God's Amazing Body and Science - Part 5

 

Medicines and how they can help

Yep, you heard it here folks - I am going to give some credit to the medicines and the ones we take.  I have stated before and you can see if previous posts, I believe in medicines - I just choice to avoid them if possible.  Then I have to hope I am not doing any damage to myself.

FBS - 106 this morning.

I have to get a new blood pressure monitor - mine is broken.

Before going to far, it is Sunday and we must give thanks to our higher power for the great things we have.  But most importantly, I ask that you raise your thoughts and prayers to your higher power for diabetics everywhere.  I am lucky - I have diabetes and that is just about it.  The rest of my body functions near normal, I guess.  There are so many diabetics that have other complications and the medicines they take for their other ailments actually increase their blood sugar level.

I have also been introduced to a nice individual in the ADA community and her mother " began taking Vascepa (which controls her triglycerides and inflammation markers in her blood) but had to stop as insurance wont cover it due to the FDA's actions regarding this drug.  It was really helping with her feet.  She can hardly walk now"   She has reached out to the community to gain some support for this medicine and I have signed the pledge.  If it is in your heart - please sign the pledge at http://epadruginitiative.com/.

Thanks for the support and help of a fellow diabetic.

Two Main Body Organs

We have looked at many different aspects of blood sugar and the impact of our bodies.  We have also looked at how our bodies utilize blood sugars.  Let's take a closer look at the two main body parts that help control blood sugar levels, the liver and the pancreas.

The Live Functions

The liver has several functions:

It regulates the composition of blood, including the amounts of sugar (glucose), protein, and fat that enter the bloodstream.

It removes bilirubin, ammonia, and other toxins from the blood. (Bilirubin is a by-product of the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells.)

It processes most of the nutrients absorbed by the intestines during digestion and converts those nutrients into forms that can be used by the body. The liver also stores some nutrients, such as vitamin A, iron, and other minerals.

It produces cholesterol and certain important proteins, such as albumin.

It produces clotting factors, chemicals needed to help blood clot.

It breaks down (metabolizes) alcohol and many drugs.

So the one we are most interested in is the regulation of sugar in the body.

The Pancreas Functions

The pancreas is an organ located in the abdomen. It plays an essential role in converting the food we eat into fuel for the body's cells. The pancreas has two main functions: an exocrine function that helps in digestion and an endocrine function that regulates blood sugar.

Exocrine Function: The pancreas contains exocrine glands that produce enzymes important to digestion. When food enters the stomach, these pancreatic juices are released into a system of ducts that culminate in the main pancreatic duct. The pancreatic duct joins the common bile duct to form the ampulla of Vater which is located at the first portion of the small intestine, called the duodenum. The common bile duct originates in the liver and the gallbladder and produces another important digestive juice called bile. The pancreatic juices and bile that are released into the duodenum, help the body to digest fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Endocrine Function: The endocrine component of the pancreas consists of islet cells that create and release important hormones directly into the bloodstream. Two of the main pancreatic hormones are insulin, which acts to lower blood sugar, and glucagon, which acts to raise blood sugar. Maintaining proper blood sugar levels is crucial to the functioning of key organs including the brain, liver, and kidneys.

Once again I have to say I am completely amazed when people think our bodies morphed from tiny cells.  A great mind had to put this together - it did not just happen and it did not formulate itself.

Medicine To The Rescue.

We know there are times our bodies just cannot work as designed - like an engine that is not tuned or has a belt problem.  We need to take care of it and send it to the mechanic.  Our body mechanics are scientist and doctors.  Thank God for them.

metForm

This is the most common medicine for diabetes.  I will focus on it today just as how science is working.

Metformin ( pronounced /mɛtˈfɔrmɨn/, met-FAWR-min; sold as Glucophage) is an oral antidiabetic drug in the biguanide class. It is the first-line drug of choice for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in particular, in overweight and obese people and those with normal kidney function.  Its use in gestational diabetes has been limited by safety concerns. It is also used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, and has been investigated for other diseases where insulin resistance may be an important factor. Metformin works by suppressing glucose production by the liver.

First synthesized and found to reduce blood sugar in the 1920s, metformin was forgotten for the next two decades as research shifted to insulin and other antidiabetic drugs. Interest in metformin was rekindled in the late 1940s after several reports that it could reduce blood sugar levels in people, and in 1957, French physician Jean Sterne published the first clinical trial of metformin as a treatment for diabetes. It was introduced to the United Kingdom in 1958, Canada in 1972, and the United States in 1995. Metformin is now believed to be the most widely prescribed antidiabetic drug in the world; in the United States alone, more than 48 million prescriptions were filled in 2010 for its generic formulations.

New metformin combo drug

Metformin is popular as the co-ingredient in several drugs for type 2 diabetes, and a new one is now in the pipeline and on course for approval by the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. The new drug is called Xigduo, and it represents the first time metformin (which is in the drug class biguanide) has been combined with a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, dapagliflozin (Forxiga). 

Science just keeps trying to get better and I appreciate them for it.

Special Medical Professionals

I could not talk about medicines without talking about my favorite pharmacist - Suzy Cohen.  Suzy is trying to do so much for us diabetics and it is not all medicine related.  She is trying to educate us on so many topics and how medicines may actually be harmful to our bodies.

I urge you to get her book and visit her on-line at http://www.dearpharmacist.com/ .  She covers how to live drug free, headaches, and many other day-to-day complications.

She is a must in your library and knowledge bank.

God grant us the ability to know our body and its different functions.  Grant us the ability to give it what it needs and what you designed it to need.  Thank you for this wonderful body and we appreciate it very much and those mechanics who help us take care of it.

Bob,