Symptoms and Treatment of Different Types of Diabetes

 By Stiven Benson 

Photo: webmd.com
 
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood glucose. Diabetes can also be caused by lack of insulin resistance by this hormone or for both reasons.
To understand diabetes, it is important to first understand the normal process by which food is broken down and used by the body as energy.
Several processes happen when food is digested:

• A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a source of fuel for the body
• An organ called the pancreas makes insulin. The role of insulin is to take up glucose from the bloodstream muscle cells, fat and liver, where the sugar is used as a fuel

People with diabetes have too much sugar in the blood. This is due to the fact that:

• The pancreas does not produce enough insulin
• The cells of muscle, fat and liver do not respond appropriately to insulin

There are three major types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood. Many patients are diagnosed over age 20. Because of this disease, the body produces little or no insulin. Are needed daily insulin injections. The exact cause is unknown. Genetics, viruses and auto immune problems may have an interest
• Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common type. It comprises most of the cases of diabetes. It usually occurs in adults, but more and more young people are being diagnosed with this disease. The pancreas does not produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels in the blood, usually because the body does not respond well to insulin. Many people do not know they have type 2 diabetes, even being a serious illness. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common because of the increasing cases of obesity and lack of physical exercise
• Gestational diabetes is high blood glucose amount that occurs at any time during pregnancy in non-diabetic women. Women with gestational diabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the future

Diabetes affects over 20 million Americans. More than 40 million Americans have pre-diabetes (early type 2 diabetes).
There are many risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including:

• Age over 45 years
• Father, mother, siblings with diabetes
• Gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 4kg
• Heart disease
• High blood cholesterol level
• Obesity
• Not enough physical exercise
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (in women)
• Impaired glucose tolerance
• Some ethnic groups (mainly African-Americans, Native Americans, Asians, those born in the Pacific Islands and Hispanic Americans)

Symptoms
Elevated levels of blood glucose can cause several problems, including:

• Blurred vision
• Excessive Thirst
• Fatigue
• Frequent urination
• Hunger
• Weight Loss

However, due to the fact that type 2 diabetes develops slowly, some people with high blood glucose feel no symptoms.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes:

• Fatigue
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Nausea
• Vomit
• Weight loss despite increased appetite

Patients with type 1 diabetes usually develop symptoms over a short period. This disease is often diagnosed in an emergency situation.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes:

• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Increased appetite
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination

Treatment
The immediate goals are to treat diabetic ketoacidosis and high blood glucose levels. Because type 1 diabetes begins suddenly and have severe symptoms, people who have just been diagnosed may need to go to hospital.
The goals of treatment in the long term are:

• Prolong life
• Reduce symptoms
• Preventing complications related diseases such as blindness, heart disease, liver failure, and amputation of limbs

These goals are achieved through:

• Control of blood pressure and cholesterol
• Autotests careful blood glucose levels
• Educational measures
• Physical exercise
• Foot Care
• Meal planning and weight control
• Use of medications or insulin

There is no cure for diabetes. Treatment consists of medication, diet and physical exercise to control blood sugar and prevent symptoms.

LEARN THESE TECHNIQUES
The basic technique of managing diabetes helps avoid the need for emergency care.
These techniques include:

• How to recognize and treat low levels (hypoglycemia) and high (hyperglycemia) blood sugar
• What to eat and when
• How to administer insulin or oral medication
• How to test and record blood glucose
• As the urine test to check for the presence of ketones (type 1 diabetes only)
• How to adjust insulin or food intake when changing eating habits and exercise
• How to deal with the days when you feel unwell
• Where to buy diabetic supplies and how to store them

Once you learn the basics of diabetes care, learn how the disease can cause health problems in the long term and what are the best ways to prevent these problems. Review and update your knowledge, because new research and improved methods of treating diabetes are constantly being developed.

There are a many modern medicines to lower blood sugar, such as Glucophage. More information about the drug be found here: http://www.tabletsmanual.com/online/glucophage

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Why Have Diabetes Numbers Grown So Much Lately?

 By NM Benson 

Photo: world-health.net
 
The World Health Organisation estimates that in excess of 350 million people around the world have been diagnosed with diabetes, either type I diabetes or type II diabetes, with a further tens of millions living in ignorance and undiagnosed. Even though type II diabetes is the more prevalent of the two it is interesting to learn that there has also been a significant increase in the number of type I diabetics.
This now begs the question, why has the number of diabetics around the world grown so quickly over the last few years?

Diabetes Grabs Hold

Figures from an array of respected authorities around the world indicate that the number of adult diabetics has increased from 153 million in 1980 to the figure of 350 million we see today. However, while this figure alone is alarming what is of more concern is when you look at individual countries such as the US where the figure has grown threefold in just 30 years!
The very fact that diabetes is ultimately an issue with regards to the body's immune system, as opposed to any type of infection of contagious disease, means that we are unlikely to find the golden bullet cure. The best that we can probably hope for in the short to medium term is an improvement in the various treatments to contain the condition and ultimately possibly some form of inoculation to increase the body's chances of escaping diabetes.

The Economic Cost of Diabetes

Many experts have tried to look at diabetes from a financial standpoint and calculate the potential cost to the worldwide economy but ultimately it is astronomical and nobody really knows the true extent of the problem. Diabetes not only impacts the health of individuals but also impacts family life, government health budgets, economic prosperity and it is connected to an array of other health conditions such as heart attack, stroke, etc. There is even a suggestion that within the next 50 years we could see the UK NHS system bankrupt purely and simply because of the ever-growing cost of diabetes!
The reality is that governments round the world cannot afford to let the issue of diabetes run out of control. There will be difficult decisions to be made across the world, there will be significant changes to the current healthcare set up and ultimately there will be a need to invest literally billions of dollars to contain the issue. Each dollar spent today will be returned multi-fold in the years to come although from a political standpoint it may well be difficult to sell the idea of spending billions of dollars on a worldwide basis today, especially when you bear in mind the recent economic downturn and various austerity measures.

A Breeding Ground for Diabetes

A number of experts have stepped forward to suggest that the ever-growing number of diabetics round the world is simply due to the fact our lifestyles have changed dramatically, our dietary habits have changed dramatically and our exercise regimes are very different to that of 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. For many people there is little or no leisure time and eating on the move, involving fast foods and other similar services, does not bode well for a balanced and healthy diet in the long term.
In many ways it is the economic prosperity of regions such as Latin America which brought the likes of Mexico to their knees, the economic prosperity of the USA which has increased dramatically the number of obese adults and this is before we even begin to look into Europe where the problem is growing. There is no doubt that type II diabetes is linked to a material change in living habits and lifestyles but behind the scenes we are also beginning to see the emergence of more instances of type I diabetes, which many people believe is genetic.
In many ways diabetes is the downside of economic prosperity, as has been shown in many countries in Latin America and even India, and governments around the world now need to come together, invest enormous amounts of money and try to tackle the problem before it is too late. It will be interesting to see which governments step forward and which would prefer to step back and take the chance that the diabetes epidemic will burn out.

Conclusion

When you bear in mind that the number of diabetics around the world has doubled over the last 30 years, has trebled in America over the last three decades and is now a major problem across Latin America, governments do need to act now. Perhaps one of the major issues today is public awareness of the condition as many of us are aware of diabetes but very few of us see ourselves as being at risk. This attitude and this view certainly need to be updated!
There have been many scare stories with regards to diabetes and its potential to literally bankrupt the UK NHS system, but the reality is that governments around the world cannot let the situation run loose much longer. The medical profession, governments around the world and indeed the general public all need to play their part, increase awareness of diabetes and do their best to reduce the chances of developing the condition in the future.

If you are looking for advice about diabetes, the latest news or you are struggling to cope, visit the DiabetesForum.com and join our 25,000 strong forum community.

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Diabetes - Depression Are Only Two Problems

 By Steve A Berchtold 

Photo: a57.foxnews.com
 
Diabetes and depression are two major reasons to stop drinking artificial sweeteners!
Another study confirms what people have been saying for years: Stop drinking diet soda. Like, right now. Avoid diabetes and depression and other related health risks!
According to French researchers, drinking just one 12-ounce can of an artificially sweetened fizzy drink per week can increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes by 33 percent. Most people don't stop at one serving a week, your real risk for diabetes could actually be much higher.
Diet Soda May Also Increase Risk of Depression
The study conducted by France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research, was announced Thursday, February 7, 2013 and will be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Diet Soda Making You Fat

The results were unexpected. We already know that people who consume a lot of sugar are more likely to develop diabetes, the researchers found that participants who drank "light" or "diet" soft drinks had a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who drank regular, sugar-filled sodas.
Those who drank 100 percent natural squeezed fruit juices instead had no additional risk.
Women who choose artificially flavored soft drinks usually drink twice as many of them as women who choose regular soda. Women who drank up to 12 ounces of artificially sweetened beverages per week were 33 percent more likely to develop the disease, and women who drank about 20 ounces per week had a 66 percent increase in risk.
Drinking sweetened beverages increases the risk of becoming overweight, which is itself a risk factor in developing diabetes. But the study didn't find that the results were the same even among overweight women.
So do artificially sweetened drinks make the problem worse if they're fat- and calorie-free?
"With respect, in particular, to 'light' or 'diet' drinks, the relationship with diabetes can be explained partially by a greater craving for sugar in general by female consumers of this type of soft drink," the researchers said.

Aspartame, one of the main artificial sweeteners used today, causes an increase in glycaemia and results in a rise in the insulin level in comparison to that produced by sucrose.
Translation: Drinking artificially sweetened drinks makes you crave other sweet things! Your body reacts to aspartame (also known as NutraSweet and Equal) in the same way it reacts to plain old sugar.

The American Diabetes Association say that, about 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes-about 8.3 percent of the population.
The disease is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people age 20 and older, and can also cause heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and damage to the nervous system.
Type 2 diabetes can be controlled by diet and exercise rather than a daily insulin injection.
Diabetes is bad enough, but drinking a sweetener that can cause you to suffer depression too?

Steve is a Naturopath, researcher, author and health consultant. Discover other helpful information about herbs, vitamins, drug interactions, parasites and much more at:
http://homeremedies1.com

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Type 2 Diabetes - The Liver Cancer and Diabetes Connection

 By Beverleigh H Piepers 

Photo: thebalanceyouneed.com
 
Research over the past few years has demonstrated people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are at a high risk for cancer of the liver. A study published in January 2013 in the British Journal of Cancer and a 2010 report from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, show much the same results.
The 2013 study, carried out by the National University of Singapore, included 63,257 middle-aged men and women in China. Over 14 years, 499 participants were diagnosed with liver cancer. Those who had Type 2 diabetes at the beginning of the study had more than twice as high a risk of developing liver cancer as nondiabetic individuals. Most of the diabetics who developed cancer of the liver did not have hepatitis, another risk factor for liver cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the United States, Type 2 diabetes is the most common risk factor for liver cancer among people living in the U.S. In 2010, the publication Benchmarks reported the results of a study by the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. Researchers analyzed information from NCI's database 5,607 people diagnosed with liver cancer. Type 2 diabetes was associated with 34 percent of cases.
Late in the course of liver cancer several signs and symptoms can be seen. Patients can suffer...

• swelling of the whole abdomen or a painful swelling in the right upper part of the abdomen,
• feelings of fullness after eating only a small amount,
• loss of appetite,
• nausea and vomiting, and
• weight loss

are common. Weakness and tiredness can also be present. Patients can notice yellow skin and whites of their eyes, pale stools, and brown urine. Patients sometimes report fevers.
When liver cancer is suspected a blood test called alpha-fetoprotein can be performed. It is a nonspecific test that can tell if cancer is present somewhere in the abdomen, but falsely positive test results can be obtained in smokers and people with lung disease. Ultrasound is good for finding masses in the liver. If a mass is found, a biopsy can give the final diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is made surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy are options for treating it.
One thing that makes liver cancer especially dangerous is in the early stages it has no signs or symptoms. That is why it is important to prevent it from starting...

• eating a healthful vegan diet,
• getting enough exercise, and
• keeping your body weight normal

can go a long way toward prevention of a whole host of diseases, including Type 2 diabetes. Other preventive measures include not drinking or drinking only small amounts of alcohol, and avoiding hepatitis B and C.

Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. It need not slowly and inevitably get worse and affect other organs in your body. Now is the time to take control of the disease... and take back your health.
For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

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Type 2 Diabetes - Measuring Insulin Resistance After Menopause

 By Beverleigh H Piepers 

Photo: cdn.images.bistromd.net

After menopause women have an increased risk for insulin resistance, the hallmark of Type 2 diabetes. As estrogen levels decrease, there is a tendency to develop fat deposits at the waist, the so-called "middle-age spread". Belly fat is dangerous because it releases hormones that can cause insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is also associated with breast cancer and heart and blood vessel disease; so diagnosing it early can help to prevent serious consequences.
Researchers at the Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Coimbatore, India, looked at skin temperature as a possible way to find insulin resistance in women after menopause. Their study, reported on in December 2012 in the Journal of Clinical Diagnostic Research, included 25 women who had been through menopause.

Fifteen of the women were diagnosed with insulin resistance according to their blood sugar and blood insulin levels. Their degree of insulin resistance and skin temperatures were compared with those of premenopausal women. Postmenopausal women had significantly cooler skin than premenopausal women, and the amount of insulin resistance seen correlated with coolness of their skin.
Measuring skin temperatures could some day be a painless, inexpensive way to discover insulin resistance in postmenopausal women. For the time being, blood sugar levels are part of the routine laboratory values used to diagnose Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, and should be discussed with your doctor.

If lack of estrogen is causing central obesity, hormone replacement therapy can be considered. The therapy is no longer recommended for permanent treatment because of the danger of heart disease, blood clots, strokes, and breast cancer, but it has been shown to be effective in the early years after menopause. Some studies have shown it to be helpful against:

• belly fat,
• heart attacks,
• thinning of bones (osteoporosis),
• depression, and
• strokes

in the first ten years after the last menstrual period.
Estrogen, often balanced with progesterone, another female hormone, can be taken as a pill, skin patch, gel, cream, or spray. (Local preparations applied to the vagina are used only for vaginal discomfort). When it is taken in pill form, hormone replacement therapy goes from the stomach to the liver, causing the liver to make more fat and clotting factors. When the medication is delivered through the skin the liver is less strongly affected.
Another, and excellent, way of getting rid of belly fat is by aerobic exercise. Try going for a walk each day. Walk briskly enough to make your heart and breathing speed up. Walking can make your bones, muscles, brain, and heart stronger too, so go for it.

Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. It need not slowly and inevitably get worse. You can take control of the disease... take back your health and prevent many diabetic complications.
For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

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Diversity of Diabetes

 By Athul Raj 

Photo: i.nordstromimage.com
 
Awareness and knowledge are imperative in the life of every individual to sustain a healthy and good quality life. It is more important in the life of individuals affected by diabetes. By diagnosing with diabetes, most of the people do not know the nature and characteristics of diabetes which they are affected with. It is only with the detailed understanding you could able to take further steps and measures to cure this disease. Some of them begin to use diabetic products and diabetes supplies without awareness about the kind they are suffering from. This is a disease which can be triggered at any point of time in life. Before starting the preventive measures or any kind of medications, you should be aware about its different types. It is generally classified into three categories. Studies have recognized other categories of this disease. By considering this categorization only you should decide about the free diabetic supplies to get availed. In this article I discuss the categorizations of this disease in common.
Type one Diabetes (T1D):
It is commonly known as insulin dependent diabetes. The patients who are caused by this type cannot survive without depending on insulin (a hormone that converts glucose from the food we consume to energy inside the cells). This is caused when the pancreas does not produce insulin in the body. It is a chronic disease in which the autoimmune reaction in the body attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. This is commonly seen among children and the adults of the early years of age. Therefore it came to be popularly known as "juvenile diabetes". There is a high possibility of having a shortage of blood sugar in the people affected by this type. Therefore it results in the symptoms like tiredness, confusion, dizziness, anxiety and fever. It should be taken more seriously.
Type two diabetes (T2D);
As this is contrast to the type 1, it is known as non insulin diabetes. The diabetic suffering from this type is not insulin dependent, as it causes due to the improper functioning of insulin in the body. This is mainly seen between the adults, thus it came to be known as "Adulthood diabetes". The study of researchers have found that in these days this type is starting to eat the life of children. It happens when the body attacks and resists the insulin into cells. Therefore, it leads to the excess build up of glucose in the body. There are medicines to control this situation. But, the doctor's advice to follow daily exercise and a nutritional diet to control the sugar level.
Gestational diabetes;
This kind is mostly seen among pregnant women. It is temporary in nature that it occurs only during the pregnancy and alleviates soon after the delivery. Today, almost 2-3% of pregnant woman are affected by this type. If not treated well after diagnosis, it may lead to complications in the mother's body and the baby born.
If you want to know more about the further types of this disease, the better method I would like to suggest is to have a detailed internet research or discussion with the qualified medical practitioner or a physician.

Know more amazing tips and recipes on Diabetes at diabeticsuppliesandhelp.com. And here you can get completely free diabetes supplies and free medicare diabetic supplies by participating in our programs.

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Type 2 Diabetes - Fruit and Vegetables for Counteracting Harm To Your Body!

 By Beverleigh H Piepers 

Photo: medicmagic.ne
 
Ever wonder what it is about sugar that causes so much harm in diabetes? When your body's cells receive too much sugar they react by forming what are known as advanced glycation end products, abbreviated AGES. AGES are harmful to cells such as those lining the inside of your blood vessels, which is one reason all those complications of Type 2 diabetes take place throughout your body.
Researchers at the Institute of Food Science, Technology, and Nutrition in Madrid, Spain, looked at vegetable and fruit seed extracts as possible tools for lowering levels of AGES. Their work was reported on in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture in November 2012.
Extracts from 8 types of fruit and vegetable seeds were tested for their effects against AGES. Extracts of green pepper, peaches, and pomgranates all showed anti-AGE molecular activity. Surprisingly, the antioxidants and phenols in the peppers and fruits, although known to be healthful, were not responsible for the anti-AGE activities of the extracts.
What in the extracts did the trick is not known, but it was concluded that something in the fruit and vegetable could be helpful in the prevention of the complications of diabetes...

• green pepper, or green bell pepper, can be used in a variety of dishes. I like to make stuffed peppers with rice and peas. For a simple dish that is relatively fast to make, boil your rice, flavor with saffron, and add your peas. Cut the tops off your bell peppers, clean out the seeds, stuff with your rice and peas, replace the tops, and bake for half an hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you want to be more elaborate, try adding a tomato sauce. Pour olive oil into a saucepan and add diced onions and processed tomatoes. Add dried basil for flavor. Cook until a sauce forms and add to your rice and pea mixture.
• the website Food.com offers a recipe for making peach smoothies using vanilla soymilk, ground ginger, cinnamon, and allspice.
• GoDairyFree.org suggests making a pomegranate smoothie with banana, almond milk, protein powder, sunflower butter or butter, and ground cinnamon or ginger.
• another website Vegalicious.org offers a recipe for chestnut mandarin orange salad with mandarin oranges, agave nectar, lime juice, pomegranate seeds and lettuce leaves.

Just eating the above fruit and vegetables alone can't be counted upon to keep away the complications associated with Type 2 diabetes, but isn't it nice to know the foods that are good for you anyway, could be a big help in that direction?

Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can take control of your health by lowering your blood sugar and losing weight. You can do it!
For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

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