Showing posts with label pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Type 2 diabetes mellitus definition.

Years ago, when someone received a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes, they only had one choice … go on medication and consult with a dietitian for an hour or two. Luckily, things have changed. With thousands of research studies on the topic of diabetes, the world is different now. We know a thousand times more about diabetes than we knew 20 years ago!

We know that there is a gene that is associated with diabetes. We know how to create diabetes in the laboratory animals, how to measure blood sugar control over a three-month period, and what the ideal fasting blood sugar level is. We have better ways to deliver insulin to those via pumps (Type 1 Diabetics) and how to prevent problems in those who still give themselves injections. We know what to look for to identify the complications of diabetes and when to intervene so that these complications don’t become life-threatening.

All these are medical and technological advances but it’s the nutritional advances that are helping diabetics the most. We know that antioxidants quench free radicals that are created during infections, and diabetics are more prone to infections of all types. Scientists told us that cataracts were a result of the excess blood sugar that needed someplace to go. Researchers reported on the Glycemic Index for carbohydrate foods in the 1980s and diabetics learned that all carbohydrates are not equal. We learned that foods containing the most fiber were the ones that delayed the blood sugar rise after a meal. We discovered that certain foods and herbs contained medicinal constituents that had the potential to lower blood sugar levels and that if we consistently ate them, our blood sugar levels could be drastically lower.

What many people have discovered now is that the more that Type 2 Diabetics focus on their diet, the more quickly they can regain control over their blood sugar levels. The result of this is less chance of developing complications such as peripheral neuropathy, dementia, cataracts, infections, high cholesterol, kidney damage and high blood pressure.

Whenever you are starting any type of protocol for beating Type 2 Diabetes, it is really important to start with diet. Reduce the carbohydrate foods that are high on the Glycemic Index (GI) scale. Replace the hydrogenated fat foods with ones rich in healthy fats such as avocados. Stop eating sugar and processed foods and only let foods touch your lips that are wholesome. Take your supplements to insure that you have healthy levels of all nutrients that your body needs. Don’t give your body a reason to have diabetes.

The Behavioral Changes .

We all know that people who are suffering from diabetes are forced to face the everyday challenges in their lives that seem to be unimaginable. These challenges include multiple insulin shots, checking and recording one's glucose level once in a while, and of course, being cautious about the foods that you eat and when you think of them, these are already enough to make you feel like you could not lead a normal life just like before.

Though for some, they may view it as a burden but there are also persons who have managed to cope with their day-to-day struggles. That is why they say, these are not just the changes that you have to deal with when you have type 1 diabetes. There are also those behavioral changes type 1 diabetes patients are undergoing because of their illness.
One of the many behavioral changes that type 1 diabetes patients are having is that they feel depressed and anxious brought about by numerous reasons. One of which is because of the demands of the regimen that they would have to adhere to in order for them to cope with the illness. Not only that, behavioral changes of people with type 1 diabetes are also brought about by the unpleasantness of the regimen and being forever prisoner of it that leads to feeling of hopelessness and feelings of isolation. Though unfortunate as it may seem, but these behavioral changes of people with type 1 diabetes are having clearly affects their ability to improve their situation and thus, only affects their health more in a negative way.

Studies have shown that people who had a very positive and healthy outlook on all the regimens and extensive cares that they would have to do for themselves clearly affect their glucose levels and overall health. They have shown more improvement as compared to those people who took it negatively thus; their behavioral changes were affected because of their type 1 diabetes.

What To Do

To help avoid these negative behavioral changes of people with type 1 diabetes and to also help them cope with their everyday struggle to be healthier, health organizations and institutions have conducted lots of methods to improve their outlook. One of the things that they are advocating is to propagate knowledge on what patients could do for themselves, help them have the skills to perform self-care activities, and of course, patients should have more social support.

These may seem little ways, but clearly, these would greatly affect and create a positive impact on those people dealing with type 1 diabetes. If you think you could help in some way, contact http://www.diabetes.org and become a volunteer and surely, you would make a difference.

The symptoms and signs of high blood sugar .

The symptoms and signs of high blood sugar are classified into two types - Common signs and Warning signs of diabetes. The chronic disorder of the body is classified as type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. Though the warning signs of high blood sugar are the same in all types of diabetes they differ with diabetics. Perhaps you might have come across such warning signs of increased blood glucose in your body. Yet, a deliberate clarification of signs of high blood sugar is presented in this juncture.

When a diabetic suffers with increased blood glucose there is greater chance for obesity health risks and other secondary risk factors such as heart problems, nerve damage, kidney damage, and stroke. The acquaintance of presence of diabetes symptoms can compel you to go for a screening test of diabetic sugar in your body.

Screening Tests for diabetes
If you go for test for diabetes with low or high blood sugar signs you can be safe against enhanced risk factors or bodily complications. If not diagnosed and treated properly to bring down the levels of blood sugar you cannot maintain your health. Here are three warning signs of high blood sugar which are to be seriously viewed.

Numbness and tingling sensation

Numbness and tingling sensation in hands and feet is a significant warning sign of high level of glucose in the bloodstream. It is true that the tingling sensation in hands or feet is a sure symptom of high blood sugar. This numbness is sometimes felt in the teeth gum also. Some diabetics may feel tingling sensation in the eye lids too. All these are indications of increased sugars finding their way everywhere.

Skin wounds not healing
Another symptom of blood glucose is the slow healing of wounds and infections. As the sugar increases in the blood vessels, the density of the blood increases. The thick blood cannot pass through the fine capillaries to heal the wounds. Cuts and wounds at the feet of the diabetic take longer time to healing, sometimes leading to amputation and gangrene in severe cases.

Thirst for water
The third symptom of high blood sugar is unquenchable thirst. It is a notable symptom because the thirst felt by a diabetic is quite extraordinary. It is not like taking one or two glasses of water on a hot day. Instead, the diabetic is seen very now and then opening the water jug and emptying with a devilish thirst.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

DM.

We all need a certain amount of sugar in our bodies for energy. We get this sugar from the food that we eat. This sugar is also called "glucose." The glucose in our blood, "blood glucose" (or blood sugar) must pass into our cells before it can work to produce energy. Glucose is carried into our cells by a chemical called "insulin." We need insulin to carry the glucose from our blood into our cells in order for our bodies to produce energy.

When our bodies do not produce enough insulin to carry the blood sugar into our cells, we don't have enough energy. Because the sugar is not going into our cells it gets higher and higher in our blood. This increase in blood glucose may mean that you have diabetes. Sometimes people have called this "sugar diabetes." The actual term is Diabetes Mellitus and is abbreviated DM.