The Early Warning Signs of Diabetes

Posted by admin on Sep 5th, 2010 | 0 comments

In the United States alone there is an estimated 17 million people that suffer from diabetes. Of those 17 million who suffer this disease nearly 5.9 million have not been medically diagnosed. The reason for this could well be that many of the early warning signs of diabetes are shrugged off by those who suffer them because the symptoms do not seem that severe.

Even when those who heed the early symptoms of diabetes do go to the doctor they often express disbelief that they are diagnosed as being diabetic. In the early stages of diabetes the symptoms can be more of a minor annoyance, leading those who are diagnosed saying things like “I don’t feel sick”. In fact many people are diagnosed with diabetes when they visit the doctor because they think they have something else wrong with them. Many of the early signs of diabetes are often attributed to some other ailment or condition.

The sooner the symptoms of diabetes are recognized and diagnosed the better the chances of a managing this condition and avoiding many of the serious and sometimes life threatening complications this disease can bring. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death by disease in the United States today.

The American Diabetes Association has a list of the early warning signs of diabetes and they include:

1. Frequent Urination – This is caused by high blood sugar levels which increase the amount of blood that flows through the kidneys.

2. Excessive Thirst – The increased output of urine can lead to dehydration.

3. Extreme Hunger – Because diabetes is characterized by a lack of insulin or insulin resistance glucose is unable to cross over from the blood stream into the cells where it is needed for energy production. The body thinks it’s hungry because of the energy deficit and manifests hunger pangs.

4. Unexplained Weight Loss – The body will start to break down its own proteins (muscle) and fat to make up for the perceived lack of cellular energy. This despite the fact that the person is actually eating more.

5. Fatigue – Caused by the decreased energy levels.

6. Irritability and Depression.

7. Vision Impairment – An increase in blood volume caused by high blood glucose levels can lead to swelling of the eye’s lens.

Taken by themselves, or even as a group it is easy to see why these diabetic symptoms could be seen as part of any number of other conditions that can cause them. Everyday stress can cause fatigue, irritability, and depression. Depression is known to cause weight loss. Many of these signs and symptoms start out small; barely noticeable and as time progresses many people don’t actually see the changes because of the slow rate at which they occur.

These symptoms will get progressively worse as the affects of the diabetes creates a variety of complications that affects many of the bodily systems. It is important to note that these symptoms will not resolve themselves.

The sooner one can recognize the early warning signs of diabetes the sooner they can seek medical attention. Diagnosing diabetes early is key to successfully managing its long term affects. There is no known cure for diabetes but with lifestyle changes and proper medical treatment it can be controlled and its affects minimized.

Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan – Planned with Proper Medical Consultation

Posted by admin on Sep 5th, 2010 | 0 comments

Based on statistics, 3 percent to 5 percent of pregnant women suffer gestational diabetes. This type of diabetes is related to the insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes as far as the need for proper diet and exercise is concerned.

Due to her pregnancy, the pregnant woman is less mindful of her dietary intakes and has more tendencies to be inactive owing to her condition. It simply means that a well-placed gestational diabetes diet plan should be on hand to prevent this disease from developing.

On 5th to 6th month of pregnancy, the placenta generates a lot of hormones which block the functions of insulin. More hormones are produced when the placenta becomes bigger resulting to more blockage and greater insulin resistance. When the insulin could no longer neutralize the placenta hormones, this gives rise to gestational diabetes.

In some cases, other causes of gestational diabetes can be related to family history of diabetes, obesity, previous delivery with birth defect, previously giving birth to a large infant, or having too much amniotic fluid (a slight yellowish fluid that covers the fetus).   

Gestational diabetes disappears upon giving birth since the placenta is already removed. However, 40 percent of these women are likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

The need for a gestational diabetes plan is important because an uncontrolled blood sugar level can lead to the incidence of birth defect or miscarriage. Some may even require insulin injection but are never prescribed with oral medication to preclude any unknown side effects.

It is important that the diet plan be created with the gestational diabetic patient in mind. This should be a well-balanced diet to support the pregnancy of gestational diabetic women.

Care should be given not to include a drastic reduction of carbohydrate intakes since this will prove to be an unhealthy practice for pregnant women. In view of this, hereunder are the do’s and dont’s to be observed in formulating a gestational diabetes diet plan:

Proper Gestational Diabetes Foods

1. Small breakfast that includes protein foods like eggs, skinned chicken, brown bread with peanut butter or lentil broth.

2. Small meals after 3 to 4 hours comprising of high protein products, e.g. skinned fish, low fat meat, eggs, nuts, cottage cheese, peanut butter etc.

3. Fruits, green and leafy vegetables; fruits should be eaten only during lunch or dinner but never at breakfast.

4. Milk low in fat or skim the milk before drinking.

Improper Gestational Diabetes Foods

1. Sugar, sweetener and sweets; Examples are chocolates, pies, cakes, pastries, cookies, soft drinks, marmalade, cookies, jam, fruit juice, table sugar, honey, molasses corn syrup and cornstarch.

2. Junk foods and packaged meals such as burgers, instant noodles, hot dogs, potato crisps, French fries, frozen foods, canned fish and canned soups.

3. Fatty and deep fried foods; Instead of using cooking oil, try to bake, steam, grill or boil. Grilled lean meat and fish are good but not pork.

4. Butter, cheese, mayonnaise, thick cream, sour cream and margarine.

The best gestational diabetes diet plan your dietitian can come up with is one that is done with proper consultation with your doctor. The above food groups merely serve as reference because there is no universal diet plan for gestational diabetes.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and diabetes natural treatment. Discover how you can reverse your diabetes for good using proven and effective home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.minusdiabetes.com

Diabetes is curable or not?

Posted by admin on Sep 5th, 2010 | 0 comments

To find is there a cure for diabetes or not, it is important to know about the disease or ill-health condition first. So, what is diabetes? The increased level of sugar in the blood is the condition of diabetes and during this condition, the patients are recommended not to take sugar containing foods, fried foods and fats containing food also.

Is there a cure for diabetes? In true sense, there is no cure for diabetes till now. But there are many methods of treatment which can help a lot in maintaining normal lives. Diabetes is controlled mainly by two methods. The first one is medical science and the second one is natural way. Both of them are effective is respective cases. In the treatment through medical science, Insulin named medicine is highly used. But sometimes, in some cases, Insulin also does not response perfectly. Apart from these, now some medicines are also available which can help in reducing the symptoms of diabetes and also dependence on insulin.

Insulin is a costly medicine and it cannot be afforded by anyone. And the people who suffer from diabetes cannot make their own insulin so for them it is still a question that is there a cure for diabetes because they cannot afford insulin. Insulin is taken for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels in the body. Insulin is mainly destroyed by the bodies in type 1 diabetes cases. And because of this only many die prematurely. Islets are tiny cells inside the body that is responsible for carrying insulin. And on this theory, studies and researches on islets transplantation were started. In the beginning, the islets were used from a porcine donor. And the original results suggested the chances of doing some more tests on islets transplantations. However, it was not a complete successful experiment but it was found that the transplanted islets were less than body would normally require. So, islets transplantation may be thought as a possible cure for diabetes.

Our earth is full of natural herbs and vegetables. Among the vast resources of these, some herbs and natural products can help a lot in controlling diabetes. It cannot be cured completely but it can be controlled. Fruits like grape, pomegranate, banana, Indian blackberry and kiwi are proved very helpful. In vegetables cabbage, cucumber, onion, lettuce and garlic string beans are very much beneficial for a diabetic patient. If anyone asks, is there a cure for diabetes? Then only one answer they will get that no complete cure is available for this disease.

Are you suffering with Diabetes? Don’t worry, There is a solution to cure Diabetes. Check out How Diabetes Can be cured with the help of this online Guide

Managing type 2 Diabetes – Education, Support and Determination will be the Key Factors

Posted by admin on Sep 4th, 2010 | 0 comments

Managing type 2 diabetes is concerned in lowering the blood sugar level by strictly following the planned diet by the dietitian and through regular exercise. Usually, an initial oral medication may suffice to correct the insulin defficiency. Since type 2 diabetes is progressive in nature, insulin injection may be necessary as a means of managing the disease.

Aside from the required medications, diet and exercise, the matter of managing type 2 diabetes should have the support of family, friends, diabetes educator, doctor, dietician and other healthcare professionals in order to motivate the diabetic to manage his or her disease. Type 2 diabetes being the most common is usually true among obese persons and older individuals due to their tendencies for lesser activity.

The following measures are necessary in managing type 2 diabetes:

1. Keeping a check on glucose level. The glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is the average of the blood glucose level for a period of 3 months. The recommended HbA1c by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is less than 7%.

2. Upon being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a prepared diabetes education program should come in handy. This will equip the diabetic on how to handle hypertension, obesity, renal impairment, diet and the determination to have a regular exercise program.

3. A well-planned dietary meal should be based on a per patient basis as prepared by a professional dietitian with an extensive knowledge in diabetes.

4. Regular exercise like walking or jogging is needed . Start from 30 minutes to 1 hour daily, in order to improve the blood circulation and insulin sensitivity.

5. Blood lipids should be done at least annually to abort the build up coronary heart disease. The blood test should include total cholesterol, triglyceride,  low density lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterol and high density lipoproteins (HDL) or good cholesterol.

6. The doctor may recommend a daily low-dose of aspirin (75 mg) or clopidogrel if there is aspirin intolerance as an anti-thrombotic therapy to reduce major coronary problems like angina  (hardening of the heart arteries) as an example.

7. See an eye specialist for an eye check up if there is damage to the blood vessels of the retina or diabetic retinopathy at the time of being diagnosed with diabetes. There is a 90% probability that the vision will be retained before the retina is damaged but this will lead to blindness if not immediately treated.

8. The foot should be inspected daily for signs of sores, bruises, redness and cuts. Diabetes affects the blood vessels and nerves resulting to poor blood circulation thereby lessening the ability to sense injury.

9. Also, flu vaccination is needed to deter the development of other ailments which might give rise to contra-indications in medications.

10. As a diabetic, one should keep abreast with the results of recent scientific researches and studies that can further improve the diabetic’s treatment.  

Managing type 2 diabetes will prevent the complications brought about by the disease allowing for a longer life of existence in the best conditions possible.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and diabetes natural treatment. Discover how you can reverse your diabetes for good using proven and effective home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.minusdiabetes.com

Diabetic Disorders and Complications

Posted by admin on Sep 4th, 2010 | 0 comments

Diabetes is a disease that if left untreated will lead to a wide range of complications involving a variety of bodily organs and systems. These complications are all very serious and can be crippling or deadly. For the diabetic the best way to prevent or minimize any disorder arising from their disease is through proper management of their disease. This is accomplished through lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise, medication and regular visits to the doctor.

The primary cause for many of these complications revolves around high blood glucose (sugar) levels and the damage that it causes.

1. Diabetic Retinopathy – This condition involves the retina of the eye. The capillaries of the retina undergo changes that lead to decreased blood flow, known as ischemia. This leads to the presence of exudates or fluid in the eye, “cotton wool” patches on the retina, and a build up of fibrous tissue. This will result in vision impairment and even blindness if the diabetes is not properly managed. There is also an increased risk of cataracts due to high levels of glucose in the lens of the eye.

2. Diabetic Ketoacidosis – This is primarily a condition that is specific to type 1 diabetes. It occurs when there is an insulin deficit and glucose can not enter the cells to be used for energy. The body responds by metabolizing fat and protein which causes blood pH to drop and the dropping of ketone bodies into the urine. This affects respirations, which can have a fruity smell, disrupts heart function, depresses the central nervous system, drops blood pressure, and a number of other symptoms which can lead to coma and death.

3. Diabetic Neuropathy – Neuropathy is a deterioration or loss of nerve function. It is caused primarily by a thickening of the blood vessels that supply the nerves with nutrients. The symptoms first start in the toes and feet and work their way up to the rest of the body.

4. Diabetic Nephropathy – A disorder of the kidneys, diabetic nephropathy affects about 20 to 40 percent of all diabetics. Although the exact cause is unknown it is believed that high glucose causes damage glomerulosclerosis which affects the filtering function of the kidneys. This disease is usually accompanied by high blood pressure which needs to be aggressively treated.

5. Diabetic Hypoglycemia – Also known as low blood sugar this condition is common in those who have type 1 diabetes. It will occur in type 2 diabetics who are taking oral hypoglycemic medications. The symptoms, which include dizziness, lightheadedness, loss of consciousness and in severe cases coma and death are a result of a lack of glucose needed for proper brain function.

6. Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease – Diabetes causes a variety of changes to the cardiovascular system of it sufferers including atherosclerosis, structural defects in the blood vessels and thickening of capillary basement membranes. All of this can lead an increased risk of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

Diabetes is a disease that affects all ages and types of people. Its effects can be devastating if not treated in a timely and appropriate manner. Left untreated it can cause serious health problems and even death. Everyone needs to be aware of this diseases and how some simple lifestyle changes can make the difference in the lives who suffer from diabetes.