Diabetes: America's Silent Killer
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In the United States, approximately 86,000 diabetes-related amputations are performed every year.
In severe cases, a diabetic's blood vessels look like bent straws that cut off blood flow to the legs. "The diabetes causes scarring on the inside and basically kinks it off. It kinks it off in multiple places so we can't even get around them," he says. "You can't fix that if you're a doctor."
The condition can reduce your ability to fight infections in your lower extremities by shutting off the supply of white blood cells, Dr Oz says. "[In] a lot of diabetes [cases], the first time they know they've got a problem is they get an infection in their toe. They don't feel their toe so well because it affects their nerves, and so they end up losing their feet."
An amputee's plea to those with diabetes
In severe cases, a diabetic's blood vessels look like bent straws that cut off blood flow to the legs. "The diabetes causes scarring on the inside and basically kinks it off. It kinks it off in multiple places so we can't even get around them," he says. "You can't fix that if you're a doctor."
The condition can reduce your ability to fight infections in your lower extremities by shutting off the supply of white blood cells, Dr Oz says. "[In] a lot of diabetes [cases], the first time they know they've got a problem is they get an infection in their toe. They don't feel their toe so well because it affects their nerves, and so they end up losing their feet."
An amputee's plea to those with diabetes
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