美国国家公共电台 NPR 2 Nurses In Tennessee Preach 'Diabetes Reversal'

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Many people think that once you have Type 2 diabetes¹, you are stuck with it. But with enough weight loss and exercise, people can get their blood sugar levels back down in the normal range. Research shows people need a lot of help to do that. Blake Farmer of our member station WPLN in Nashville visited a rural community in Tennessee.

BLAKE FARMER, BYLINE²: A few years ago, as Wendy Norris turned 40, her feet started going numb³. She thought it was from standing⁴ all day with her job at a nursing home.

WENDY NORRIS: But it wasn't. It was that neuropathy where my sugar was high, and I didn't know it.

FARMER: She had developed Type 2 diabetes, which runs in her family. It didn't help that her diet was overloaded⁵ with sodas⁶, sweets and frozen dinners. So her doctor put her on insulin shots and told her to watch what she ate.

NORRIS: Well, you're sitting there thinking, well, what does that mean?

FARMER: Her doctor just kept upping her insulin to manage her spiking⁷ blood sugar. But then she lost her insurance. The insulin was costing hundreds of dollars a month she didn't have. At a nonprofit clinic, she was introduced to what seemed a radical⁸ idea - reversing her diagnosis⁹ altogether.

KAREN WICKHAM: This is lentil stew¹⁰. What we're doing is introducing the people to high-fiber¹¹ foods.

FARMER: Karen Wickham ladles out soup in an old church parsonage as participants arrive. She and her husband, Steve, are a couple of white-haired, semi-retired nurses. They travel around giving these six-week seminars, and they go deep, explaining the difference between sucrose and glucose¹² and why white potatoes are more likely to spike¹³ blood sugar than sweet potatoes. They preach eating as much fiber as a stomach can stand and squeezing in light activity throughout the day. The Wickhams test blood sugar levels to track progress, and some see early results.

STEVE WICKHAM: Her blood sugar's going down. Give her a hand.

(APPLAUSE)

FARMER: If it sounds like a revival¹⁴ meeting, it kind of is. Steve and Karen Wickham are compelled by their Christian¹⁵ faith as Seventh-day Adventists, a denomination¹⁶ known for a focus on health.

S WICKHAM: I think God holds us responsible for living in the middle of this people and doing nothing.

FARMER: They moved to Grundy County, Tenn., and built their dream home but were disturbed by the illness around them. This scenic¹⁷ region has some of the shortest life expectancy¹⁸ in the nation and a sky-high rate of Type 2 diabetes. Karen Wickham says she's seen how bad it can get - blindness, kidney failure and even amputations.

K WICKHAM: When they get that diagnosis of diabetes, you expect this is what's going to happen to them until they finally pass away.

FARMER: The Wickhams give a disclaimer that their reversal program is not yet backed by piles of scientific literature, but they do cite promising¹⁹ studies from researchers like Roy Taylor of Newcastle University.

ROY TAYLOR: There just hasn't been information about the possibility of reversing diabetes.

FARMER: Type 2 diabetes is reversible in this sense - having diabetes means your A1C levels, measure of blood sugar, are elevated. You can drive those levels back down, even without medication. But the trick is to do it before the high blood sugar causes irreversible damage. Taylor says most studies do show that in most people, diabetes marches in one direction. But those studies also involve people who continued to put on weight. Taylor's research finds that by losing 30 pounds or so, Type 2 diabetes can be turned back in the early stages.

TAYLOR: I think the main headwinds are conceptual ones, scientists and doctors just believing that this is an irreversible condition because of what we see.

FARMER: But change is already on the horizon at the American Diabetes Association. It has a new position on what it calls remission. Dr John Buse at the University of North Carolina helped write it.

JOHN BUSE: We've known, literally²⁰ since the 17th century, that diet is the key to managing diabetes.

FARMER: But it's hard to write a prescription²¹ for lifestyle change.

BUSE: Doctors don't have the time to do it well. And so we've often used sort of the short shrift - eat less carbohydrates²² and walk every day. That has basically no impact.

FARMER: But with education and counseling, it can be done, as Wendy Norris has already discovered.

NORRIS: You know, I felt like I was stuck having to take three or four shots a day the rest of my life. You know? I've got it down to one already. (Laughter). Yup.

FARMER: It takes discipline, but Norris says she's motivated by the prospect²³ of no longer having Type 2 diabetes. For NPR News, I'm Blake Farmer in Grundy County, Tenn.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: That story is part of a reporting partnership²⁴ with NPR, WPLN in Nashville and Kaiser Health News.

1 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

6 sodas   

n.苏打( soda的名词复数 )；碱；苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• There are plenty of sodas in the refrigerator. 冰箱里有很多碳酸饮料。 来自辞典例句
• Two whisky and sodas, please. 请来两杯威士忌苏打。 来自辞典例句

7 spiking   

n.尖峰形成v.加烈酒于( spike的现在分词 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。 来自辞典例句
• We could be spiking our own guns. 我们可能要遭到失败。 来自辞典例句

8 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

9 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

10 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

11 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

12 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

13 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

14 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

15 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

16 denomination   

n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位

参考例句：

• The firm is still operating under another denomination.这家公司改用了名称仍在继续营业。
• Litre is a metric denomination.升是公制单位。

17 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

18 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

19 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

20 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

21 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

22 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句

23 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

24 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。