Cure hope over diabetes therapy (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

A pioneering treatment for diabetes is being rolled out across the country with experts believing it could eventually lead to a cure.

Six centres are receiving nearly £10m of government funding to offer transplants of insulin-producing cells.

The technique has been used on a handful of patients already to reduce the risks of coma-inducing blood sugar attacks in people with type 1 diabetes.
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The procedure involves obtaining cells - known as islet cells - from the pancreas of a dead donor and injecting them into the patient's liver.
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However, the patients need to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives and it is likely re-transplants will be likely in the future as doctors do not expect the hypoglycaemia protection to last for ever.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7238418.stm

Definitely a work in progress. Doesn't sound like it will be a sure fix very soon, but hopeful just the same.

[cloudythescribbler]

1. sounds icky but if it works .../what about if you have type 2 (like me)?

[Celebration]

2. it is definitely not all it is cracked up to be

This has been done for a few years in Canada (started in Edmonton) and the USA. The JDRF has even spent tens of millions of dollars setting up transplant centers, before this was really proven. Most people have to go back on insulin again, probably because the immunosuppressant drugs are actually toxic to the beta cells. And there aren't enough islets except for about 1% of the Type 1s. Then the drugs kill the islets. Anyway, some are off insulin for awhile, but that is about it.

[grasswire]

3. I read an odd thing in Dr. Bernstein's book...

.....he reports that having a pint of blood drawn every couple of months will totally bring blood sugars down in normal range. That was astounding to me. He says diabetics can't donate blood, so it would have to be drawn by some other hematologist or phlebotomist.

Ever heard of anything like that? If it works, I'm amazed that millions of people aren't solving their problem that way.

[Celebration]

4. Haven't heard that

I do know that hemochromatosis (iron storage) is often a problem in diabetes, and that is the treatment for that. He has a pretty good/active message board. Have you visited that?

[trotsky]

5. Bernstein is full of shit.

About a lot of things, actually. And on this in particular. Diabetics can most certainly donate blood.