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Most People Exhibit few or no noticeable symptoms of diabetes, and tend to be shocked when high sugar is detected in routine blood or urine tests.
In most people who develop diabetes two typical symptoms are present-frequent need to urinate and increased thirst.
Frequent Urination
A patient of diabetes passes large quantities of urine several times a day. There is a frequent urge at night to empty the bladder. When glucose cannot enter the body cells, it accumulates in the blood and starts appearing in the urine. Diabetics are prone to excessive urination because the glucose in the urine draws water with in than is normal.
Increased Thirst
The loss of water from excessive urination generates excessive thirst. A patient of diabetes frequently fells thirsty and drinks larges quantities of water at short intervals.
Extreme Hunger
Diabetics tend to feel hungry most of the time and eat large meals. They eat and too much, but despite this, they continue to experience hunger pangs.
Loss of Weight
Continual loss of weight despite the intake of frequent and large meals is another symptom of the disease. The body is starved of energy, as glucose cannot enter the cells. In a desperate effort to get energy, the starved cells use up fat and protein. This causes loss of weight.
Weakness and Fatigue
Diabetics fatigue quickly even after little exertion. They also feel out of breath easily. The sugar in the blood does not get into the cells where it is converted into energy. This lowers the stamina and resistance levels.
Depression
Inertia and lethargy are also seen in people suffering from diabetes. They avoid doing work and are often feel rundown. Not only there body bit also their moods show a state of depression.
Certain factors that contribute to the development of diabetes are Heredity
Heredity is a major factor. That diabetes can be inherited has been known for centuries. However, the pattern of inheritance is not fully understood. Statistic indicates that those with a family history of the disease have a higher risk of developing diabetes than those without such a background. The risk factor is 25 to 33 percent more.
One reason why diabetes, especially type-2 diabetes runs in the family is because of the diabetes gene. But even it is caused by genetic factors beyond your control; there is no reason to suffer from it. Diabetes mellitus cannot be cured in full sense of the term, but it can be effectively controlled so that you would not know the difference.
Diet
Diabetes has been described by most medical scientists as a prosperity’ disease, primarily caused by systematic overeating. Not only is eating too much sugar and refined carbohydrates harmful, but proteins and fats, which are transformed into sugar, may also result in diabetes if taken in excess.
It is interesting to note that diabetes is almost unknown in countries where people are poor and cannot afford to overeat.
The incidence of diabetes is directly linked with the consumption of processed foods rich in refined carbohydrates, like biscuits, bread, cakes chocolates, pudding and ice creams.
Obesity
Obesity is one of the main causes of diabetes. Studies show that 60 to 85 % of diabetics tend to be overweight. In the United States of America, about 80 percent of type –2 non-insulin dependent diabetics are reported to be overweight.
Excess fat prevents insulin from working properly. The more fatty tissue in the body, the more resistant the muscle and tissue cells become to body insulin. Insulin allows the sugar in the blood to enter the cells by acting on the receptor sites on the surface of the cells.
Older people often tend to gain weight, and the same time, many of them develop and mild form of diabetes because who are over weight can often improve their blood sugar simply by losing weight.
Stress and Tension
There is a known connection between stress and diabetes mellitus, those who are under stress and/or lead an irregular lifestyle, need to take adequate precautions and make necessary lifestyle adjustments.
Grief, worry and anxiety resulting from examinations, death of a close relative, loss of a joy, business failure and strained marital relationship, all a deep influence on the metabolism and may cause sugar to appear in the urine.
Smoking
Smoking is another important risk factor. Among men who smoke, the risk of developing diabetes is doubled. In women who smoke 25 or more cigarettes a day, the risk of developing diabetes is increased by 40 percent.
Lifestyle Risk
People who are less active have greater risk of developing diabetes. Modern conveniences have made work easier. Physical activity and exercise helps control weight, uses up a lot of glucose (sugar) present in the blood as energy and makes cells more sensitive to insulin. Consequently, the workload on the pancreas is reduced.
Figures from the American Diabetic Association show that diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S, killing approximately 210000 persons every year. Medical and other related costs can soar over $100 billion a year!!
The good news is there is a great deal that you can do to help manage the condition at an early stage. Being informed truly is the best medicine. Learning as much as you can about your diabetes, how to control your blood sugar, complications and how to prevent them, can help you stay healthy. As always, be sure to consult your physician first before implementing or changing diet or exercise routines or taking any over the counter medications or nutritional supplements.
Diabetes is a serious condition. It is a chronic disorder of carbohydrates, fat and protein metabolism, characterized by fasting elevation of blood sugar level and a greatly increased risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and loss of nerve functions.
There are two major types of diabetes. Type I and Type II.
Type I is also known as Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) and often occurs in children and adolescents. Individuals with Type I diabetes need to inject insulin everyday. It occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin (a hormone which helps deliver sugar from the blood to the body’s cells).
Type II is also known as Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) and is usually an adult disease. In type II diabetes, insulin is present but not appropriately available due to insulin-resistance. For a variety of physiological reasons, the hormone (insulin) is unable to do its job. The pancreas produces insulin but the body’s cells do not respond to its action and can’t absorb the glucose from the blood so glucose levels rise in the blood.
There are a number of causes which give rise to diabetes. Some of the causes are listed below; however, they should not be considered a complete list.
Heredity plays a major role. Some individuals or ethnic groups may be genetically susceptible than others.
Experts are convinced that obesity and a sedentary lifestyle also play a major role in the development of diabetes.
Impaired digestion and an overworked pancreas.
Syndrome-X (results from a combination of disorders such as hypertension, high cholesterol, blood clotting abnormalities and insulin resistance)
Chromium deficiency.
Prenatal factors. Recent evidence supports the concept that the nutritional status of the mother during pregnancy plays a role in determining whether the child will develop diabetes later in life.
Food with refined sugars and high glycemic index.
Imbalance between two critical hormones- insulin and glucagon.
Misplaced T7 (thoracic 7) vertebra.
Complications resulting from diabetes can be grave if not controlled. Some complications include but are not limited to:
Hypoglycemia and diabetic coma.
Cataracts, diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, skin ulcers, gangrene leading to amputation, stubborn skin infections and heart disease.
There are some early warning signs you should be aware of if you suspect development of diabetes such as 1) Frequent urination 2) Constant thirst or hunger 3) Blurred vision 4) Numb or tingling hands or feet 5) Slow healing of cuts and bruises 6) Frequent skin infections.
Proper treatment is often delayed because diabetes is not diagnosed until a patient is already experiencing complications.
Diet is an extremely important part of diabetic therapy. Nutrition is the cornerstone for good health. A couple of diet considerations after consultation with your physician could include complex carbohydrates that are rich in fiber, fresh vegetables and fruits of low glycemic index, rather than simple carbohydrates such as breads and pastries.
Complex carbohydrates take longer for the body to break down and absorb and therefore provide a slower or more gradual increase in blood sugar levels. Your physician may even advise you to eat smaller frequent meals throughout the day. Along with diet, exercise is also of equal importance. Exercise will increase tissue levels of chromium and also increases the number of insulin receptors. In many instances, changes in diet and exercise may push borderline blood sugar down to a normal range.
The best prevention is adopting a healthy lifestyle. Because obesity is so strongly associated with TypeII diabetes, weight control is an important element of diabetic management. If you want to lose weight to control diabetes, high blood pressure and reduce the risk for developing heart disease then walk, walk and walk some more.
Insulin injections don’t cure diabetes. They enable you to live with it…..that is if you call injecting yourself multiple times a day, “living”. The key word is HEALTHY LIFESTYLE through diet, exercise and certain herbs and supplements.
Diabetes is of three main types – insulin-dependent diabetes or the Type 1 diabetes, Non-insulin dependent diabetes or the Type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes mellitus. A person’s eating habits and viruses can cause Type 1 diabetes. Heredity, obesity, high blood pressure, and lack of proper diet cause Type 2 diabetes, which is very common.
The gestational diabetes mellitus is caused as a result of heredity, increased maternal age, fatness and more reasons. It may cause the mother to develop permanent diabetes. This characteristic may get transferred to the child at a later age.
There are certain symptoms with the help of which you can detect diabetes. Excessive urination, constant thirst, loss of weight, excessive starvation, nausea, extreme tiredness, infections, irritability and tiredness are some of them.
The importance of insulin comes to light when a person suffers from diabetes. Insulin is a hormone that allows blood sugar or glucose to enter body cells. Diabetes affects a person’s capability to make insulin. Due to diabetes, the glucose remains in the blood itself. This high rate of sugar in the blood may cause harm to your eyes, nerves, kidneys, heart and blood vessels.
Other than heredity reasons, you can easily avoid Type 2 diabetes by following some simple steps. For those people who are overweight, reduce the rate of consuming food. Overweight people have the risk of developing diabetes. Try to consume grilled or baked food instead of fried food. Cut down on fatty meals. While having food, check its Glycemic Index. While drinking milk, opt for the skimmed milk instead of the full-fat milk. Exercise is a very effective way, which ensures that you stay in a healthy way always.
It is best to cure diabetes before it attacks your health. To cure diabetes, it is important to know its symptoms. Extreme thirst not only after exercise and a stroll in the hot air, but always, is a symptom. Even after drinking water, if you have a dry mouth, if you have to urinate frequently, if you have unexpected weight loss, and you feel lethargic all the time, check with a doctor. It could be a symptom for diabetes.
Blurry vision, slow healing cuts and sores, extreme itching or soreness in the genital or yeast infection can be the other symptoms of diabetes. It is best to cure it before it develops fully and affects your body.
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Rapid onset-fast acting insulin always looks clear. It is fast acting and starts to work within one to 20 minutes. It peaks about one hour later and lasts from three to five hours. When you use this type of insulin, you must eat immediately after you inject.
The two rapid onset-fast acting insulin types currently available are:
Short acting insulins always look clear. They begin to lower blood glucose levels within half an hour, so you need to have your injection half an hour before eating.
Short acting insulin has a peak effect at two to four hours, and lasts for between six and eight hours. Short acting insulin types currently available include:
Intermediate acting insulins always look cloudy. They have either protamine or zinc added to delay their action. These insulins begin to work about 90 minutes after you inject, peak at four to 12 hours, and last for 16 to 24 hours.
Intermediate acting insulins currently available include:
1. With protamine added – Protaphane, Humulin NPH and Hypurin Isophane (bovine).
Preventing Diabetes
You'll need to keep an eye on your blood sugar levels and take treatment for your diabetes for the rest of your life. If you don't have good control of your blood sugar you'll be at risk from damage to the blood vessels and nerves, with problems such as deterioration in eyesight, stroke, kidney disease and infections.
As your doctor has already explained, careful diet and pills are all that are needed in most cases. If you're overweight, simply eating less and losing weight can be enough to allow the insulin to work more effectively.
Why Use Insulin Pumps?
The number of people using insulin pump therapy to manage their diabetes is growing rapidly; roughly 250,000 people around the world use an insulin pump. Their reasons for choosing the pump are many, but generally "pumpers" all agree that it gives them tighter control and more flexibility -- both in terms of their schedule and lifestyle. This control and flexibility includes advantages such as:
1. Eating what you want, when you want 2. Worrying less about low blood sugars ("hypoglycemia") 3. Living life on your terms, not a schedule of snacks and shots
There are many scientific studies that demonstrate that insulin pump therapy results in better outcomes for teens and adults with type 1 diabetes. There are also studies that show that insulin pump therapy works well in toddlers and pre-school children.
According to a new study, diabetes and Alzheimer's diseases are more related than everybody thought. Some researchers believe that Alzheimer's could be a form of diabetes, because findings show that insulin production in the brain declines as Alzheimer's disease advances.
Through a series of experiments, a group of researchers discovered that the brain produces insulin and that this substance produced by brains of patients with Alzheimer's illness tends to fall below normal levels.
For the neuropathologist at Rhode Island Hospital and professor of pathology at Brown University Medical School, Suzanne M. de la Monte, “insulin disappears early and dramatically in Alzheimer's disease and many of the unexplained features of Alzheimer's, such as cell death and tangles in the brain, appear to be linked to abnormalities in insulin signaling. This demonstrates that the disease is most likely a neuroendocrine disorder, or another type of diabetes”.
During the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, brain levels of insulin and its related cellular receptors fall precipitously, as her group of researchers explained. They believe that Alzheimer's might be a new form of diabetes since the evidence shows insulin levels continue to drop progressively as the Alzheimer's disease becomes more severe.
The team led by de la Monte also found that low levels of acetylcholine are directly linked to this loss of insulin and insulin-like growth factor function in the brain. Acetylcholine is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers team autopsied the brain tissue of 45 patients diagnosed with different degrees of Alzheimer's called “Braak Stages” and compared those tissues to samples taken from individuals with no history of the disease.
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Since my diagnosis with diabetes at the age of eleven, my own diet has changed dramatically. I maintain my current healthy weight with a great diet/eating plan. If you do plan on losing more than about a stone in weight then I would visit your doctor for more tips on how to do this without risk.
I've had diabetes for seven years now, but to tell you that how I maintain weight is perfect would be totally wrong of me. However, I can advise you to follow my steps because I know what works and what doesn't. Before I really begin I must also say that I have been brought up by great parents who taught me to eat everything, and so I do! If there is something that you don't like, there are loads of other diabetic recipes and ideas that you will eat and appreciate.
I am a university student and I like to buy fresh and organic produce from where I live. I believe that this is important because it can be the most good for your body and contain more nutrients and vitamins than most supermarket produce. I like to source food from my fortnightly farmers market in town, which sells amazing meat and dairy produce and fresh in season fruit and vegetables. This is another important thing to remember, that eating fruit and vegetables in their season means that they will taste better as well as doing you good. I have a lot of influence from Western European cuisine (mainly France and Italy) as you will tell, but I do not profess to be a chef and everything is easy to make and very convenient.
I have read countless diet books and diabetic recipe/diet books, and I came to a conclusion that I think really works. I fused all the good things from the diets (but not from every diet) and sort of put together my own one. I call this my Juvenile Diabetes Healthy Diet!
The "rules" that I would lay down are as follows:
1. Cut back on snacks and then change the type of snacks you eat. Certainly my biggest downfall although it wasn't really apparent to me. When I first started at University, I had little or no routine which meant that filling my day was difficult and popping into the kitchen for a snack, no matter how healthy it felt, was a regular occurence. This is one of the hardest things to do for some people, but establishing a great routine is essential to great diabetes care. The types of snacks to be eating are unsalted nuts, dried unsweetened fruit, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables (I love fresh red pepper and cucumber), dark chocolate (richer and nicer and you only want 2 squares usually).
2. Cut back on white flour and embrace wholemeal carbs. This is the most essential part of your diet, and the thing that can show the biggest increase in loss of weight. Some diets in fact jsut focus on this point, and are very successful. Wholemeal (especially stoneground wholemeal) is so good for you and has so much more flavour in it that switching is much easier than you think. Most people are really surprised at the ranges you can get in you supermarket, again remember that the bread that is best for you is the one that is freshest with least perservatives or added ingredients. Also, brown or basmati rice is great with a lovely nutty texture. Wholemeal pasta is great and for your potatoes I would totally recommend the smaller new potatoes.
3. Stop drinking cocktails, start drinking wine. Cocktails are full of sugar, colourants and preservatives. As a student I have had loads of practice at going out and not drinking cocktails, so my drink of choice is Malibu and Diet Coke if I feel I have to drink something and I make it last all night. I can then top up with Diet Coke (which has almost no sugar in it) and it looks as though I am drinking Malibu, who is to know. If you are out at a restaurant, red wine is much better than anything else you can order, (except water of course!) and it has been proven that the anti-oxidants in red wine are great for keeping a healthy heart. The recommended amount is one glass a day with your evening meal.
4. Start cooking more fruit and vegetables. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a great way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. And there are so many different ways in which to cook vegetables, but I find that raw is the best followed closely by steamed. Both of these ways preserve all their natural goodness as well. I will follow this post with another diabetes recipes post.
5. Drink more water. I know you have heard people say this many times before, but the benefits of drinking more water are endless. A few tips on how to get more water into your day are firstly to put bottles of water at all the places you go in the house or work. So keep one in your desk, on your desk, a glass in the kitchen, the bedroom, the sitting room, etc. Try and drink all these glasses up and you will be well on your way to 8 glasses a day. The trick is to add a glass every few days or so, if you try to drink all that water in one go you won't be so inclined to drink 8 glasses again, trust me! Have a go, it's amazing how great you will feel.
Planning ahead when you travel reduces stress. This is particularly important for a diabetic. These 5 diabetes travel tips are simple to implement and crucial to your diabetic management. They are particularly important if you are traveling abroad.
1) Have a pre-travel check-up. Make sure your A1C blood sugar levels; your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels are OK. Get the appropriate shots for any country you plan to visit.
2) Wear a diabetes medical ID. Ideally it should be in the language spoken in the country you're visiting. Not everyone speaks your language and you don't want medical problems through misunderstandings.
3) Keep your medication and glucose snacks in your hand-luggage. Check-in baggage does, unfortunately, go astray. Don't risk your diabetes medication by packing it in your main luggage.
4) Keep your medication in its original box, complete with pharmacy labels. It will prevent misunderstandings about why you are carrying drugs and, if you are on insulin, syringes.
5) Be aware of time zone changes, especially when altering your watch. Remember when you travel east your day becomes shorter; if you travel west your day becomes longer. You may need to alter the timings of your medication.
Traveling need not be traumatic. A sensible attitude and a bit of pre-travel planning can make things go far more smoothly.
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