Life for Juvenile Diabetics is About to Be Improved by the “Artificial Pancreas”(Pedcast by Doc Smo and Sonya Corina Williams)

  Photo compliments of Pixabay Today, we’re talking about an interesting development in pediatric medicine that will likely revolutionize the management of  childhood onset diabetes, a disease also known as type I diabetes.  The advance is known as the “artificial pancreas”. It sounds like science fiction, but as you are about to see, it’s not and it’s almost here. Musical Intro  Detour Down Science Lane In order to understand this new “artificial pancreas” technology, we need to take a detour down science drive, and make sure your knowledge of glucose metabolism is up to speed. Glucose is what is known as a simple sugar because it is very easy for your child’s cells to burn for quick energy or to store as fat. Your child’s body has to keep their blood sugar in the “Goldie Locks” range in order to be in good health, with a blood glucose not too high and not too low. A high blood glucose will produce diabetes symptoms like excessive thirst, excessive urination, fatigue, and possibly even coma and death. Low blood glucose can be equally dangerous since your child’s brain almost exclusively uses glucose for energy. Without enough glucose in their blood, your child will first get sweaty and weak and, if low enough, then slump into a coma. As you can see, whether high or low glucose, it’s all bad. Insulin, a hormone made in your child’s pancreas, is the hormone most responsible for regulating the glucose system. In a non-diabetic child, insulin unlocks your child’s cells to get glucose into cells and therefore out of their bloodstream, thus lowering their blood glucose. When glucose is scarce, like during fasting at night, insulin levels are usually low. When glucose is plentiful like after a big meal, your child’s pancreas is busy making insulin to push that excess glucose into fat cells. So, you can see that your child’s pancreas, the place where insulin production is controlled, acts as the master regulator of your child’s very important blood glucose level.  And remember, a pancreas does this all au