As of last Thursday the Solomon islands had officially recorded 4203 cases of Covid-19 having occurred in the country and the virus having been transmitted from its place of origin in Honiara to 6 of the 9 provinces.
Some deaths are also said to have occurred from the virus, mainly involving persons that had some pre-underlying health issues and possibly weakened immune systems to ward off the virus. I am not exactly sure, as I write today, of how many have died but all are regretted
The Solomon Islands MHMS and the government are working hard to roll out the range of WHO approved vaccines but there are still many citizens needing to get themselves fully vaccinated to reach herd immunity level of about 90 percent of the population, as is the case in places like Fiji and in Australia.
The SI Prime Minister has put himself at the front, along with the MHMS, in urging all unvaccinated citizens to get vaccinated and I have regularly supported such calls.
The arrival and widespread transmission of Covid-19 is serious but the reality is that NCDs are actually the leading cause of mortality in the Solomon Islands, with at least 60% of all deaths caused by cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and other types of NCDs.
It is known that the burden of NCDs has a long term cost on hospital admissions, the loss of a productive workforce and a negative impact on the limited economy and on the families who care for patients suffering from the consequences of NCDs.
Without losing sight of the crisis presently troubling the country with the unwelcome and burden of of having to contend with a coronavirus pandemic, I want to focus on diabetes and share some facts, as well as mention how Israel in particular is continuing to work towards finding a solution to the disease, if not a complete cure.
Firstly let me mention diabetes type 2 which is very common in the Solomon Islands. There are two primary and interrelated causes of type 2 diabetes. The first being the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of glucose in the bllodstream. The other being that the cells in our muscle, fat, and the liver become insulin rersistant and cannot take in the appropriate amount of sugar.
How can we treat type 2 diabetes?
While there is no one-size-fits-all treatment, most people manage type 2 diabetes with a mix of lifestyle changes and medications. Treatment decisions should always be made in partnership with your doctor. Some commonly recommended treatments include:
· Developing a healthy diet: Understanding the role of food in decreasing blood sugars and reducing insulin resistance can be a powerful way to treat diabetes.
· Adequate water intake: Drinking enough water can help the body flush out excess glucose—1.6 liters to 2 liters daily depending on the individual.
· Blood glucose monitoring: Check your blood sugar with a device such as a glucometer (if you can possibly buy one in the Solomon islands or purchase one outside the country The device can provide information in terms of levels of blood sugars. This can provide valuable information in assessing, creating goals and strategies in managing and improving blood sugars.
· Medication: If you cannot achieve target blood sugar levels with lifestyle changes, a doctor might be able to prescribe oral medication (e.g., Metformin) or insulin.
· Regular physical activity: Exercise can lower blood glucose levels and boost insulin sensitivity.
· Maintaining a healthy weight: Studies have shown, if overweight, reducing body weight by 5% can have an impact on lowering blood sugars.
· Stress management: Cortisol, a hormone that is released during stress, can also contribute to elevated blood sugars.
· Adequate sleep: Lack of sleep can affect blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity and may cause an increase in appetite leading to weight gain."
Is there a diabetes cure?
Up until now, there have been many ways to manage diabetes, but there has never been a cure. Yet this could be about to change. Israel-based researchers are working on developing a cure that could hit the market within the next few years. The research group, based in Jerusalem, is developing an artificial pancreas. Patients would receive a pancreas implantation connected to his or her blood vessels.
With this solution, the patient will never need to inject him or herself with insulin. The pancreas will monitor sugar levels. It will also release the right amount of insulin into the patient’s bloodstream.
The pancreas can be inserted into the body in an outpatient clinic using local anesthesia. This is possible since the pancreas functions as an autonomous organ. Therefore, it can be located anywhere in the body.
So far, animal trials have been completed and they are about to start with human trials within the next year or so.
Groundbreaking treatments for diabetics
The artificial pancreas isn’t the only solution for diabetics. Israeli researchers around the country have developed many other technologies to treat the disease.
Oramed Pharmaceuticals developed an insulin capsule that will replace the injection.
DarioHealth developed a personalized glucose-meter that uses an app to manage diabetes from a smartphone.
GlucoTrack has developed sensor clips that attach to the earlobe. This allows users to self-monitor glucose levels non-invasively. The unit also stores and compares previous readings.
There is a Sweetch app that predicts your personal diabetes risk. Since there are 79 million Americans and 63 million EU adults who are pre-diabetic, this technology is crucial in preventing cases developing into diabetes.
DreaMed developed an artificial pancreas which is integrated with an insulin pump, to provide continuous monitoring of sugar levels and adjustment of insulin.
There are many other examples of technologies that not only help manage diabetes symptoms but also work on preventing the disease in the first place. There is no current cure available on the market today. But we can see that within the next few years this is expected to change with the artificial pancreas.
IsraelPharm has competitive prices for people who want to buy diabetes medication online.
Actually Israeli researchers have discovered a shrub that can treat diabetes and work is underway to isolate active ingredient that has been found to lower blood sugar levels, and produce a marketable medication
Israeli researchers have found that a plant that grows in Israel, as well as in other parts of the Middle East, is effective in treating diabetes.
Dr. Jonathan Gorelick of the Judea Research and Development Center presented the results of his study of Chiliadenus iphionoides (sharp varthemia), an aromatic shrub that grows in Israel and throughout the Middle East, at the 25th Judea and Samaria Research Studies Conference in Ariel University
Dr. Gorelick and his team, who published the results of their study of sharp varthemia in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in October 2011, found that consumption of the yellow-flowering plant increased sugar absorption in skeletal muscle and fat cells and reduced blood sugar levels in animals.
According to Dr. Gorelick, while many plants have traditionally been used to treat diabetes, only few have been successful as marketable medications. His research team is working on isolating the active ingredient in sharp varthemia so that it may be made into an accessible treatment for diabetes patients.
The Judea Research and Development Center, which is located on Moshav Carmel in the Hebron Hills regional council in the West Bank, focuses on stimulating industrial research and development of products, technologies, patents and inventions for commercial applications. It is sponsored academically by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Sources – Israeli Times and Isreal Pharm.
Comment
Israel is deeply involved in researching and trying to find answers to controlling, if not stopping diabetes, and is a diplomatic friend of the Solomon Islands.
I would wish the two countries could work much closer together on tackling diabetes in the Solomon Islands once the current threat of Covid is over or at least greatly minimized.
I know, too, Israel is able to advise and possibly treat young children suffering from rheumatic heart disease and I hope that intervention could be brought about to help the many young victims of rheumatic heart disease at home who suffer the illness for which there is little or no available treatment available in the Solomon Islands.
Ideally, the secondment of Israeli cardiologists and Israeli cardiologist surgeons to the NRH would be greatly beneficial and one would hope could come about.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
