Diabetes Statistics

March 21, 2008

Diabetes statistics point to widespread ignorance about the disease. It may be because diabetes does not have distinct and obvious symptoms in the beginning. Modern lifestyles and changes from traditional diets may also have roles in the increasing incidence of diabetes. No community is safe from the debilitating effects of this disease, and constant vigilance is the only feasible answer from a public health perspective.

Read the full article at Diabetes Statistics 


Diabetes Kids

March 21, 2008

The majority of children with childhood diabetes get Type 1 diabetes rather than Type 2 diabetes, which is more common in adults. A person with Type 1 diabetes has a body that does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body process and regulate sugar.

When a person’s body doesn’t produce insulin, it’s because the body is attacking its own tissues and organs. When this occurs in a Type 1 diabetic, the body destroys the cells in the pancreas that are responsible for producing insulin.

Read the full article at Diabetes Kids 


Diabetes Food

March 21, 2008

Let me share with you important news that there is no “diabetes diet”. This implies that you and your family can eat the same balanced foods at mealtime. Carbohydrates have the greatest influence on blood sugar levels that’s why diabetes patients should be careful about consumption of carbohydrate. Control diabetes and total calorie intake is the main theme of diabetes diet.

Most important aspects of diabetes treatment and management are healthy diet and regular exercise. Before we discuss on diabetes diet, let us see the cause of diabetes.

Read the full article at Diabetes Food 


Effects of Diabetes

March 21, 2008

Diabetes is being a huge health problem. Many people suffer from diabetes and the other medical side effects it cause. An early diagnosis of diabetes can help a person to avoid serious related diseases. The earlier diabetes is caught the easy it is for doctors to monitor the patients overall health, thus preventing any further medical problems.

Diabetes is when the pancreas does not function properly and glucose levels fall outside the normal range. A normal glucose reading is lower than 110 mg/dL upon waking in the morning and lower than 140 mg/dL two hours after eating. There are simple blood tests that are used to diagnose diabetes.

Read the full article at  Effects of Diabetes


Diabetes and Exercise

March 21, 2008

Without doubt, diabetes exercise program is one of the surefire ways to control diabetes. Diabetes is caused when the level of sugar in blood is above the normal range. Diabetes exercise program not only help you lower your blood sugar level, it also helps lowering the risk of heart diseases, something that is common among diabetes patients. Apart from that, diabetes also improves your overall health- mental, as well as physical. In this article, I will tell you about the virtues of workouts and diabetes exercise programs and which types of exercises should be done in order to control diabetes.

It is important to check your blood sugar levels before and after exercise, because exercises and workouts have a great impact on the level of blood sugar. Usually, diabetes is caused when our muscles become insensitive to the insulin present in the body. The benefit of doing regular exercises is that your body will become more and more sensitive to the insulin present in the body, which in turn will help controlling the level of glucose present in your blood. Therefore, if your blood sugar level is abnormal – either too high or too low, you should wait for your blood sugar level to become normal before you start exercising. Do you know what type of exercises should you do as part of your diabetes exercise program?

Usually, there are no specific set of exercises for diabetes patients. You can choose any cardio exercise (walking, running, cycling, aerobics, skating, warm-ups and cool-downs, tennis, etc.). In fact, any exercise that that increases the heart rate is good for diabetes patients. Aerobic exercises and strength training are also helpful in that they help strengthen your heartbeat, keep the muscles warm and help build up your stamina.

When you are just starting to exercise, don’t just jump over to strength training. Perform low-level workouts, and then, increase the intensity of your exercise by stages. If in doubt, ask your doctor and I am sure he will be able to guide you as to what types of diabetes exercise programs are suitable for your body.


Diabetes Warning Signs

March 21, 2008

Diabetes is a serious condition that is lifelong and life threatening if not treated with respect. In the United States alone, it is estimated that over 20 million individuals suffer from this disease. Of those, it is estimated that at least 6 million have not been diagnosed. That is a lot of people that have diabetes and are not aware they have this disease.

What are the beginning signs of diabetes to look for ?

Many individuals discover they are diabetic only when they visit their family doctors for other ailments. It are these early warning signs of diabetes that many people attribute to other conditions.

1. Frequency of urination – This happens when blood sugar levels are raised, increasing the amount of blood flowing through the kidneys. Many people, as they get older, will experience increased urination problems. They write this condition off as growing older. When diabetes is the cause, it needs to be diagnosed. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to the kidneys failing and shutting down.

2. Extreme hunger – Because of the lack of insulin the body is not producing, the body receives signals it is hungry. This symptom is experienced when the body’s energy is deficient from not receiving enough insulin from the blood stream to the cells.

3. Unexplained, or sudden weight loss – When the body is not receiving enough cellular energy, the body begins to break down it’s own fat and muscle to replace the energy, the body is lacking.

4. Fatigue – Feeling tired and rundown is caused by the decreased energy levels.

5. Depression and irritability are no experienced as a result of the above symptom the body is going through because of the diabetes.

6. Extreme thirst is also triggered due to the diabetes depleting the body of energy.

7. Impaired vision can also be experienced as a symptom of diabetes when more blood volume leads to the eye’s lens swelling. When diabetes is left untreated, blindness can be experienced.

8. Loss of feeling or numbness, usually in the feet, legs, arms or hands areas of the body. Experiencing any of these symptoms in any of these areas can be a warning sign of diabetes.

If you are experiencing any of the beginning signs of diabetes, you should get tested. Testing for diabetes is also recommended for individuals that are over forty-five years of age and overweight. Diabetes and pre-diabetes testing is diagnosed by checking the blood glucose levels of a person’s blood.

These symptoms and others will progress in time and get more critical if the diabetes is present and goes undiagnosed and untreated. These beginning signs of diabetes should not be ignored. As this disease progresses, more complications will arise, putting your life in jeopardy.