Let’s Talk About Diabetes
Definition
Diabetes is a disease in which the body looses or weakens its ability in producing or properly using the insulin. Insulin is a hormone, which is required to convert sugar, starch and other food into energy desired for day today life. Though both genetics as well as environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercising play considerable role in causing diabetes, still the root cause of diabetes appears mystical to everyone.
Insulin is essential for the body to use sugar. The pancreas, a part of body present near the stomach, produces insulin. It contains cells called as beta cells. These Beta cells have a very important job of generating insulin, a hormone that assists the cells to consume the sugar content whenever needed.
Types of diabetes
There are two types of diabetes. Sometimes, the beta cell gets mopped out and fails to generate insulin anymore, due to some deficiency in immune system. With the absence of beta cells, the body finds it unable to produce any amount of insulin, due to which sugar accumulates in blood level and you find yourself under the hold of diabetes.
This is one form of diabetes (type 1) in which the body is not able to produce any insulin, most often found in children and young adults. This type of diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 percent of diabetes. As it was mostly detected in children and young adults, hence was previously called with the name of juvenile diabetes.
Many people suffering from this type of diabetes live long, healthy lives. The key lies in restoring your blood sugar levels within your target range, with the help of meal planning, properly scheduled exercising plan and insulin. They can take daily insulin injections to stay alive, and to make the body function at normal rate.
There is another type of diabetes (type 2) also .A metabolic disorder resulting from the body's inability in making enough, or in properly using the insulin. It accounts for 90 to 95 percent of diabetes, hence a very common form of disorder.
It is very important to keep a regular record of blood sugar. To test a sugar level, you need a drop of blood. Place this drop of blood on a special test strip. A device called a glucose meter tells you the exact amount of glucose that the drop of blood contains.
Hyperglycemia
The technical term for high blood sugar is Hyperglycemia. High blood sugar occur when the body has too little, or not enough, insulin or when the body is unable to use insulin properly. It can occur both in juvenile and other diabetic disorder. It may arise, if you have not have been given enough insulin, in case of juvenile diabetes. The stress of an illness, such as a cold or flu, inadequate exercise in comparison to your eating habits along with other stresses concerning family conflicts or school or dating problems causes hyperglycemia.
The symptoms of hyperglycemia are high blood sugar, high levels of sugar in the urine, frequent urination, and increased thirst. . It' is very important to treat hyperglycemia as soon as it is detected, as any delay in curing of this disease further leads to development of new life threatening disorder known as ketoacidosis (diabetic coma).
The ketoacidosis is the state of having not enough insulin in body. Without insulin, body can't use glucose for fuel. So, body breaks down fats to use for energy. When this process takes place, waste products called ketones are produced. Our body is not designed to tolerate large amounts of ketones and it will try to release them through the urine.
Unfortunately, the body is unable to let go all the ketones and finally they build up in the blood, which leads to ketoacidosis. The Symptoms of Hyperglycemia are shortness of breath, fruity smelling breath, unsettled stomach and vomiting and a very dehydrated mouth.
You can lower the blood sugar level of body by following systematic diet chart recommended by dietician along with proper and regular fitness exercising schedules. If blood sugar count in your body is above 240 mg/dl, get yourself checked for ketones in your urine. If you have ketones, then do not exercise, as it may further enhance the blood-sugar level.
Even if regular exercising and changes in your diet don't work, you should consult your doctor and he may change the amount of your medication or insulin or possibly the timing of intake.
Hypoglycemia
The technical name of low blood sugar is hypoglycemia. Whenever you feel an insulin reaction coming on, you go for a blood sugar test. If the result shows low level of sugar content in blood, you should try to treat this condition quickly. The various symptoms of hyperglycemia are instability, wooziness, sweating, hunger, headache, changes in skin color, sudden moodiness or behavior changes, such as crying for no clear reason, awkward and rough movements, confused state of mind, difficulty in paying attention, itching sensations around the mouth.
The quickest and simplest way in of treating hypoglycemia is by raising the blood sugar of body with some form of sugar, such as 3 glucose tablets which can be easily brought from any drug store, 1/2 cup of fruit juice, or 5-6 pieces of hard candy.
You can always ask your health care professional or dietitian to list down the names of some foods that you can use to cure an insulin reaction. And then, be sure that you always have at least one type of sugar with you.
You should atleast wait for 15 or 20 minutes once you have tested your blood and treated your reaction just too take another test to see whether the required level have been acquired or not. If your blood sugar is still low and you suffering from same symptoms, repeat the treatment. After you feel better, be sure to eat regular meals and snacks as planned to keep your blood sugar level up.
If hypoglycemia is not timely treated and gets worsen, then IMMEDIATE treatment is needed, such as an injection of glucagons or emergency treatment in a hospital. Glucagon increases blood sugar. It is injected like insulin .you can ask your doctor to prescribe it to you and the manner in which it can be injected. If somehow glucagon is not available, patient should be taken to the nearest emergency room for treatment.
If any one pass out, people should keep in mind that one should not be injected with insulin, he should not be given food or fluids, you should avoid putting your hands in their mouths, call for emergency help and inject glucagons, if well aware of injecting procedure.
The best way to prevent hypoglycemia is to follow a good diabetic control. You should also learn to recognize the symptoms of an insulin reaction so that you can treat low blood sugar before it gets worse.
Importance of meal planning and exercises
Meal planning and regular and moderating exercising patterns do a lot in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels in your body. Always try to combine protein rich foodstuffs with a carbohydrate diet at each meal after every three to four hours to get more controlled release of energy in body system. Fair and regular exercising is best method for maintaining diabetic control. But make sure you do these exercises in consultation with your physician and a qualified trainer.
If you're overweight, losing weight can work wonders for your health in treatment of diabetes. Countless studies have shown that losing extra fat decreases the diabetic risks. In some cases, losing just 10 or 20 pounds are enough in bringing the diabetes under control. Losing weights helps your body to use insulin in a better way.
Keeping a record of blood sugar
Along with maintaining healthy eating habits and following regular exercising schedules, it is very much needed to keep a record of your blood sugar, so that it becomes easy for you to detect the problem, if it occurs. You can check blood sugar levels at home also by placing a drop of blood on a special test strip. A device called a glucose meter calculates sugar in the drop of blood.
Write down each result, along with the time and date. This will help you to learn how well your treatment plan is working, along with the exercises and food that affects you.
Sometimes doctors, in addition to meal plans, losing weight, exercising recommends diabetes pills or insulin, and at times both. Your doctor can only advice you on what kind of insulin to take, how much and when.