Welcome to Sugar Matters!

Dear Fellow Vincentians, It is with great excitement that I put pen-to-paper for this introductory letter, kicking off our Diabetes Education Corner in the Searchlight newspaper. Many thanks to the Editor who gave me room to work on this dream.{{more}}

As many of you know, Diabetes is a serious problem in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and getting worse. I am certain that everyone reading this article knows someone who has Diabetes, more commonly known as “sugar.” But before we really get into details, we need to address our first issue: Who am I to be giving out advice in the first place? Many of you have no idea who I am, or remember me as a child, so let’s start fresh:

First of all, I am a Vincentian. I lived in St.Vincent until I graduated Girls’ High School, then moved to the US with my family to continue my education. As a Vincentian, I am very much aware of both the cultural aspects of food, as well as the food itself. I know only too well how hard it is to stop after just two (or 3 or 4) sugar apples, why warm coconut slice is the best thing at recess, and that black cake is the best part of Christmas dinner. Never mind passing the piece o’ pork, just pass the black cake please…

Second, I am a physician. I completed college, medical school, residency and specialty training in the US. I am now in a faculty position at a University hospital. My specialty training is in a field called Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. So I see A LOT of people with Diabetes, and basically any hormone problem you can think of: thyroid problem, no period, gaining weight, losing weight, hormone cancers, no sex drive, men with breasts, women with too much hair etc. I never have a boring day!

Thirdly, I have personal experience with Diabetes. Several of my family members have Diabetes, some controlled and others not. My sweet Grandmother suffered a major stroke that was related to her Diabetes. I myself had borderline Diabetes when I was pregnant, so I know what it is like to check your blood sugars 8 times a day.

This column is not meant to be a lecture, but rather a source of information and hopefully something that makes you think, and talk to your family, your doctors, and your friends. My information and advice will be general and not specific to one person, so please do not use this to pick fights with your own doctor! My hope is that you can use the information from this column to better educate yourself about this disease and perhaps become more proactive about your health. Diabetes is one of the few diseases over which you can have a great deal of control, and education is a large part. Hopefully I can help.

Anita Ramsetty, MD endodocs@endocrinehelp.com
Medical Director Endocrine Care Group
www.endocrinehelp.com