Diabetes Treatment

Diabetes mellitus is a nutritional disorders, characterized by an abnormally elevated level of
blood glucose and by the excretion of the excess glucose in the urine. It results from an absolute
or relative lack of insulin which leads to abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism as well as in
the metabolism of protein and fat.
Diabetes is a disease known to the medical world since time immemorial. Its incidence is ,
however, much higher at present than ever in the past. This is especially true in case of more
advanced countries of the world due to widespread affluence and more generous food supply.
The most commonly-used screening tests are the determination of the fasting blood glucose
level and the two-hour postprandial, that is after a meal. The normal fasting blood sugar content
is 80 to 120 mg. per 100 ml. of blood and this can go up to a level of 180 mg. per 100 ml. of
blood two hours after meals. Anything above these norms can be termed diabetic levels.
Diabetes occurs in all age groups, from young infants to the elderly. The greatest incidence
occurs in middle or older aged persons. It is estimated that 80 to 85 per cent of all individuals
with diabetes mellitus are 45 years of age or older.
Symptoms
The word diabetes is derived from the Greek word meaning “to siphon to pass through”, and
mellitus comes from the Latin word “honey”. Thus two characteristic symptoms, namely, copious
urination and glucose in the urine give the name to the disease. The normal volume of urine
passed daily is about one and a half litres. The urine is of a pale colour, has an acidic reaction
and sweetish odour. The quantity of sugar present in it varies from one-and-quarter decigram to
two and-a-half grams the total per day in many cases reaching as much as one kg in 15 litres of
urine.
A diabetic feels hungry and thirsty most of the time, does not put on weight, though he eats
every now and then, and gets tired easily, both physically and mentally. He looks pale, may
suffer from anaemia, constipation, intense itching around the genital organs, palpitations and
general weakness. He feels drowsy and has a lower sex urge than a normal person.
Causes
Diabetes has been described by most biological doctors as a “prosperity” disease, primarily
caused by systematic overeating and consequent obesity. Not only the overeating of sugar and
refined carbohydrate but also of proteins and fats, which are transformed into sugar if taken in
excess, is harmful and may result in diabetes. Too much food taxes the pancreas and eventually
paralyses its normal activity. It has been estimated that the incidence of diabetes is four times
higher in persons of moderate obesity and 30 times higher in persons of severe obesity.
Grief, worry and anxiety also have a deep influence on the metabolism and may cause sugar to
appear in the urine. The disease may be associated with some other grave organic disorders
like cancer, tuberculosis and cerebral disease. Heredity is also a major factor in the development
of the disease. It has been rightly said, ” Heredity is like a cannon and obesity pulls the trigger.”
Treatment
Any successful method of diabetes treatment should aim at removal of the actual cause of the
disease and building up of the whole health-level of the patient. Diet plays a vital role in such a
treatment. The primary dietary consideration for a diabetic patient is that he should be a strict
lacto-vegetarian and take a low-calorie, low-fat, alkaline diet of high quality natural foods. Fruits,
nuts and vegetables, whole meal bread and dairy products form a good diet for the diabetic.
These foods are best eaten in as dry a condition as possible to ensure thorough salivation
during the first part of the process of digestion.
Cooked starchy foods should be avoided as in the process of cooking the cellulose envelops of
the starch granules burst and consequently, the starch is far too easily absorbed in the system.
The excess absorbed has to be got rid of by the kidneys and appears as sugar in the urine. With
raw starchy foods, however, the saliva and digestive juices in the small intestine regulate the
quantities required to be changed into sugar for the body’s needs. The unused and undigested
portion of raw starchy foods does not become injurious to the system, as it does not readily
ferment.
The diabetic should not be afraid to eat fresh fruits and vegetables which contain sugar and
starch. Fresh fruits contain sugar fructose, which does not need insulin for its metabolism and is
well tolerated by diabetics. Fats and oils should be taken sparingly, for they are apt to lower the
tolerance for proteins and starches. Emphasis should be on raw foods as they stimulate and
increase insulin production. For protein, home- made cottage cheese, various forms of soured
milks and nuts are best. The patient should avoid overeating and take four or five small meals a
day rather than three large ones.
The following diet should serve as a guideline.
Upon arising : A glass of lukewarm water with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Breakfast : Any fresh fruit with the exception of bananas, soaked prunes, a small quantity of
whole meal bread with butter and fresh milk.
Lunch : Steamed or lightly cooked green vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes,
spinach, turnip, asparagus and mushrooms, two or three whole wheat chapatis according to
appetite and a glass of butter-milk or curd.
Mid-afternoon : A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice.
Dinner : A large bowl of salad made up of all the raw vegetables in season. The salad may be
followed by a hot course, if desired, and fresh home-made cottage cheese.
Bedtime Snack : A glass of fresh milk.
Flesh foods find no place in this regimen, for they increase the toxaemic condition underlying the
diabetic state and reduce the sugar tolerance. On the other hand, a non-stimulating vegetarian
diet, especially one made up of raw foods, promotes and increases sugar tolerance.
Celery, cucumbers, string beans, onion and garlic are especiallybeneficial. String bean pod tea
is an excellent natural substitute for insulin and highly beneficial in diabetes. The skin of the
pods of green beans are extremely rich in silica and certain hormone substances which are
closely related to insulin. One cup of string bean tea is equal to one unit of insulin. Cucumbers
contain a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin. Onion and garlic
have proved beneficial in reducing blood sugar in diabetes.
Recent scientific investigations have established that bitter gourd (karela) is highly beneficial in
the treatment of diabetes. It contains an insulin-like principle, known as plant-insulin which has
been found effective in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels. It should, therefore, be
included liberally in the diet of the diabetic. For better results, the diabetic should take the juice
of about 4 or 5 fruits every morning on an empty stomach. The seeds of bitter gourd can be
added to food in a powdered form. Diabetics can also use bitter gourd in the form of decoction
by boiling the pieces in water or in the form of dry powder.
Another effective home remedy is jambul fruit known as jamun in the vernacular. It is regarded in
traditional medicine as a specific against diabetes because of its effect on the pancreas. The
fruits as such, the seeds and fruit juice are all useful in the treatment of this disease. The seeds
contain a glucoside ‘jamboline’ which is believed to have power to check the pathological
conversion of starch into sugar in cases of increased production of glucose. They should be
dried and powdered. This powder should be taken mixed in milk , curd or water.
The patient should avoid tea, coffee and cocoa because of their adverse influence on the
digestive tract. Other foods which should be avoided are white bread, white flour products, sugar
tinned fruits, sweets, chocolates, pastries, pies, puddings, refined cereals and alcoholic drinks.
The most important nutrient in the treatment of diabetes is manganese which is vital in the
production of natural insulin. It is found in citrus fruits, in the outer covering of nuts, grains and in
the green leaves of edible plants. Other nutrients of special value are zinc, B complex vitamins
and poly-unsaturated fatty acids.
Exercise is also an important factor in the treatment of diabetes. Light games, jogging and
swimming are recommended. Yogic asanas such as bhujangasana, shalabhasana,
dhanurasana, paschimottanasana, sarvangasna, halasana, ardha-matsyendrasana and
shavasana, yogic krisyas like jalneti and kunajl and pranayamas such as kapalbhati,
anuloma-viloma and ujjai are highly beneficial.
Hydrotherapy and colonic irrigations form a very important part of treatment. The colon should
be thoroughly cleansed every second day or so, until the bowel discharge assumes normal
characteristics. Bathing in cold water greatly increases the circulation and enhances the capacity
of the muscles to utilise sugar.
The diabetic patient should eliminate minor worries from his daily life. He must endeavor to be
more easy-going and should not get unduly worked up by the stress and strain of life.

Diabetes Symptoms Symptoms

Diagnosing diabetes symptoms can be difficult in identifying at first, as manifestation of the disease is gradual. Sometimes, because symptoms can also be common to other illnesses, the real illness may be overlooked. Diabetes symptoms may vary, the list may go on and on but not everybody (diabetes patients) has them. There are even some cases that no symptoms may show on some patients.

Diabetes occurs when the body’s ability to react to insulin gets affected. The insulin is your body hormone that allows your blood sugar (glucose) to enter body cells. When too much glucose enters the blood, this leads to the elevated amount of blood glucose, which it can cause glucose spillage towards the urine. This is the primary reason why one of the most classic diabetes symptoms, frequent urination, plagues the patient.

Because elevated glucose level is beyond normal, your body cells are energy-starved and consequently leading to the damage in your nerves, kidneys, eyes, blood vessels and your heart. The increased amount of glucose appears when the sugar of your body falls too low. It then increases production of sugar. This process starts when the pancreas releases the hormone called glucagons. The stored glycogen will be converted back into the glucose by your liver and muscles.

How are diabetes symptoms diagnosed?

Diagnosing diabetes patients may vary, and is based according to the duration and range of the high blood sugar levels. Patients with type 2 diabetes are often diagnosed relatively slowly as compared to people with type 1 diabetes, to which it may take only after weeks or some months. Symptoms may also progress slowly and mildly.

Some of the most specific and common early diabetes symptoms are:

– Skin irritation and diseases
– Skin infections
– Poor skin healing
– Athlete’s foot
– Sexual problem
– Unusual vaginal dryness
– Erectile failure (to male patients)
– Premature menopause (to female patients)
– Absence of menstrual periods
– Paresthesias
– Peripheral neuropathy
– Urinary tract infection
– Blurry vision
– Malaise
– Drowsiness
– Numbness of the hands
– Weight loss or weight gain

Other more extreme diabetes symptoms are:

– Excessive urination
– Excessive thirstiness
– Dehydration
– Weight loss even with an increased appetite
– Tiredness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting
– Excessive hunger
– More bladder, skin and vaginal infections
– Serious blurry vision
– Headache
– Muscle aches, weakness and cramps
– Acne
– Increased sexual problems because of erectile failure for men, and vaginal dryness for women
– Cessation of menstrual periods

Other diabetes symptoms:

– Gums are bleeding
– Unusual noise or buzzing in the ear
– Feet numbness or tingling
– Skin itching
– Diarrhea
– Confusion
– Depression

Complications associated to diabetes symptoms:

– Kidney diseases
– Diabetic retinopathy
– Sciatica
– Heart diseases and
– Stroke

As those mentioned symptoms might occur at a later time for a patient, the usual situation is delayed scheduling of the check-up. This is not a good idea as complications may increase over time, making it even harder to treat and manage the disease. In this case, it is extremely important to check with the doctor in as early as possible to prevent more damage to the body. Another, it is important to note that diabetes is one of the lifelong diseases, and one that does not infect other people upon contact.

Diabetes Symptoms

Many people may not take notice of diabetes symptoms because so many of them don’t seem serious enough to attach to an actual disease. Feelings of nausea, for instance, are felt by so many people so often and for such a wide variety of reasons that most people never even think to associate it with diabetes. And because we all seem to be working longer hours than ever before and having to get up earlier in an attempt to avoid spending an hour or two in traffic, feelings of fatigue and tiredness are usually associated with the price of living in the 21st century. Even the need to urinate more frequently usually goes unnoticed. The fact is, however, that all of these can point to the onset of diabetes.

One of the problems associated with recognizing diabetes symptoms is that the Type I version of the disease builds gradually. The first thing you may notice is the tiredness. While precious few of us don’t experience occasional bouts of fatigue, diabetes-related tiredness tends to be more noticeable. For one thing, the tiredness isn’t occasional; it lingers on and on. Even so, it may be very easy to ignore the severity of the fatigue and fail to associate it with diabetes.

Very often, a diabetes patient won’t begin to question his health until subsequent symptoms appear. The extreme fatigue begins to be accompanied by frequent thirst. Not just the usual kind of thirst where you may finish off a 20 ounce bottle in less than an hour, but an unusual thirst where you may go through two or more 20 ounce bottles in an hour.

But even a sudden spike in thirst can often be attributed to something else, such as perhaps the heat. Less likely to be so casually ignored, however, is one of the more extreme diabetes symptoms. Many patients experience feelings of intense hunger while they are losing weight. This is a symptom that is not typical of normalcy. Most people who are not on a diet and who are eating regularly don’t feel continually hungry while also losing weight. At this point, most people who have been ignoring other symptoms sit up and take notice. Additional diabetes symptoms that people tend to take notice of include blurred vision, frequent infections and sores that either take a long time to heal or don’t heal at all.

One of the problems in diagnosing diabetes is that not everybody experiences the same symptoms. Another problem is that symptoms can vary depending on whether you are suffering from Type I or Type II diabetes. Although both types share certain symptoms such as frequent urination, dry mouth and increased thirst, there are other symptoms that are usually unique to each type. For instance, weight loss with continued hunger is primarily associated with Type I. On the other hand, leg pain and yeast infections are common symptoms of Type II.

Diabetes mellitus type 2

Special areas in the pancreas gland, the Islets of Langerhans, produce a hormone called insulin. This hormone is a protein of small size. Insulin stimulates muscle cells and other body cells to take up glucose from the blood and convert the glucose to glycogen, a kind of starch, and then store the glycogen. By need the body cells convert the glycogen to glucose and use it as fuel. In this way insulin keeps the glucose level in the blood at a normal size.

By diabetes type 2, the cells in the body do not react properly by stimulation from insulin. Therefore they do not take in enough glucose from the blood to store it or to use it as energy source. This condition is called insulin resistance. The amount of glucose in the blood therefore rises. Also the insulin production can rise to regulate the glucose amount down, but this effort to reduce the blood glucose is not effective enough. If the disease persists for many years, the insulin production may tire out, so that the amount of secreted insulin decreases.

THE CAUSES AND MECHANISMS OF DIABETES TYPE 2

The exact mechanism that causes the disease is not known. There may be an autoimmune response to insulin or to the molecules on the cell surfaces that the insulin connects to. However, these lifestyle factors can cause the disease:

-Too high consume of sugar and fat
-Over-weight
-Too less exercise over many years.

Therefore diabetes type 2 can be prevented by a right diet and with regular exercise.

When the glucose uptake into the body cells is reduced, but glucose instead accumulates in the blood, the following physiological effects occur:

-The body cells do not get enough fuel for the work they shall do.
-The molecular thickness (osmality) of the blood increases. This causes water to be pulled out from the body tissues and into the blood. The tissues thus get dried out and the urine production increases.
-The tissues begin to break down protein and fat to get energy, causing weight loss and muscular reduction.

The symptoms of diabetes type 2 are a consequence of these mechanisms.

THE SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES TYPE 2

Diabetes type 2 is the most common kind of diabetes, actually 10 times more common than diabetes type 1, where the insulin production is reduced or stopped. The disease usually appears after the age of 50, but the high sugar and fat consume in western countries nowadays also causes young persons to acquire the disease. Symptoms of diabetes type 2 come gradually. The symptoms are.

-Increased urine production
-Dehydration, that is a lack of water in the body
-Abnormal high thirst
-Dry mouth
-Increased appetite
-Slow healing of physical injuries
-Itching in the skin
-Infections caused by yeasts
-Impaired vision

In the long turn, the disease can cause atherosclerosis with blood vessel narrowing, heart disease and stroke.

THE TREATMENT OF DIABETES TYPE 2

The treatment of diabetes type 2 is most often diet with a low sugar amount and weight reduction. These measures will lighten the burden upon the blood sugar control of the body so that it manages to normalize the blood sugar levels. If this does not work good enough, medicines to lower the blood sugar is used.

If the insulin production is reduced, insulin injections are also used.

There are also natural products in the market that can help to normalize the blood sugar level by diabetes type 2. Those products cannot heal the disease, but they can help the body to regulate the blood sugar. These products contain minerals that are working components of enzymes that stimulate the glucose metabolism in the body. They also contain herbs that have been used for a long time in traditional medicine to regulate the glucose level and have proven their effects in scientific studies.

Diabetes Mellitus Type 1

Special areas in the pancreas gland, the islets of Langerhans, produce a hormone called insulin. This hormone is a protein of small size. Insulin stimulates muscle cells and other body cells to take up glucose from the blood and convert the glucose to glycogen, a kind of starch, and then store the glycogen. By need the body cells convert the glycogen to glucose and use it as fuel. In this way insulin keeps the glucose level in the blood at a normal size.

By diabetes type I the cells producing insulin are destroyed. Then less glucose is taken up from the blood into the body cells and utilized there, and glucose accumulates in the blood.

THE CAUSES AND MECHANISMS OF DIABETES TYPE I

The cause of the disease is not well known. An auto-immune response attacking the insulin producing cells in the langerhansian islets may be a cause. Virus infection may be another cause. The disease also is to some extend inherited.

When the glucose uptake into the body cells is reduced, but glucose instead accumulates in the blood, the following physiological effects occur:

-The body cells do not get enough fuel for the work they shall do.
-The molecular thickness (osmality) of the blood increases. This causes water to be pulled out from the body tissues and into the blood. The tissues thus get dried out and the urine production increases.
-The tissues begin to break down protein and fat to get energy, causing weight loss and muscular reduction.

The symptoms of diabetes type 1 are a consequence of these mechanisms.

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES TYPE 1

The disease often starts suddenly. Often children or young people are attacked by the disease. The lack of insulin causes an increased amount of blood sugar. Early symptoms of the disease are:

-Increased urine production
-Dehydration (lack of water in the body)
-Abnormally high thirst as a consequence of increased urine production
-Dryness in the mouth
-An abnormal high appetite
-Feeling extremely tired and weak
-Weight loss, even when one eats well
-Impaired vision

If the blood sugar level is not stabilized to a normal value, there will be an accumulation of chemicals in the body called ketones, and this condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis. This serious condition can lead to coma and death. The signs of ketoacidosis are:

-Vomiting,
-Pain in the stomach
-Rapid breathing,
-High pulse rate
-Somnolence (abnormal tendency to sleep)

In the long term, diabetes type 1 can severely hurt the blood vessels in vital organs. This can further cause damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys or other body organs.

TREATMENTS OF DIABETES TYPE 1

Diabetes type 1 is treated with insulin injections. Implanting insuline cells in the pancreas is an experimental treatment. Another experimental treatment is to implant stem cells in the pancreas that can develop into new insulin producing cells.

Another important module of the treatment is regulation of the amount of sugar and fat consumed through the diet so that it fits together with the insulin-amount injected. Also regular monitoring of the blood sugar level to regulate the insulin amount is an important part of the treatment.

There are also natural products in the market that can help to normalize the blood sugar level by diabetes type 2. Those products cannot heal the disease or replace insulin injections, but they can help the body to regulate the blood sugar level. These products contain minerals that are working components of enzymes that stimulate the glucose metabolism in the body. They also contain herbs that have been used for a long time in traditional medicine to regulate the glucose level and that have proven their effects in scientific studies.

Blood Glucose Meters

One of the great things about the Internet is that it’s created a global community for discussions of topics such as diabetes. You’ll find there are a number of forums that will allow you to talk to others facing your situation.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with diabetes, one of your first steps will likely be to find a glucose meter. There are some things to keep in mind as you make your decision because this piece of equipment is likely to be part of your life for the foreseeable future.

A glucose meter (or glucometer) is a medical device for determining the approximate amount of glucose in a drop of blood obtained by pricking the skin with a lancet. Glucose meters are portable and designed for use by ordinary people, especially those with diabetes.

There are now dozens of models of glucose meters. Typical features common to most. The average size is now approximately the size of the palm of the hand, though some are smaller or a bit larger. They are battery-powered. A consumable element containing chemicals which react with glucose in the drop of blood is used for each measurement. For most models this element is a plastic test strip with a small spot impregnated with glucose oxidase and other components. Each strip can only be used once and is then discarded.

Cost is a major issue for most people, but there’s good news if you have any kind of medical insurance. A glucose meter is typically considered to be a vital part of medical treatment and insurance companies often pay for a portion or the entire cost of the meter. At the same time, there is sometimes a limit on the amount the insurance company will pay, and that may severely limit your options.

While cost is naturally important, remember that you’re going to be living this life from now on. Finding a cheaper glucose meter that requires a more serious stick for blood may seem like the best option when you’re writing the check for the meter, but the tedium of the daily stick may negate that cost in the long run.

There are some companies out there that help with the cost of a glucose meter if you meet specific income guidelines. This may be a good answer if your quandary about which meter to buy is purely based on financial restraints. Remember that Medicare often pays on this important testing equipment as well. Your doctor, druggist or representative of a local medical supply company may also be good sources of information about how to find the best deals and how to get help paying for a glucose meter.

Finding a very inexpensive glucose meter may be the best answer to this situation. If the meter is accurate, it’ll get you through the initial period of adjusting your life to the regular testing of your blood sugar. Then take time to do some research into what’s hot and what’s not in glucose meters. You’ll find that some make absolutely ridiculous claims and you may have to ask some questions to find those companies that produce the glucose meter that will work best for you and your lifestyle.

Managing A Child’s Diabetes At School

As the school year winds down, parents of children with diabetes may want to take a few minutes to evaluate their child’s relationship with the school. Was the school staff able to handle any problems that arose this year? “There needs to be really good communication between the parent and the school,” says Virginia Zamudio, R.N., M.S.N., C.D.E. and past president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

Assessing how things are going and establishing effective diabetes management at school can yield a variety of positive results, including:

* Promoting a healthy, productive learning environment (when your child is experiencing lows, it is very difficult for him or her to learn)

* Reducing school absences and classroom disruptions

* Creating an effective response in a diabetes-related emergency

The younger the child, the more important it is to check in with the school on a week-to-week basis. Age matters: A recently diagnosed kindergartner will need a much different approach than the one you’d take with a high school senior who has been managing diabetes since childhood.

At every age, however, you should talk with your child regularly about how things are going. In a little heart-to-heart, you might help him or her become adept at recognizing signs of trouble and asking for help if and when it’s needed. You also have to give school personnel enough information so that you can trust they will look out for your child’s welfare.

Provide the school with an individual action plan from your child’s doctor that gives instructions on: testing, shots, oral medications for low blood sugar problems, dietary requirements (e.g., need for snacks), and explicit plans for handling low and high blood sugar.

“If the nurse isn’t available, even the bus driver and other school personnel need to be able to recognize if your child is having symptoms of hypoglycemia and offer a form of quick-acting sugar,” Zamudio says. Work to establish an overall diabetes-friendly environment. The American Diabetes Association’s Safe at School campaign recommends that capable students should be allowed to self-manage their diabetes in the classroom and during school activities. To learn more about diabetes management at school, go to diabetes.org/advocacy-and-legalresources/discrimination/school/safeschool.jsp

Open communication between you, your child and the school staff is the key. With a diabetes management plan in place at school, you and your child can rest easier knowing the right care will be given when it’s needed.

Writer: Kalia Doner
©Diabetes Focus, Second Quarter

Diabetes Herbal Remedy Works Better Than Insulin

It is another case of a home remedy waiting to be discovered. A new study suggests that a traditional Indian diabetes herb treatment lowers blood sugar and insulin levels as well as today’s prescription drugs.

39 healthy adults received extracts of the herb Salacia oblonga with promising results. Insulin and blood glucose levels were lowered by a maximum of 29 and 23 percent, respectively. These reductions occurred when test subjects received the largest dose of the herb extract (1,000 mg).

“These kinds of reductions are similar to what we might see with prescription oral medications for people with diabetes,” said Steve Hertzler, a study co-author and an assistant professor of nutrition at Ohio State University.

Salacia oblonga is an herb native to regions of India and Sri Lanka. Researchers found that it can bind to intestinal enzymes that convert carbohydrates into glucose. If the herb binds to these enzymes before the enzymes can turn carbs into glucose, then less glucose sugar enters the bloodstream. Therefore less insulin is required.

“Lowering blood glucose levels lowers the risk of disease-related complications in people with diabetes,” Hertzler said. “Also, poor compliance with diabetes medications often hinders the effectiveness of these drugs. It may be easier to get someone to take an herb with food or in a beverage, as opposed to a pill.”

Although this study was performed on healthy adults, the researchers also want to study the effects of the Salacia oblonga herb in diabetic patients.

Hertzler also commented that, “A lot of studies show that lowering blood sugar levels reduces the risk for all kinds of diabetes-related complications, such as kidney disease and nerve and eye damage. We want to see if this herb has this kind of effect.”

The herb caused an intestinal gas side effect. Researchers measured hydrogen and methane levels in the breath of study participants for a two-day period following each test. Additionally, participants rated the frequency and intensity of any nausea, cramps, or gas they experienced.

The studies will continue, but the herb is difficult to find in the U.S. Some online suppliers do exist.

This study was conducted by Ohio State University (OSU), and supported by the Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories in Columbus. It was reported in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, and on the OSU website at http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/saloblo.htm where the study researchers can be contacted and the full news release can be found.

A seemingly-obscure herb appears to have the same medicinal properties as some of today’s most-researched diabetes medicines. Just imagine what other home remedy treasures are waiting to be uncovered.

Interested in free home remedies? Learn more by visiting the site listed below.

Diabetes Facts

Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body is unable to properly control the amount of sugar in the blood. The body cannot control the sugar in the blood due to the lack of the hormone insulin. Diabetes has long reaching and wide ranging health affects for those that suffer from it. Diabetes significantly raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, blindness and kidney failure. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to death.

It is estimated that over 18 million Americans suffer from diabetes, and of these 18 million it is estimated that nearly one third are unaware they suffer from it.

Diabetes is easily diagnosed using a fasting blood glucose test. This if the most accurate test available. A fasting blood glucose result of 126 or higher indicates diabetes. Generally a fasting glucose test is part of an annual physical for adults.

Type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, is diagnosed in children and young adults.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and is usually found in adults over the age of 40. Type 2 diabetes is most likely due to poor diet and overweight as 80% of those with Type 2 diabetes are overweight.

There is still debate about the genetics of diabetes. If both your parents have diabetes of course your risk is higher than if one parent has it. There are also environmental triggers to diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is more closely linked to genetic factors and factors such as poor diet and lack of exercise.

Some of the symptoms of diabetes are unexplained weight loss, lethargy, excessive thirst or excessive hunger, frequent urination, dry skin, slow healing sores, sudden vision changes.

If you find you have diabetes you will need to work very closely with your health care provider in order to keep your sugar levels within acceptable ranges. You’ll start testing your blood sugar at least once a day and keeping the results in a diary. You will need to re-vamp your diet and pay close attention to portion size and meal frequency. A diabetic diet doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot have foods that contain carbohydrates, it means you can’t have them in an unlimited fashion. Exercise done on a regular basis has been found to help control blood sugar levels. It is suggested that those with diabetes should exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day.

Living with diabetes can seem overwhelming at first, and it will take commitment on your part. However, millions of Americans live full and active lives with diabetes.

Diabetes Epidemic

One of the greatest contributors to the type 2 diabetes epidemic is reckoned to be obesity brought on by our modern lifestyles.

Are you eating yourself into diabetes type 2?

Check if you have these 4 eating habits that could contribute to obesity and possibly make you part of the type 2 diabetes epidemic…

1) Unconscious eating… No, I don’t mean ‘sleep-eating’ (I wonder if there is such a thing?) I’m talking about automatic eating without any conscious thought to what is happening.

How often do you do something else whilst eating? Watching TV; reading a book; reading a magazine or newspaper; listening to music, a radio show or conversation? If you’re anything like me it’s probably a rare occasion when you just sit and have a meal, without interruptions.

A recent study carried out by Penn State laboratory showed pre-school children, who consistently watch TV whilst eating, ate up to 33% more than they did when they had a meal without the TV on.

How much extra do you eat, without realizing it, because you are absorbed in a book or TV program?

2) Eating speed.. Ever finished your meal before others? Ever bolted your food down and then felt bloated afterwards?

In a recent Sky TV program Paul McKenna (the famous hypnotherapist) explained how the simple act of slowing down whilst eating; putting your knife and fork down between mouthfuls, can contribute to weight loss.

Think about it, if you’re eating more slowly you’ll know when you are full. You won’t continue eating and get that uncomfortable bloated feeling. And you won’t put extra weight on.

Watching that program gave me an ‘Aha!’ moment, because that’s exactly what my father has done all his life. It’s a standing joke in the family that he takes so long to eat a meal – he often finishes half-an-hour after everyone else. And guess what? Yep – he’s as skinny as a rake. Wish I could say the same about me!

3) Snacking… Are you really hungry when you snack? Or is it that you “just fancy a bite to eat”?

Snacking is probably one of the biggest contributions to weight gain. It’s not so much the snacking, it’s what you snack on! Cookies /biscuits, chocolate, cakes, snack bars – all these contain massive amounts of sugar that increase the burden on our immune system. If you overload your system with sugar it may not cope, you could end up with insulin resistance and that leads to type 2 diabetes.

Healthy, no added sugar or sugar free snacks are the best options if you MUST snack.

4) Sugary drinks… Do you have a favorite soft drink? If you do, is it a sugar-sweetened drink or a concentrated sugar-rich fruit juice? And, on a hot day, how much do you drink of that favorite? Half-a-liter? One liter?

It’s all added sugar, which not only impacts on your weight, it also impacts on your body’s control of the sugar levels in your blood.

In a recent medical study in the US the results indicated that having just one sugar sweetened drink of fruit juice every day made women more susceptible to becoming part of the type 2 diabetes epidemic, by up to 80%.

So, are you planning to be part of the diabetes epidemic? OK, maybe you’re not PLANNING to… but maybe your unconscious eating habits have got you on that slippery slope to diabetes. A little thought about what you eat, where and how, can reduce the risk for you.

Sugar Free Drink Solutions

Don’t you just hate it when you ask for a sugar free drink in a pub or restaurant and all they’ve got to offer is diet cola or water?

Or you’re offered a pure fruit juice – “Well, that’s sugar free – isn’t it?” No it isn’t – the sugar that occurs naturally in fruit juice is very high and that will play havoc with your blood sugar levels. But here are a few drinks you might like to try…

I got so fed up of the standard cola offer, I decided to experiment with mixing the different sugar free drinks that are available and you might like to try these alternatives to ‘just cola’.

1) The first experiment I tried was to mix a diet cola and diet tonic water in the same glass. Then I added ice and lemon. The mixture gives a slightly sharper taste and it makes a very long and refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day.

2) Then I tried splitting a pure orange fruit juice (you could also try pineapple or tomato juice) with a friend and added sparkling water to my half of the juice. You could also try mixing your juice with diet tonic water.

3) If you want to make a refreshing drink at home, this pineapple slushy will hit your dry spot:

Take 1 can sugar-free ginger ale, add 1/4 cup of unsweetened pineapple juice and ice cubes.

Place in a blender and blend until the ice-cubes are crushed and you get a slushy mixture.

Why not experiment with other unsweetened fruit juices? And, if you want a little bit more of a kick, you could add rum extract to give it more flavor.

If you have any more ideas or recipes for sugar-free drink I would really love to hear about them.

Diabetes Care Diet And Exercising

Diabetes and care— there cannot be a better combination of words in the world of diabetes!

Your doctor may examine and advise you for some time on diabetes during your visits to his clinic or his visits to your residence. But you are your own doctor for 24 hours all through the months and years with diabetes. How many times a day do you contemplate about the word diabetes?

But don’t you despair. You can fight it out with proper care.

The two words that stand uppermost in diabetes care are diet and exercise! If you are disciplined in these two areas, half of your battle is won!

Be in the know that 50 to 60 percent of daily calories come from carbohydrates, 12 to 20 percent from proteins, and not more than 30 percent from fats.

As for diet, let the balance weigh heavily in favor of fruits, vegetables and lots of fiber. More intake of fiber will help you immensely. Give up your past habit of taking heavy meals. Take in small quantities, as and when you are hungry. Extremely high or low blood glucose levels need to be avoided. As for losing weight, “slow and steady wins the race.” You have already consulted your doctor, you strictly go by the norms given to you and you lose two pounds per week. Very good! That’s good progress.

The risk of heart diseases and liver problems are ever there for diabetics. The food items that are major sources of saturated fats must be avoided. Olive oil is often recommended as a good source of mono-unsaturated fat, the healthiest type of fat.

You must remember the following points, which are your lifelines:

1. Maintain the normal blood glucose level.

2. You have the possibility of heart and liver diseases. Limit your food items from this point of view.

3. Maintain the desired level of weight.

With all the emphasis on diet, research on influence of various types of foods on the diabetes patients is still going on unabated. Researchers in this area are the most confused lot. They are certain about effects of some items of food. Vague opinions also float. For example, the researchers are sure that cooked foods raise blood glucose higher than the raw foods. Whether foods with sugar raise blood glucose higher than the foods with starch, is still uncertain!

Diabetes care will, perhaps, be a hot subject for all time to come—so far, diabetes is alive and kicking!

Diabetes and Your Mouth

We diabetics have to pay even more attention to our teeth and gums than other people.

We are at greater risk of cavities, gum disease and tooth infections. Not only that, but those infections can cause our blood sugar to rise, so it becomes a vicious cycle.

Here are some mouth problems common in diabetics.

Plaque

Plaque is, of course, a problem for many people, not just diabetics. But it’s caused by starches and sugars, and of course we have more than our share of those! So diabetics are highly prone to plaque.

Dry mouth

Sometimes my mouth is so dry in the morning I can hardly speak—I’m sure you know how that feels. But it’s more than just inconvenient, it’s dangerous to the health of our mouths. You see, saliva washes away many of the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease. Dry mouth cuts the amount of saliva available for this job, so the result is more cavities and gum disease. Dry mouth sometimes also creates inflammation of the soft tissue in the mouth, making eating difficult and unpleasant.

While there are artificial saliva substitutes, which your dentist can tell you about, you can usually stimulate your own saliva by sucking on a sugar-free hard candy. I like no-sugar-added Ricola for this purpose. And of course, drinking water helps.

Fungal infections

Not only do we diabetics have less saliva than we need, but the saliva we do have is high in sugar content, so it’s double trouble for us. This can cause a fungal infection called candiasis, commonly known as thrush. It produces sore red or white spots in the mouth. Medication can help though, so ask your dentist.

As a diabetic, you must pay great attention to oral hygiene. Brush your teeth twice a day, and floss daily. Examine your gums for signs of problems—and always visit your dentist at least twice a year.

Diabetes and Your Heart

Diabetes is one condition that must be treated as soon as it is diagnosed, even though in its early stages it doesn’t hurt, or cause inconvenience, or create any worrisome symptoms. But ignoring it is a mistake, because the blood sugar imbalance we diabetics live with can cause a variety of complications, even leading to other serious health conditions.

One major cause for concern is adverse effects on our hearts. Our unstable blood sugar levels can cause poor circulation—a big step on the road to heart problems. Here are some things to watch for.

Hypertension

Diabetes often goes hand-in-hand with high blood pressure, or hypertension. In fact, your doctor will tell you that diabetics must work to get their blood pressure down even lower than other people. While a systolic pressure (the top number) of 140 might be acceptable for the general population, we diabetics should aim for 130 or lower. It’s all part of the battle against possible heart disease.

Blood fats

Cholesterol and tryglycerides, or blood fats, also need to be kept lower in diabetics. Lots of fruits and vegetables, fewer packaged or fried foods are your best bets for dietary blood fat control. Throw out that frying pan!

Blood sugar

Blood sugar levels need monitoring too, as consistently high levels damage blood vessels and can lead to cardiovascular difficulties.

Weight level

And of course you know it’s important to maintain a healthy weight. Why is that particularly important for us diabetics? First, if you are overweight your heart muscle needs to work harder to pump blood through your system. This weakens your blood vessels, which are then more susceptible to damage from fluctuating blood sugar levels. It’s a vicious cycle you don’t want to create.

Your heart is the main engine of your whole body, so you need to do everything possible to keep it in good shape. For the sake of a healthy heart, take control of your diabetes.

Diabetes and Your Feet

We diabetics have to take special care of our feet, or we can find them troubled in
two ways: reduced blood circulation and nerve damage.

Here’s what to look for and some prevention ideas.

Symptom:

If your feet are constantly cold, your legs are sore when you walk, or your feet hurt
in bed at night, you may be suffering from poor blood circulation. This, in turn, can
slow down the process of healing when you have cuts or other damage to your feet.

Prevention:

Staying physically active is one way to help improve your circulation. You also need
to control your blood fat and sugar levels, as well as your blood pressure. And of
course, don’t smoke.

Symptom:

If your feet are numb, you have a burning sensation on the soles of your feet or pins
and needles in your feet, you have signs of possible nerve damage.

Foot nerves are the longest in our bodies and are therefore susceptible to damage
by diabetes. If these nerves are damaged, the feelings are lessened, so we could
have the cuts or blisters that can lead to ulcers, and we wouldn’t even know about
it.

Prevention:

Check your feet regularly to be sure there are no signs of injury. If you develop
corns or calluses, have them treated immediately by a podiatrist. Wash and dry
carefully between your toes, and keep your nails trimmed and smooth.

Everyone likes to have their feet pampered, but for us diabetics it not only feels
good, it also prevents serious health problems in the future. So book that foot
massage now!

Diabetes and Your Eyes

Diabetes can play havoc with your eyes, and sometimes there are no early sumptoms. So you may have no idea anything is wrong until your eyesight is in danger.

Here are the main eye problems that can be caused, or made worse, by diabetes.

Cataracts

These are often described as a clouding of the lens of the eye. They are treatable by surgery in most cases.

Glaucoma

Our eyes are largely made up of fluid, and when the pressure of that fluid builds up too much inside the eye, you have glaucoma. Left untreated, it can damage the optic nerves, and even lead to blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy

Lining the back of our eyes is light-sensitive tissue known as the retina. The retina contains very small blood vessels that can be damaged by diabetic retinopathy. Sometimes there are symptoms such as blurred vision, but often you won’t even know anything is wrong until the condition is well advanced. In the worse case, it leads to blindness.

Early detection is the key to battling all of these conditions, and the best diagnostic tool available is the dilated eye examination. This is a test in which special eye drops temporarily enlarge your pupils, allowing the doctor to see the back of your eyes. This test (which is painless) can detect cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy in their early, treatable stages.

Eyesight is precious, so if you have diabetes do yourself a favor and make an appointment for your dilated eye examination. And then do it again every year from now on.

Diabetes Diet

If you are like me you probably thought diabetes is one of those things you have or don’t have; nothing could be further from the truth because diabetes is now the biggest threat to health in the developed world and we are eating ourselves into it because of poor diet.

First question is how prevalent is diabetes?
Using Australia as an example that has a total population of around 20 million inhabitants, in the last full year official figures show 70,000 people were diagnosed with diabetes during the year. That is equal to one extra person diagnosed every seven minutes 24/7.

At present 700,000 people are diagnosed with having diabetes and a conservative figure indicate that for each person diagnosed there is another that is not diagnosed but does suffer from diabetes. that is 1.4 million sufferers out of a total population of 20 million. – More than 5% and growing by the day. The organization Diabetes Australia forecast that by the year 2010 the number of sufferers could be close to 10% of population. This rate of increase is happening throughout the developed world and is caused by lack of exercise and poor diet. We could be quite cruel here and say that people are queuing to shorten their lifespan because diabetes does reduce your lifespan.

The answer to this epidemic is in the hands of each of us. We must exercise more and be more conscious of what we eat. Attention to diet should start from a very young age; in particular we should concentrate on serving sizes and avoiding fatty foods. Yes that does include every child’s favorite burger and fries. Once a month does little harm if the children are active, once a week causes damage even if they are active.

We all need to be conscious of seven servings of fruit and vegetables each day in our diet and also the need to back a good diet with reasonable exercise, like walking. People most at risk of type 2 diabetes, the most common, are overweight and do not exercise. They may have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, if you fit this category ask your doctor to check for diabetes next time you visit.

I saved the scariest fact for last: The total number of people in Australia with diabetes or “pre-diabetes” is 3.2 million or 15.1% of the total population. Each of these people will have a reduced lifespan.

This article is (c) copyright David McCarthy

Diabetes And Weight Loss

Did you know that you can be ‘just a little bit diabetic’? The condition is technically called ‘pre-diabetes’, and it is characterized by persistent high blood sugar levels. Pre-diabetes is a serious condition, though its symptoms may be so subtle that you don’t notice them affecting your life. More importantly, it’s an indicator that there is something seriously wrong with your body. Left untreated, over 50% of those diagnosed with pre-diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes within ten years.

If your doctor has told you that you are one of the more than 16 million Americans who has pre-diabetes, the American Diabetes Association has some very good news for you. In March 2005, the ADA released the results of the multi-year Diabetes Prevention Project. In a study that followed thousands of patients across the nation who had been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, the Diabetes Prevention Project found that patients who lost a ‘moderate’ amount of weight reduced their risk of developing full-blown diabetes by over 58%. Even more encouraging, many of those patients had managed to reverse their condition, and their blood sugar levels were well within normal ranges.

This was a result that the researchers had not expected. Diabetes (and pre-diabetes) is the result of changes to cells in the pancreas that reduce the amount of insulin that they can produce. Doctors have always believed that those changes are irreversible. Now however, the research seems to suggest that losing weight with a healthy balance of exercise and diet can actually heal those early damages caused by diabetes.

Here’s the even better news. Those results were achieved by people who lost ‘moderate’ amounts of weight – from 5-7% of their total body mass. In other words, if you weigh 200 pounds and have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic, losing just 10-15 pounds can more than halve the risk of developing full-blown diabetes, and may reverse your condition entirely.

Here are some healthy weight loss tips from the American Diabetes Association:

1. Keep your diet balanced. Eat a variety of foods in all food groups, with an emphasis on grains, starches and fresh vegetables and fruit.

2. Learn to eyeball portions. Portion control is far more important than restricting what foods you eat. A ‘portion’ of raw vegetables may be considerably larger than a portion of the same vegetables cooked. There are some handy reference guides on their web site at http://www.diabetes.org

3. Add one half hour daily of moderate exercise to your daily routine five days a week. This one single lifestyle change seemed to be the key to both weight loss and the beneficial effects derived from it. It was the single significant difference between the two groups in the study.

The results of the Diabetes Prevention Project only confirm what has been the best advice in dieting circles for years – losing weight with a balanced diet and exercise is the healthiest way there is. For more information on the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes and Menopause

You might be thinking “What’s the connection between diabetes and the menopause?”

Well, for ladies reaching that certain age, it can be very traumatic – especially when some of the effects experienced can easily be mistaken for those we have to be aware of when managing our diabetes…

For a diabetic taking medication, keeping blood sugars at the right level is a balancing act. If sugar levels drop too low, because of not eating enough or at the right times, you suffer a hypoglycemia episode (sometimes called ‘hypo’ for short). For me, this usually manifests itself as shaking; irritability; sweating and a faint-headed feeling.

If you are diabetic and have ever had low-blood sugar you may recognize some of these symptoms, amongst others. A quick ‘glucose fix’ usually settles it within 5-10 minutes.

Now, compare that to some of the symptoms of starting the menopause; hot flushes [I call them ‘power-surges’ ;)] – similar to the sweats of a hypo; mood swings – akin to the irritability you might experience during a hypo. It’s very easy to confuse the symptoms you are feeling.

When I first started the menopause, I frequently confused waking at 2 a.m. in the morning in a cold sweat as a hypo and took a quick sugar boost to settle myself. That pushed my blood sugar levels up when I didn’t need it. Not a good idea!

It was only after visiting my Doctor to talk about these frequent, unexpected hypos I discovered I was starting the menopause (I was in my late 40s, so it was rather unexpected, normally it doesn’t occur until early-to-mid 50s).

If you are a lady, with diabetes controlled by medication, and you are in your early 50s and you start having frequent, unexplained hypos – check your sugar levels before ‘treating the condition’. And get your Doctor to check your symptoms. You may be confusing symptoms of diabetes and the menopause.

And guys; if your lady normally has great control of her diabetes and suddenly seems to be showing the same symptoms when she was getting her diabetes into balance (if you knew her then) please be supportive and understanding, she’s going through one hell of an experience, but I promise, she will come through and be her normal, loving and charming self once again.

Diabetes Management

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most costly burdensome chronic diseases of our time and is condition that is increasing in epidemic population in the whole world. The complications resulting from the diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and are associated with failure of various organs such as the eyes, kidneys and nerves. Diabetics are also at a significantly higher risk for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke and they have a greater likelihood of having hypertension dyslipidemia and obesity.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious disorder of the glands, of pancreas to be exact, called Madhumeha in Ayurveda. It is one of the most insidious disorders of the metabolism and, if left undiagnosed, may lead to rapid emaciation and ultimately death.

What are the types of Diabetes?

According to Ayurveda Diabetes is of two types: Diabetes Mellitus- Insulin dependent Juvenile Diabetes (IDDM-Type I) in which the body is unable to produce insulin and Non Insulin Dependent Adult Onset Diabetes (NIDDM-Type II) in which the pancreas produces insulin, but it is insufficient for reducing the blood glucose to normal levels.

What are the common symptoms of Type- 1 Diabetes? Some of the common symptoms of Type- 1 Diabetes are:

Excessive Thirst Frequent urination Unexplained weight loss Irritability Weakness Fatigue

What are the common symptoms of Type- 2 Diabetes? Some of the common symptoms of Type- 2 Diabetes are:

Loss off weight Numbness in hands or feet. Uncontrolled infections Pain in the limbs Inflammatory chest infections Dimness of vision, contrast Excessive thirst Body weakness

What are the different tests for Diabetes?

Urine Test: Some chemicals are added to a few drops of urine. Colour change indicates presence of glucose in urine.

Blood Test: In this, blood is taken to test the glucose level. This is more accurate test to confirm diabetes

Which parts of my body are affected by Diabetes?

Blood Vessels: Higher level of glucose damage the blood vessels. As a result of this most of the diabetic complications occur in blood vessels.

Heart: Diabetes affects the heart by: Increasing the amount of fat in blood and increasing the amount of homocysteine in blood.

Kidney: In diabetes because of increased levels of glucose, kidneys have to do extra work to retain essential substances and separate waste products to produce urine. This affects the small blood vessels and their capacity to filter. After many years of work, it leads to kidney failure.

Eyes: Diabetes affects blood vessels of the eyes. Damage to these blood vessels leads to eye problems like: Damage to retina, Cataract or total loss of vision

Foot: Damage to blood vessels reduces blood flow to the feet and increases risk of developing foot ulcers and infections.

Nerves: High glucose level for a long time damages nerves. Nerve damage reduces sensation in some parts of body which may lead to: Numbness and tingling, Fainting and dizziness

Home Remedies for Diabetes:

The best remedy for this disease is the bitter gourd, better known as ‘karela’. Eat this vegetable as often as you can or have at least one tablespoon of karela juice daily to reduce blood sugar levels in your blood and urine.

Amla, due to its vitamin C content is effective in controlling diabetes. A tablespoon of its juice, mixed with a cup of fresh bitter-gourd juice, taken daily for two months will secrete the pancreas and enable it to secrete insulin.

Take ten tulsi leaves, ten neem leaves and ten belpatras with a glass of water early morning on an empty stomach. It will work wonders in keeping your sugar levels under control.

The leaves of Butea tree are very useful in diabetes. They reduce blood sugar and are useful in glycousia.

Take two teaspoons of powdered Fenugreek seeds with milk. Two teaspoons of the seeds can also be swallowed whole, daily.

Eat 10 fresh fully grown curry leaves every morning for three months. It prevent diabetes due to heredity factors. It also cures diabetes due to obesity.

Diabetes And Its Causes

Diabetes is a group of associated diseases in which the body is unable to regulate the amount of sugar (glucose) into the blood. The cells does not respond in type2 diabetes. In this type of case the blood sugar levels gets too high instigating prolonged severe complications.

Researchers have identified various genes related with the growth of type 1 diabetes. The customary belief about the etiology, cause, of type 1 diabetes is that although someone may have a genetic inclination for developing type 1 diabetes, environmental triggers such as virus, toxin, drug are responsible to initiate the autoimmune process which causes type 1 diabetes by destroying insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

Type 1 Diabetes influences only 5 % of all diabetics. By the researchers point of view it is by far the worst of the two types. In type 1 the cells which create insulin are destroyed – an autoimmune reaction causing dependence on outside sources of insulin. Up till now there is no clinical cure for type 1 diabetes.

In type 2 diabetes the cell receptors that respond to insulin either do not work completely or not causing insulin resistance up to the mark. The most frequent and common risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes are age factor, inactive lifestyle and being overweighed. Heredity also plays the vital role in it

Type 2 Diabetes is given the name as the disease of lifestyle. Certainly it is seen in lot of people, as you go older day by day your metabolism slows down, you start gaining weight, and as a result you are less active and more sedentary-an obvious reasons for the disease.

Genetics: A Risk Factor Diabetes
It is seen that native people with high percentage of Indian blood are more often to develop diabetes. There is no certain reason that why this genetic disorder occurs, but one theory is that at one time when food was not in plenty, the body adjusted for these incline times by storing extra fat for this purpose.

The Other Factors:
If you have been detected with any problems with your circulation, had an heart attack or a stroke, or if you have got high blood pressure you may be at an increased risk of diabetes or it may be the dawn of this disease in you.

Pregnant women can build up a short-term type of diabetes – gestational diabetes. Having this symptoms and delivering a large baby, can boost the risk of a woman going to develop severe diabetes in the future.

Risk Factors Controlled By You:
Family history: In this type of case risk of having diabetes is high, if you have a close relative such as parent, brother, or sister with diabetes. Gestational diabetes, or delivered a baby who weighs more than 9 pounds. Women who have diabetes during pregnancy or have a large baby are at larger risk for diabetes later in future, usually type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes and Insulin

Diabetes is a condition in which the body either does not manufacture sufficient amounts of insulin or does not properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that is necessary for the transport of sugar from the blood stream into the cells for use as energy. Type 2 diabetes results when our bodies become insensitive to insulin and cause our blood sugar go out of balance. For this reason, we want to do everything we can to remain insulin sensitive. When we are insulin sensitive, our bodies do a much better job of moving glucose from the blood and into cells.

Various herbs, foods, vitamins, and minerals have been shown to promote insulin sensitivity and help maintain proper blood sugar levels. Vanadyl sulfate increases the body’s insulin sensitivity. Gymnema sylvestre is a well known herb helpful in blood sugar control by controlling sugar cravings and nourishing the pancreas.

Exercise also increases insulin sensitivity. People involved in athletics are known to require less insulin. Besides improving insulin sensitivity, exercise helps us to control our weight and reduce body fat. Weight control is a very important aspect in maintaining insulin sensitivity.

Another important factor in maintaining proper blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity is a healthful diet. Complex carbohydrates found in most vegetables, apples, grains, and nuts are slow to digest. Slowing the process of digestion promotes healthy blood sugar levels and avoids the highs and lows associated with the intake of refined sugars. We should also avoid saturated fats. The healthy fats contained in fish, olive oil, and flaxseed help us to maintain insulin sensitivity.

Type 2 Diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and results from insulin resistence. The above methods have been shown to be extremely helpful in maintaining insulin sensitivity, promoting lower blood sugar levels, and avoiding the complications associated with diabetes.

What Type Of Insulin Is Right For Me

Rapid onset-fast acting insulin

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:

1. NovoRapid (Insulin Aspart)
2. Humalog (Lispro).

Short acting insulin

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:

1. Actrapid
2. Humulin
3. Hypurin Neutral (bovine – highly purified beef insulin).

Intermediate acting insulin

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.

Diabetes the Wall Of Feelings

The physical characteristics of diabetes are well chronicled. The emotional aspects may not be so good. Here is a small list of the feelings I experienced and the influence they had on me.

SELF-DENIAL: Firstly when I had been told that I had diabetes, this was the first emotional feeling I had. Maybe it was a cool way the doctor told me I had the disease in my life. He did not handle it very well which pushed me to be in the stage such feelings. Those feelings prolonged me in getting control of the disease. Controlling diabetes at the initial stage of detection crucial.

ANGER: The next consequent feeling I had was anger. The moment I was set in the disease I was crazy and gone mad. Mad at my doctor, mad at God, mad on everything for making my simple life so difficult. Mad on my new born disease for making my life miserable and exaggerating me.

WITHDRAWAL: Right from the begging I was very fun loving guy. The retail food business sort of demands that, when I got to know my new disease I could see how slowly I began to withdrew and became more down to earth. My pleasing personality slowly started changing as well. I became more serious and less fun loving.

DEPRESSION: There were times when I became totally depressed with my newly found disease. Each and every new changes I made for my new diet plan, the long list of medications for the complication that are arising, the never ending war of weight loss; the stress of knowing the complications that can be develop on me; the list goes on.

These were the major feelings I experienced, there are other also.

The most important thing is to have a great support team surrounding you and your family, spouse, doctor, nutritionist, etc. all those who can provide the feeling you will need to cope with this disease. There are support groups at most hospitals that may help too.

Diabetes the other silent killer

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.

The Billion Dollar Pandemic

You know, it’s not everyday a fellow like me gets to announce a major paradigm shift, much less concerning diabetes …or any other medical condition.

You don’t know what a paradigm shift is? Well, if I mentioned events and names like: Gutenberg, Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Louis Pasteur, and Werner von Braun …you would probably guess a paradigm shift is major shift in thinking…and you would be right.

Back in the 1960’s, Thomas Kuhn wrote a famous book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. In it, he destroyed the common misconception so many of us have about science.

We tend to think scientific progress is ushered in by a slow, line upon line, piece by piece development of thought over time.

Thomas Kuhn showed that, historically, scientific progress occurs in leaps …and is always confronted by a struggle with an “old guard.” The old scientific theorists hold tenaciously to their (usually tenured or profitable) positions and array themselves against the new discovery, attempting to drive it away.

But, the new guard – the new discoverers, inventors, explorers- takes the new discoveries and advances it over the thinking of the old establishment. Rarely is the old guard converted to the new patterns of thinking (new discovery). They just die off. The new position wins by attrition …truth…and perseverance.

Diabetes: The $132 billion dollar pandemic

Diabetes is on the front edge of such a paradigm shift.

Diabetes now afflicts over 18 million Americans. That is double the number of people with diabetes just since 1991 alone.

According to the CDC, one in every three Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime. Let that sink in…one in every three Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

It is estimated over 40 million Americans can be classified as “pre-diabetes” meaning they have blood sugar levels higher than normal but still below the type 2 diagnosis level which helps to define diabetes.

By anyone’s standard that is pandemic (goes far beyond epidemic proportions). The cost for this carnage is over $132 BILLION DOLLARS. So much expense, grief and sorrow…and unnecessary.

Diabetes: A reflection of our culture.

We are a fast food, sedentary, “get-our-fix-now” generation. More than one in every two Americans are overweight. We don’t exercise as we should. All of which affects glucose levels. Diabetes is a lifestyle disease…and we’ve got the lifestyle.

Diabetes: The important announcement

That said, diabetes is a condition which CAN be turned around. Glyconutrition is the new discovery shaking the medical and scientific worlds. There are four Nobel Prizes and MIT testifying to the fact that glycobiology is one of the 10 technologies/discoveries which will shape our world.

Glyconutrition is more than just a promising new treatment for diabetes. Many are starting to whisper “VICTORY” over diabetes in their approach to disease.

Whether that is the case, time will tell.

Oh no… The problem is not a failure of glyconutrition. It is the building block VITAL to healthy cellular function and it is extremely vital to the proper functioning of the IMMUNE system. Those are known facts.

Diabetes is an auto-immune disease meaning, your body’s immune system gets misguided messages. Thus, it starts attacking the islet cells in the pancreas which produces insulin. Voila…diabetes!

But, the problem is NOT whether glyconutrition really works. Anecdotal evidence (market buzz!) is already overwhelming in favor of glyconutritional therapy for diabetes. As is the professional research.

No…the actual science is NOT the problem. The problem is the old guard again. Thomas Kuhn’s book is almost prophetic. The old guard, the medical and pharmaceutical establishment, just can’t accept the findings of (their own) research… “What! A nutrient… to treat diabetes?” “Hogwash,” one can almost hear them say.

Actually, I wish they were saying that out loud. The reality is, they just ignore the issue. You see, too much is at stake. Like billions of dollars…uh…a $132 billion dollars. All of that money (read, “business”) disappears if glyconutrition continues to “pan out” the way the research shows us. But, for now, the only thing “panning out” is a diabetes pandemic.

Yet, glyconutrition gets shunned as an official diabetes treatment approach.

A study published in the 1997 issue of the Proceedings of the Fisher Institute for Medical Research showed that people with type 1 diabetes who were given glyconutrients “…reported a dramatic improvement in their health, including a decrease in vision problems, better wound healing, less infections, and lower blood pressure.” (Miracle Sugars, by Rita Elkins, M.H., Woodland Publishing, p. 26)

“Glycobiology has achieved critical breakthroughs in the medical field, primarily by addressing what could be the greatest plague in health care today — auto-immune diseases. Multiple sclerosis, arthritis, diabetes, Crohn’s disease and colitis are just a few of these diseases.” – Dr. Neecie Moore, Ph.D. (cf. Rita Elkins, M.H.
Miracle Sugars, Woodland Publishing, p. 18.)

Also, mannose (one glyconutrient) can stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin “…thus lowering the amount of insulin needed to control this disease.” (Miracle Sugars, p. 27).

Reality Check: The lives of 1 out of every 3 Americans are affected directly by diabetes and there is a $132 billion dollar diabetes pandemic running amuck in our midst. So, I sure hope this paradigm shift – glyconutrition – gets less opposition from the “powers that be” (the “old guard”), and is given its rightful place in the sun…soon.

But, with the money being made by the pharmaceuticals and their drugs, and the astoundingly simplistic view of disease treatment (“Blast that disease with technology and drugs!”) it is doubtful if Thomas Kuhn’s “paradigm shift” will work out any differently for diabetes across the land.

The old guard will attack and ignore the discovery – arguably, the greatest in medical history in over a hundred years – and, a la Kuhn, they will simply go the way of the Dodo Bird and diabetes treatment will receive its due.

Diabetes So Far So Good

There was this guy who jumped off the 37th floor of a tall building. As he fell, people at each floor inside the building heard him say as he passed them, “So far, so good…so far, so good…”

Diabetes is a disease which cannot be “trusted.” I know that’s an odd way of putting it, but bear with me for a moment here. As a medical professional, I have dealt with countless cases of diabetes. I have always been amazed people will plan for the future as they build lives, careers, families, dreams…creating and pursuing commitments for the long term… And yet, one issue stands out consistently. People with diabetes tend to hope the disease will just “maintain itself,” that it will just stay at status quo for the long term.

Diabetes cannot be trusted to stay anywhere…much less at status quo. Like the guy falling from the 37th floor, people with diabetes tend to keep telling themselves… “So far, so good…so far, so good…so far, so good…” Folks, hope is NOT a strategy. It is a necessity, but it is NOT a strategy in dealing with a disease like diabetes.

Diabetes: The “fall out” is too great to ignore…

As I said earlier, I am amazed how well people can plan for the long term, creating and pursuing future commitments but do NOT plan long-term for diabetes. Of course, the natural question is: “What are the long term issues with diabetes?”

With diabetes, a person is two to four times more likely to develop cardio-vascular disease. Being a cardio-vascular surgeon, I saw this particular problem constantly in my field. And I saw it consistently in young and middle aged people with diabetes.

With diabetes, people are TWENTY-FIVE times more likely to develop retinopathy (deterioration of the retinas). Because of diabetes, 24,000 people lose sight every year!

With diabetes, 60-70% of those afflicted suffer nerve damage which can lead to non-traumatic lower limb amputations. This is due to the fact that open sores that do not heal, accompany diabetes. As they become ulcerated, the diabetic faces complications which can lead to amputation of limbs.

People with diabetes are AT RISK for kidney failure.

Diabetes is responsible for the increased risk for strokes…two to six times more likely because of their condition.

Diabetes: the good news or the bad news…

Well, which do you want…the good news or the bad news first?

As a doctor, having dealt with diabetes in many patients, it’s always best to know the BAD news up front. Why? Complacency is harmful to your health. The danger with diabetes is people get complacent. Nothing seems to happen until, suddenly, it seems to sneak up on you with its complications…

The bad news can be REALLY bad if you are someone who has any of the following conditions which terribly complicate diabetes. Complicating factors are:
1 smoking,
2 high cholesterol,
3 high blood pressure,
4 obesity,
5 physical inactivity

With these factors, predicting the progress of diabetes is very problematic. Simply put, they MUST be brought under control, if possible. Diabetes thus becomes very unpredictable.

By keeping your blood glucose under control, you can reduce the risk of complications of diabetes up to 76%. That’s good news.

More good news: By healthy eating, responsible dietary weight loss, regular physical activity, monitoring blood sugar… you can reduce risk in diabetes.

Bad news: Status quo again. You’re still “stuck” with diabetes.

Diabetes: Being hit by “friendly fire.”

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are auto-immune conditions. In type1 diabetes, the immune cells are mis-instructed to attack islet cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

Mind you, there is nothing wrong with the islet cells. There is MIScommunication by the immune system of the body. In other words, immune attack cells can get faulty messages and destroy healthy tissue. Isn’t it just awful that your diabetes can be caused by “friendly fire?” (Military terminology here. The good guys are hitting their own good guys with artillery fire.)

MIS-communication …. hum. Sounds like what’s needed is a healthier communication system at the cellular level so the body isn’t attacking its own healthy cells.

Now, for some really good news…

Glyconutrition is the nutritional provision which provides the body with healthy CELLULAR COMMUNICATION. In other words, for diabetes, this means less “friendly fire.”

A study published in the 1997 issue of the Proceedings of the Fisher Institute for Medical Research showed people with type 1 diabetes who were given glyconutrients “…reported a dramatic improvement in their health, including a decrease in vision problems, better wound hearing, less infections, and lower blood pressure.” (Miracle Sugars, by Rita Elkins, M.H., Woodland Publishing, p. 26 -Excellent quick reference incidentally!)

Remember, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are auto-immune conditions. Read carefully, this next statement by medical researcher, Dr. Neecie Moore:

“Glycobiology has achieved critical breakthroughs in the medical field, primarily by addressing what could be the greatest plague in health care today — auto-immune diseases. Multiple sclerosis, arthritis, diabetes, Crohn’s disease and colitis are just a few of these diseases.”

Research on glyconutrition is growing wonderfully. For example, the Ophthalmology Department of Harvard University in 1995 reported that one of the glyconutrients (mannose) can be an energy source for diabetes (instead of the damaging glucose), providing energy without risk of eyesight damage. (Miracle Sugars, p.27).

Also, mannose can stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin “…thus lowering the amount of insulin needed to control this disease.” (Miracle Sugars, p. 27. I told you this was a good book! In case you’re wondering, I receive no remuneration from it whatsoever. Remember, I’m a physician. Doctors “make money the old fashioned way”…they charge you.)

Oh yes. Glyconutrients are NON-prescription. Anyone can get them and they are non-toxic (they’re food!) Safe, NON-prescription, effective…That’s the stuff real medical discoveries are made of. Diabetes may very well become a scourge of the past.

Think of it. No more friendly fire.

No more diabetes “status quo.”

…So far, so good…

Psychosomatic Illness

Impotence or erectile dysfunction (ED) is a sexual health problem that is now rising among men. This condition is characterized by a man’s failure to perform an erection, keep an erection long enough to finish the sexual intercourse, or fail to have an ejaculation. This is the reason why men fail to perform well in bed. This ailment is not just a condition caused by old age or disease. Unhealthy lifestyles which includes excessive drinking, smoking, and unhealthy diets may contribute to the development of ED. In addition to these factors, ED can also be caused by physical abnormalities or it could be a product of mental disturbance. Understanding these factors can help people suffering from ED improve sexual performance and overall well-being.

Diabetes has also been known to cause ED because it affects some, if not all the bodily systems such as the circulatory, nervous, and the endocrine systems. The organs in these systems all work in harmony to let blood flow into the penis so that erection can take place. In addition, a number of medical studies show that diabetic persons are more likely to have low testosterone levels. Testosterone is a hormone that is responsible for the enhancement of libido or sexual energy. Men with type 1 diabetes are more likely to become impotent once they reach 40 years of age.

However, horny goat weed (Epemedium) and sildenafil are proven to be a safe and effective treatment for ED caused by diabetes. They work by improving blood flow in the penis and thereby enhance sexual pleasure and performance. It also helps men increase their stamina, last longer during sex, and reduce premature ejaculation. In addition, to its sexual benefits, horny goat weed is safe and may bring minimal side effects.

Impotence can also be a psychosomatic or psychological illness. Stress or exhaustion may be possible factors that contribute to this kind of sexual dysfunction. Unfortunately, many people are unaware that many ED cases are result of an underlying physical disorder. People who are unaware of of this disorder may develop stress build up over a period of time and worsen the case of sexual dysfunction. Individuals who are suffer from psychological ED may benefit from counseling. This may help identify unspoken reasons that can be remedied or reduce its effect through proper treatment.

To keep stress levels under control, the body’s well-being during stressful situations. The following methods have been proven to be very beneficial in relaxing the mind and therefore relieve mental and emotional troubles:

· Journaling or keeping a diary
· Cardiovascular and Resistance Exercises
· Ashtanga Yoga
· Listening to classical music
· Art Therapy
· Tai Chi Chuan
· Transcendental Meditation

In addition to these activities, a healthy and balanced diet should also be included in one’s daily routine. Plenty of vegetables, protein, and whole wheat foods can help reduce emotional troubles and make people feel more energized and less sluggish. Doing this will go a long way in getting individuals back in the mood. Sexual difficulties that are brought by diabetes and psychosomatic illness can be treated with alternative medicine and adjustments in lifestyles. However, health and medical experts should be consulted to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of activities or herbs. This condition can treated, but it should be done with advice of medical professionals. Improving sexual health by changing lifestyles, improving food regimens, or including exercise programs as part of one’s daily routines should be done to complement medical or alternative medicines.

Kids May Develop Type 2 Diabetes

Diet is a quite important matter for diabetic people. Everything they eat may have a consequence positive or not in their disease evolution. According to researchers from Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, overweight Latino children show signs of beta cell decline, a precursor of type 2 diabetes because they are consuming lots of sugar especially in sugary drinks.

Nowadays, statistics show that nearly one out of four Latino children in the United States is overweight, and the problem appears to be worse over the future. Obesity rates are increasing along with the incidence of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes within overweight teens. Under a researchers’ report published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, high sugar consumption during childhood may play an important role in the development of diabetes in this population.

According to experts in preventive medicine, overweight and poor diet among these children could have disastrous consequences for minority health and the health-care costs for future generations, if they are left untreated.

The research called Study of Latinos at Risk (SOLAR) Diabetes Project is conducted by the research team from the Keck School. This project examined 63 overweight Latino children in Los Angeles from 9 to 13 years old and do not have diabetes.

Beta cells in the pancreas, experts explain, create the hormone insulin in response to sugar from food. Energy is something necessary to cells in the body’s tissues, so they need sugar, or glucose, and insulin helps cells grab and take up glucose in the blood.

Diabetes Hypoglycemia

Under results of a new study, hypoglycemia, which is a drop in levels of blood sugar, and is severe enough to cause seizures or coma in young children with type 1 diabetes (those who develop the disease very early in life) does not appear to result in impairments in mental ability or behavior.

According to experts and scientific evidence, the hippocampus (a region of the brain) is particularly sensitive to prolonged episodes of severe hypoglycemia. And experts stated that “young children with type 1 diabetes are at greatest risk of severe hypoglycemic events, and this has focused concern on the potential for hypoglycemic insult to impact on central nervous system development”.

After compare 41 type 1 diabetic adolescents and children -who had a history of hypoglycemia with coma or seizure- to 43 similar diabetic subjects but without a history of severe hypoglycemic events, findings demonstrate that a subgroup of patients who had early first seizure showed more episodes of hypoglycemic seizure or coma in comparison to those who experienced a seizure at an older age.

The team applied different tests of learning and memory, but also intellectual and behavioral tests. The astonishing thing is that there were no significant differences between the seizure and no-seizure groups on the intellectual, memory or behavioral measures.

The main conclusion of the report is that results provide “some reassurance to those treating children with type 1 diabetes with intensive treatment that seizures/coma at a young age does not necessarily result in gross cognitive or behavioral impairment”.

Heart Disease

Did you know that if you have diabetes you have a greater chance of dying from heart disease or stroke and it doesn’t make any difference if you are a woman or a man? One reason is high blood levels of sugar make the walls of your blood vessels thicker and cause them to lose their elasticity, which in turn makes it harder for blood to pass through.

Type 1 diabetes is know as juvenile-onset diabetes and usually affects children and young adults and is genetically-linked. The following are some conditions that are typically found in people with type 2 diabetes, which is know as adult-onset diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Depression: Depression doubles the risk of a person getting diabetes and after being diagnosed with diabetes a person will go through major lifestyle changes which will cause them to be more depressed. Diet changes and taking medicines are among the things that cause them to be more depressed.

Obesity: Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and strongly associated with insulin resistance. Loosing weight has been shown to improve heart-health along with diabetes.

Inactivity: Lack of exercise is another major risk factor. Along with loosing weight, exercise has helped to reduce blood pressure and the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Hypertension: High blood pressure has long been recognized as a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. If you have both high blood and diabetes your risk for heart disease doubles.

A symptom of diabetes is the skin of a diabetic person becomes very dry and flaky due to excessive loss of water, leading to dehydration which could result in a coma. Also it takes a long time for sores or cuts to heal. Diabetes is usually accompanied by sudden weight loss. There are many things that could be or may not be a symptom of diabetes. If you think you might have diabetes, go to your doctor right away to find out and it never hurts to have your heart checked out at the same time.

Combat Rising Diabetes Cases

Pennsylvania has a moderate rate of increase in diabetes hospitalizations, accounting less than 1 per cent over the last two years, however, diabetes is a serious problem in this region. An amount of 8 per cent of adults of this state is affected by diabetes, which is 1 per cent above the 7 per cent people affected throughout the country. Moreover patients from various counties in Western Pennsylvania have high rates of end-stage kidney disease, one complication of diabetes.

The above mentioned situation alongwith the continuos growing rate in diabetes hospitalizations which increased 9 per cent in the past five years to 23,725 during 2004, make them create a new health program to reduce health care costs through a initiative of health coaches.

According to a study from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, hospitalizations generated more than $673 million in hospital charges last year alone, although 40 per cent of these are paid by health plans.

The main idea of this new iniciative is to lower the health care costs associated with employees with diabetes and to keep them out of the hospital, but on the job at same time.

This iniciative will start in January, and will provide “health coaches” to 4,200 diabetic employees at 10 companies in the region, under a program that will be launched by the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health, a coalition that includes human resources and benefits executives from 62 area companies.

In the new program, employees who volunteer to participate will have counseling sessions with pharmacists about using diabetic medications. Health coaches will check patients are getting the tests needed to monitor their condition and are following recommendations about diet and exercise.

Glaucoma Put Millions At Risk for Unexpected Blindness

Unexpected sight loss is more common than you may think. Blindness often happens without prior warning signs and in people unaware they are at risk.

The two most common culprits of unexpected sight loss are diabetes and glaucoma. These diseases are known as the “sneak thieves of sight” because symptoms may not occur in the early stages. By the time a person realizes something is wrong, irreversible vision loss often occurs.

In fact, diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of blindness in adults. An average of 55 Americans go blind from the disease each day. The numbers threaten to rise sharply as diabetes becomes increasingly common due to poor eating habits, infrequent exercise and an aging population. One in three children born in the United States five years ago are expected to become diabetic during their lives.

Diabetes causes partial or complete loss of vision in as many as 70 percent of those who have it. Yet 30 percent of all people who have diabetes don’t even know they have it. Even people who know they have diabetes downplay the risks they face.

According to a survey of diabetics sponsored by Lions Clubs International, 60 percent were not worried about going blind or losing a limb. In reality, 74 percent of diabetics will develop serious complications that could lead to loss of sight or a limb or kidney failure.

Glaucoma, on the other hand, is a group of eye diseases that slowly damage the fine nerves that connect the eye to the brain. For most people, this damage occurs when pressure in the eye is too high. When these nerves are damaged, vision loss may result.

Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness in the United States. But like diabetes, not enough people know about it: An estimated 4.2 million Americans have glaucoma but half are not aware of it.

Diabetes and glaucoma are especially prevalent among blacks and Hispanics. These groups are believed to have a genetic predisposition to the diseases and are much more at risk than Caucasians. Others particularly at risk for glaucoma are people over 60, those with a family history of glaucoma, diabetics and the very near-sighted.

The good news for those at risk is that a dilated eye exam can detect the two diseases and early treatment can prevent vision loss. Vision experts urge at-risk people to have regular eye exams.

Raising awareness of diabetic eye disease and glaucoma is key to preventing unnecessary blindness. Lions Clubs International works with Lions clubs, community groups and individuals to publicize the need for early detection and timely treatment of the two diseases. The Lions Eye Health Program provides materials for distribution at health fairs, senior citizen centers and similar gatherings. It also offers strategies for raising awareness of the eye diseases.

Eating Healthy

Types Of Diabetes

There are two types of diabetes, and they really are two quite different diseases. In type 1, or insulin-dependent diabetes, insulin injections are needed. But in type 2, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, most people can keep their condition under control with just diet and medication. This type of diabetes is actually much more common than the insulin-dependent type.

How do I find out which type of diabetes I have?

Your doctor will tell you what type of diabetes you have and what you need to do. You can also ask your doctor to refer you to a Diabetes Education program. There, trained health professionals can teach you about diabetes and insulin.

What Is Insulin?

Insulin is classified according to how long it works in the body. There are five different types of insulin, ranging from short to long acting. Some insulins are clear in appearance, while others are cloudy.

Types of insulin
The five types of insulin include:

1. Rapid onset-fast acting insulin
2. Short acting insulin
3. Intermediate acting insulin
4. Mixed insulin
5. Long acting insulin.

Diabetes And Healthy Eating

Healthy eating, combined with regular physical activity and weight control, is important to manage diabetes.

People with diabetes should eat mainly high fibre carbohydrate foods such as wholegrain breads and cereals and vegetables and fruit. They should also reduce their intake of fat, especially saturated fat. Limiting the serving size of your meals is often required to maintain a healthy body weight. It’s also a good idea to see a dietitian who can help develop a healthy eating plan.

Healthy eating helps a person with diabetes to:

1. Maintain general good health
2. Control blood glucose levels
3. Achieve normal blood lipid (fat) levels
4. Maintain a healthy blood pressure
5. Maintain a healthy body weight
6. Prevent the complications of diabetes.

No Special Diets Required

Healthy eating for people with diabetes is no different than for everyone else. People with diabetes do not need to prepare separate meals or buy special foods, so relax and enjoy healthy eating with the rest of your family.

Diabetics Should Not Have A High Carb Diet

New studies evaluating the effects of high-carbohydrate and high- monounsaturated fat diets indicate that patients with type 2 diabetes suffered of modestly raises blood pressure after being exposed to 14 weeks of a high-carbohydrate diet compared to a diet high in monounsaturated fat.

One diet consisted in a high-carbohydrate diet consisting of 55 per cent of calories as carbohydrate, 30 percent as fat, and 10 percent as monounsaturated fat. The other diet consisted in a high-monounsaturated fat diet deriving 40 percent of calories from carbohydrate, 45 percent from fat, and 25 percent from monounsaturated fat.

The research compared the effect of two same-calorie diets among 42 patients with type 2 diabetes, who consumed each diet for 6 weeks, with about 1 week between the two periods. These patients were invited to continue the second diet for 8 weeks more. Eightof them continued on the high-monounsaturated fat diet and 13 continued on the high-carbohydrate diet.

Findings after the first 6-week periods demonstrated that there were no significant differences between both diets in systolic or diastolic blood pressure, the upper and lower numbers on a standard reading, respectively, or in heart rate.

After the 8 week-extension, diastolic blood pressure was 7 points higher than at the end of both 6-week phases, because of the high carbohydrate diet associated, and systolic blood pressure was 6 points higher, and heart rate was higher by 7 to 8 beats per minute.

On the other hand, there was a significant lowering of heart rate compared with the end of the initial 6-week periods during the 8-week extension of the high-monounsaturated fat diet. There was almost no statistical significance between Systolic and diastolic blood pressure that were 3 to 4 points lower after 14 weeks on the high-monounsaturated fat diet.

Diabetic Foot

A compound of vitamin A called topical Retin-A also known as tretinoin, mainly used to treat acne problems, enhances the healing of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes, according to a report of the Archives of Dermatology.

Though previous studies showed that topical Retin-A was a bit helpful in enhancing wound healing in patients with diabetes and some results were discussed by different scientifics, a group of researchers tried to know if tretinoin really helped or not to these patients.

The research was carried out with 24 volunteers who had diabetic foot ulcers but who showed no evidence of infection or circulation problems in their extremities. Some patients were assigned to 4 weeks of daily treatment with topical 0.05 per cent tretinoin solution meanwhile the control group was assigned to a treatment with a saline solution. Both groups were assessed every 2 weeks.

The 22 volunteers who completed the study were affected by a total of 24 foot ulcers. 18 per cent of patients in the control group (2 of the 11 ulcers) and 46 per cent of patients in the treated group (6 of the 13 ulcers) achieved a complete healing at the end of 16 weeks. There was no statistical significance of adverse events, though some patients experienced mild pain at the ulcer site.

The researchers were pleased with the results, although they were a bit concerned because tretinoin irritates and they thought that the patients would become so irritated that they wouldn’t be able to continue the research. However, this situation didn’t seem to be a problem in most cases, as they explained.

A conclusion for the researchers was that they hope that diabetic foot clinics know about this and use Retin-A when other therapies that they use don’t work.

Diabetes Cause And Prevention

An individual may get diabetes when the pancreas can no longer secrete the needed hormones that produce insulin. The insulin maintains the glucose in the blood to be normal. Low insulin means that the level of glucose, which is sugar in the blood, may get high and may lead to diabetes.

The autoimmune reaction is a type 1 diabetes where the cells in the pancreas organ that produces the needed insulin are destroyed. This results to the total loss of insulin in the hormones. This happens because the body has its own hormones that protects and destroys its own pancreas cells.

Although there is no scientific proof why this occurrence in the pancreas happens, some studies have some theories that may possibly be related in this kind of reaction. Some say that this happens when there is exposure of a newly born to a cow’s milk, the infection from viruses and bacteria, and the exposure from food-borne chemical toxins. There is not enough evidence yet to prove some theories that may trigger the cause of diabetes.

The type 2 diabetes is said to progress when there is lack of insulin that is needed to maintain the blood sugar in the body. Another reason is believed to be that the needed insulin not be effective effective to control the blood sugar because of abnormalities in composition. The last reason is said to be that the receptors in cells no longer respond and fail to stimulate the organ that produces the needed insulin.

An individual is likely developing the type 2 diabetes when a person is overweight or obese. The increase of age of an individual is also considered a factor in acquiring this type of diabetes. Some few cases that may lead in this type of diabetes may include when a woman is having her pregnancy, or when a person have some intakes of medicines and drugs. In addition, any sickness or infectious decease that can alter the pancreas production of insulin.

There are some basic treatments for diabetes. These ways can serve an individual its important role in treating diabetes. Here are some ways on how a person can treat diabetes problems.

1. An individual must work thoroughly in obtaining his ideal body weight. Every individual must have a regular exercise and physical endurance tests. People who suffer from diabetes are recommended to be physically fit if possible. Exercises for the lungs and heart may help the person lessen the sugar that causes diabetes.

2. An individual must follow a diabetic diet program. Not being on the proper diet can be a great factor in acquiring type 2 diabetes. It is recommended that a person must lose weight if he is an overweight person. It is advisable that a person must be conscious of the food that he takes. Eat foods that do not have sugar content.

3. The option of the individual to have medication and seek the help of a doctor. Every diabetes patients that have type1 and type 2 diabetes can take insulin daily to sustain the insulin production of the pancreas. There is also the new insulin pump that continuously provides the much-needed insulin. There are also new medications that treat diabetes like the synthetic human insulin, Sulfonylurea drugs, Biguanides, Thiazolidinediones, Meglitinides, Alpha-glucosidase, and other drug combinations.

Diabetes can be prevented with the proper awareness and information regarding this illness. What is important is that a person must have a healthy diet and regular exercise to have a healthy body. Responsibility and discipline is needed to help oneself in overcoming this disease.

Breast feeding May Help Babies and Women Against Diabetes

Babies and women may be protected against developing diabetes disease through breast feeding, according to new research. This current study states that the longer women nursed, the lower their risks of developing diabetes.

Diabetes as a medical disorder characterized by varying or persistent elevated blood sugar levels, especially due to eating, is a serious disease which symptoms are very similar for all types of diabetes.

Breast feeding is when a woman feeds a baby or a young child with milk produced from her breasts. The best thing for feeding a baby is breast milk, as experts say, if the mother does not have transmissible infections.

Although study findings are not conclusive, researchers explain that breast-feeding may change metabolism of mothers which may help keep blood sugar levels stable and make the body more sensitive to the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin.

This theory is based on some evidence that show that in rats and humans that are breast-feeding, mothers have lower blood-sugar levels than those who did not breast-feed.

According to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, women who breast-fed for at least one year were about 15 per cent less likely to develop diabetes type 2 than those who never breast-fed. For each additional year of breast-feeding, there was an additional 15 per cent decreased risk.

A total of 157,000 nurses participated in the new study. They answered periodic health questionnaires and were followed for at least 12 years. During the study, 6,277 participants developed type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Symptoms

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.

Living Beyond The Disease

Diabetes sneaks up on a person slowly – one grain of sugar at a time – one pound at a time — until all of a sudden the pancreas and other systems of the body don’t cooperate and function together. Insulin activity dwindles, fat and protein metabolism switches gears, and soon the circulation to the eye blood vessels and kidneys isn’t behaving itself. Like the old song, “foot bone connected to the ankle bone, ankle bone connected to the knee bone,” anything that goes wrong in one part of the body affects all the other parts. In diabetes the effects are life-threatening.

In the United States alone there are over 18 million people with diabetes, (almost 7% of the population) and most of them aren’t aware of it yet. People with diabetes cover a wide range of ages, from babies up to the senior citizens. Finding out how to handle the problem and following all the advice given to them consumes their lives. Ultimately the challenge requires creating a balance of diet, exercise and insulin. Balance, balance, balance! This becomes the controlling word in a diabetics life.

Diet remains the biggest task of these challenges because of the addictive nature of the body’s longing for sweets. Milder forms of diabetes can be controlled by the diet alone, rather than having to resort to added insulin. The diet for each individual needs to be balanced to individual needs, and the ingredients for all seem to be a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Keeping a balance between the acid and PH levels in the body also needs to be considered. Yet, it just isn’t that easy to give up those bottles of Pepsi that seem to make you feel stable. ‘White foods’ are almost always a no-no for a diabetic, and those fresh vegetables are a life-sustaining necessity.

Diabetics often have unique personalities. They tend to be part of the most creative section of the population. They think in terms of wholeness rather than in details, which means they often love to start a project but have a hard time finishing it. Their creativity also can express in ways that others might call disorganized. The Ugly Duckling story portrays the hidden life of the diabetic, and they often don’t have enough self-respect or self-esteem because they feel they are different.

From the brilliance of their thinking (which is often hid from the rest of the world) to the tag of ‘erratic’ that is sometimes applied to them, the diabetic is who you want around in a time of crisis. When the house is on fire they will excel because they are only dealing with one situation at a time.

However, should the car not start in the morning there are too many options available. A diabetic is as apt to call the suicide help line as to call a mechanic.

Living as a diabetic, or living with one, means acknowledging that there is a major difference in how the wholeness of the personality functions. Reinforce the positives and learn to live with a little disorder. Respect the bodies intelligence that knows when it needs to rest. The non-diabetic hasn’t always learned this beautiful lesson on how to make the most of a human life. The diabetics are the way-showers!