do i have diabetes

Diabetic Wristbands

2010-05-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Diabetic wristbands are made to help diabetes patients feel more secure about receiving the correct treatment that they need if anything were to ever go wrong. The two-way Diabetic Bracelet with an I.D. card is a great way to make sure that all diabetes patients will be able to receive treatment. Since there are three different types of diabetes, they are all treated differently. These diabetic wristbands and bracelets allow others to know what kind of diabetes a person has and how to treat them.

Diabetes is a syndrome that is characterized by metabolism that is disordered. This usually causes high blood sugar. These high levels of blood sugar results in low levels of insulin. The symptoms of diabetes include:

•excessive urination,
•excessive thirst,
•increased fluid intake;
•blurred vision,
•weight loss,
•and lethargy.

Unfortunately, when people have diabetes, many of them do not know it because these symptoms are not always visible. These symptoms only occur if the blood sugar level is high. A slightly elevated level will not create symptoms.

There are three different types of diabetes. These include:

•type 1,
•type 2,
•and gestational diabetes, which only occurs during pregnancy.

All three types have different causes, but all of them occur due to beta cells that belong to the pancreas. These cells become unable to produce enough insulin for the body, and this does not allow the body to prevent hyperglycemia.

At present, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes. For type 2 diabetes, many patients undergo gastric bypass surgery. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to treat diabetes once it has been detected.

Diabetics - Are You a Heart Attack Waiting to Happen

2010-05-19T22:06:00.001-07:00

By Cynthia Koelker

Diabetes is sneaky. Most patients feel fine, even with their blood sugar 50-100 points too high.

But behind the scenes, much is happening. By the time a person is diagnosed with diabetes, the risk of having a heart attack has already soared as high as that of a person who has already suffered one. And sometimes a diabetic has already had a heart attack without even knowing.

How is this possible? Doesn't everyone with a heart attack clutch his chest in agony and fall to the ground? No! Especially in diabetics, heart attacks may be brushed off as something else: heartburn, indigestion, fatigue, hypoglycemia.

Diabetes damages blood vessels, particularly coronary arteries - the arteries that carry blood and oxygen to the heart muscle itself. Diabetes also damages nerves - including the nerves that alert a person to cardiac ischemia (lack of oxygen-carrying blood to the heart).

Do you remember what it feels like to run so hard that your leg muscles cramp and become weak? That's what happens to the heart when it can't get enough oxygen. But if you can't feel the damage occurring, how will you know?

Leprosy and diabetes have this in common: nerve damage may occur to the degree that a person is unaware they are hurting themselves. Both lepers and diabetics may lose toes or even feet due to untreated injuries. I've had diabetics step on a tack and not even feel it.

The heart can be damaged on this basis as well. Classic symptoms of heart disease may be minimal or absent. As a diabetic, you may have no chest pain, no arm pain, no shortness of breath. Or you may experience something as mild as the heartburn you had after eating spaghetti last weekend. Possibly, you may have sweating and nausea that you attribute to a low blood sugar.

Knowing all this, what should you do?

Hopefully you have a doctor who you have partnered with in your care. If not, find one right away. If your doctor has not suggested an annual EKG, request one yourself. If you experience chest pain, heartburn, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, fatigue, or other symptoms, see your doctor to make sure they are not coming from your heart.

Diabetes often coexists with other risk factors for heart disease. If you smoke, you assuredly are a heart attack waiting to happen. Make sure your blood pressure is under control. Know what your cholesterol level is and ask your doctor how to lower it. If you're overweight, aim to lose at least 5% of your body weight.

Being aware of the risk is the first step. Now do yourself a favor, and take good care of yourself.

To read more about diabetes visit:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Cynthia_Koelker

For practical advice on affordable health care visit: http://101waystosavemoneyonhealthcare.blogspot.com/

Permission is hereby granted to publish this copyrighted article elsewhere on the web or in print media, in whole or in part, with the stipulation that Dr. Koelker be properly credited as author, and that the material be unaltered with regard to content.

Cynthia J. Koelker MD is a family physician of over twenty years, and holds degrees from MIT, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the University of Akron. She is the author of "101 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare."

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Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Managed Or Reversed

2010-05-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

By Beverleigh H Piepers

It is possible to successfully treat type 2 diabetes. Whilst there is a growing worldwide epidemic and it is a condition that does not go away, it can be managed. Now that is good news! It can be reversed... not cured, but managed or reversed.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

A lack of insulin, or insulin ineffectively used, throws off the natural balance of your body. The absorption of glucose into your body is continually blocked when you have type 2 diabetes, even when the two main elements, sugar and insulin, are present albeit in excessive amounts. People with type 2 diabetes do not utilize all of the glucose or sugar created from the food they eat.

Most people don't even notice the gradual rise in their blood sugar levels... this is because the build-up occurs slowly, over many years. In addition to the sugar produced from the food you eat, more glucose is added to your bloodstream by other organs in your body that are programmed to release sugar in times of deprivation to make sure your brain always has enough sugar to function.

The very high blood sugar levels associated with type 2 diabetes are really not healthy for several reasons. High levels of sugar can actually nourish bacteria that causes infection inside your body and can inhibit the normal infection fighting abilities of your immune system. This helps slow down your body's rate of healing.

Causes of Type 2 Diabetes include:

family history of type 2 diabetes

extra weight carried especially around your waistline

disorders of the immune system, including lupus

being physically inactive

long periods of stress

certain medications which includes steroids

gestational diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body will respond by producing an excess amount of chemicals which keeps your body from using insulin properly. Your body is generating insulin; it's just not working the way it should be. This is known as insulin resistance.

Type 2 diabetes can have a huge negative effect on your body. As time progresses, without management, eventually your pancreas will begin to stop working as it should, making less and less insulin... until there's not enough insulin to do the job

As type 2 diabetes develops slowly, with good management, control of diabetes may be achieved for many years.

Good management of diabetes covers these five general concepts:

1. Blood sugar testing

2. Nutrition

3. Physical activity

4. Medication

5. Stress management

You will notice everything you do to reverse your type 2 diabetes will also help with other health problems like high cholesterol and high blood pressure? It's positive proof that following a healthy lifestyle is beneficial to not only have lower blood sugar levels but everything else too.

Would you like more information about alternative ways to handle your type 2 diabetes?

To download your free copy of my E-Book, click here now: Answers to Your Questions... It's based on questions many diabetics have asked me over recent months.

Beverleigh Piepers is a registered nurse who would like to help you understand how to live easily and happily with your type 2 diabetes.
http://drugfreetype2diabetes.com/blog
Copyright. (c) 2010 Beverleigh H Piepers RN. All Rights Reserved.

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Facts About Diabetes

2010-04-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

By Noah Mark Rodolfo

Diabetes is a word that you cannot avoid hearing in any health discussion forums. Seems that more diseases are link to this abnormal illness. It is reported that there are over 180 million people that were affected by the disease and the number is still growing. What is diabetes and what can we do to prevent it? What are the causes and all possible treatments? Let me discuss to you a few facts about this silent killer disease.

Diabetes is a chronic illness that prevents your body's ability to turn the food you eat into energy. The effect will be different health complications because glucose (sugar in our blood) remains in the bloodstream.

There are three types of Diabetes.

Type 1 or also known as insulin dependent diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body's immune system destroys the insulin producing beta cells located in the pancreas. Because of this scenario, type 1 patients must inject themselves with insulin regularly to avoid complications and follow a strict proper diet and regular exercise.

Type 2 or also known as non-insulin dependent are the most common form of this disease. Characterized for its resistance to insulin and relative insulin deficiency. Study shows that 90% of all patients have this type of diabetes. It is also genetic in origin but some environmental factos have been linked to this kind of diabetes like obesity, lack of physical workout and smoking.

GDM or Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Known for its carbohydrate intolerance, most victims have been studied to have a family history of type 2 diabetes. Other risk factors are increasing maternal age for women and obesity.

Now how can you fight this disease? How can we prevent it? Fighting diabetes is not that hard but not simple either. Diabetes is a sugar illness and is very manageable or controllable. Below are some of the natural tips to prevent rising your blood sugar level.

•Manage your insulin. Always stay away from any food that are high in sugar content. Always be conscious to all possible sources of sugar in foods. This will help manage your diabetes better.

•Keep yourself fit. Obesity is the number one factor of having this abnormal illness. Keep your body active and lose those excessive fats.

•Lessen your meat consumption. Meat such as red meat contains high saturated fats and is linked in many cases of diabetes.

•High fiber diet. It is proven that high fiber diet can prevent the increase of sugar in your blood.

•Always eat fruits and vegetables. You don't have to be a doctor to prevent this disease. Fruits has natural sugar that help regulates blood sugar abnormalities.

There are more to learn about this illness. The important thing is that it is manageable and you can live with it. Total change in lifestyle and regular exercise can prevent this disease to get worst.

About the author

Noah Mark Rodolfo is an alternative natural healthcare practitioner and is committed to bring the best health and wellness information online. Get the most updated news about health, diseases, weight loss and proper nutrition on his website at http://www.healthtalkbuzz.com.

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What Is The TLC Diet for Diabetes

2010-03-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet was developed with more than diabetics in
mind. It is a diet that is recommended to people with high cholesterol, heart or other
cardiovascular diseases and those that have been diagnosed with diabetes.

This diet consists of a set of guidelines that provide percentage ranges of what a patient
should eat from each food group. The aim is to provide flexibility in choices while
ensuring that the choices made are helpful to the condition that is being treated. In the
beginning it is a good idea to partner with a dietician to ensure the calculations that you
are making are accurate and that you are making the best food choice decisions.

The 7th Most Wanted Killer Is Diabetes . . .

2009-12-20T18:22:00.001-08:00

In reality "death by diabetes" is normally caused by the #1 killer . . . Heart Disease.

Medically speaking, diabetes is a group of symptoms triggered from an imbalance of your immune system. Even before a person is diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease has already begun to affect your health.

There is a cure for diabetes

2009-12-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

There is a cure for diabetes, but Western Medicine has jealously protected its right to with-hold this information from the marketplace.

At least for as long as they could.

Typically once a "natural cure" is recognized . . . it is put under lock and key, until it can be bio-chemically synthesized and patented.

I can assure you there IS a cure for diabetes . . .

In fact, the beautiful thing is by curing diabetes you are also preventing cardiovascular disease, or at least reducing your risk of heart disease greatly.

Simply through nurturing specific healing systems you can strengthen weakened cells and help restore your over all health.