DEAR Dr. Fritz,
I hope this finds you well. I am Matthew. I have been diabetic for about 10 years now and on insulin twice a day. God knows how much I hate needles. I just hope that I can get rid of them for good. But, that’s wishful thinking. I just wonder if it’s possible that in the future, patients like me, who are on insulin can be needle-free.
I hope to hear from you. Thank you for your wonderful thoughts. More power.
Matthew 2000
***
Dear Matthew 2000,
I understand your plight. Who would in the right mind would want injections? Except if he or she is the one injecting, and not the one who will get them.
Let’s get to know insulin. This is the hormone that helps usher the sugar from foods you eat into your cells, so that they can be used as your body’s fuel. But, people with diabetes often lack the needed insulin to meet their body's needs.
But, why cannot we take them orally? Oral insulin is not available because insulin gets digested in the stomach. This is the reason why, insulin should be injected. But, injections could be dreadful which often leads people to skip their medication.
But, I have some good news for you. Recently, researchers in Harvard have discovered a way to deliver insulin in a pill - and so far, it seems that it works well - in rats. The researchers found that there was a sustained drop in blood sugar of up to 45 percent in the animals. It also lowered blood glucose for at least 12 hours.
Of course, more studies are needed to be done - with larger animals, before human trials could begin. That would be in about three to five years from now - if there will be no glitches.
Good luck!
Dr. Fritz
(Dr. Fritz Legarde Espedilla is an aesthetic dermatologist and surgeon and a clinical sexologist. She is also trained in hypnotherapy and Medical Acupuncture. She has been in the broadcast media for more than a decade and has written a book based on her 15 year stint with her radio program, “Healthy is Sexy Secrets ni Dr. Fritz.” She is also a faculty in a College of Pharmacy. For your questions, you may e-mail them to dokfritz@yahoo.com. If you don’t wish your letter to be published, we regret that we cannot answer them. Thank you for your understanding.)