Type 2 Diabetes - Can Diabetes Be Prevented?

 By Beverleigh H Piepers 

Photo: diabeticlive.com

It might seem like being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes is a foregone conclusion as you get older, especially if you have a family history of the disease. However, making lifestyle changes while you are still healthy can definitely prevent developing Type 2 diabetes in the long run.
The Diabetes Prevention Program was a major, federally funded study that looked at over 3000 people who were at high risk of developing diabetes. The study proved people can delay or even prevent the disease by just losing about 5 to 7% of their total body weight. They can do this by getting about 30 minutes of physical activity five days per week, and eating healthier.
It's very important to get yearly physicals so that you can keep tabs on your blood sugar level during routine blood work. At a minimum, anyone who is over 45 years old should be tested for Type 2 diabetes. If you're younger than 45, but overweight or have any other risk factors, you should get tested earlier. The earlier you know your blood sugar is starting to inch up, the more control you will have over preventing the disease.
There are several different risk factors for developing diabetes. The first, and most well-known, is being overweight. Adding extra weight onto your body definitely leads you down the path to getting diabetes. You are also at a higher risk if your parents or siblings have diabetes. Being African-American, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Hispanic or American Indian, also puts you at a greater risk of developing diabetes.
If you have any prior history of having gestational diabetes during pregnancy, this also puts you at a higher risk for developing diabetes later on. Most women who develop gestational diabetes find the condition goes away after the baby's birth, but have a 40 to 60% chance of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. Having a blood pressure that is greater than 140/90 is also an additional risk factor.
If you have abnormal cholesterol levels, or high triglycerides, this can also point to diabetes in your future. In addition, being physically inactive, which means exercising less than three times per week, is another big risk factor for developing the disease.
Many people develop prediabetes (formerly known as impaired glucose tolerance), which is when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet in the diabetic range. This is the time to reverse things before they head down a very dangerous road. By changing your eating plan and starting to exercise on a regular basis, you can prevent full-blown Type 2 diabetes from being a part of your life. However, if you simply ignore it and keep going on with your life as is, you are destined to a future with diabetic complications.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments
Clicking on this link will help you to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes Solutions... Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2011 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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Type 2 Diabetes - Menopause In Women With Diabetes

 By Beverleigh H Piepers 

Photo: http://findmeacure.com/

Are you going through the medical moment in time known as menopause? Although socially the word menopause refers to a process, medically menopause does indeed refer to a precise moment: the date of your last period. The time leading to and following menopause amount to a huge change for women, both physically and socially.
Do you experience symptoms of impending menopause such as hot flashes, erratic periods, and vaginal dryness? Do you know these physical problems associated with the menopausal stage manifest more in the presence of a concomitant Type 2 diabetes problem? Are you aware menopause can greatly affect blood sugar levels and vice versa?
Menopause is the cessation of menses for twelve or more consecutive months. In previously menstruating women whose ovaries were both surgically removed, menopause begins the very minute after the operation.
Johns Hopkins Point-of-Care Information Technology states that Type 2 diabetes is the most common health problem in women in their postmenopausal period. In fact, 20 percent of all postmenopausal women have this metabolic problem. The changes during menopause such as the:

• increased tendency to central obesity,
• increased levels of blood LDL,
• decreased HDL levels, and
• increased insulin resistance

contribute to the occurrence of Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance in the face of a stable insulin-secreting pancreas during the menopausal stage also contributes to the problem. Women with Type 2 diabetes during their premenopausal stage experience more problems during their menopausal period. They experience more hot flushes and vaginal dryness compared to women without this blood sugar problem.
What are the important pointers in the management of Type 2 diabetes after the menopausal?
1. The risk for cardiovascular disease increases after the menopausal period according to a study conducted in Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington and published in the June 2003 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Therefore, women in their postmenopausal stage should be encouraged to control the risk factors associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases.
2. Weight management and prevention of weight gain should be emphasized in patients during their perimenopausal period because weight gain has a very strong influence to the development of type 2 diabetes, says the said study published in the June 2003 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
3. Women with diabetes during their perimenopausal stage should use hormonal replacement therapy to decrease the symptoms of an impending menopause. The study published in the July 2009 issue of Maturitas states that lowest effective dose of hormonal replacement therapy is generally recommended for this population.
4. Women with Type 2 diabetes are in greater risk for the development of endometrial cancer compared to women without diabetes. Therefore, in women with intact uterus, estrogen therapy should be coupled with progesterone therapy, says the said study published by Maturitas.
5. In women with cardiovascular disease and other risk factors, non-hormonal treatment management is recommended for hot flushes. Vitamin D, biphosphates and calcium may be used for osteoporosis.
Blood Sugar Levels: Decreasing levels of estrogen and progesterone in your bloodstream lead to decreased blood sugar levels as your body's responsiveness to insulin improves. As a result, you may need to adjust your diabetes medication or insulin regimen if you require insulin.
You may also need to make adjustments to your meal and exercise plan as menopause slows down your metabolism. In other words it will be easier to gain weight whilst eating fewer calories or kilojoules.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments
Clicking on this link will help you to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes Solutions... Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2011 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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How Do Diabetic Socks Help?

 By Dean Anderson 

Photo: therawear.com

Diabetic socks are starting to become common amongst people that aren't even suffering with any disease and it may be hard for some people to understand why this is, the fact is not many people know what they are or why are they are needed. To fully understand why a regular person would want to us them, it's best to look at why they are good for people with diabetes.
As you would expect, diabetic socks were first produced specifically for those who suffer with diabetes, although diabetes is a disease that relates to our bodies control over blood sugar levels and our sensitivity to high sugar in take, it also incurs many other problems. One of the many problems which have been noticed is that diabetic sufferers appear to be more prone to develop foot ulcers along with other feet issues. Diabetic socks have been created to try and balance this and avoid the foot based problems.
Diabetic socks have been designed in such a way that they are able to increase circulation as well as control the moisture levels with the lower regions. This acts as an extra level of protection for a diabetic person's foot as if they start to get infections much like any other person, they will lose feeling and not be able to realize if they get cuts or bruises.
Due to the results achieved with this problem even people without diabetes have started to purchase the products and wear them instead of an everyday sock. They can be used to protect the feet from excessive sweat and the chance of blisters which is great for anyone who spends most of the day on their feet, active gym goers or even professional athletes.
These great socks are designed specifically in a way to be similar to compression socks that are also readily available on the market. Compression socks are made more on the sole purpose of increasing blood flow throughout the legs, and diabetic socks are also made with this feature. They work by applying a significantly higher amount of pressure at the ankle or calf region of the sock, it gradually relieves us of this pressure as it moves up the leg. Like people that require compression socks, diabetes suffers can also struggle with circulatory problems in the lower regions, and as mentioned above this can lead to numbness which makes us unaware of problems within the feet.
When wearing diabetic socks or the compression alternative you can almost instantly notice the difference in circulation in the legs. It helps the calf muscle use its pump action on a more frequent basis to pump blood in and out of the feet and back towards the heart. This effectively puts an end to blood clots and blood pooling.
Whether you are suffering with diabetes and are at a higher risk of disease or you are non-diabetes patient who frequently struggles with foot fungal problems such as athlete's foot or foot ulcers, diabetic socks could be the perfect solution to help keep your feet healthy. It is recommended that you consult your doctor if you don't have diabetes and make sure there aren't any easy methods that can be provided to simply get your feet back on track, but if you have diabetes you should definitely look at investing in a pair of diabetic socks.

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Why Is Diabetic Foot Care So Important?

 By Abid Hussain 

Photo: beautytwist.com

Diabetes is sadly becoming increasingly common, as we are aware it is to do with the body's ability to control of blood sugar levels. In type 1 diabetes the body struggles to produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. With type 2 the body struggles to use the insulin produced because of poor diet, obesity and being overweight which is referred to as insulin resistance.
Diabetes can causes problems with many parts of the body including eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, nerves and feet. This is why many are surprised when their doctor pays particular attention to their feet. This is because when there is nerves damage injury to the feet can occur without noticing it as they feel numb. This increases the chance of infection and other associated problems.
The foot injury sustained may also have an effect the small muscles in the foot which control the alignment of the bone. When the muscles are damaged is it possible for the bones to move out of position causing the foot to deform which can cause pressure points making it easier to damage the foot.
To help prevent this you should firstly of course check and maintain your blood sugar levels and be meticulous with the care of your feet. It is sad to think that diabetic foot problems are the leading cause of leg amputation however give your feet a bit of tender loving care and you feet will thank you for it.
But even with good blood sugar control meticulous preventive care is important. This really is a situation where an ounce of prevention is worth way more than a pound of cure as the saying goes. It is a sad fact is that diabetes and the foot problems it causes is the leading cause of leg amputations. That's why diabetic foot care is so important.
Here are a few tips to help keep your feet in good working order, always wash your feet daily and make sure you dry the carefully even in between the toes. Never soak your feet for long periods of time also performing bathroom surgery is not recommended (cutting corns off with a razor blade). Never use any from of chemical treatment for corns, calluses or verucaes without consulting your doctor. Walking around bare foot is not advised as you could injury your foot without noticing it and never ignore foot pain. It's always a good idea to check the inside of your shoes to ensure the seam or stitches have not come loose. Avoid extremes of temperature, very warm and very cold conditions as this can lead to skin complaints and never use a hot water bottles on your feet.
Hope this information helps you.

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Diabetes in children and youth

 by maxilolee

Photo: thevillagesdailysun.com

Diabetes is growing by 3 percent each year for children and youth
November 14 is celebrated each year as Children's Day and World Diabetes Day. This year the theme is “Diabetes in children and youth”. Let me take this opportunity to write about diabetes in children.
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases that affect children. It can strike children of any age, even toddlers and babies. If not detected during early childhood, the disease can have deadly consequences or result in serious damage to the brain. Diabetic child is often completely overlooked. This is the time miss-diagnosed as flu or doctors fail to diagnose it at all. Every parent, teacher, doctor involved in child care should be familiar with the warning signs and be alert to the threat.
The warning signs are Frequent urination, Excessive thirst, Increased hunger, Weight, Fatigue, Lack of interest and concentration, Blurred vision, Vomiting and abdominal pain (often mistaken as the flu).
In children with type 2 diabetes, the symptoms may be moderate or not. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes: Diabetes occurs as a result of problems in production and supply of the hormone insulin in the body. The body needs insulin to use energy that is stored in food. When a person has diabetes their body cannot create insulin (Type 1diabetes) or their bodies cannot use the insulin made effectively (type 2diabetes).
Type 1 diabetes is most common type of diabetes in children. However, as a result of increasing childhood obesity and always lifestyles, type 2 diabetes is also increasing rapidly in children and youth. In some countries type 2diabetes has become the most common type of disease in children.
Type 2 diabetes in children is probably under-diagnosed because it may have no symptoms. To prevent Type 2 diabetes in children, emphasis should be laid on physical activity, less frequent activities such as television and views of a healthy diet. If diabetes is diagnosed, paying close attention to all cardiovascular risk factors, as well as prevention is important. We need to fit in the modern industrial city on a healthy way. Diabetes is a serious health problem and expensive and there is much that can do to reduce its impact. The earliest description of diabetes from the Philippines to 2,500 years ago and the role of obesity, frequent behaviour and dietary factors are known in ancient times. What is needed now is concerted public health action against the risk factors for diabetes.
We can do our bit to prevent diabetes and other diseases. Food for children with diabetes is a minor consideration. A dietician will be able to tell you more but it is certain essential that your child has a healthy, balanced diet, high in complex carbohydrates and fibre. It is necessary to be careful Sweets but it need not be 100 per cent from the menu. Some of the foods planning of goals for children with diabetes are the same as for other children. They must eat food that will help them have good general health, normal growth and a healthy weight. But children with diabetes also have to balance their carbohydrate intake with their insulin and activity levels to maintain their levels of blood sugar under control. In addition, children with diabetes should also eat foods that help maintain the level of lipids or fats in the blood (such as Cholesterol and triglycerides) in a healthy range. Food this way may help prevent some of the long-term health problem that can cause diabetes. These days, with huge amounts of food choices, we need to teach them to read the labels of food, especially the carbohydrate content. They must understand the serving size and how to change one food for another.
Children with diabetes face the same challenges of food everyone - largely sticking to healthy eating habits over time. It can be difficult with so many temptations, so it is important to prepare food that your child enjoys. The food may make you plan vary depending on your child's diabetes, but to help your child Dietician, you can tailor meals to planning your child's food preferences and eating habits.

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Diabetes Detection, Symptons, And Solutions

 by elmgator

Photo: hrparkinsons.com

Diabetes is striking more and more people each day, and most do not realize that thinning hair is an early symptom of the disease. If detected and treated early, complications such as hair loss and other symptoms can be limited. Several factors lead to the onset of diabetes, including but not limited to stress factors. Diabetes can affect every part of the body, and be a major cause of stress, which is one of the most well known causes of hair loss.

Diabetes begins when the body becomes incapable of producing the insulin necessary for the metabolization of carbohydrates. One particular issue for individuals with diabetes is the increase in the possibility of skin problems due to poor circulation of the blood and the elevation of blood sugar levels. Sufferers of diabetes become more inclined to bruise, and their injuries take more time to heal, with their recovery time increasing in all aspects, including hair re-growth. This will cause a significant loss in hair. Additionally, those who suffer from diabetes are more susceptible to infections of both the bacterial type and fungal type in the scalp, further promoting the loss of hair.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Among its symptoms are alopecia areata, which is characterized by small bald patches on the scalp, and the skin condition vitiligo, which involves the loss of pigment on skin in areas such as the hands, face, and genitalia. A variety of other serious health problems often occur alongside diabetes, such as thyroid dysfunction or pernicious anemia, which occurs when the stomach lining does not secrete enough of the enzymes needed to sufficiently absorb the B12 vitamin.

Early detection of diabetes is critical. Early treatment can prevent serious problems like blindness, kidney failure, and heart disease. Despite the importance of early detection, patients and even physicians often fail to diagnose diabetes because the early symptoms are easliy to ignore. However, with commitment from the patient to manage his or her disease, serious problems can be avoided, and the patient can go on to live a long, healthy life

As hair loss may be a sign of a serious medical problem, ruling out a medical cause for hair loss is important. For example, hair loss usually begins with the onset of diabetes, increasing in severity as diabetes progresses. Consulting a physician is also important in order to prevent further hair loss, if possible and desirable. Over the counter lotions and conditioners are readily available for treating hair loss, but the majority are entirely ineffective, and even the best over the counter topical medication treatments are generally only partially successful. Physicians have other options available, including oral medications and hair transplant surgeries, to help you treat hair loss effectively.

You can find additional hair loss tips at: How To Stop Hair Loss. There are many options for treating hair loss including Vitamins For Hair Loss at http://Hair-Loss.Teach2.Us

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Seven Symptoms That Indicate Your Child Might Have Diabetes

 by as@seo-einstein.com

Photo: orlandofamilymagazine.com

Being a parent, your child is your number one priority. There are countless well-known childhood illnesses/diseases that most parents are on the lookout for, but one severe disease that affects approximately 13,000 United States children a year is diabetes, which is often overlooked.

Diabetes is a disease that causes the child's body not to produce insulin, making them have too much sugar in their blood. Knowing these symptoms of diabetes is very important and could ultimately save your child's life.
1. EXTREME THIRST: The most common symptom of childhood diabetes is having extreme thirst. This happens because the excessive amount of sugar in the blood absorbs large amounts of water.

2. URINATING MORE FREQUENTLY: Kids with diabetes urinate more frequently. Because they are drinking a lot more water, they will need to use the bathroom more often than normal. They might be going to the bathroom more often during the night. If your child usually doesn't wet the bed, and now all of a sudden they do, that also might be a sign.

3. IRRITABILITYAND MOOD CHANGES: Irritability and mood changes occur a lot in kids. When their body doesn't have enough sugar, their body tries to take all the sugar that it has and move it through certain areas of the brain. This makes their sugar level go up and down, making them moody.

4. ABRUPT WEIGHT LOSS: Abrupt weight loss will also happen. Their bodies are trying to get energy from any place they can when they don't have enough sugar in their body to supply it. This causes the body to use up any fat it has stored to get that energy. This causes them to lose a lot of weight very suddenly. When the body doesn't receive the sugar it needs, their muscle tissue and cells begin to reduce in size, causing their weight to go down. Expelling the fluids out of their body makes them lose weight.

5. EXTREMELY TIRED OR WEAK: If your child is complaining about being extremely tired or extremely weak, there could be a problem. This again is because your child does not have enough sugar in their body to be used as energy. If they are unable to exert as much energy as they did before or the same amount as other kids their age, this could indicate there is a problem.

6. FRUITY SMELLING BREATH: Fruity smelling breath can occur with kids that have diabetes. This is because their body is in ketosis, which means that their body is in the process of eating stored fat and healthy muscles. This process releases ketones through their mouth which smell fruity. Ketones are the substances that a body makes when it breaks down the fat stores to be used for energy.

7. BLURRED VISION: Having blurred vision is a frequent symptom of diabetes in kids. Once again, since the body doesn't have enough sugar it pulls it from anywhere it can get it. So, the fluid in the lens of their eyes could be pulled out. This may affect their ability to see clearly, thus causing them to have blurry vision.

If your child experiences any of these symptoms, you should contact their doctor immediately. Even though this may seem terrifying, it will be worth it to know whether or not your child has diabetes and if so, get them started on a program to control their insulin levels.

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