diabetes 2

Diabetes information is essential in patients who have either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. When diagnosed with diabetes
the health implications can be devastating but understanding what the disease is and what changes you can implement to assist in leading a healthy life is important in controlling any ill effects. Making a few lifestyle changes and ensuring you have regular doctor checkups to monitor your progress is important in maintaining a healthy life. With a few simple changes you can enhance the quality as well as the length of life.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes that is diagnosed in people today. Many older people
past the age of thirty
are diagnosed with this condition. It is much rarer to see this in children and teens
though it does occur. The condition is based on the body not producing enough insulin or rejecting the insulin that is produced. Type 2 diabetes and health is a somewhat complicated course to navigate but a healthy diabetes diet and continual monitoring from your physician
you can decrease your risks of additional complications. Learning to live with this disease is tantamount in upholding your overall health and well being. Complications from type 2 diabetes include increasing your chances of heart disease and kidney disease
complications involving your eye sight
foot and skin problems and increased risk of stroke. These risks can be reduced
though.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is generally diagnosed in children and young adults and is not as prevalent in older people. The term also used to be known as juvenile diabetes. This is where insulin is not produced in the body. Metabolism in diabetes mellitus plays a large part. However
there are lifestyle changes that can occur
including diet
that will help better control the effects and lessen the risk of more serious complications. Complications and additional health risks are similar to those of type 2 diabetes and include heart
nerve
muscular
skin and eye problems.

Exercise is one of the important lifestyle changes that should occur if you are diagnosed with diabetes. Exercise should be a regular activity in everyone’s life and there is no denying the benefits that can be gained from it. With diabetes
though
it is especially important to remain active. First
exercise will promote weight loss and will also kick start the metabolism. Both will allow your body to be more sensitive to the insulin that is produced in the body. Ensuring you start an exercise program if you do not yet have one is very important. Check with your doctor before embarking on anything
though
to ensure your activities match your fitness level. Walking
swimming and using a trampoline are good
low impact exercises that can help.

You will need to become educated about the different food groups and which foods have various characteristics. Your physician or a nutrition specialist will be able to assist you with this and give you lists of which types of foods are in each category. Eating foods that digest slower will help you reduce the after meal spike that sometimes occurs. Carbohydrates are a key element in the diabetes diet and will help control the after-meal spikes that occur in diabetics. Adjusting the amount of fatty foods you consume is also an important aspect of maintaining a healthy diabetes diet. It not only will help reduce calories
thus allowing you to lose weight but will also help you process the insulin produced in your body.

It often helps diabetics to eat more often as opposed to eating breakfast
lunch and dinner. Eating smaller portions of food more frequently can often give a more even feeling and keep insulin levels steadier throughout the day. If you are prescribed medications
either oral medications or insulin shots
it is important to take them per the physician’s directions. Do not skip or delay medications. Also
if you are supposed to test
always test daily
as your physician recommends or anytime you are feeling a bit low.

Getting all the diabetes information available on what it is and how to control it with a diabetes diet and exercise is important in ensuring you lead a happy
healthy life. People with diabetes can lead very good
long lasting lives with some simply changes in lifestyle and diet. After changes become habit
there will be no sense of deprivation. You will feel better
lose weight and be more active. Your risks of more severe complications will decrease significantly and your chances of living longer will increase.

Diagnosing diabetes symptoms can be difficult in identifying at first
as manifestation of the disease is gradual. Sometimes
because symptoms can also be common to other illnesses
the real illness may be overlooked. Diabetes symptoms may vary
the list may go on and on but not everybody (diabetes patients) has them. There are even some cases that no symptoms may show on some patients.

Diabetes occurs when the body’s ability to react to insulin gets affected. The insulin is your body hormone that allows your blood sugar (glucose) to enter body cells. When too much glucose enters the blood
this leads to the elevated amount of blood glucose
which it can cause glucose spillage towards the urine. This is the primary reason why one of the most classic diabetes symptoms
frequent urination
plagues the patient.

Because elevated glucose level is beyond normal
your body cells are energy-starved and consequently leading to the damage in your nerves
kidneys
eyes
blood vessels and your heart. The increased amount of glucose appears when the sugar of your body falls too low. It then increases production of sugar. This process starts when the pancreas releases the hormone called glucagons. The stored glycogen will be converted back into the glucose by your liver and muscles.

How are diabetes symptoms diagnosed?

Diagnosing diabetes patients may vary
and is based according to the duration and range of the high blood sugar levels. Patients with type 2 diabetes are often diagnosed relatively slowly as compared to people with type 1 diabetes
to which it may take only after weeks or some months. Symptoms may also progress slowly and mildly.

Some of the most specific and common early diabetes symptoms are:

- Skin irritation and diseases
- Skin infections
- Poor skin healing
- Athlete’s foot
- Sexual problem
- Unusual vaginal dryness
- Erectile failure (to male patients)
- Premature menopause (to female patients)
- Absence of menstrual periods
- Paresthesias
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Urinary tract infection
- Blurry vision
- Malaise
- Drowsiness
- Numbness of the hands
- Weight loss or weight gain

Other more extreme diabetes symptoms are:

- Excessive urination
- Excessive thirstiness
- Dehydration
- Weight loss even with an increased appetite
- Tiredness
fatigue
nausea
and vomiting
- Excessive hunger
- More bladder
skin and vaginal infections
- Serious blurry vision
- Headache
- Muscle aches
weakness and cramps
- Acne
- Increased sexual problems because of erectile failure for men
and vaginal dryness for women
- Cessation of menstrual periods

Other diabetes symptoms:

- Gums are bleeding
- Unusual noise or buzzing in the ear
- Feet numbness or tingling
- Skin itching
- Diarrhea
- Confusion
- Depression

Complications associated to diabetes symptoms:

- Kidney diseases
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Sciatica
- Heart diseases and
- Stroke

As those mentioned symptoms might occur at a later time for a patient
the usual situation is delayed scheduling of the check-up. This is not a good idea as complications may increase over time
making it even harder to treat and manage the disease. In this case
it is extremely important to check with the doctor in as early as possible to prevent more damage to the body. Another
it is important to note that diabetes is one of the lifelong diseases
and one that does not infect other people upon contact.

I was told in rapid succession that I was suffering from intermittent claudication (that’s blocked arteries in the legs)
high blood pressure
Diabetes Type 2. and that I was overweight.

Not a lot of pleasure there! The intermittent claudication made it increasingly difficult to do much
so that in effect I had become a prisoner to my house and garden. Exercise was out of the question
my legs simply couldn’t cope
but it was hoped that angioplasty to each leg would cure the problem. It didn’t.

My high blood pressure
I was assured
could be treated by a cocktail of drugs and by weight loss. The cocktail of four different drugs worked
but I could not seem to lose weight.

So I was given a choice: the blood sugar levels could be controlled either by drugs or by diet. Since I was already taking four different drugs for blood pressure
I thought it best to try diet control. I was also hopeful that this might help me to lose weight. But where to start? My diabetic nurse provided me with a blood sugar monitor and said I should aim to stay under 9 as my reading. My Doctor said to stay under 7. Now she has reduced this to under 5. My current long-term reading is 5.3. A big drop from the high readings I used to produce.

So what did I do? At first I was taking blood samples three times a day and was truly astonished at how my blood sugar jumped about. Plain porridge and water
which I absolutely loved
would produce a reading of 16 and yet
being a slow release multigrain
I had always assumed it would be good for my health. A single apple
showed a reading of 12! Tea with milk but no sugar
10
Obviously there was more to this than met the eye.

The first learning point was that the body needs water and lots of it. Out went sugared fizzy drinks and in came plain boiled water. The Swedes call it Silver Tea
I’m told
and it is very refreshing. Now a cup starts every day and two or three more follow. Low calorie tonic water is also useful (the quinine helps prevent cramps)
mineral water (I especially like carbonated forms)
low calorie Ginger Beer and cold filtered tap water.

The next
crucial
learning point: control your carbohydrate intake
in my case to under 40gms a day. Eliminate bread
cakes
sweets
pasta
rice
cereals
biscuits
sugars
fruit juice
potatoes
honey
jam
marmalade
baked beans. Reading the food labels is a real eye opener!

Instead
increase your intake of vegetables and low carbohydrate foods & fruits. All of the following are particularly good: Broccoli
cabbage
spinach
runner beans
brussels sprouts cauliflower
broccoli
peppers
tomatoes
courgettes
aubergines
swede
squashes
celeriac
green salads. Fruit can be very high in sugars
so use in moderation. Choose rhubarb
grapefruit
raspberries
loganberries
strawberries
blueberries
all of which are O.K. Do not add sugar
of course
so sweeten with cinnamon instead. Avocadoes are low in carbohydrates
but high in fat
so eat no more than half a fruit a day. Add nuts and seeds to your diet
again in small amounts.

As far as alcohol is concerned
all beers are out. One or two glasses of red wine a day are acceptable.

Avoid processed foods as much as possible and certainly do NOT eat hydrogenated fats of any kind. They are to my mind a food industry con. and of no use to any one other than manufacturers of processed food.

Buy only genuine
non-reconstituted lean meat
poultry
game and fish. Reduce your saturated fat intake by cooking on a griddle and cutting off any excess fat. Cook with olive and nut oils
as these unsaturated fats are good for you. Never use lard. Add game to your repertoire of ingredients
along with plenty of oily and white fish such as salmon
haddock
tuna
swordfish
mackerel & kipper.

I have never once felt hungry with this change in my eating habits to simple whole foods. I still find I miss eating plain yoghurt
vanilla ice cream and various cheeses. But then I occasionally do give myself a small treat - provided I stay within my allowance.

The results are good for my health:

My good cholesterol is high
My bad cholesterol is low
My type II diabetes blood sugar is well controlled by diet alone
I have lost 10 lbs in weight.

My next task is to lose another 30 lbs. I know now that this is achievable. The more weight I lose
the more able I am to increase my activity levels - and the more incentive I have to control my calorie intake. At last I feel that I am taking back control of my body and discovering that you really are what you eat!