The immune system is amazingly complex and only partially understood. The primary job of the immune system, of course, is to rid the body of foreign invaders, be they bacteria, viruses, parasites, or even cancer cells. One of the most enduring mysteries in immunology is how the body learns to …

One of the most feared complications of diabetes is end-stage renal (kidney) disease (ESRD). This condition, which requires either dialysis or kidney transplantation, is reached in about 10% of patients with type 2 diabetes and in 20% of type 1 diabetics. Type 2 diabetes still accounts for the majority of …

One of the most frustrating things about diabetes is the myriad of ways it can hurt you. Regular readers of this Viewpoint know that patients with diabetes are more prone to heart attacks, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease, as well as damage to the eyes, nerves, and kidney. As if …

Regular readers of this column in Diabetes In Control know that I’m pretty much a one-trick pony when it comes to diabetes. “Control is King” is my motto, and helping you to get there quickly and safely is what this is all about. Several studies performed in both type 1 …

In the past several months I’ve written a few pieces about immunomodulation of type 1 diabetes, or attempts to suppress the immune attack on insulin-producing beta cells. These studies have involved compounds that rein in the immune system in a more or less specific way, and all have been tested …

Some people just can’t catch a break. For years now, physicians have been telling patients that normal blood pressure is anything below 140/90, and if you fell below this number you were A-OK in the blood pressure department. Well, some of these folks probably got a rude surprise if they …

ACE inhibitors, are used to reduce blood pressure in patients with hypertension. ACE inhibitors are also known to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetic kidney disease, and it is for this reason that many physicians (myself included) use ACE inhibitors liberally in people with both diabetes and high blood pressure. …

Traditionally, medications come from any of several classes of small molecules, like amino acids, steroids, or small lipids. Such agents are relatively easy to put into tablets, and generally they are not destroyed by acid in the stomach before they can be absorbed. Proteins, on the other hand, present a …

Low levels of vitamin D have long been known to predispose to osteoporosis and rickets in children. It’s for this reason that mothers used to spoon feed cod liver oil, a rich source of vitamin D, to their unwilling children. Nowadays we supplement milk products with extra vitamin D, sparing …

A cynical oncologist once told me that his goal was to help patients to live long enough to die of a heart attack. A cardiologist who was there retorted that he was aiming to let his patients live long enough to get hit by a bus Not the most compassionate …