The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 24, Number 5 | Page 28
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | May 2018
Ask the Physician
My brother’s doctor just told him he has “diabetes” and that he has to lose some of his belly and watch what he
eats—but what’s the big deal about it? You see commercials about drugs for diabetes and hear a lot of bad stuff
about it, but--he looks and sounds just the same as ever! Mike O., Voorhees
Mike, you have asked a question that I hear from many patients who have been recently diagnosed with this condition. Type 2
diabetes is a chronic disease resulting in too much sugar in the blood, or “high blood glucose.” People with type 2 diabetes make
insulin – which helps your cells turn glucose from the food you eat into energy -- but their cells don't use it as well as they
should, which is called insulin resistance.
Type 2 diabetes really is a BIG deal, which -- without proper medical treatment and consistent monitoring -- can lead to serious
health issues, such as:
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Heart attack
Stroke
Blindness
Kidney failure
Loss of toes, feet, or legs
If your brother lives in the area, I would be more than happy to see him—just contact the Deborah Specialty Physicians Diabetes
Center office at 212 Trenton Road, Browns Mills, NJ (609.621.2075).
Jenine Vecchio, MD, FACE
Attending Endocrinologist
Deborah Specialty Physicians Diabetes Center
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