Health Specialist » Diabetes

5 Diabetes Travel Tips

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:59:45 +0000

Planning ahead when you travel reduces stress. This is particularly important for a diabetic. These 5 diabetes travel tips are simple to implement and crucial to your diabetic management. They are particularly important if you are traveling abroad.

1 Have a pre-travel check-up. Make sure your A1C blood sugar levels; your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels are OK. Get the appropriate shots for any country you plan to visit.

2 Wear a diabetes medical ID. Ideally it should be in the language spoken in the country you’re visiting. Not everyone speaks your language and you don’t want medical problems through misunderstandings.

3 Keep your medication and glucose snacks in your hand-luggage. Check-in baggage does, unfortunately, go astray. Don’t risk your diabetes medication by packing it in your main luggage.

4 Keep your medication in its original box, complete with pharmacy labels. It will prevent misunderstandings about why you are carrying drugs and, if you are on insulin, syringes.

5 Be aware of time zone changes, especially when altering your watch. Remember when you travel east your day becomes shorter; if you travel west your day becomes longer. You may need to alter the timings of your medication.

Traveling need not be traumatic. A sensible attitude and a bit of pre-travel planning can make things go far more smoothly.

Diabetes and Your Eyes

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:15:27 +0000

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.

Diabetic Children’s Camps

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:53:18 +0000

As any sufferer knows, there are two types of Diabetes, type I and type II. The latter is sometimes called adult onset diabetes, and over 90 of diabetics suffer this type.

It therefore takes no great leap of imagination to realize that the vast majority of diabetics are adults. But children can also suffer from diabetes, and for such kids, there are problems to face that are very different to those of their diabetic seniors.

For example, a child with diabetes will obviously need close monitoring, and a great deal of constant care and attention from parents. This in itself is not a problem, but it may mean that the child may never spend a night away from home, and it is not uncommon in these circumstances for a child to have never met another child of their own age with diabetes. Effectively, this is a very isolating period in a diabetic childs life.

For theses reasons, many countries are now establishing special camps for diabetic children, to address these problems, by bringing a higher degree of normality to the life of diabetic children. Such camps provide 24 hour professional medical supervision and care to all the children, and are an extremely effective way to give young people living with diabetes a chance to be independent and learn about their condition with the support of their peers and trained health professionals.

They provide an enjoyable and safe camping experience in a supervised environment, and often focus, at least to some degree, on increasing the childrens ability to manage their own condition. Such camping conditions also create an environment which allows the interaction between young people with diabetes that may otherwise be denied through geographic isolation.
These diabetes education and recreational camps are, of course, designed to be fun as well as educational. Generally, they will offer a wide range of sporting facilities, which allow participants to try out new sports and other recreational activities, particularly team based activities, that they may often be otherwise denied.

On the medical side, nothing is left to chance. Prior to camp, each participant is normally required to supply a detailed medical history and an indication of the management skills of the child. Based on this knowledge, the camp can then offer the child the opportunity to learn further self management skills and how to interact with other young people with diabetes under professional supervision.

Other people benefit too. Often, many of the helpers in such camps are volunteers, with little first hand knowledge of diabetes, and these people will learn a great deal from their exposure on a day to day basis to the children.
Even the health care professionals themselves can gain a valuable insight into the management and lifestyle of young people with diabetes that no textbook can provide. These people usually report that they do learn a lot, and even the most experienced educators say they are moved by the realities of living day to day with these children.

And, last but by no means least, the parents enjoy a break from the daily routine of caring for a young person with diabetes, with the real likelihood that their child will gain confidence and increase their self management skills. To read more,

Exercise for Diabetics

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:31:09 +0000

Exercise for Diabetics

The two most common forms of diabetes are referred to as Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes, also known as adolescent diabetes, differs from Type 2 in that the body stops producing insulin altogether. Type 2 diabetes is generally diagnosed in older adults and occurs as the body stops producing enough insulin or the individual becomes resistent to their own insulin.

With either form of diabetes, we lose our ability to adequately untilize sugar. Blood sugar levels increase due to the body’s difficulty in transporting sugar into the cells and out of the blood stream. There are various ways to lower blood sugar levels including exercise, diet, and medications.

Exercise is a very important part of diabetic management for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. For the Type 1 diabetic, regular exercise helps to maintain insulin sensitivity, helps prevent accumulation of excess weight, and increases the use of glucose by muscles, thereby lower blood sugar levels. While there is currently no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes, it may be possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes.

Things to consider when attempting to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes are regular exercise, supplementation with vitamins and herbs that help prevent insulin resistance, and proper weight control.

Exercise not only helps directly in diabetic management by lowering blood sugar levels and maintaining insulin sensitivity, but also helps minimize many of the complications that can arise in a diabetic individual. Studies have shown that walking for 30 minutes per day can substantially diminish the possibility of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Diabetics tend to develop circulatory problems and exercise can certainly help lower blood pressure and improve circulation throughout the body. Since individuals with diabetes tend to have poor blood flow to their lower extremities and feet, better circulation is of great benefit.

There are some risks associated with exercise, but the potential benefits greatly outweigh the risks. Since exercise does lower blood sugar levels, people with diabetes should measure their blood sugar both before and after exercising. Since your body uses more sugar while exercising and makes you more sensitive to insulin, there is a risk of blood sugar becoming too low and causing hypoglycemia.

When exercising it is important to let others know that you are diabetic. They should be informed what to do in case of hypoglycemia. You should always carry candy or fruit juice to treat low blood sugar levels should they occur. During and after exercise sessions, you should pay close attention to how you feel since rapid heart beat, increased sweating, feeling shaky, or hunger can signal that your blood sugar levels are becoming too low.

Exercise is a critical part of diabetic management and treatment. Exercise helps blood sugar control when the muscles use more glucose and the body become more sensitive to insulin. Exercise also helps to prevent and minimize common diabetic complications including heart problems, high blood pressure and circulatory deficiencies. All diabetics should include a regular exercise program as part of their overall management plan.

Finding Out The Exact Methods To Manage Diabetes…

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:09:00 +0000

The researchers all over the world are busy trying to find out the exact methods to manage diabetes. For, diabetes has assumed the settled form of a dreaded disease, not sparing children, pregnant women, adults and the old. The aged persons are the worst sufferers because it destroys the strength in their body at a rapid pace.

Scientists believe that environmental factors cause the immune system to destroy the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. When the insulin-producing cells are permanently destroyed, the only alternative for you is to provide insulin to the body through external resources such as injections! So, far no other remedy has been found!

There are two types of diabetes. Type I and Type II.

The former is incurable, and it will remain as your life-long partner- the most unreliable partner for that matter! Because many dreaded diseases are its likely companions. These dreaded companions will never shudder to attack you, should you be a bit less alert in taking care of your diabetes.

Type II is curable, it is reported that 9 out of 10 cases are successfully treated. There are certain preconditions however! You must have control over your diet and indulge in regular exercising. Consumption of alcohol as well as smoking is thoroughly prohibited. Body Weight Check is your watchword!

For type I, take 2 to 5 injections per day. Insulin has a dual function to play. It regulates both the blood sugar and the speed at which sugar moves into cells. But insulin is not to be treated as replacement for proper diet. The diet and exercise are the foundation stones for controlling diabetes. Insulin will have the favorable impact only after you take the necessary precautions.

With course of treatment of type I Diabetes, no chance can be taken. It is always to be considered as a dreaded disease and should be treated and respected as such. Some of the symptoms of your laxity of treating type I diabetes are continuous need to urinate, excessive thirst, weakness, coupled with tiredness, urinary tract infections, blurred vision and numbness in the feet.

If Type I diabetes is not treated and looked after properly, it is not a life and death situation, it is life or death, and chances for the later are more!

Honestly, How Serious Is Diabetes?

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:46:51 +0000

How serious is Diabetes?

Very! The early symptoms of untreated diabetes mellitus are related to the elevated blood glucose levels. Excess glucose in the blood ultimately results in high levels of glucose being present in the urine glucosuria. This increases the urine output, which leads to dehydration and increased thirst. Other symptoms include extreme tiredness, weight loss, blurred vision, itchy skin and repeated minor infections such as thrush and boils.

Another form of diabetes, known as gestational diabetes, occurs in some women during pregnancy. It is a temporary condition caused by pregnancy and usually occurs in the later stages, once the baby has formed but is still growing.

Although there is currently no cure for diabetes mellitus, it can be controlled successfully with an active treatment plan. The potential benefit of pancreas transplants and islet cell transplants in type 1 patients is being investigated.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Type I diabetes develops very quickly. The classic signs of diabetes include

1. Frequent urination, because the body is trying to get rid of the excess sugar in the blood
2. Intense thirst, because the body needs to replace the fluid lost through the urine
3. Increased hunger, because the cells need nutrients
4. Weight loss, because without insulin, the body begins to starve. The onset of Type 2 diabetes is often very gradual and may develop without any symptoms at all. Sadly, the diagnosis most often is made only after a complication of the disease happens

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a procedure in that a practitioner inserts needles into designated points on the skin. Some Western scientists believe that acupuncture triggers the release of the body’s natural painkillers. Acupuncture has been shown to offer relief from chronic pain. Acupuncture is sometimes used by people with neuropathy, the painful nerve damage of diabetes.

Your weight affects your health in many ways. Being overweight can keep your body from making and using insulin properly. It can also cause high blood pressure. The DPP showed that losing even a few pounds can help reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes because it helps your body use insulin more effectively. In the DPP, people who lost between 5 and 7 percent of their body weight significantly reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes and Its Management

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:02:33 +0000

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 Symptoms- Knowing the Types of Diabetes

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:40:24 +0000

Diabetes is a condition featuring unusually high levels of glucose in the bloodstream. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, is used by the body to lower blood glucose levels. If someones pancreas doesnt generate enough insulin, their body will develop diabetes.

A short list of symptoms of diabetes would include severe hunger and thirst, more urge to urinate, and fatigue. But the surest way of knowing whether you have diabetes is having a blood sugar test, also known as a Glucose Tolerance Test.

Type 1 diabetes is the more acute form. It is typically treated with special dietary restrictions, exercise and occasionally with insulin. Type 1 diabetes usually will be treated with special diet, exercise, and a weight loss plan before insulin is added. This form of diabetes is considered an insulin dependent disease.

A less severe form of diabetes, Type 2 diabetes is first treated with a diabetic diet,
exercise and weight loss. If theses measures are not successful in controlling blood sugar and insulin levels, oral medications may be added. Insulin is then finally considered if these also are unsuccessful. Type 2 diabetes normally occurs in adults who are middle age or older, which is why it is sometimes called Late-Onset Diabetes In this case, he pancreas still produces the right levels of insulin but the body has become resistant to it.

It is feasible to delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes if it runs in the family. Through losing weight, getting the right amount of exercise and controlling your diet, you can manage. If Type 2 diabetes is not treated, eventually the same complications may ensue as those seen with Type 1 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is seen in pregnant women. Normally it disappears after the birth of the baby, however, treatment for the mother to stabilize the blood glucose levels will decrease the chance of complications to the baby as well as mother.

Juvenile Onset diabetes is another major form of diabetes that affects many children. It is believed to be the onset of Type 1 diabetes. If a child is showing even a few of the symptoms of diabetes, its vital that they be checked by a doctor. It is estimated that over two million adolescents are in the pre-diabetes stage. This is mostly due to being overweight. In this condition, blood glucose levels are high but not high enough to be considered diabetes. Teens usually develop this between the ages of 12 and 19.

A DNA Link between Diabetes and Obesity

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:43:12 +0000

There is no known reason for what causes diabetes. There are certainly risk factors that
make the likelihood of you being diagnosed with the disease higher. One of the only risk
factors that you have control over is your weight. If you are obese, the single best thing
you can do for your health and the prevention of diabetes is to lose weight. Even in small
increments, when you shed pounds you are increasing your health benefits.

These may be easier said than done. There are new studies that are now showing that
there is a genetic factor or mutation for people who are obese and have diabetes. This
genetic malfunction affects how the bodies use energy and insulin two key elements in
the functioning of your body and the cause of diabetes and obesity.

The studies also state that this is not a cause and effect case. If you carry this defective
gene you are not guaranteed to be obese or have diabetes. But the link is there and it can
be prevented. You may have to work harder at it than others to maintain a healthy body
weight and put off diabetes but it can be done. Discuss with your doctor options and
ways to prevent or put-off the onset of diabetes.

The gene that researchers have discovered as a precursor to diabetes has been found in
young children. It is scary to know that children in their preschool years are being
diagnosed with obesity and type 2 diabetes due to genetics. But parents can reduce or
prevent these things from happening by giving their children healthy lifestyle choices.
Now that a DNA link has been found, the research can focus on finding a way to fix or
prevent this from happening at some point in the future.

All About Diabetes Symptoms, Causes, Types.

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:21:03 +0000

While talking about diabetes, you may be frightened from the idea that you may have it. Or maybe, you may have it in the future. You want to know if you are at risk to develop diabetes and anxiously you’re looking to find if you have any diabetes symptom.

Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles carbohydrates, fats and proteins. If neglected, diabetes can have serious complications. The diabetic people have high blood sugar level. The blood sugar level is regulated by insulin – a hormone produced by the pancreas, which depends on your eating habits.

Diabetes is a serious disease. But the startling truth is that diabetes is reversible. Diabetes is the number one cause of chronic kidney disease CKD. This disease is a condition where the body is unable to automatically regulate blood glucose levels, resulting in too much glucose a sugar in the blood. Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects as many as 16 million Americans.

Actually, there is no clear symptom for diabetes. The most common symptoms of diabetes are as follow

- being all the time thirsty
- frequent urination
- increased hunger
- feeling all the time tired; having an excessive fatigue,

On the other hand, there are some other symptoms of diabetes that are prescribed as diabetes complications in fact. These symptoms are

- vision changes;
- recurrent skin infections very difficult to heal;
- tingling or numbness you may feel in your extremities;
- gums disorders;
- Hair loss and many others.

There are two different types of diabetes.

Type I Diabetes juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes The reason for type I diabetes is due to pancreas unability to produce insulin.

Type II Diabetes non insulin dependent diabetes or adult onset diabetes This diabetes is a result of body tissues becoming resistant to insulin. It is usually hereditary.

Type 2 Diabetes is more common than Type 1 Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. Conditions associated with type 2 diabetes include hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Type 2 diabetes may account for about 90 to 95 of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Up to two-thirds of people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms. Obesity is the single most important risk factor for type 2 diabetes. An estimated 20 of all cases of new onset type 2 diabetes are in individuals between the ages of 9-19. The more you know about type 2 diabetes, the more you’ll be able to take the right steps to take control of your condition.

If neglected, diabetes can lead to various complications such as damage to the kidneys, heart disease, nerve damage, hypoglycemia drastic reduction in glucose levels. Diabetes is a serious disease and there is no treatment of it. However, it can be brought under control by proper diabet diet.