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| Diabetes Information |
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What Is Diabetes?
Your doctor may have recently advised you have diabetes. Or you are overweight and you have discovered you may be at risk of diabetes. Others may have a friend or family member who has been diagnosed with the disease. Just what does diabetes mean and how does it affect your lifestyle? Diabetes means that your blood glucose (often called blood sugar) is too high. Your blood always has some glucose in it because your body needs glucose for energy to keep you going. But too much glucose in the blood isn't good for your health. How do you get high blood glucose? Glucose comes from the food you eat and is also made in your liver and muscles. Your blood carries the glucose to all the cells in your body. Insulin is a chemical (a hormone) made by the pancreas. The pancreas releases insulin into the blood. Insulin helps the glucose from food get into your cells. If your body doesn't make enough insulin or if the insulin doesn't work the way it should, glucose can't get into your cells. It stays in your blood instead. Your blood glucose level then gets too high, causing pre-diabetes or diabetes. What is pre-diabetes? Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but are not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. People with pre-diabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes and for heart disease and stroke. The good news is if you have pre-diabetes, you can reduce your risk of getting diabetes. With modest weight loss and moderate physical activity, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes and even return to normal glucose levels. What are the signs of diabetes? The signs of diabetes are: · being very thirsty You may have had one or more of these signs before you found out you had diabetes. Or you may have had no signs at all. A blood test to check your glucose levels will show if you have pre-diabetes or diabetes. What kind of diabetes do you have? People can get diabetes at any age. Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults. In this form of diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them. Treatment for type 1 diabetes includes taking insulin shots or using an insulin pump, making wise food choices, being physically active, taking aspirin daily (for some), and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes. People can develop type 2 diabetes at any age-even during childhood. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which fat, muscle, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. At first, the pancreas keeps up with the added demand by producing more insulin. In time, however, it loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals. Being overweight and inactive increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Treatment includes using diabetes medicines, making wise food choices, being physically active, taking aspirin daily, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. Why do you need to take care of your diabetes? After many years, diabetes can lead to serious problems in your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth. But the most serious problem caused by diabetes is heart disease. When you have diabetes, you are more than twice as likely as people without diabetes to have heart disease or a stroke. If you have diabetes, your risk of a heart attack is the same as someone who has already had a heart attack. Both women and men with diabetes are at risk. You may not even have the typical signs of a heart attack. You can reduce your risk of developing heart disease by controlling your blood pressure and blood fat levels. If you smoke, talk with your doctor about quitting. Remember that every step toward your goals helps! Later in this article, we'll tell you how you can try to prevent or delay long-term problems. The best way to take care of your health is to work with your health care team to keep your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol in your target range. How is weight loss important? If you have diabetes and are overweight, even a moderate reduction in weight can have a positive benefit to your health and possibly blood pressure and cholesterol. If you are overweight or obese and don't have diabetes, you have added risk of developing the disease. How can I tell if I am overweight? There are several methods to determine a healthy body weight. The simplest is to measure around your waist. Men who are greater than 94 cm (37 inches) and women who are greater than 80cm (32 inches) are overweight. Another method is the Body Mass Index which takes into account your height, weight and gender. If your BMI is greater than 25 you are considered overweight. If it is greater than 30, you are considered obese. Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. This world renowned, medically approved program will give you results you'll love and all the support you need! Estimate your healthy body weight, tons of recipes, articles, free newsletter and more at http://weight-loss-health.com.au
Diabetes - Google News |
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Alternative Medicine Discover the Positive Effects of Exercise for Diabetes Sufferers There are two main types of diabetes, type I and type II. Type I diabetes is characterized by the pancreas making too little or no insulin. An individual with diabetes type I will have to inject insulin throughout the day in order to control glucose levels. Type II diabetes, also known as adult onset diabetes, is characterized by the pancreas not producing enough insulin to control glucose levels or the cells not responding to insulin. Accu-Check Aviva Glucometer - New for Diabetes Testing Now you can help make every test strip count as you can test right the very first time. Diabetes and Exercise - Just Move it! While exercise and eating guidelines are based on good scientific principles, they do not necessarily agree with human nature or common sense. Recent history tells us that we are better off encouraging the mediocre people who are willing to include exercise in their daily lives, rather than cramming guidelines down the majority of those who want to fight the inevitable. In the end, keeping things simple and in a supportive situation will keep everyone happy. Diabetes Awareness: Will They Recognize You? Imagine how it feels to look younger, feel younger, and act younger! Now, think about how others see you. Are you ready to make a lasting impression on your friends and family? Great! Benfotiamine And Diabetic Retinopathy Damage from diabetes can occur in different areas of the eye. It can occur to the cornea, nerves controlling the muscles of the eye, the lens, optic nerve and retina. The retina is the complication that most people and medical professionals think of first in terms of diabetic complications. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles digested carbohydrates. If neglected, diabetes can cause serious health complications, ranging from blindness to kidney failure. Fibromyalgia and Insulin Resistance Do you have symptoms that relate to an insulin imbalance? If you have fibromyalgia, look and see if you also have hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, or diabetes symptoms. These types of blood sugar imbalances can cause fibromyalgia pain to get worse. Blood sugar imbalances cause insulin absorption problems that can affect your health especially if you have fibromyalgia. Diabetes Awareness: Ill Wait til it Hurts By the time many type 2 diabetics (and often their doctors) realize action is necessary, the disease, with its destructive high blood sugars, has been silently damaging their body for years. Adult Onset Diabetes and Quacks Adult onset diabetes, like the common ulcer of a few years ago, makes a lot of work and provides a lot of money for the medical system. There was a cure for the biological disease of stomach ulcers but the doctors were telling us it was stress-related (Everything is stress-related to some extent, as the Pauling research that won a Nobel Prize for Vitamin therapy [especially 'C'] has proven.) and many people suffered under the surgeon's knife until recently. The homeopathic war with the FDA and drug-pushers is a very interesting study in deceit and power. For example it took until last year for the research at the University of Alabama led by Dr. Campbell to confirm what won a Nobel Prize a quarter century ago. The immune system and lymph system is vital to the interplay between soul and physical body energy manifestation. The arrogance of competitive marketing enterprises can't be the only reason that we have endured the removal of health maintenance at the hands of these 'experts'. Diabetic Fruits Fruit gives you energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Medical Supply Cases for Insulin and Diabetics Medical supply manufacturers are continuously conceptualizing medical supplies needed by people who are in delicate health condition medical supplies that may enable the patient to lead a life with at least a semblance of normalcy. Diabetes Type 2 and Artificial Sweeteners Diabetes Type 2 (adult onset) Diabetes, A Bad Omen Or A Fresh Start? So you've learned that you've got diabetes. Well after the initial shock, you are stuck with dealing with the lifestyle changes that come with your diagnosis. When you go into the situation knowing that this isn't the end but only the beginning of a new phase in your life it gives you a better perspective on life. Gone are the days of feeling like garbage and not knowing the genesis of the problem. Oftentimes, folks feel a sense of relief when they finally realize what the problem is. The stress of uncertainty lifts and the realization sets in that their life is now on a straight path. Well sort of.. Just Say NO to an 1800 Diabetic Diet It's been a year, and 85 blubbery pounds less, since I was diagnosed with diabetes Type2. The news was especially scary because my mother died of diabetic complications 3 years after diagnosis- the SAME AGE AS ME! EEEK! Get More Out Of Life While Managing Your Diabetes When I was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 21, I had not given the first thought to living a healthy diabetic lifestyle. As far as I was concerned, a healthy lifestyle was reserved only for fitness junkies and overweight moms. Benfotiamine - A New Tool In Preventing Diabetic Complications? Benfotiamine made headlines globally in 2003 when researchers released information about a study that was conducted at The Einstein College of Medicine in New York. The bottom line of this study was that a substance of the allithiamine group of the naturally occurring thiamine-derived compounds had positive effects on neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy and heart/circulatory problems in diabetics. Raising Happy Diabetic Kids This is the first in a series of articles I am about to embark upon concerning this subject. As my family gets older and matures with this disease I think back to the early days and wonder why aren't we all on medication for depression? Why don't we have standing twice a week appointments with a psychiatrist? How did we end up so normal?(whatever that is) As I look back this did not happen by accident, nor am I Super Dad, and I did not plan it out step by step. It was mostly just paying attention, luck, and decent communication between my girls and me, granted sometimes at the top of our lungs. Build Health: Want To Prevent Diabetes? To prevent diabetes you will get a real jolt when you follow the prescription offered up in the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Diabetes And The Long Term Dangers Diabetes has hidden dangers that begin before diagnosis and continue to worsen if certain steps are not taken to prevent the complications that are the true, "killers" in terms of diabetes. Can We Do More for Diabetics? New Research Suggests that We Can Diabetes can briefly be defined as a state when the body's blood glucose is too high. The body does require a certain amount of sugar in the blood; however, those suffering from diabetes have levels much higher than what is needed.
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