Diabetes The Sugar Disease

Signs and Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

What is Diabetes?

The definition of Diabetes from the American Diabetes Association “Diabetes mellitus(MEL-ih-tus), or simply, diabetes, is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin.”

It is a lifestyle-related disease that threatens to cause other diseases and manifest complex complications like blindness, stroke, cardiac disease, eye problems even blindness. In some cases it may even lead to coma and death. Diabetes occurs when a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced

ABC of Monitoring Diabetes

In managing the treatment of diabetes, it is crucial to adhere to a proper management and routine monitoring of the medication and control of the ABC of Diabetics.

• A- A1c is the measurement of the average blood glucose level over the past 2-3 months of a diabetic. The American Diabetic’s Association (ADA) A1c goal is 7% or less and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) goal is 6.5% or less.
• B- Blood pressure: Stage one hypertension. Consistent (i.e., two or more consecutive) readings of 140-159/90-99 mmHg. Stage two hypertension. Consistent readings of 160/100 mmHg or higher.
• C- Cholesterol profile The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) recommends that diabetes patients maintain cholesterol levels of: LDL (bad cholesterol) < 100 mg/dl (and <70 mg/dl for those considered “very high risk”*) HDL (good cholesterol) > 40 mg/dl in men and >50 mg/dl in women Triglycerides < 150

What are the Alarming Statistics on Diabetes?

• The American Diabetes Association (ADA) gives an estimated 18.2 million people in the United States (men, women and children) have been diagnosed with diabetes, accounting for almost 6.3% of the total population.
• According to an ADA forecast, an estimated 44 million people are likely to contract the deadly, disease in the next 15 years.
• The American Diabetes Association cite the 2003 assessment of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
• The most common diabetes is Type 2 diabetes which affects 90-95% of the US diabetes population.
• Estimated Diabetes Cost in the United States in 2007 Total : direct and indirect US$174billion Direct medical costs: US$116billion. This works out to be average medical expenditure after adjusting for population age and sex differences, for people diagnosed with diabetes to be 2.3 times more than those non diabetic. Indirect medical costs: US$ 58 billion- disability, work loss, premature immortality

What are the Common Symptoms of Diabetes?

• persistent hunger or thirst
• frequent urination
• impaired or blurred vision
• sudden loss in weight beyond normal limits
• irritability, moodiness, nervousness
• increased levels of fatigue with the slightest exertion
• decreased tolerance to cold
• skin imperfection, pimples and abscess
• numbness of hands, legs, feet

What are the Disastrous Consequences of Advanced Diabetes?

Advanced diabetes which is diabetes neglected by diabetics and without proper management and monitoring has disastrous consequences like:

• amputations
• blindness
• kidney disease , renal (kidney) failure
• blood circulatory problems
• tooth and gum problems, bleeding
• heart disease, strokes
• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• glaucoma

and others…

Many people are already suffering from diabetes and are unaware of it. If medication is not administered early the situation deteriorates and the consequences may be fatal. According to statistics, an estimated 200,000 people in the United States succumb to death annually to diabetes.

Always note any changes or symptoms as highlighted above, seek early treatment to avoid complications later.

What Causes Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes results from the body’s inability to use insulin properly or the cells inability to absorb blood sugar. A normal cell has to use glucose to produce energy, it must allow blood sugar to permeate its wall, and the insulin is responsible for unlocking the cell wall. Sometimes this inefficiency to function properly is due to old age or some genetic factors, as diabetes being in the family’s health history. Another reason for the poor absorption of glucose is the cell’s improper shape or mutation, which blocks glucose from permeating through the cell wall. This cause of diabetes is commonly observed among obese people.

We need to know what causes diabetes, then only can we have control over how to reduce the risk of contraction.

• Virus infection is said to cause diabetes because viruses destroys the proper pancreatic cellular functions impairing its ability to produce insulin. One virus known to cause diabetes is the Coxsackie B virus, which can be contracted through ingesting food contaminated with fecal matter or bodily secretions of an infected person. So you need to fortify your immune system and take the necessary supplements and vitamins.

• Stress, whether emotional, physical, or psychological stress, can also trigger diabetes. Our current hectic lifestyles and work environment in the hectic city life promotes stress. Stress affects the body’s ability to produce hormones in right quantity, and one hormone affected is insulin. Learn to de - stress by doing exercise, jogging or yoga, delegate your work, and go out into the garden more.
• Your lifestyle, is it one that is characterized by sedentary inactive lifestyle in front of the television or late night partying, drinking, not eating and lack of sleep routine. What causes diabetes is also the person’s irresponsible approach to health by eating the wrong foods, smoking, excessive drinking, and no exercise. This is up to you to move into action and remove yourself from the couch and get some fresh air and change your lifestyle.
• Food and nutrition. If you are predisposed to diabetes, due to your age or genetic background, you may trigger the onset of diabetes by eating foods high in sugar and fats, so you should start eating healthy now! Eating balance diet with the right amount of carbohydrates, protein, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber will greatly reduce your risk of developing the disease.

The ADA recommends foods in these 4 groups to ensure that you get all the nutrients for a balanced diet.

• Proteins, which include meats, eggs, fish, poultry, nuts and dried beans
• CarbohydratesBreads, whole grains and cereals
• Minerals and Vitamins
• Healthy Fats, olive oil, lean meat, skinless chicken fish rich in omega3

In addition ADA emphasizes:

• Remove the skin of chicken
• Drink skim or low-fat milk
• Choose low sodium content foods
• Read food labels and be sure to check out carb, sodium and fat amounts

Eliminate refined sugars from your diet such as table sugar, sugar coated cereals, canned soda

What Do We Want To Change In Our Daily Food Habits?

• Steam, grill or broil meat or fish , avoid frying
• Eat fish twice a week
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables especially leafy ones
• Cut back on mayo, butter, sour cream
• Read nutrition labels on foods before you buy them
• Drink water, unsweetened tea, avoid carbonated drinks

What Do We Want To Do To Avoid Getting Diabetes

• Be active, at least 30 minutes workout every day
• Eat vegan diet, vegetables and fruits
• Quit smoking
• Monitor blood glucose levels, blood pressure, cholesterol as often as possible
• Brush and floss teeth everyday, see dentist regularly every 6 months
• Check my feet to see if there are any blisters, redness or ingrown toe nails.
• Diabetes screening every three years
• Maintain healthy body weight and active lifestyle

Conclusion

This article serves as a guide to illustrate the importance of recognizing the symptoms of diabetes. Learn about diabetes to avoid it and monitor your ABC well if you already have diabetes. Self-management education or training is a key step in the management of diabetes. Learn healthy living, eat the right food, be active, and monitor blood glucose to successfully self-manage the disease and its related conditions.

Your lifestyle - how you live, eat, emote, and think - determines your health.

To prevent disease, you may have to change how you live.

Brian Carter

This article contains data, information and knowledge on the signs and symptoms of diabetes obtained from various authoritative sources outlined below. While I have taken steps to ensure the correctness and reliability of the contents of this article, the reader is advised to cross-check the information in this article with other authoritative sources for accuracy when he or she wishes to take action based on the information provided here.

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/index.htm#preventing

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-2/

http://www.diabetessymptomscure.com/

http://tracker.diabetes.org/?&utm_source=WWW&utm_medium=ContentPage&utm_campaign=MFA

http://www.righthealth.com/topic/Diabetes_Symptoms/Causes#ixzz13WAFwSfW

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000313.htm