Vapers Can Draw Inspiration from this Type 1 Diabetes Story: We Are Not Waiting

 

Vapers, I hope you are inspired by the following story.  It’s about how do-it-yourselfers in the Type 1 diabetes community have achieved advances in treatment that are entirely independent of the medical and pharmaceutical industries, and of FDA regulation.  The manner in which these advancements were obtained mirrors how DIYs in the smoking community have promoted vaping devices that are substantially replacing deadly cigarettes.

People with Type 1 diabetes (PWDs for short) lack a functioning pancreas, making them reliant on a continuous external source of insulin.  There have been considerable advances in managing Type 1 over the past two decades, including better forms of insulin, small wearable pumps that provide the essential hormone 24/7, and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) – tiny sensors that provide blood sugar levels day and night.  Remarkable as these advances are, PWDs must still be on guard 24/7 – even in the middle of the night – to maintain a normal blood sugar range.  With Type 1, blood sugar levels can soar or plunge in an instant.  Too much time at the high end can damage blood vessels, kidneys and other organs, while low blood sugars can trigger brain shutdown, coma and even death.

Of late, PWDs were convinced that insulin pumps and CGMs could be integrated into an “artificial pancreas”, but device manufacturers and the FDA were not moving fast enough.  In response, DIYs went into action (as described in a recent article in Healthline), and in 2013 the hashtag #WeAreNotWaiting became “the rally cry of folks in the diabetes community who are taking matters into their own hands by developing platforms, apps, and cloud-based solutions, and reverse-engineering existing products,” with a focus on developing an artificial pancreas.

Artificial pancreas systems (insulin pump, CGM and controller) have been available for several years.  One app, called Loop, is used by 10-15,000 people worldwide (here).  In my own 18-month experience with it I have found it truly life-changing.    

A DIY artificial pancreas program called Tidepool has just been submitted for FDA review.  If approved, it would be the first DIY product to have passed FDA scrutiny.  PWDs are hopeful, but those already using artificial pancreas solutions will never give them up.

 The reason this story is important for vapers is that you have been using unapproved devices as substitutes for cigarettes in order to lead longer and healthier lives.  Like PWDs, you are not waiting for FDA-approved options to step away from the fire. 

E-cigarettes and vapor products are scheduled for daunting reviews by the FDA, but vapers, you have demonstrated that, in order to quit smoking and stay smoke-free, you are not waiting.  Take heart with this diabetes story.

 

 

 

Good News You Never Knew About Life Expectancy in the U.S.

The National Center for Health Statistics in May released final data on life expectancy and deaths in the U.S. for the year 2007 (read it here). It is an extraordinary report, because it further documents that Americans continue to live longer and healthier lives, year after year.

Compared with 2006, the age-adjusted death rate from all causes declined 2.1% in 2007. This is an extraordinary single-year decline, and it was driven by impressive reductions in five of the top 10 causes of death, as noted in the table.







Top Ten Causes of Death, and Percentage Change from 2006 to 2007

Cause of Death	Percent Change From 2006
1. Heart Diseases	- 4.6
2. Cancer	- 1.3
3. Stroke	- 3.2
4. Respiratory Diseases	+ 0.7
5. Accidents	+ 0.5
6. Alzheimer’s Disease	+ 0.4
7. Diabetes	- 3.4
8. Influenza/pneumonia	- 9.0
9. Kidney Diseases	None
10. Blood Infection	None

Heart disease, accounting for about one-quarter of all American deaths, declined almost 5% in 2007, and stroke deaths dropped by over 3%. Deaths from cancer were down over 1%, and there were impressive declines for diabetes (-3.4%) and influenza/pneumonia (-9%). These aren’t just one-year wonders; declines have been occurring for 20 to 30 years.

Chances are that you knew nothing about these incredible statistics. That’s because the federal government and most health organizations cast every health issue as a crisis. They argue that Americans are in poor health and are being killed by obesity, as well as chemicals in our food and in our environment. They portray our health care system as ineffective. They don’t want you to know the truth: death rates for most major diseases continue to plummet.

The long-term decline in smoking is playing a role, especially in the impressive reductions in heart disease, cancer and stroke rates. But many Americans are also eating healthier foods, and using preventive medications like aspirin and statins (that lower cholesterol levels) to reduce risks. And the health care system is providing ever-improved treatments.

I offer the following example to illustrate that the decline in American death rates over the past couple decades is truly astounding: let’s compare 2007 with 1987. In 2007, the nation’s age-adjusted death rate for all causes was 760 deaths per 100,000, and a total of 2,423,712 Americans died. Just twenty years earlier, the age-adjusted death rate was 970, about 28% higher than 2007 but still far lower than in previous decades. If the 1987 rate had been effective in 2007, there would have been 669,000 more deaths!

The average life expectancy at birth for the U.S. population in 2007 was the highest in history at 77.9 years, an increase of 0.2 year over the 2006 number. In other words, every American gained almost 2½ months of life expectancy in just one year! This is irrefutable evidence that our health and social system, despite its limitations, has sustained remarkable advances in the prevention and treatment of most life-threatening diseases, extending and improving the lives of millions of Americans.