Myths & Facts About Insulin

Insulin is a hormone which is responsible for regulating the blood sugar levels in the body. It helps in keeping your blood sugar level from getting too high or too low. If it’s not produced enough or the body’s capability to absorb it weakens then it can lead to diabetes.
 
While, millions of diabetic patients across the world are dependent on insulin, there are still others who don’t consider using it as a good idea. Why? Perhaps, a number of myths around insulin are clogging their mind. Let’s bust these myths and know the real facts better.
 
Myth 1   
You are likely to gain weight due to insulin

Fact 1 
Some people who start using insulin may gain weight, but this is not true in every case. The insulin therapy itself does lead to increase in weight. Reason behind this weight gain can be that your diabetic treatment is working, and the body is beginning to process blood glucose more normally.

Myth 2
All diabetic patients need insulin

Fact 2
It is not necessary that all diabetic patients will need insulin. People with type 1 diabetes (about 5% to 10% of diabetics) do need insulin. Type 2 diabetic patients (about 90% to 95% of all people with diabetes) may not need insulin. The goal remains to keep the blood sugar level in the safe zone by taking the required measures.

Myth 3
Insulin injections are too painful

Fact 3
With tremendous improvement in technology, small fine needles have been designed so the insulin injections are close to being painless. In fact, some people find the finger pricks used for measuring blood glucose levels more hurtful than insulin injections.

Myth 4 
You have to use insulin for lifetime

Fact 4 
Again this is not a necessity. A few patients with type 2 diabetes may need insulin temporarily, whereas some of them may need to stay on it indefinitely. Mostly, it depends on how much damage diabetes has caused to the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

Myth 5
Oral medications are any day better than insulin

Fact 5 
Of course, oral diabetic medications can be of great help in lowering your blood sugar level. However, they might not work for everyone. For example, a certain diabetic pill might work well for a patient but it might not respond similarly for another patient. In such cases, the use of insulin cannot be overlooked.

So, don’t stay confused anymore, and also consult your doctor to make an informed decision about insulin use.