Invisible Disease: Type 2 Diabetes Psychologist William Polonsky Shines a Light

The Behavioral Diabetes Institute brings clinicians, researchers, and resources together to address diabetes. President William Polonsky drops the listener in the midst of this informative team, providing a helpful image of what it means to manage type 2 diabetes.

Listen and learn

• How preconceptions of type 2 diabetes causes, like the diabetes and obesity relationship, can make seeking help more difficult,
• What are best practices for type 2 diabetes management, including the type of support, and
• What "big three" data points should type 2 diabetics seek on a regular basis.

William Polonsky is the president of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute and an associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego. While the institute offers resources educating patients on the mechanisms of type 1 & 2 diabetes, considerations for insulin pumps versus injections for type 1 diabetics, and nutrition intervention for obesity, their primary focus is emotional and behavioral care for diabetic patients and family.

He and Richard discuss type 2 management in this conversation, from the challenges to the numerous reasons to have hope. He reminds listeners that what makes managing it so difficult, and what those of us without it don’t realize, is that having it is like working another job without vacation. Furthermore, there's a lot of misunderstanding about the causes and, while obesity intervention strategies may sometimes be a component of care, there are variety of reasons for developing the disease, including genetic.

He tells listeners of many opportunities for high-quality management of type 2, from new medications to supportive techniques. But he also discusses the mix of information out there. On the one hand, the general public is much more aware of the meaning of terms like A1C, and diet and prevention of type 2 diabetes advice columns are prevalent. On the other hand, a lot of diagnosed people never get formal education about how to care for themselves and "wing it."

He reminds listeners that numerous professionals, from endocrinologists to institutes like his, are out there and eager to guide and support type 2 diabetics. "It’s really important to have hope and know it's not by any means a death sentence: your efforts can make a difference," he says. Listen in for more encouraging words and ways to take care of diabetes.

For more see behavioraldiabetes.org.

Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK