Diabetes Care And Treatment

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Diabetes Skin Care & Treatment

July 18th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Diabetes skin care is more important than regular skin care because of the seriousness of the underlying disease. Diabetes left untreated can be life threatening, and diabetes not treated properly can cause extensive and serious damage to the organs of the body. Diabetes skin care is part of the hygiene required to preserve physical health. High blood glucose levels along with poor circulation puts the tissue of the whole body at risk of infection.

There are three different types of diabetes and each may require different diabetes skin care and treatment. Diabetes is not curable, although it is manageable with proper care.

The Types of Diabetes/ Diabetes Care

Type 1 diabetes care – this type of diabetes is also known as insulin dependant diabetes; it often starts in childhood or before the age of 20. This type of diabetes occurs when the immune system gradually attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.

Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes include:
* frequent urination
* excessive thirst
* unexplained weight loss
* unexplained hunger
* blurred vision
* numbness of lower limbs or tangling sensation
* tiredness and fatigue
* dry itchy skin
* sores that are slow to heal
* nausea, vomiting and stomach aches

People with Type1 diabetes must use insulin daily failing which in turn can lead to glucose fluctuation in the bloodstream that can at times turn into an emergency situation. However, proper monitoring of the blood sugar levels can avoid such an emergency.

The control of the sugar level can be done atur home by the patient or an adult should the patient be a minor, with specialized easy-to-use equipment.

Type 2 diabetes care – in this case of diabetes the body fails to properly utilize the insulin which is needed to take and use sugar from the blood cells, thus, causing high blood sugar.

Treating type 2 diabetes often means planning your meals carefully in order not to raise blood sugar levels; when this step is not enough the patient will need to take medication to bring down the blood sugar.

Other Diabetes Care and Treatment

Overe time diabetes can lead to other medical situations such as:

* kidney failure – which can be treated only by kidney transplant
* Heart attack
* Amputation of limbs
* Blindness

The first step in taking control of diabetes is to educate yourself and learn how to efficiently keep down the blood sugar levels in your body. This requires dedication and perseverance.

Frequent monitoring of your blood sugar level, even 4 to 5 times a day will help you take charge and avoid emergency situations.

What Are The Causes Of Diabetes

May 29th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

The causes of diabetes vary with the different types of diabetes. There are three types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin dependent or juvenile-onset, is caused by lack of insulin or non functioning insulin; sometimes patients with this type of diabetes require insulin injections in order to bring the blood sugar levels to normal standards.

Type 2 diabetes, which is not insulin dependent and usually occurs in older adults, is caused by the body being insulin resistant. This type of diabetes occurs gradually and is often associated with obesity.

Gestational diabetes is similar to type 2 diabetes and affects some pregnant women. It is cause by the body being unable to use insulin appropriately.

The Symptoms Of Diabetes Are:

• excessive thirst
• frequent urination
• weight loss
• blurred vision
• increased hunger
• skin, gums and/or bladder infection
• irritability
• slow to heal wounds
• numbness or tingling of hands and feet
• unexplained tiredness

People Who Are Most Prone To Diabetes Are:

• those who are 45 and over
• those who are overweight
• those who are habitually physically inactive
• those who have a family history of diabetes
• those who have elevated blood pressure
• those who have a history of vascular disease
• those who have polycystic ovary syndrome

What Is Not The Cause Of Diabetes?

It is important to sort myth from fact when dealing with serious disease information. Here are a few myths about diabetes:

* Eating sweets or the wrong type of food will cause diabetes.This is a myth although a poor diet and excessive sweets can lead to obesity with is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes.
* Stress causes diabetes – another myth.
* Diabetes is contagious – also a myth. Someone with diabetes cannot pass it on to anyone else.

The causes of diabetes are triggered by the internal functions of your body and the incapacity of insulin to perform its duties. Diabetes can be fatal if not managed correctly.

Living with diabetes can mean major changes are required to your lifestyle, but if understand the link between diabetes and diet, get plenty of exercise and follow your doctor’s advice you should be able to lead an active healthy life.

Best Diet For Type 2 Diabetes

May 26th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

If you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the first thing you’ll need to address is your diet. The best diet for type 2 diabetes is one that will assist you in keeping your sugar levels in check without upsetting your regular eating habits too drastically. For those who are overweight, it is extremely important to reduce the excess weight since so many complications are a direct result of being overweight.

Moderation in the Diet of a Diabetic

The diabetic diet will exclude fatty and starchy foods as well as those foods which contain a high degree of sugar such as candies, sweets, jams, cakes, chocolates, etc. Some people prefer to stop the intake of these types of foods completely; however a moderate diabetes diet may actually include these items though in a very small amount. It has been observed that whenever you mark something as ‘forbidden’ the body will develop a deep craving for it and from this the temptation to binge on these forbidden foods may becomes too much to bear.

This is why doctors suggest that a type 2 diabetes diet may include all the so-called forbidden fruits, but in srict moderation, so that you can have just sufficient to keep you going without really harming yourself.

The Role Of The Diabetic Diet

The body’s inability to process sugar is the main problem in diabetes and hence a diabetic needs to moderate the sugar levels in the blood. In order to do this, the patient must be aware of the nutritional value of the most common foods he/she likes so as to always keep in mind the amount of sugar that he/she ingests. The best diet will be one which limits to a great extent the intake of saturated fat and concentrates more on fiber rich foods such as green vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Fiber can also be sourced from oat bran, dried beans, citrus fruits, and so on.

If you crave sweets, it is better to reach out for fresh fruit instead. Seeds and nuts are also a good addition to the diet of the diabetic patient.

The Link Between Diabetes And Diet

May 26th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

The Link Between Diabetes And Diet

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes then you know that you will have to fight this disease for the rest of your life. This can be a bleak outlook for many people who enjoy rich food and perhaps a high fat diet.

Diet is the Best Tool to Control Diabetes

The best and most powerful tool you have to fight this disease is indeed your diet. Diabetes requires that you eliminate sugar based foods and move to a high fiber and protein based diet.

The lifestyle of a diabetic person will be more focused, disciplined, and full of exercise. He or she will be more diet conscious, eat healthier food, exercise frequently, and overall be more careful about his or her weight and medical care. This does not sound too bad, after all.

Bear in mind is that your body is not equipped to fight any excess intake or abuse of foods. Hence, it is up to you to not overload your system. If you do not overindulge in any particular food, your body has a better chance of fighting the diabetes.

How Many People In the US Suffer From Diabetes?

May 26th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

How Many People In the US Suffer From Diabetes?

A few years ago, independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock made a film that shocked America. It was called ‘Super Size Me’. In the film, Mr. Spurlock lived for a month on a diet composed only McDonald’s meals. And every time he was asked if he wanted to super size his meal, he had to accept it.

In the film we watch as his body is affected by the high fat diet and we see him conduct a series of interviews around the US. One of the most shocking interviews is with a diabetic man who still ate junk food and didn’t do any exercise, even though he was risking his life. Unfortunately, he isn’t an isolated case. Almost 18 million people in the US suffer from diabetes. And, what is worse, 3 million aren’t even aware that they have it.

Reasons For Diabetes

The American diet leaves a lot to be desired. Although diabetes is often considered a genetic disease, the probabilities of acquiring it increase with obesity. The sad thing is that Americans don’t fight their weight gain. As a matter of fact, the average American doesn’t even exercise the recommended minimum amount. Sedentary life and overeating are the reasons why the incidence of diabetes is soaring in developed countries.

Cost of Diabetes in the US

In 2002, the cost of diabetes to the US economy was $132 billion. This consisted of: $91.8 billion for direct medical expenditures, $23.2 billion for diabetes care, $24.6 billion for complications caused by diabetes and, finally, $44.1 billion for medical conditions related to diabetes. Half of the direct medical expenditures, approximately $50 billion, were for people with an age of 65, or more.

As can be seen, diabetes is a huge problem in the US. In 2002 it was the sixth leading cause of death in America. And this is taking a huge toll on the nation’s health system.

Potential diabetes sufferers need to be educated! Taking regular exercise, losing weight and improving the diet can prevent the onset of diabetes.

What You Need To Know About Adult Type 2 Diabetes

May 26th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Many people are not aware that diabetes actually occurs in three types: (i) type 1 or child diabetes, (ii) adult type 2 diabetes, and (iii) gestational diabetes. All three types have many symptoms in common; however, each of these types has a different onset time and development.

What Is Adult Type 2 Diabetes?

Adult type 2 diabetes is frequently associated with being overweight, though it is not clear what exactly the triggers is. In this case, the insulin becomes less and less effective and as a result sugar begins to build up in the blood. This is medically termed as insulin resistance. When this occurs, and this usually occurs in adults, the person is found to suffer from adult type 2 diabetes.

This form of diabetes is becoming more and more common in Western society. It is estimated that 1 in 90 people suffer from the adult type 2 diabetes and in the US it has been diagnosed in around 7% of the population. Though this type usually develops in older adults, it is now occurring more frequently in children.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

When the insulin normally produced by the body fails to regulate the sugar, this failure is termed insulin resistance. It is sometimes also called ‘beta cell failure’. Some of the main symptoms are as follows:

• There is a high percentage of glucose in the blood
• There is a sudden raise in the fat levels in the blood, making the arteries susceptible to clogging, often resulting in serious heart problems
• A steady increase in blood pressure
• Extreme thirst

What Are The Common Symptoms Of This Disease?

Most of the symptoms are common to all the three types of diabetes, i.e. the patient will feel extremely thirsty and urinate often, will feel fatigued all the time, will experience sudden weight loss (though the loss in weight may not be too pronounced), there could be sudden itchiness around the genitalia (caused by yeast infection common with diabetics), suffer from frequent skin infections and irritation.

What Can You If You Are Diagnosed With Adult Type 2 Diabetes

• Control your diet to manage your sugar intake.
• You will need to introduce to your diet a great deal of fiber and eliminate fat to a large extent.
• Take regular and frequent excercise.
• You will need to learn to measure your blood glucose levels and to inject yourself with insulin if required.
• Have a doctor’s number within easy reach so in case of any emergency you can immediately seek expert advice and get necessary medical help.

Copyright © 2008 Diabetes Care And Treatment

Credits: Work From Home | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund