Top Secret

I like secrets. We all do. Tell me something that nobody else knows and I feel special, and for some very strange reason empowered. I also like to keep secrets. I just figure it's for me to know sooner than others for some reason; and not my job to share the secret.

But, there is one I really need to tell you. And - you need to know it.

The measles has been in the news this year. Outbreaks surprised people because we thought it was under control due to a proactive vaccination program. In 2014 there were 644 cases of the measles - a huge increase when you look at the last fifteen years. Folks, this is the number of cases in one year. For most of those fifteen years, there were far fewer than 100 cases per year. Heck, we had done such a great job at eliminating the threat of the measles, a lot of doctors had never seen a case.

Okay, that was not the secret since it has been all over the news - and continues to be. Measles makes a comeback. 644 cases in all of 2014.

The secret? 641 deaths as a result of Diabetes EVERYDAY.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 234,051 deaths in the United States in 2010 which listed Diabetes as a factor leading to death on the Death Certificate. Yes, Diabetes can lead to death. In fact, it's the 7th Leading Cause of Death in the United States.

Deaths among people with diabetes, United States, 2010

• Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2010 based on the 69,071 death certificates in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death. In 2010, diabetes was mentioned as a cause of death in a total of 234,051 certificates.
• Diabetes may be underreported as a cause of death. Studies have found that only about 35% to 40% of people with diabetes who died had diabetes listed anywhere on the death certificate and about 10% to 15% had it listed as the underlying cause of death.
• In 2003–2006, after adjusting for population age differences, rates of death from all causes were about 1.5 times higher among adults aged 18 years or older with diagnosed diabetes than among adults without diagnosed diabetes.

You have to look for this information, which makes it kind of secret. Take a look at the last bullet point above...a pretty grim secret.

I hope you are still with me, because now is when it gets truly amazing and the bigger secret is revealed. Based on the number from 2010 - 234,051 - the following is true based on averages:

• 641 Deaths due to Diabetes EVERY DAY, Seven Days A Week
• 26.7 Deaths due to Diabetes EVERY HOUR, 24 Hours a Day
• One Death due to Diabetes EVERY 2.24 Minutes of Every Day of Every Week of Every Month of Every Year.

That is a very grim secret. We don't see it in headlines. We don't hear it being blared from the news. We don't see reporters agog (I have never used that word in a sentence before) and shocked over that kind of statistic. Therefore, I assume it's a secret.

But, those statistics do not have to remain true. You can fight Diabetes. You can control Diabetes. You can go to war and win. People are doing it everyday. If you have read some of my posts before, you know how - I don't keep that a secret - Diet, Exercise and Meds. That's it. That's how you win your War On Diabetes.

So, if you ever hear someone say, "Diabetes isn't serious," you know it's a lie.

Break the cycle. Live longer. Don't become a grim secret statistic. You CAN do it.

As always, thank you for reading...now take action, please.

- Phil Ruggiero

War on Diabetes