The topic of Prevention vs A cure has been a rather hot one here at the JDCA – we certainly received a lot of responses and discussion when we identified the belief that prevention research will lead to a cure as a myth in our Myths Surrounding a Type 1 Cure report.
We realize that this is a big issue and we are certainly not opposed to prevention methods – the less people that have to live with type 1 diabetes, the better. However, our concern is that prevention does not address the problems of all the children and adults already living with the disease. A prevention method will not be cure them. All the money that gets donated to diabetes foundations – it most often comes from parents or relatives who want to see their loved ones experience the benefits of a diabetes free lifestyle within their lifetime (We at the JDCA are targeting the year 2025).
Some are saying that prevention will lead to a cure, which is where we have to make sure we are following the same definitions. Research into a focused method that targets both prevention and a Practical Cure is certainly acceptable and something we need to support – but prevention alone is not enough for people who are already diabetic. Simply put, it will not help us.
Our latest survey seeks to identify how people really feel about this issue – it features only a few short questions but will help us understand where the diabetes community stands on this concern. Please take a minute to fill it out here: Prevention Survey
Thanks again – we will certainly have more to discuss when we get the results in – should be some interesting statistics.
– Stoyan
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