Dominicans are being encouraged to improve their health for longevity.
This advice came from Consultant Endocrinologist Dr. Natasha Maxime-Esprit who was the guest speaker at The Dominica Diabetes Association (DOMDA) during a press conference held in observance of World Diabetes Day on Thursday.
Diabetes is one of the four major types of non-communicable diseases. It is a chronic condition that occurs when the body either does not produce enough insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin it does produce. Diabetes therefore results in raised blood sugar levels which, if not controlled, over time lead to serious damage to many of the body’s systems.
“Some, especially the younger generation simply do not care,” Dr. Maxime-Esprit remarked. “We live life like we own tomorrow, we do not pay attention to our health unless we are sick and even then once the illness is resolved our health is placed on the back burner.”
According to her, Dominica is equipped with the necessary resources to prevent diabetes.
“We have access to public health staff free of charge, we have access to healthy foods, we have areas where we can comfortably go walking or swimming, some form of exercise, yet still how many of us are taking the necessary steps to maintain a healthy lifestyle?” She asked. “When was your last doctor’s visit? When was your last blood test? When was the last time you measured your blood pressure and blood sugar levels?”
Dr. Maxime-Esprit said another issue is non-compliance. That is, “Patients who do not follow the dietary, nor chronological guidelines given by the healthcare provider.”
She took time out to encourage those suffering from type 1 diabetes who are often left behind as focus is placed on type 2.
Dr. Maxime-Esprit explained that type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas produces little to no insulin. “These clients are normally diagnosed during childhood,” she stated.
She continued, “If you or your child suffer from type 1 diabetes please seek specialized care as we have seen an increase in complications due to poor management.”
Furthermore, she encourages Dominicans to work together with one mindset to fight against diabetes, as they did during COVID-19.
“Just as we did with COVID-19, if we work together with one mindset and give to diabetes its due respect as we did to the prevention and management of COVID, we will be successful, “ Dr. Maxime-Esprit encouraged. “However, we must begin with introspection.”
Her advice to the general public is to make it their mission to find someone who suffers from diabetes and be a source of encouragement and those who are diabetic, find a source of motivation, “Be it spiritual, your children, your desire to live a long, healthy life.”
“Diabetes is not a death sentence, it can be managed,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Dr. Maxime-Esprit warns that heavy consumption of alcohol is not good for one’s health.
“It’s not like we do not know. We know that heavy consumption of alcohol is not good for us,” she remarked. “I guarantee you that the heavy consumption of alcohol now in your 20s, you might be fortunate enough to not feel the effects, but just wait till you get [to] 50 or 60.”
She added, “That’s what we are seeing now. People come in with chronic kidney failure, end-stage renal failure in their 50s and in their 60s and it’s basically the consequence of the lifestyle that they lived when they were younger.”
She said stress and the lack of sleep can influence diabetes, and emphasized that what is described as “the sewo culture” in Dominica is not helping the situation. She expressed the view that it boils down to making wise choices.
“It is a matter of making wise choices and being responsible,” Dr. Maxime-Esprit advised.
“We don’t only think of today, we have to think of tomorrow…You don’t want to be in your 50s or 60s having to go through these complications…” she concluded.
So, to the fool who read all of my comments, and gave me thumbs down on all of my comments regarding what I said (disclosed on the subject of diabetes, I can tell right now, that you are a confounded idiot!
You know why?
Everything I wrote is out of medical science, not they say or from any gossip forum! Anyway one professing to be a medical doctor and try to contradict my comments would have to be a fool, and not just an ordinary fool, but a damn fool indeed!
Unless they can produce new research that can prove me wrong, there is nothing they can say that can refute what is a medical scientific truth!
I challenge you the idiot, to present your hypothesis, theory, and scientific conclusion on how you and your doctors managed to a way to prevent diabetes!
They say knowledge is power, and wisdom is strength: I don’t know if I have any power, but knowledgeable I am; as I said I am a health science major; and while you people in Dominica keep talking nonsense about preventing type l and type ll diabetes, none of you ever took the pleasure of talking about type 3 diabetes.
So, here is an introduction; if in Dominica you can prevent or cure type l and type ll, diabetes, perhaps you can add type 3 to your list also!
Here’s the introduction: Type 3 diabetes is a controversial name sometimes used to refer to Alzheimer’s disease, a type of progressive dementia. Strong links have been made between the two conditions, most notably that dementia may be triggered by a type of insulin resistance occurring specifically in the brain.
You see, in Dominica, it’s all about boiling bush and drink the chlorophyll which does nothing to the body except make the bowel move, shockingly, people who are suppose to be train doctors believe in such…
While you try to give people false information, and false hope, if you are a doctor, I am sure you are familiar with this bit of information that every Freshman Health Science Major should know: The pancreas gland secretes a variety of digestive enzymes into our gut through a tube, and for a long time was was thought to be solely an endocrine gland. Nevertheless, in the year 1869, a German medical student by the name of Paul Langerhans described some clusters of cells scattered throughout the pancreas. With that said let me take you to the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas produce two hormones that interact to govern the levels of glucose in the blood, insulin and glucagon. Since writing space is limited, I’ll take you to what happens when we eat: beta cells in the islets of Langerhans secrete insulin; which apart from other things regulates glucose in the system. In diabetics the islets of Langerhans are blocked, preventing the secretion.
I can detail it scientifically but..
“Furthermore, she encourages Dominicans to work together with one mindset to fight against diabetes, as they did during COVID-19.”
All of that in the quote is nothing more than hogwash okay!
What fight did any Dominican do to prevent all of us dying from Covid-19? You had better be happy that God had this young Black doctor whom he gave the knowledge to produce a vaccine. Note: https://abc7news.com/black-scientist-dr-kizzmekia…
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a Black scientist from North Carolina …
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a research fellow and scientific lead at the National Institute of Health, is on the frontlines working with a team of scientists, studying Moderna’s.
Without that young girl more than half the world population would have died, so don’t talk any crap about Dominicans joined to fight Covid-19, how did they fight it with, mouth talk?
People checks into your hospitals, for simply medical conditions, and comes out in body bags, yet you all knows how to prevent..
Dr. Maxime-Esprit explained that type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas produces little to no insulin. “These clients are normally diagnosed during childhood,” she stated. She continued, “If you or your child suffer from type 1 diabetes please seek specialized care as we have seen an increase in complications due to poor management.”Maxine, all of that is true, but type ll diabetes is also chronic, as you may know it is a chronic, and progressive disease! If not constantly treated, and manage it damages the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and blood vessels too!While you are talking, you have not mentioned a single word about ones Hemoglobin A1c which one must try to maintain at a certain, level nor other body chemicals. You as an endocrinologists, should ensure your diabetic patients visit you every two months. You need to check their liquid panel w/Reflex D-Ldl, Triglycerides, and even cholesterol total. Your theory of prevention is false: it can be treated.
Natasha, of all the native (locally) born Dominica doctors, I’ve held a certain amount of respect for you, not because you are special, nevertheless; because of you specializing in the medical field of endocrinology. Nevertheless, I must inform you that your idea that diabetes can be prevented, is false; if not an outright lie! Mind you I have a background in medicine, as I majored in health science, although I dropped out prior to graduating! One of the reasons I dropped out is because I am plagued by that very disease. For your information, my entire family (generation), Telemaque, Dodds, (Dods) Alfred, and Valmond, and others all have diabetes, that is an indication it must be a heredity disease: I was born diabetic, it is in peoples deoxyribonucleic acid, “DNA.” If you are what I believe you are professionally, tell me if the disease is genetic, how can you prevent something which is in ones DNA?
Try not to embarrass yourself, you can’t prevent it unless a cure is found!
Stress and lack of sleep are the most important factors in the diagnosis/root problem. Yet do the consultants describe the “STRESS” – “NO”. Food only does not make one sick. More people are sick because of the negative stress that is attached to everyone by the inter-relationships. We are all connected and we all have issues. Some more than others.
Let us start a conversation about the “stress” involvement, and see the miracles of good health in our nation of Dominica.
All of the above is nonsensical talk! There’s no medical science to support that.
What is knowledge is that some people become diabetic after suffering some form of trauma or traumatic event!
However, it is believed such people were predisposed, and at some point would have become diabetic.
So why she looking like she need to go on a diet herself? Like she eating all the starchy carbs slobbered in gravy? Is one thing to get up on podium and say all the buzz words like how we love doing here, is another to lead by shining example. Just saying she looks fat. hope she thinking of tomorrow too.