Diabetic complications are of two kinds, viz. acute (short term) and chronic (long term). Regular monitoring by the patients, the doctors and the nurses is an absolute necessity in view of these complications and risks involved.
Short term complications
Imbalance of sugar level is the chief cause of short term complication. High level sugar leads to Hyperglycemia which when untreated leads to coma or even death. Death is rare in people not dependent on insulin. Hyperglycemia is very serious when the blood sugar level is more than 20. It is also connected with ketones in urine. Undiagnosed diabetes causes hyperglycemia. It is seen first through an illness directly caused by high sugar levels.
In sufficient medication in tablet or insulin form, illness can cause hyperglycemia. Colds and other infections cause the body to release more of its own sugar. A bad diet with excess sugar can cause hyperglycemia as also change in exercise habits. Subnormal sugar causes hyperglycemia which is also dangerous. It is caused by insufficient intake of food like missing a meal or not eating enough causing sugar levels to go low. Too much insulin is also a problem. Exercise affects low sugar levels. Lot of exercise makes glucose give off energy to muscles and so a diabetic who does exercise must take extra calories or reduce his insulin.
Long Term Complications
Diabetes affects the circulation to the back of the eye. In its serious long term complication fragile new blood vessels are formed which can easily burst causing a haemorrhage which can blind the eye.
Another complication is related to the kidneys. Kidney failure is due to the damage in small blood vessels. The sign of damage is the presence of a protein-albumin in the urine. Strict control of blood pressure in diabetics can prevent this going on to destroy kidneys. Diabetes attacks smaller blood vessels causing ulcers that do not cure easily. So diabetics should look after their feet properly.
Diabetes can damage the sensory nerves resulting in loss of sensation in feet leading to damage in feet and wounds without one’s knowledge. Diabetes can damage automatic nerves that control blood pressure. This damage causes blood pressure to fall.
Diabetes can also cause heart disease and so blood pressure should be controlled by a diabetic as also cholesterol to be out of danger.
Many pregnant women develop diabetes during pregnancy and this type of diabetes is known as gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes generally doesn’t show off with symptoms, but can be found out if diagnosed during the 24th and 30th weeks of the pregnancy.
Probably this screening is the only way to identify whether or not the pregnant woman is having diabetes.
Things to do in case of Gestational Diabetes
When a woman finds to be suffering from gestational diabetes during pregnancy, then she may have to undergo twice the trauma, both physical and emotional. However, what is destined to happen will happen and you must try to learn to deal with the situation more positively.
Once you are diagnosed for gestational diabetes, then do not waste time in brooding over the situation; instead take effective steps to counter the effects of disease in the best interests of the unborn child.
Amidst the heart breaking news, one consolation could be that the gestational diabetes might not affect your unborn child. However, one the child born to a mother who suffers from gestational diabetes could be large in body size and hence the pregnant woman has to take extra care to avoid any birth related complications.
Methods of Treatment for gestational diabetes
Diet is the most favourable treatment method for fighting against any type of diabetes. The pregnant woman with the help of a right diabetes diet while pregnant can easily tide-over all the related complications and give birth easily.
United States is contending with the herculean problem of diabetes which has affected seven percent of Americans and for some time nearly 20 million adults and children are its victims. This enormity of the affected numbers focuses our attention on the necessity of reversing the disease whether by traditional or not traditional methods.
Eating Elk Lessens Diabetic conditions
One way of reversing diabetes is to eat elk which has proved its effect in reducing the incidence of diabetes in native Americans, tribes and those eating meat from their bison herds had only one percent incidence of diabetes. The tribes, therefore have restored the elks. But studies have not yet confirmed this and it may take some more time to know the truth behind it.
Other means of reversing diabetes are avoiding sugar and grains slowly but surely and not abruptly, avoiding non depressant drugs, taking plant based fats, and nutrients like natural minerals. Herbs and spices can be taken to control blood sugar. Nutritional supplements can be taken to add to the list of natural cures. Most importantly exercise should be an integral part of any attempt to reverse diabetes.
It is encouraging to note that diabetes is reversible. It is so when the diet is controlled, medications taken, insulin administered and not depressed or obsessed that he is a diabetic. Taking insulin orally further heightens the chances of reversal of diabetes. With vigorous research under easy to find ways and means of reversing diabetes, the future is very bright with expectations of more solutions that will be of great interest. Even a little step in this direction will be extremely beneficial for man kind and it is the least that one can do for not letting diabetes go out of control and have a negative impact on your life.
The main thing that contributes to the Type 2 diabetes is what you eat and what you do not. Too much of refined carbohydrates and sugar contribute to the disease and you shall get the disease at one time o other in your life.
Type 2 diabetes diets that include carbohydrates put you at a greater risk of suffering though controlling it is quite simple and straight forward by avoiding them.
Risk of developing cancer
It is significant to know that the artificial sweetness considered good for health and to keep diabetes at bay are actually a health hazard. You should be aware that when the temperature exceeds 95 degree the artificial sweetener becomes formaldehyde used in preserving dead bodies and bring in the risk of cancer.
In spite of your carefulness regarding proper Type 2 diabetes diet things supposed to be good for diabetes may end up in creating serious problems.You may consider about a Type 2 diabetes diet drug to get over your diabetes problem as the market is flooded with oral diabetes agents to control the problem. Type 2 diabetes diets help in controlling the problem as it brings down the blood glucose to manageable levels. Any diet sans carbohydrates ad sugars will be very effective.
At the same time an effective Type 2 diabetes diet mean including an increase of complex carbohydrates in take, plenty of fiber, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to be effective as the body breaks these down very slowly. Hence there is slow release of glucose in to your blood. You should not forget to take as little saturated fat as possible in order to make your Type 2 diabetes diet even more effective in yielding results.
Diabetes and pregnancy require special care and attention but there is a great risk and concern when they occur together. Every single hour is very significant for the normal development of the fetus and this requires a continuous supply of energy. High blood sugar and insulin resistance in an expectant mother slows down the vital processes for the budding life in her womb. She herself runs the risk of complications. Doctors are always alert and active in such cases but this creates problems in obstetrics.
Diabetes and pregnancy have a special inter relationship. It is highly advisable for a woman with high blood sugar level to avoid pregnancy until it is brought under control. Unfortunately this is impossible as women do not go for a medical check up regularly. Until they visit the doctor for the first time when they are pregnant they may not be aware of the presence of diabetes. A few women develop diabetes during their pregnancy and are free from it after delivery. There should be strict diabetic management in all these cases.
The effect of this combination
The unborn infant is the most vulnerable and the affected in this harmful combination of diabetes and pregnancy. The mother is also affected but the effect can be minimized if she is aware of the risk and danger involved not only for herself but for the fetus. Unchecked blood sugar levels lead to serious abnormalities. Pregnancy and its success may be jeopardized on account of this carelessness in controlling diabetes. The mother to be and all others have a great responsibility in saving the fetus form the danger of diabetes.
Three fore pregnant women and all those who care for her should take rigorous precautions to avoid this unholy combination. Old ideas and folklore should not be indulged in exercise and medication should be allowed in the interest of the unborn child. The life of the mother herself will be at a great risk if blood sugar level is left unchecked and out of control apart from harm to the baby. None would knowingly take the risk but lack of awareness may lead to risk complacency ending in complications due to poorly managed diabetes.
A diabetes test is intended to identify the disease and take steps to control it to make the patient live long and also control future complications. BY controlling blood sugar levels people with diabetes can live longer with health. They will not have risk of serious complications. Frequent diabetary tests indicate how dietary changes exercise and also medications affect the diabetic patient close monitoring of blood sugar levels helps timely intervention to prevent and reduce diabetes in a patient.
Reasons
Diabetes test is very important as it monitors the blood sugar level and indicates whether it is normal or abnormal. By keeping it at normal level we prevent its onset or possibility of developing diabetes and prevent complications that can prove fatal at last.
A doctor is not necessary for a diabetes test as the person can do it at home using home kits and monitor their Type1 and 2diabetes.
Doing your own diabetes tests is vey important for long term health condition. A thumb prick blood test or a test in the lab can be done once in a while all through the year. Routine diabetes test along with urine test to check the performance of the kidneys should be done. Blood fat testing and testing of kidney functioning are also included. Blood pressure should be monitored and treated if necessary.
Apart from these tests, the patients feet require examination to check for any loss of sensation or damage to nerves. Eyes should be tested once in 2 years if the diabetes tests so require.
The basic diabetes test are fasting plasma glucose test, oral glucose tolerance test, and also random plasma glucose test. You should know how often these tests are to be taken.
Patients who take insulin injections on their own need a self test thrice or four times a day. Those with Type 2 diabetes should test themselves a few times in a week. They should change the timings of the test to get the best readings. This will indicate the exact situation when treatment can be planned and given accordingly.
Diabetics take insulin to control their blood sugar or glucose. It cannot be taken orally as it is destroyed by digestion. Insulin shorts are taken by diabetics through pens, jet injectors and pumps.
Background Information
The food eaten is broken in to compounds of glucose among others. Body cells use glucose as a source of energy for movement, growth, repair and other functions. Before using glucose, the cells have to move away from the blood stream in to the individual cell that requires insulin.
Beta cells produce insulin in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. When glucose enters the blood stream the pancreas should produce the right amount of insulin, by instruct, to move glucose in to the cells. People with Type 1 diabetes produce no insulin. In Type 2 diabetes enough insulin is not produced. The insulin used by people is taken from either pigs or cows or manufactured in labs, similar to human insulin.
Types
The available products are of more than 20 types. Each has a different time and duration of action. The insulin a person should use depends on the individual’s life style, the doctor’s first choice and knowledge and the person’s blood sugar levels. Among the parameters of choice of insulin are(1) how soon it starts to work(onset) (2) when it works to the maximum level (peak time) (3) how long it lasts in the body (duration).
Types of delivery
Syringes are needles attached to hallow barrels that diabetics use to inject themselves with insulin. Syringes are small with sharp points and coated with a substance to help needles enter the skin painlessly. Pens look like pens but the cartridges are filled with insulin. They can substitute the needles.
Jet Injectors
These are good for people who dislike using needles. Compressed air is used to send a spray through the skin. The injectors have no needles.
Pumps are small pumping devices worn outside of the body, connecting the catheter by tubes, located under the skin of the abdomen. It is programmed to dispense the necessary amount of insulin.
It is hoped that some day the diabetic will not need any needles. Constant research is going on to find new ways of getting insulin in to the blood stream.
Diabetes, in which the body does not produce enough insulin to convert the glucose into energy required for the body activities, scares every one, specifically if it is Type 1 diabetes. But it is possible for a person to live for long and productive life even with Type 1 diabetes. But it is possible for a person to live for long and productive life even with Type 1 diabetes.
They must learn to live with that condition and see how it does not lead to further serious condition. An awareness of all aspects of the disorder and regular listing will help in caring for themselves and lead normal lives.
You have been Just Diagnosed
Don’t panic if you are diagnosed for Type 1 diabetes as the doctor will come to your rescue and give all information you require to test and care for yourself. By using a blood glucose meter you can measure your blood glucose level and see that it is normal. This is a crucial aspect for Type 1 diabetes people because very high or very low blood sugar level is very dangerous for them. But by knowing what to do if blood sugar levels shoot up or dive down they will be prepared to tackle any complications that arise.
Medications, Injections, Inhalers
Insulin injections are prescribed to control blood sugar levels manually. Follow the doctor’s instructions strictly. For very low glucose levels take a glucose shot or eat something with sugar. The doctor will however answer your specific questions on your specific condition.
The good news is that you have insulin inhalers which substitute the usage of syringes and needles. You may ask the doctor about this Type 1 diabetes drug.
As one with Type 1 diabetes, you have to look after yourself properly. If you are obese you have to lose weight and stop smoking if you are a smoker instantly. YOU should also be cautious regarding your alcohol in take. For a long and healthy life these precautions are indispensable. Through proper care, and following the doctor’s instructions it is not impossible to live successfully with diabetes and with a normal healthy life throughout your life span.
Though diabetes is all embracing in its sweep, much about the disease is really unknown in spite of the prolonged researches to find out its cause and cure. It is only through persistent research and untiring zeal that diabetes can be controlled and methods found to contain and cure it. Blood glucose levels can thus be controlled and the best ways to inject insulin in to blood can be devised.
Newer and Better Medicines
It is only diabetes research that can unravel better medicines for control and even give clues for the prevention of the disease even at the initial stage. So you have to look up to research organizations expecting something great to happen in the near future. One such diabetes research organization is the FDA. There are also others like Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation or the DAREF and also Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Diabetes research is not only conducted in advanced countries like the US, Australia and UK but in all parts of the world and areas prone to the disease. Efforts and research is being made to find vaccinations to fight auto immune response that triggers Type 1 diabetes, genetic engineering to produce liver cells that secrete insulin, stem cell research and many others.
More diabetes research is being done by using cinnamon to bring down blood sugar levels. The US Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Centre has isolated one of compounds of cinnamon that lowers blood sugar level. Diabetes research has thrown up newer means of treating diabetes. It is likely to make inhaling insulin possible instead of getting great benefit and boon to children who are averse to and terrified with injections that perturb them.
The never ending and persistent research on diabetes for better treatment methods, control, and cure will surely yield good results in the not distant future and the disease will be sorted out once and for all.
Diabetes is the villain that causes the maximum number of deaths in the country affecting a very large percentage of people in America. A few people are still at a loss to know the reason or the cause of this disease. There are few myths about the cause of this malady.
A few myths and real reasons are given here to keep the record straight so that we are not unduly affected by them. Though some reasons are unrealistic it is better for us to delve deep in to the causes of this disease which takes the toll of many lives at present.
Sound Baloney
There are different types of diabetes caused by different factors. Though it seems unrealistic and illogical a few people believe that diabetes is cased by an infection with a specific virus or bacteria. Another reason adduced is that exposure to food borne toxins or to cow’s milk as a very young infant where an un identified component triggers our auto immune reactions.
These causes are undoubtedly illogical, baloney, hypothetical and un- testified. Whatever may be the causes of diabetes, it is imperative that you go for doctor’s advice, consultation and diagnosis. A diabetician is the proper person to take care of it.
Real Reasons
According to medical science, common causes for diabetes are advanced age, obesity and physical in activity. Lethargy, an un healthy life style and sedentary habits contribute to the presence of this disease.
Very surely diabetes is caused by certain medicines. Pregnancy causes gestational diabetes. Damage to pancreas by some kind of illness affects the secretion of insulin. This damage is called Pancreatitis.
You should never jump in to any conclusion and run after a doctor for help. You should never believe in myths and hearsays which will not help you. You better consult the doctor and try to know more about the disease.
