Cure for Type 2 diabetes?

Scientists at Newcastle University, in the UK say they have found a way to cure type II diabetes. Here's a quick, basic refresher for those who are not sure what the difference is between type 1 and type 2.

Type 1:

Usually diagnosed in young children. Pancreas no longer makes the amount of insulin necessary to control blood sugar. (Usually causes blood sugar levels to spike, causing damage to small vessels in they eyes, kidneys, etc)

Type 2:

Usually diagnosed in obese people. The body is no longer produces enough insulin to control the levels of glucose in the blood, this is different than type 1, because it is not necessarily the production of insulin that is affected, it is the receptors for insulin become desensitized to insulin. Much attention and research has been given to type II, because the US has seen its population become more obese in the last few decades.

The scientists are claiming to have cured type 2 diabetes by prescribing a strict no-carb, 600 calorie diet of low-starch vegetables and diet drinks for eight weeks. They are claiming that seven of the eleven in the treatment group had no symptoms at the conclusion of the trial.

For some reason, they seem astonished that with weight loss, their type 2 patients no longer need drugs to control their symptoms. As I learned about type 2 it seems intuitive to me that with weight loss, the dependence on drugs would decrease. I know that physiology is very complex, but sometimes there can be simple cures. Lose weight, cure your type 2 diabetes. Go figure.

Marriage Equality Update

Friends who fight the good fight! For a couple months now, a guy from California named Matt Baume has been updating the world via two youtube channels, first the Prop8-centric Stop8org, then the more inclusive Marriage News Watch. If you were ever curious as to how gay marriage rights are doing across the nation, Baume does an excellent job collecting the stories, presenting them, and then explaining what can be done to help move the country towards equality. Here is this week's video:

This issue is huge for me, for hopefully obvious reasons, if you know me. Right now I live in a state where I am allowed to get married to the person I love, but those protections and responsibilities will not follow me down Florida, where I am going to school. When you do not have marriage equality, simple things become ridiculously difficult. If we're married, Neil should be covered under my health insurance provided through the school. They are unwilling to do that, and we have to go down to Florida, crossing our fingers that he can find a job so we don't have to spend a fortune on insulin supplies (more on this issue later). That problem isn't as big as potentially losing a legal spouse due to deportation. Watch the video, follow along; this is one of the most important civil rights movements going on in the country. I hope that you care.