I was just rereading a USA Today article on diabetes. I think it's worth a look because it examines one of the big issues related to the so-called diabetes epidemic in the US: the fact that many people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes fail to deal with the disease adequately - if at all. First, many are slow to make necessary lifestyle changes - or don't make them at all. Second, many do not follow the treatment plans laid out by their doctors. The result, says journalist Anita Manning, is that diabetes continues to spread and cause terrible suffering, while diabetes experts "are beginning to sound like a broken record" as they repeat their urgent, yet often-ignored, health warnings.

So what's the deal? Well, there are lots of reasons Type 2 diabetics are not heeding the advice. First and foremost, the treatments and lifestyle changes mean an enormous life-shift for most people diagnosed with Type 2. So they know what they need to do, but don't follow through. Then there's the fact that a lot of us are too busy with everyday life to get to the doctor for help with symptoms of prediabetes. Commonly, they don't even realize that the health problems they are experiencing are prediabetes symptoms. Another factor is medical care: let's face it, most doctors out there are too busy to follow-up with their patients and make sure treatment plans are being adhered to. Sad but true. Recent studies have also shown that too many physicians exhibit "clinical inertia" when it comes to diabetes - they are too slow to ratchet up treatment levels when a patient's health declines. Finally, there's the issue of money. Doctor's visits, drugs and medical gadgetry all cost money and the tab is frequently too high to be affordable. Thanks to costly co-pays, this is often true even for those with medical insurance. It's all enough to make you sick.