Sunday, April 10, 2011

DIABETES



Special areas in the pancreas gland, the islets of Langerhans, produce a hormone called insulin. This hormone is a protein of small size. Insulin stimulates muscle cells and other body cells to take up glucose from the blood and convert the glucose to glycogen, a kind of starch, and then store the glycogen. By need the body cells convert the glycogen to glucose and use it as fuel. In this way insulin keeps the glucose level in the blood at a normal size.
By diabetes type I the cells producing insulin are destroyed. Then less glucose is taken up from the blood into the body cells and utilized there, and glucose accumulates in the blood.
THE CAUSES AND MECHANISMS OF DIABETES TYPE I
The cause of the disease is not well known. An auto-immune response attacking the insulin producing cells in the langerhansian islets may be a cause. Virus infection may be another cause. The disease also is to some extend inherited.
When the glucose uptake into the body cells is reduced, but glucose instead accumulates in the blood, the following physiological effects occur:
-The body cells do not get enough fuel for the work they shall do.
-The molecular thickness (osmality) of the blood increases. This causes water to be pulled out from the body tissues and into the blood. The tissues thus get dried out and the urine production increases.
-The tissues begin to break down protein and fat to get energy, causing weight loss and muscular reduction.
The symptoms of diabetes type 1 are a consequence of these mechanisms.
SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES TYPE 1
The disease often starts suddenly. Often children or young people are attacked by the disease. The lack of insulin causes an increased amount of blood sugar. Early symptoms of the disease are:
-Increased urine production
-Dehydration (lack of water in the body)
-Abnormally high thirst as a consequence of increased urine production
-Dryness in the mouth
-An abnormal high appetite
-Feeling extremely tired and weak
Weight loss, even when one eats well
-Impaired vision
If the blood sugar level is not stabilized to a normal value, there will be an accumulation of chemicals in the body called ketones, and this condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis. This serious condition can lead to coma and death. The signs of ketoacidosis are:
-Vomiting,
-Pain in the stomach
-Rapid breathing,
-High pulse rate
-Somnolence (abnormal tendency to sleep)
In the long term, diabetes type 1 can severely hurt the blood vessels in vital organs. This can further cause damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys or other body organs.
TREATMENTS OF DIABETES TYPE 1
Diabetes type 1 is treated with insulin injections. Implanting insuline cells in the pancreas is an experimental treatment. Another experimental treatment is to implant stem cells in the pancreas that can develop into new insulin producing cells.
Another important module of the treatment is regulation of the amount of sugar and fat consumed through the diet so that it fits together with the insulin-amount injected. Also regular monitoring of the blood sugar level to regulate the insulin amount is an important part of the treatment.
There are also natural products in the market that can help to normalize the blood sugar level by diabetes type 2. Those products cannot heal the disease or replace insulin injections, but they can help the body to regulate the blood sugar level. These products contain minerals that are working components of enzymes that stimulate the glucose metabolism in the body. They also contain herbs that have been used for a long time in traditional medicine to regulate the glucose level and that have proven their effects in scientific studies.
Diabetes problem - Some things you need to keep in mind
When it comes to dealing with diabetes, you need to understand that diet plays an important role. Most people simply like to eat out and indulging restaurant food occasionally. It is a sin for the diabetics to indulge in restaurant food once in a while. However, we must take special care about certain types of things when it comes to eating food. Here are some things you need to keep in mind.
a) Maintain control of your portion sizes:
Most restaurants tend to use large portions. However, the diabetic diet plan is based on a moderate portion size. In this case, the restaurant offers dishes you have chosen in many dimensions, make sure you choose the smallest portion. You can also get a little creative.
Start order lunch size enter and for dinner or even a baby size meal. You might even consider sharing their meals with a partner or even ask to take home a container.
It would be a wise decision to ask the server to put half the meal you ordered in a take home container before it is served to you. This will help you to have a moderate size meal.
b) Make substitutions:
Never settle for whatever comes in their direction. Try to choose a diabetes friendly salad bowl or a fruit instead of chips. Fat-free or low-fat salad dressing is the best in comparison with the finger or fried chips served with the sandwich or a certain meal.
Try ordering salsa with burrito and not shredded cheese or sour cream. The dressings on the salad should be fat-free mayonnaise or barbecue sauce instead of ketchup or mustard. Several extras ordered with a sandwich or meal such as bacon bits, fried chips or croutons can destroy your nutrition plan. These foods tend to increase calorie and carbohydrate counting.
You can also go for several healthy additions such as salsa, fat free mayonnaise, fat-free salad dressing or barbecue sauce. Try to enjoy up to three small portion of food. That way, you do not need to adjust your meal plan.
c) Have a chat with the chef:
This will help you a lot in most nutritious food that is necessary for a diabetic. Ask the boss if he can provide you with some low-cholesterol egg, chicken skin or whole grain bread.
The pizza you order should have a thin crust and is composed of a lot of vegetables. All you need to do is choose a health plan to stay committed to your diabetes meal plan.
d) Keep tabs on what you drink:
If you are having a big glass of soda, then you will certainly overload your body with about hundreds of calories. Do not opt for shakes and ice cream, since it has a lot of calories and saturated fats.
Order for a diet soda is the right choice. You can even go for sugar free iced tea, mineral water or sparkling water. If your diabetes is under control, an occasional alcoholic drink is perfectly fine

Diabetes is one of the most dreaded diseases afflicting mankind. People whether young or aged, men or women all are at risk. The thing is that when people are afflicted with such a disease they loose hope which further dampens the recovery process. In this article we are going to discuss some remedies which are effective in keeping diabetes under control.

Herbal Remedies
There are a lot of herbal remedies which are recommended for people suffering from diabetes. One of the most effective and widely used remedy is karela or bitter gourd which is an excellent vegetable to keep diabetes under check. It is effective because it help in lowering the blood sugar levels in the body. The practice of using herbs in place of allopathic drugs is that herbs are free from any side effects and drug overdose also has the danger of causing kidney failure.

So are Herbal Remedies the Best Option?
The mistake people often do is when they are told about a certain herbal medicine for treating diabetes they stop taking their doctors prescribed medicines which is quite wrong because herbs take their own course of time to work. One should gradually reduce the intake of allopathic drugs when the effects of herbal medication become evident. But always consult your physician before stopping your drug medication routine.

Lifestyle Changes
When you have diabetes you cannot live like a couch potato anymore. You have to keep your fitness levels at peak. Start exercising regularly and eat fresh fruits and vegetables but all fruits and vegetables are not meant for you like bananas have a very rich sugar content so always check that you do not eat such fruits and vegetables.

Diabetes Is Controllable
Although there is no permanent cure for diabetes but a strong will and a desire to live coupled with right advice at right time can easily make you keep diabetes under control. Be healthy be happy.






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