“Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that results in destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.” Ok, now that the terminology is out of the way, lets take a look at this killer disease.

What are some of the symptoms?

Type 1 diabetes has some of the same symptoms as type 2 diabetes. That is why it is sometimes confused with type 2. They are:

* Increased thirst

* Frequent urination

* Increase hunger

* Blurred vision

* Tiredness/fatigue

* Weight loss

So what is the difference between type 1 and type 2? With type 1 diabetes mellitus, little or no insulin is produced by the pancreas ( hormone needed for converting sugar to energy.) The only way to replace it is by insulin injections.

With Type 2 diabetes, the body either resists insulin or does not produce enough to convert sugar to energy.

How do you test for type 1 diabetes?

Doctors test for type 1 diabetes using the C-peptide assay ( this measures your bodys’ production of insulin. )

How do you treat type 1 diabetes mellitus?

Treatment includes not only insulin injections and monitoring your blood sugar, but eating right and regular exercise. Pancreas transplant is the only known potential cure for those with type 1 diabetes.

How can I manage my diabetes?

* Schedule a physical yearly

* Keep an eye on your feet for sores/infections

* Schedule regular eye exams

* Keep your blood pressure down

* Keep your teeth healthy. Brush at least twice a day

* Keep your immunizations up-to-date ( such as flu shot )

* Keep your cholesterol low

Type 1 diabetes mellitus most often starts in early childhood ( otherwise known as “Juvenile diabetes.” ) But actually it can develop at any age, even in adulthood.

Most people are aware of the negative consequences of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. However, there is a new type of eating disorder on the rise, termed “diabulimia.” This disorder affects Type 1 diabetic patients who require insulin in order to balance their blood glucose levels.

What is diabulimia?

Diabulimia refers to the act of a diabetic person purposefully overlooking or neglecting to take required insulin in order to lose weight. In an attempt to decrease weight, a diabulimic may take less than the required amount of insulin, or completely omit insulin doses altogether.

Although diabulimia is technically not an eating disorder according to the definition of an eating disorder, it is often likened to one, as the consequences and desired effects are similar.

How prominent is Diabulimia?

As with other eating disorders, the majority of victims are females. According to one report, an estimated one third of diabetic women, including nearly half a million women in the United States are affected by this psychological disorder. However, this number may be much larger due to unreported or undiagnosed cases.

About Diabulimia

Type 1 diabetes is described as a physiological condition in which little or no insulin is produced. In order to correct this problem, patients must take oral or intravenous insulin doses.

Insulin is required by the body in order to correctly process glucose levels. Insulin allows glucose to leave the bloodstream and enter the body’s cells, providing fuel and energy for the body. Without insulin, glucose is not properly processed by the body, and can cause severe damage and even death.

The desired effect of skipping or reducing insulin injections is to lose body weight by a number of means. Without insulin, the body cannot break down glucose sugars, which can result in little or no calorie absorption. While this can produce weight loss, the negative consequences far exceed any cosmetic or aesthetic benefits.

Risks of Diabulimia

For a person dependent upon administered insulin shots, missing these doses can be extremely deleterious and dangerous. Some of the most common risks involve heart disease, organ failure, nerve damage, and appendage or limb amputation. The more severe affects of neglecting insulin shots can result in coma and death.

Signs of Diabulimia

There are a number of ways to tell if someone you know is suffering from diabulimia. Sudden lack signs of insulin injections or finger-prick marks are one sign that a diabetes patient has stopped taking insulin. Unfilled prescriptions, sudden dramatic weight loss, loss of energy, and spikes in their Hemoglobin A1c levels may be tell-tale signs that they have either stopped or dangerously reduced insulin intake.

If you, or someone you know is suffering from this disease, take immediate action and contact a professional for help.

The beginning of diabetes and learning how it works is going to be hard for those that first got the word that they have diabetes. When you have diabetes, you will be thinking of what are some treatments for diabetes that can help me? Well for those that have this problem, you can find many medical procedures that can hold off the problem and help you threw it.

The different diabetes can have different ways to affecting the body, when it’s a problem with diabetes you will either need insulin or have too much sugar in the blood. The insulin in your blood is what sugar turns into and what your body needs. Your body lacks the process to turn sugar into insulin or the other way around when there is too much insulin.

The insulin in your blood is what gives your body the energy for the everyday activities. When you get the treatments for diabetes, you will be getting a shot or a strict diet to avoid too much sugar. The shots are for the people that need more sugar in the body. This is a treatment to get your body to function properly.

The doctors have many experimental drugs that can help your body start doing what it’s supposed to do with insulin. Asking the doctor can help you get these treatments started for you.

The treatments for Diabetes might be hard to get use to, but taking a shot will be easy if you do it every day. To find the best treatment and diet for your diabetes, you will need to ask your doctor for advice. What are some treatments for diabetes can be one question to ask your doctor. The doctor will give you advice to what treatments is best for you and your type of diabetes. Diabetes is very hard to get used to and when you do not have insulin, you have the chances of death.

Diabetes is a group of diseases caused by a relative or absolute deficiency of insulin in the body. Insulin is the hormone responsible for the proper uptake and utilization of glucose by the different body cells, the body cells need glucose to produce energy for them to use. The deficiency of this hormone thus causes accumulation of glucose in the blood leading to the development of the disease.

1. Diabetes mellitus is world wide epidemic with about 177 million people living with diabetes mellitus worldwide. This is expected to rise to 300 million by the year 2025.

80% of diabetes mellitus cases live in the developing countries while the remaining 20% live in developed countries.

There are however about 40% of undiagnosed cases. The projected rate of increase in developed countries by 2025 is 42% and 170% in developing countries {WHO1999}

2. Diabetes has no cure, it can only be controlled to keep the blood levels within the normal range and as long as this is maintained there will be less occurrence of complications.

3. It affects people of different sexes, different race, and different background.

4. It can be prevented.

5. It can cause serious hardship and suffering especially if not properly controlled.

6. There are different classes of diabetes;

a.type 1 diabetes mellitus

b.type 2 diabetes mellitus

c.gestational diabetes mellitus

d.impaired glucose tolerance {pre- diabetes}

e.secondary diabetes

7. It is the leading cause of blindness in adults.

8. It is the second most common cause of limb amputation after trauma.

9. It is the fourth most common cause of death in developed countries.

10. The occurrence of stroke and heart attack is four times more common amongst diabetics than in the normal population.

11. Diabetic management includes:

a- health education for diabetics to achieve healthy lifestyles.

b- nutritional consultations to achieve the adoption of healthy diet by the diabetic

c- close medical care and follow up by your physician

d- maintenance of blood sugar levels within normal range, fasting blood sugar <7.00mmol/l, glycosylated haemoglobin HbA1C levels below 6.9%

e- maintenance of blood pressure below 135/85mmhg

f- maintenance of normal serum lipid profile {the fat level in the body}

12. Diabetes can lead to serious acute and chronic side effects if not properly controlled, the disease can affect all the different organs of the body leading to various organ damage, for example the eyes, the brain, the kidneys, the feet, the penis in male diabetics, and the heart can be affected, leading to blindness, erection problems, kidney failure, chronic feet ulcer leading to amputation, and heart attack.

To be able to cope with diabetes you need to be well informed about the disease,effective control will be achieved through more of the victim’s interventions and not the input from the doctor.

Foods to avoid for diabetes specially refer to those which act as an antidote to increase the level of blood sugar. It actually means a diabetic patient should limit his diet and stick to certain food items. Further, it would even help an individual in regulating this silent disease in an effective manner. As a matter of fact, a diabetic can maintain strict diet in such a condition and that would include:

* Foods containing low sugar, fat and salt

* Regularly take vegetables and fruits

* Last but not the least, a high fibre diet

List of Foods to Avoid for Diabetes:

There are several foodstuffs which can spoil your diabetes medications. In order to get an in-depth knowledge about those food items you can check out the following points:

* Cheese and sugar: Food items which are rich in sugar components must be avoided such as, jam, canned juice, cookies, pastries, syrup, chocolates, cake and any type of jellies. Further one must even try to avoid the cheese items, butter and margarine.

* Check out the contents of the packed foods before consuming: MSG and soy sauce comes with a huge amount of sodium. A diabetic patient should limit the intake of sodium.

* Fried foodstuffs and salad dressings: Salad dressings like mayonnaise, mustard and avocado are rich in sodium and as such they must be avoided. Boiled food items are much better than the fried foods.

* Refined flours: The most important food that must be avoided during diabetes has to be the refined flours. Try to avoid processed foods, white bread, pretzels, pasta, puffs and pizza.

* Food items that can increase the cholesterol level: One should cut off the food items such as poultry, egg yolks, high fat meat and dairy products etc., from his or her diet plan as they have the potential to increase the blood sugar level.

* Oil and Starchy Vegetables: Limit the intake of hydrogenated oils. Instead you can prefer the olive oil or canola oil.

Furthermore, other foods to avid for diabetes would include nuts which are very rich in unsaturated fats like walnuts, almonds and pecans. Moreover, avoid the junk foods items and dried fruits to stay healthy and to avoid complications in the long run.