Randy Jackson: The Oral Health and Diabetes Link You Never Knew About

INTERVIEWER: WELCOME BACK TO GOOD DAY KENTUCKY. THERE ARE MORE THAN 30 MILLION AMERICANS LIVING WITH DIABETES, AND ACCORDING TO THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, PEOPLE LIVING WITH DIABETES ARE TWO TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP GUM DISEASE. SOMEONE WHO HAS LIVED WITH DIABETES FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES, AND HAS BEEN ON TV SCREENS IN OUR LIVING ROOMS FOR YEARS AND YEARS, IS MULTI TALENTED, GRAMMY AWARD WINNING, MUSIC PRODUCER, RANDY JACKSON. AND HE IS JOINING US TODAY TO DISCUSS AN IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN DESIGNED TO SHINE A LIGHT ON THE CHALLENGES THAT MANY PEOPLE WITH DIABETES FACE DAILY. WELCOME TO THE SHOW, RANDY. RANDY JACKSON: THANK YOU SO MUCH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. INTERVIEWER: WELL, AND LET’S GO AHEAD AND GET RIGHT TO THIS. WHEN EXACTLY WERE YOU DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES, AND WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED ALONG THE WAY WITH THAT DIAGNOSIS? RANDY JACKSON: IT WAS ABOUT 17, 18 YEARS AGO FOR ME. I WAS AT MY DENTIST’S OFFICE, GOING IN FOR A LITTLE BIT OF A CAVITY THAT I HAD, AND HE WAS LOOKING AT MY GUM SAYING, “HEY, WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU’VE BEEN TO YOUR DOCTOR? YOU SHOULD GO IN AND GET A CHECKUP. HAVE HIM CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS, BECAUSE I’M NOT LIKING WHAT I’M SEEING WITH YOUR GUMS.” SO I GO TO THE DOCTOR ABOUT A MONTH LATER, I KNOW I SHOULD’VE GONE RIGHT AWAY, BUT A MONTH LATER, AND HE SAYS, “YEAH, YOU’VE DEVELOPED TYPE TWO DIABETES. CALL AND THANK YOUR DENTIST.” I MEAN, MY HEART SANK, AND I WAS LIKE, “WOW.” OKAY, SO IT’S A LIFELONG DISEASE. I GOT SOME DECISIONS TO MAKE HERE. THERE’S NO CURE FOR IT, BUT YOU CAN MANAGE IT, BUT YOU GOT TO COMPLETELY CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE. YOU GOT TO KNOW YOUR ORAL HEALTH, WHICH I’M HAPPY I WAS IN THE DENTIST’S OFFICE, BECAUSE WHO KNEW? YOU KNOW, YOUR MOUTH IS KIND OF THE WINDOW TO YOUR BODY. IT CAN TELL YOU A LOT WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOURSELF. INTERVIEWER: WOW. AND YOU NEVER WOULD EXPECT TO HEAR SOMETHING LIKE THAT FROM YOUR DENTIST. I MEAN, THAT’S REALLY AMAZING. TELL US ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE CHALLENGES THAT MANY PEOPLE WITH DIABETES FACE DAILY. RANDY JACKSON: WELL, I’VE TEAMED UP WITH COLGATE TOTAL AND THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION TO BRING ABOUT SOME AWARENESS TO WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON WITH YOUR ORAL HEALTH, AND ALSO IN YOUR BODY, AND TO REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE PRE DIABETIC SYMPTOMS. WE ALL GET THEM, WE ALL HAVE THEM, BUT WE DON’T PAY ATTENTION BECAUSE WE LIKE LIVING IN DENIAL BECAUSE NOTHING’S EVER GOING TO HAPPEN TO US. LISTEN, I’M IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS, SO I’M A PRIME EXAMPLE. PEOPLE THINK IT HAPPENS TO SOMEBODY ELSE. THOSE GUYS ARE ALL FAMOUS AND THEY DO THEIR THING AND THEY’RE ALL BEAUTIFUL AND WHATEVER, BUT IT HAPPENS TO EVERYBODY. WE’RE NO STRANGER TO ANYTHING, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. WE’RE STILL HUMAN, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. INTERVIEWER: RIGHT, RIGHT. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I MEAN, YOU ARE SUCH A BUSY MAN. YOU’RE SUCH A MUSIC ICON. YOU’VE GOT PEOPLE PULLING YOU IN EVERY DIRECTION. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT REALITY WITH LIVING WITH DIABETES NOW? RANDY JACKSON: WELL, AS THE CAMPAIGN SAYS, MY EVERY DAY REALITY IS, I GOT TO WATCH WHAT I EAT, I GOT TO WORK OUT, I GOT TO REALLY DO SOMETHING TO RELIEVE STRESS, OR TENSION. I GOT TO REALLY, REALLY MAKE SURE I GET ENOUGH REST. I GOT TO MAKE SURE I’M HYDRATED. YOU KNOW, I JUST HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING. I HAVE TO MAKE SURE I KNOW MY A1C NUMBERS, MY BLOOD SUGAR NUMBERS. I JUST HAVE TO REALLY BE SO ACUTELY AWARE NOW, AND THAT’S THE COMPLETE LIFESTYLE CHANGE THAT YOU MUST ACCEPT. BECAUSE EITHER YOU WANT TO FEEL GOOD OR FEEL BAD, YOU GOT A CHOICE. INTERVIEWER: YEP, ABSOLUTELY. NOW WHY DO YOU THINK SO FEW PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE POTENTIAL LINK BETWEEN YOUR ORAL HEALTH AND DIABETES? RANDY JACKSON: WELL, BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE, YOU KNOW LIKE MYSELF, YOU NEVER GO TO THE DENTIST OR THE DOCTOR UNTIL THERE’S A PAIN OR SOMETHING MASSIVELY WRONG. AND WHEN YOU GO IN … I MEAN, I DON’T KNOW. I ASK PEOPLE WHEN’S THE LAST TIME THEY’D HAD BEEN TO THE DENTIST. “OH, TWO YEARS AGO.” THAT’S WAY TOO LONG. YOU NEED TO GO TWICE A YEAR EVEN JUST FOR A CHECKUP. YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW ALL THE PRE DIABETIC SYMPTOMS. YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR HEALTH. DENIAL IS THE KEY- INTERVIEWER: WHERE GO FOR MORE INFORMATION? RANDY JACKSON: YOU CAN GO TO COLGATE.COM. INTERVIEWER: YEAH, YOU’RE RIGHT. RANDY JACKSON: I WAS JUST SAYING DENIAL’S A BIG KEY, BUT GO TO COLGATE.COM. INTERVIEWER: YES, ABSOLUTELY. WELL RANDY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU LOOK GREAT. YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’VE BEEN HITTING THE GYM AND LOSING THE WEIGHT. YOU LOOK GREAT. WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING ON THE SHOW. RANDY JACKSON: THANK YOU SO MUCH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. INTERVIEWER: SURE. AND EVERYONE, YOU ARE WATCHING GOOD DAY KENTUCKY. KEEP IT RIGHT HERE.