diabetic because you're not a diabetic per se. You can't get a prescription for what's called a continuous glucosmoder. So you're always looking the rumor and guessing if it's too high what it was you're eating that caused that.

Kevin: 8:07

Right. You don't get immediate feedback based on the food that you're eating. Right. Right. So you be so if you focus on whole foods like vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and and whole grains, limit the processed foods, uh, limit your sugary drinks, your high pro high carbon carbohydrate snacks, eat foods rich in fiber, which helps slow down the sugar absorptions. And so examples of and increase your fiber, uh, which is a key in this, which includes veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds, legumes and and grains. And looking when I was looking up this thing about fiber, because they stressed how that you know, more the more fiber you get in your diet, the better you're able to maintain your sugar. And it said that less than 10% of Americans get enough fiber. Can you guess how much fiber is recommended for the um average American?

unknown: 9:06

No idea.

Kevin: 9:07

They recommended 28 grams of fiber. Oh gosh. So they took an example of um uh a banana, which is a fruit that they recommended, um, and you would have to eat 28 bananas to eat to get enough fiber of 28 grams of fiber. Other vegetables they recommended was um broccoli. Broccoli, you'd have to eat four heads of broccoli. So that's an extreme amount of. I mean, I don't think it'd be very hard for someone to get that without adding some kind of type of added supplement in there.

palmi: 9:48

Which is in these days entirely possible.

Kevin: 9:52

Right. So what we've done is we've add mirlax to your your breakfast, your sir uh your coffee in the morning. Correct. And that adds adds uh eight to ten, just one scoop of mirlax adds eight to ten grams of fiber in the morning right away. So, and then whatever fruits and vegetables and uh lean meats and stuff like that, um, to your fiber. But they stress that fiber is really what helps uh reduce those sugars. We talked about staying physically active, and they said aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, such as a brisk walk, swim, or cycling. But I imagine, like being in a wheelchair, they have those steppers that you could move your legs.

palmi: 10:41

Yeah, my only problem is uh I have this weird, wonky left hand that is not gonna allow me to do a lot of exercises. So it's all gonna, like I say, depend on who you are, what the problems you have are uh, etc. Presently I go exactly zero uh exercises that will not hurt my hand.

Kevin: 11:12

Right. We're trying to eliminate any stress that would uh hurt your your hand. Uh Kevin's gonna be going here into surgery at the end of the month or end of May um to have his uh wrist uh repaired from several falls that he's had. So we're gonna try to stay away from any strenuous exercise to keep his hand um pretty much immobile until we can um get it fixed. They also said to incorporate strength training twice a week to build muscle and improve insulin um uh sensitivity. The way Kevin was able to stay out of his wheelchair for almost 12 years was to stay active, and he did a martial arts class uh once or twice a week um in order to keep those muscles and those everything is firing. Um, so that is something that would help if you're for where depending on where you are in your um recovery disability.

palmi: 12:06

Situation.

Kevin: 12:06

Yeah. We talked about maintaining a healthy weight, um, losing about just five to seven percent of your body weight can significantly reduce the progression of type 2 diabetes. And we talked previously, I lost that 103 pounds and I am no longer diabetic. My glucose levels are right in the normal range, and I eat the same thing Kevin eats pretty much. I eat a little more protein than Kevin does. I had a sleeve, and so uh I can't process as much, I don't absorb as much protein that I digest as he does. So I I take supplements and stuff like that to get extra protein, otherwise my hair falls out and stuff like that. And I need it for muscle, and I do exercise, so I need that additional protein for those muscle building. Get adequate sleep, prioritize seven to eight hours of quality sleep per night to support hormone balances and sugar blood sugar regulation. And of course, always avoid smoking and limit your alcohol. Smoking can inhibit uh insulin resistance and excess alcohol uh consumption can disrupt disrupt blood sugar control.

palmi: 13:23

That is because typically a lot of alcoholic drinks are have sugar in them as part of their fermentation or flavoring properties. Some alcohol is worse than others. But just like some uh vegetables are better than others to eat.

Kevin: 13:46

And just so you know where you are at in your sugar level levels, you should monitor them. Regular check-ins with your health care provider can keep track of that. But there's also Kevin monitors himself his is it two or three times a week? Twice, twice a week, yeah, yeah.

palmi: 14:03

And just for the record, uh this year I've been using the uh video to advertise our upcoming episodes. I'll do sugar test, and all of you guys that are listening will know why. And yes, I'm clumsy, I drop things, I throw them in the air by accident. It should be entertaining.

Kevin: 14:31

You don't have to pay extra for that.

palmi: 14:33

No, that's a freebie.

Kevin: 14:36

So diabetes is linked to several other health conditions. It's off off often times when you get diabetes, it leads to other diseases. Um, it's a complex web of interactions, and these no these are notable correlations for like cardiovascular disease. Diabetes significantly reduces the risk, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke due to the impact of blood vessels and cholesterol levels. Kidney disease, of course, because high blood sugar levels can damage kidneys over time and lead to diabetic neuropathy. Eye conditions, diabetic diabetes can cause diabetic neuropathy, cataracts, glaucoma, and potential lead to vision loss. Mental health. There is a relationship between diabetes and mental health conditions because of diabetes uh depression and anxiety. Measuring diabetes can be stressful. Mental health challenges can affect the blood sugar control, nerve damage, diabetic neuropathy is a common complication causing pain, numbless, and weakness, especially in the extremities. I know there's quite a few people that have had, my mom was one of them. She was diabetic for a very long time, and they were always threatening to cut off her toes because she had no feeling in them, and that's just horrible to think about. I know there's a lot of people that have their toes, their toes removed because of it. Obesity and um metabolic syndrome, these conditions often coexist with diabetes, creating a cycle of insulin resistance and further health complications. So the history of insulin is a fascinating journey of scientific discovery and medical uh breakthroughs. The early uh in eighteen eighty-nine, a researcher, Oskar Minsk Minoski and Joseph Van Muring, discovered that removing the pancreas from dogs caused diabetes, linking the pancreas to blood sugar regulations. The discovery of insulin in 1921 from Frederick Banning and Charles Best successfully extracted insulin from a dog's pancreas. This marked a turning point in diabetes treatments. The first human use in 1922 was a 14-year-old boy named Leonard Thomas, who became the first person to receive insulin rejection insulin injections. His blood sugar levels dropped dramatically and saved his life. Mass production, shortly after its discovery, pharmaceutical companies began to produce insulin in large scales, making it widely available to patients. Modern advancements over the years, insulin has evolved from animal derived extracts to synthetics and genetically engineered forms, improving its safety and effectiveness. Insulin discovery has saved countless lives and remained one of the most significant medical advancements in the 20th century.

palmi: 18:00

Fun fact the uh two scientists that uh discovered insulin and saved the boy's life did not patent it. They decided for the greater good of all men that they would just give this to the world and not profit from it. The patent was, however, shortly thereafter grabbed by pharmaceutical companies, which is why the price of insulin has been going up over the years to the point where they profit greatly from it. I think uh one of the things that President Biden did was uh allow Medicare to uh negotiate the price. I think insulin was in that first group of drugs they could negotiate for. So it sounds like thirty-five dollars a month versus like a thousand.

Kevin: 19:09

Medicaid coverage varies by state, so it's best to check the if you're in Missouri, um, the Medicare or Medicaid policies and speak with your local pharmacy or health care provider. I know our local um pharmacies provide kits free of charge. Uh in most cases, it's at no out-of-pocket expenses as long as the CGM meets the coverage requirement.

palmi: 19:37

Uh the CGM is something you have to have a prescription for.

Kevin: 19:42

What does CGM stand for, Kev?

palmi: 19:44

Continuous glucose monitor.

Kevin: 19:47

Oh, I see.

palmi: 19:48

It's uh what for example, if I had it, I'd know right away if I ate something that was causing my sugar to go higher than normal.

Kevin: 19:58

Uh-uh. Because it's not like have you looked into the VA to see if they would cover it?

palmi: 20:04

Uh Medicaid doesn't, so misery, so I don't know. Uh Medicare does though. But uh again, I wouldn't have a prescription because I'm pre-diabetic.

Kevin: 20:21

So But you know, I've seen on some uh web uh Facebook pages where they actually you don't have to be a diabetic, you can just it's a lot of fitness. Uh there's one for like a fitness people that want to know what their blood sugar levels are and stuff like that. Well, I wonder how much that would be.

palmi: 20:38

You can't do that with continuous glucose moders like uh Dix Cobb or Freestyle Libre. I think uh the moders that are talking about are the ones that are like not as invasive and not as accurate. For example, the uh uh Fitbits or health-oriented watches you can wear. Some of them have a blood glucose monitor on it.

Kevin: 21:12

Yeah, mine does. My Apple does. Yeah, it's just not I don't know how accurate it is, though.

palmi: 21:18

It's just not as accurate as say a uh when you break your figure and you actually get the blood, yeah. Glucose monitor to check your glucose level.

Kevin: 21:31

So the the newest thing I've been seeing on this um media is the link between diabetes and dementia. Have you seen that? I have heard about it, but so there's studies that link a strong has a strong link between diabetes, particularly uh type 2 diabetes, and the increase of developing uh dementia, including Alzheimer's and vascular dementia, because of the blood vessel damage that diabetes causes. There and also the damage that increase that it causes increased risk of stroke, which also increases uh dementia demential ish issues. So they're investigating that now. Insulin resistance in the brain can affect brain cell abilities to use the sugar for energy, potentially leading to brain cell dis uh dysfunction and damage and increasing the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. In most cases with the diabetes, you also have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which are also links to the high dementia.

palmi: 22:41

Those are all high incidences that increase because they probably affect your cardiovascular system.

Kevin: 22:50

Correct, which then affects your brain. So same same thing. It's uh recommended, you know, a healthier lifestyle, engaging in physical activity, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep and managing your stress would help lower the dementia risks. I didn't realize there was a ri uh a link between that and and it's just been being released lately that there is that. Now you were talking then at the beginning about the new um type 5 diabetes. Correct. So you said that it was most recent, and it is uh in the diabetic foundation IDF, the World Diabetic Congress in 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, the IDF President Peter Schwartz announced the launch of a working group to develop a formal diagnostic criteria criteria and therapeutic guidelines for a type of diabetes linked to the malnutrition that was formally classified as type 5 diabetes during the international meeting of experts in India earlier this year. The working group is also establishing a global research registration and developing educational models to train healthcare professionals. And that seems to be more linked in third world countries.

palmi: 24:16

Yeah, I could see by uh I would imagine that might be a big consideration, say, in uh a developing country where part of your diet is corrupted. It's probably really important there are certain items that go along with the aid you may get for uh to ease your starvation.

Kevin: 24:45

Well, I think a lot of that they it does have high it does have protein in it, but a lot of it they depend on is carbs, is uh, you know, a massive amount of carbs to keep them full and you know, their bellies full. The c the um it is estimated that between 20 to 25 million people worldwide, primarily in areas such as Asia and Africa, uh it will that it's affecting those people. It recognized the marks a potential movement in the understanding of diabetes and how the condition affects lean and malnutrition teens and young adults in low or medium income countries. The concept of type 5 diabetes refers to severe insulin deficient diabetes, SIDD, characterized by elevated levels of insulin deficiency and poor melodiotic control. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 5 diabetes, also known as malnutrition-related diabetes, is commonly caused by chronic undernutrition, especially during childhood or adolescence. Type 1 diabetes is the result of an autoimmune deficiency of insulin-producing cells. Type 2 diabetes characterized by the body's inability to use the insulin it produces, but type 5 diabetes is distinctive. It is believed to stem from the impaired pancreate development during a long-term nutrition deficiency. Although type 5 diabetes has been exerved over seven years, it has been largely overlooked in the global health discussion. The condition was once first noted in the mid-20th century and often often miscategorized as type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Previous prevailed theories suggested the condition developed due to insulin resistance. In the recent years, newly researched new root uh led by Dr. Hawkins confirmed this distance melobotic profile. People with type 5 diabetes are insulin deficient but not insulin resistant. Many may be able to maintain their diabetes with oral medicine rather than the injections of insulin. Given that type 5 diabetes is mostly found in low resource settings, this cost-effective approach can prove important in regions already struggling to tackle the rising number of people living with that condition. The recognition of type 5 diabetes marks a historical shift in how we approach diabetes globally. For too long, the condition has gone unrecognized, affecting millions of people and depriving them of the access to adapted care. With the launch of type 5 diabetes working group, we are talking decisive steps to correct this. This is about equality, silent science, and saving lives.

palmi: 27:49

So it's too bad we can't get all the people with type 1 or UC extra insulin being produced by type 5 diabetics and problem solved.

Kevin: 28:04

I don't think it works that way, Kevin. You're right. Good use of resources, though. So our plan for you, and the other thing I when researching this, we've done a lot of research space because it affects us. So we've done a lot of research on this. It also has a lot to do with the water that you drink. I think right now we're fighting numbers. Um, we were down really good to 112, 110, something like that about two months ago. A lot is stress oriented too. His mom is uh fighting cancer, and there's been a lot of stress in your life lately. So um I think that has a lot to do with it, but I think you've stopped drinking as much water as you used to. So they say you should drink the many as the ounces should be half your weight. So you weigh what did they say you weighed your last one?

palmi: 28:56

155.

Kevin: 28:58

So you should so what's half of 150?

palmi: 29:03

Uh 75.

Kevin: 29:05

So you should drink 75 ounces a day. Do you drink 75 ounces a day?

palmi: 29:10

How big are these water jugs?

Kevin: 29:13

30.

palmi: 29:15

Close to that, I drink two. That's 60. At least in two inch is the way you put it.

Kevin: 29:23

Yeah. So you think you're making your 70?

palmi: 29:29

I think I'll probably less than 70, but it's strong close.

Kevin: 29:35

So that should be our goal is to work towards the full 75. Yeah. I know that's the hardest thing for me to do is drink water.

unknown: 29:45

I don't like water.

Kevin: 29:47

Before I got onto this weight, my weight thing, I don't think I ever drunk drank a glass of water on its own. I didn't like soda, but I would drink iced tea or s um not sweetened, because I don't I'm not a southerner. I drink my tea like it should be drank. Not sweet.

palmi: 30:06

It should be drank, sweet dear.

Kevin: 30:08

No, it shouldn't. Yes, it should. You can't taste the taste of tea.

palmi: 30:12

Listeners, don't let anybody tell you you shouldn't drink sweet tea.

Kevin: 30:17

Come on, northerners. Let's go. Let's smoke for unsweet tea with a little lemon. Anyways, that's our struggles. If life gives you lemon, make lemonade. We'll go with lemonade. Let's do lemonade.

palmi: 30:31

Well, unfortunately, lemonade has a lot of sugar.

Kevin: 30:36

We're using monk fruit.

palmi: 30:38

Yeah, I read somewhere that uh using uh artificial sweeteners is bad for you. But I didn't read the article. Monk fruit is all natural and it doesn't well uh I think what does a stevia gets bitter when you cook with it.

Kevin: 31:00

Yeah, I don't like the stevia. But you know, I grow that, I grow it in my garden, and when I use it straight, when I just put it, pick it a leaf and I eat the leaf or I put it in my drink, straight into the drink, it is not bitter. But if I process it, grind it up, or let it dry out and grind it up, then it does get bitter. I don't understand the the coordination there, but core correlation there, but um, I don't know why it gets bitter, but it does. But if I drink eat it straight out of the garden, it's not bitter. Must be the processing that makes it bitter. I don't know.

palmi: 31:35

I really couldn't tell you that much. I have had Stevie with monk stuff. It's fun. Yeah. I just I'm trying to think of what the cost is.

Kevin: 31:51

It's really hard to find monk fruit that doesn't have other um stuff in it, though. What it's it's hard to find just monk fruit without they've always add different sweeteners in there.

palmi: 32:02

Yeah, I'm guessing that uh again, this is a wild guest, so don't crucify me over this. But you see, diet sodas are supposed to be saccharin free and sucrose. No, what's the other one? Artificial sweeter. They play saccharine with this other one.

Kevin: 32:29

Yeah, I forget it what it's called. It starts with the X ultra sweet. Yeah, the X one.

palmi: 32:35

But uh they would I imagine the stevia now.

Kevin: 32:42

No, there's very few that have stevia in it. There is one brand that does have stevia in it, but it didn't taste good. I tried it and didn't taste good. But you you do the probiotic sodas poppy, and that has a few that does have real sugar in it, but a very few amounts, uh like under five grams.

palmi: 33:02

It's got uh it's kind of like flavored soad water, really. Right. If you're expecting the grape-flavored poppies to taste like grape soda, grape vinha, whatever you call it, it's just not gonna it's got a lighter, but it has nowhere near the sugar in it either. Yeah, because they don't add a whole lot of flavoring to it.

Kevin: 33:32

Right. And it's probiotic, so it helps your gut too. All right, are we clear are we done for this week?

palmi: 33:42

Well, we need to do a little bit of housekeeping. Fan mail, if you live in the US, it should be free. If you live elsewhere, send us an email. Email is free. If you're gonna you shout out, give us a name. Otherwise, we don't know who you are. If you're sending us email, again, send us a name. Otherwise, we don't know who you are, and don't be concerned about sending us email. We don't have email marketing, so it's not gonna like we're not gonna flood your uh spam folder with a bunch of crap you don't want. If you want to contribute to our uh show financially and help us wave her equipment subscriptions, etc., you can do so on our webpage, which is www.when life gives you lemons. 3 www.whenlife gives you lemons dot net.

Kevin: 35:00

And you also have a Facebook page now.

palmi: 35:03

Yeah, but I don't know the URL. You can uh go from my page to the that page if you want, but I'll I'll make sure to get a scrap of paper from me with that next time so I can let you know what the URL is.

Kevin: 35:21

Okay, see you next time.

palmi: 35:23

Bye everybody. I remember to make lemonade out of all those lemons you have to deal with. Hey yo, it's Kevin. I wanna ask you for a favor. Pombi's out in the backyard, so I can talk without fear of interrupting me. I have a super secret slash homework assignment for ya. What I'd like you to do is use fan mail to answer the following question for once and for all sweet tea or unsweet tea. Thanks. Till next episode, take those lemons and make your own lemonade.