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Diabetes
According to the CDC, 38.4 million
people, including 29.4 million adults,
have diabetes, a chronic health condition that affects how the body turns
food into energy. The body does not
produce enough insulin, or it does not
use it effectively, and glucose (sugar)
builds up in the bloodstream and can
result in complications like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and vision loss.
Diabetes is classi昀椀ed as three main
types: type 1, type 2 and gestational,
which occurs during pregnancy.
Type 1 diabetes is most often diagnosed in children and young adults
and is thought to be caused by an
autoimmune reaction. The body does
not make any or enough insulin, so
it needs to be provided medically
through shots or an insulin pump. Like
for Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark
Andrews, the disease is a lifelong
condition that must be managed.
With type 2 diabetes, the body
cannot keep sugar at normal levels
despite the production of some insulin. There may not be any symptoms,
so it’s important to check blood sugar
if at risk: if you have a parent or sibling
with type 2 diabetes, are overweight
or obese, are not physically active or
have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,
according to the CDC.
Diabetes can develop over time,
without major symptoms.
“I compare it to being hard of hearing. As you get hard of hearing and
watch television, you turn the volume
up. But once the volume gets to 10,
you can’t turn it up [louder] and you
start missing parts of your shows,”
Raucher explains. “It’s the same process [with diabetes]. Once the body
is maxed out with you much insulin it
can make, sugar starts to rise, and it
can be a subtle, gradual process.”
Bloodwork that is part of an annual
physical includes a screening called
hemoglobin A1C, which measures
sugar activity over a 90-day period.
A reading of 6.5 or higher indicates
diabetes. In addition, recognizing
symptoms like excessive urination
and blurry vision along with a family
history of diabetes can be indicators,
but often those become apparent only
after living with undiagnosed diabetes
for some time.
“The problem is by the time you
have those symptoms, numbers are
pretty high,” Raucher explains. “Most
people just over the number don’t feel
it, much like a lot of my patients with
high blood pressure.
“We emphasize routine screening.
If you don’t know you have a problem,
you can’t take care of it.”
While family history plays a role,
exercising, losing weight, eating
healthy and cutting back on sweets
and sodas can help prevent developing the condition.
Colon Cancer
Another major concern in this
country is colorectal cancer, also
called colon cancer, which often begins with a growth called a polyp inside the colon or rectum. Finding and
removing polyps can prevent colorectal cancer. According to the National
Cancer Institute, there were an estimated 152,810 new cases in 2024,
and 53,010 deaths attributed to colon
cancer.
In addition, approximately 4% of
men and women will be diagnosed
with colorectal cancer during their lifetime, based on 2018-2021 data, excluding 2020 due to COVID.
People are being diagnosed
with colon cancer at a younger age,
prompting the U.S. Multi-Society Task
Force to suggest screening begin at
age 45 a few years ago. Former Orioles player Trey Mancini was diagnosed at age 28 and actor Chadwick
Boseman died in 2020 at age 43.
That’s why screening in the form of
a colonoscopy can help detect issues
early, often before they develop into
colon cancer. Raucher acknowledges
the inconvenience of the bowel prep,
which cleans out the system the day
before the procedure, but the screening is well worth it. With a clean bill
of health, patients are not required to
repeat the screening for 10 years.
“Colonoscopy is the gold standard,” he says.
Some of his patients prefer using
Cologuard, which is a stool study that
involves mailing in a sample that is
tested. This is repeated every three
years, but if an issue is 昀氀agged, the
patient will still need to have a colonoscopy.
The most important thing to remember is to undergo regular checkups with your physician, which include
bloodwork with screenings for diseases like diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, high cholesterol. They are
covered by insurances as part of an
annual well visit.
“Do you change the oil in your car,
or wait until it breaks down?” Raucher
asks. “You do regular maintenance.
You have to do that on people, too.”
