The foods we eat are changed into glucose. That’s what travels through the blood stream to feed our cells. Insulin is a hormone that properly regulates glucose for our bodies to use for energy. When our bodies do not make insulin or we make it, but it is not used properly, we become diabetic.

Type 2 diabetes is most common in people over 40 that are overweight, mainly inactive, and maybe have a family history of diabetes.

We do know that careful control of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol can do much to control diabetes and may even delay or prevent the risk factors of this disease.

Many people with type 2 diabetes don’t even know they have it. For some the only symptom of the disease is feeling a little run down. Some of the more common symptoms are feeling thirsty, frequent urinating, skin infections, healing slowly from cuts, and blurred vision.

You will want to see your doctor if you have any of the symptoms of diabetes. Your doctor will check your blood glucose level either with a fasting blood test or an oral glucose tolerance test.

A good meal plan is essential for your control of diabetes. Never skip meals and try to spread your calorie intake over 3 meals and 2 snacks. This will help prevent blood sugar spikes that come from eating too much at one time.

A physical activity program is just as important as what you eat. Twenty minutes of physical activity such as a walk after each meal is an excellent way to control sugar spikes.

It is a good idea to get a test kit to monitor your glucose level after meals. You will be surprised at how much different foods effect your sugar level.

William Duffy wrote a book a few years ago called Sugar Blues. In the book, he writes about the addictive qualities of white sugar by saying, “It is much like a drug and the difference between sugar addiction and narcotic addiction is largely one of degree.” How is sugar classified as an addictive substance? The fact that you can eat one piece or one bite of something containing sugar, which creates the desire for more and more, qualifies the substance as being addictive. If you give a young child a bite of something containing sugar for the first time, they will cry or scream until you give them more. The other qualification for being addictive is when someone decides to stop eating sugar-containing foods ‘cold turkey’, all kinds of symptoms start appearing like headaches, fuzzy thinking, vacant mind, depression, fatigue, blurred vision and strong cravings, to name a few. These unpleasant withdrawal symptoms try to instigate the person to re-engage the sugar addiction.

Sugar has a long history going back as far as 327BC where records show that raw sugar was used in India. The Spaniards brought sugar to the Americas in the 16th century. About 600 years ago, a refining process was invented. Simple refined sugar is extracted from crushed, ground sugar cane, where it is filtered, then concentrated by boiling it down into a syrup. Over the years substances such as sulfur dioxide, milk of lime, carbon dioxide, charcoal from charred beef bones and calcium carbonate have been used in the refining process as purifying agents. Mmmm, good. Brown sugar is just white sugar with varying degrees of molasses added back. Golden yellow sugar has a little bit of caramel color added. Raw sugar is processed so that a little bit of the molasses remains.

Sugar is classed in the food group called carbohydrates, if you can call this addictive ‘white death’ a food. There are several types of sweet substances, notably, sucrose from sugar cane, fructose from fruit, lactose from milk, and maltose from grain. Combined with other ingredients, sugar, as a carbohydrate is enjoyable to eat and provides the body with instant fuel, unlike proteins and fats which require more complex digestion. Scientific studies on various age groups show that newborns have an instinctive desire for more sweet after tasting it, while children and adults have an acquired taste for it. Once we taste something sweet, we want the pleasure of having more of it.

Scientific studies show that excessive sugar consumption contributes to many health problems that are becoming more and more common, including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, indigestion, hypoglycemia, obesity, gout, fuzzy thinking, myopia, lack of concentration and focus, depression, anxiety, seborrhea and weak bones and teeth. This is because sugar in all its forms causes the body terrain to become extremely acidic. The body functions best at a neutral to alkaline pH, with different parts of the body having different degrees of alkalinity, with the exception of the stomach which is acidic. You can actually buy pH strips from a health food store to test how acid or alkaline your saliva or urine pH is. Your saliva should be approximately 7.4 and your urine should be 6.9 pH. The pH chart is right on the package. You should spit into a clean spoon first thing in the morning before you put anything into your mouth, one hour before a meal, and two hours after you eat. Please do not put the pH paper onto your tongue. The chemicals are toxic and should not be put onto your tongue. They could accumulate over time.

Your urine will test acidic first thing in the morning as it is getting rid of acids flushed throughout the night. You should do your first urine test about two to three hours after you get up but one hour before you eat a meal, not necessarily your first meal.

Sugar is an empty addictive food. It has no minerals, no vitamins, no protein, amino acids, fat or fiber. All it has is calories and that seductive, addictive flavor that makes you want more.

W.D. Ringsdorf, DMD, MS, co-authored a book called Psychodietetics, in which he talks about the dangerous side effects of sugar. Aside from being very addictive, acidic and a major contributor to weight gain, he says that sugar raises the blood pressure. When sugar is combined with animal fats, like in donuts, it leads to clogged arteries and the risk of blood clots. Ringsdorf also says that sugar increases the stickiness of the blood, making it seem thicker and more prone to cause problems with clotting.

Part of your body’s defense system is in the blood. Cells called phagocytes are a type of white blood cell that destroys foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses in the body. Tests show that a couple of teaspoons of sugar, like in a cup of coffee can reduce the ability of these defensive cells to do their job by up to 25 percent. A large helping of pie and ice cream will shut down the phagocytes’ ability to do their job entirely. The pie and ice cream will render your immune system helpless for 4 to 5 hours. Don’t get into a crowded elevator or on a crowded bus during flu season.

Ringsdorf also gives the example of drinking a 683 ml cola beverage which will depress your immune system by 50 percent approximately 30 minutes after you drink it and the effects will last 4 to 5 hours. Imagine all the food items that you eat during the day that contain sugar - the coffee, the tea, the donut or the muffin, the yogurt, salad dressing, orange juice, the energy bar and the chocolate chip cookie. Your immune system will not even be able to kill all the rogue cells that your body produces that have the potential to create lumpy things in your body. You need to stop eating sugar. If you get colds and flu you definitely need to stop eating sugar.

Not only is sugar addictive, it is destroying your health. We were designed to eat food as close to natural as possible. That doesn’t include processed food, of which sugar is one.

Lots of Americans today have diabetes. If you begin to experience symptoms of diabetes, it is vital that you get your diet under control. Nutritionists have now released free daily meal plans to help control and eliminate diabetes.

Fact: The diabetic diet plan is the foundation for all other diets.

Fact: The only way to truly treat diabetes is through dieting.

Fact: The diabetic plan can be followed by anyone, because losing 20-30 pounds is made easy by controlling your glucose levels and controlling you blood sugar.

Fact: You can easily prevent type II diabetes from ever occurring with a diabetic diet plan.

If you stick to your diet plan, you don’t have to take medications for your diabetes. Type II diabetes is caused by poor diet in the first place. Only a diet can cure you of diabetes, not medications.

Lots of places are now giving out free diabetic diet plans that, if you stick to them, can help cure you of your diabets and help you to lose weight. You can get these meal plans for free so that you can see how effectively they work.

If you are serious about losing weight and curing your diabetes, it is crucial that you stick exactly to the diet. You don’t want to end up losing a limb because you couldn’t manage your diabetes.

Every consumer should take advantage of free diabetic diets that are being offered, because a professionally planned diabetic diet can help anyone lose 50-100 lbs in a 4 months.

The most common diabetic sock you will encounter is the diabetic crew sock. A crew sock covers the ankle and rises to lower calf. The foot portion is clearly defined with a well defined heel.

The diabetic crew sock is designed with some special construction features. The top part has extra elasticity to allow it to be less restrictive and not “cut” into the flesh. This is more desirable for those with neuropathy or those who can not be comfortable in a tight fitting sock and for those with circulation problems who do not want blood-flow restricted. It is much less likely to cause irritation or abrasions from rubbing on the skin. This is especially important because diabetics are more prone to infection and heal much slower. It is also a great comfort feature for those who experience swelling of the feet and ankles.

The bottom part of the sock is constructed with more padding in the bottom and with very smooth seams. The reason for the smooth seam is to prevent abrasion from the seam against the skin.

Most of the diabetic socks are also designed to “breathe” with a loose knit and are made to keep the foot dry.

These socks have become very popular over the last few years with people who do not have diabetes or circulation problems because of their comfort. Many people with large ankles and calves, police officers, store clerks and others who spend a lot of time on their feet are enjoying the comfort of them.

If you or someone in your family has just found out that you have diabetes there are a lot of known treatments for diabetes and now there are some new discoveries. A Japanese study shows that taking a garlic tablet daily could actually help reduce blood sugar levels (active ingredient vanadium).

New study shows that black tea might fight diabetes. China states that the polysaccharide levels of green tea, oolong and black tea could be used to treat diabetes thinking that it could help stop the absorption of glucose. Study also indicated that the black tea had the highest fighting power against the free radicals that cause cancer and rheumatoid arthritis as well.

Vitamins such as chromium and magnesium can help fight diabetes by improving glucose control.

There are some foods which are indicated to help people with type 2 diabetes: brewer’s yeast, buckwheat, broccoli, okra, peas, fenugreek seeds and sage. These are beneficial in controlling blood glucose levels.

These alternative treatments can help but they should not be used to replace the medications, exercise and diabetic meal plan which are the known effective treatments for diabetes type 2.

If you find an alternative treatment that you would like to try then please discuss with your physician.

Diabetic meal plan will consist of carbohydrate counting since this is the food group that is your energy source but also one that increases your blood sugar. Add those vegetables into your diet such as broccoli, peas and okra.

Consider consulting a professional for your diabetic meal plan, then you are free to pursue other treatments and spend time on your daily exercise. Exercise will lower your blood pressure, reduce your weight and strengthen your heart.

There is no controversy that a diabetic should stay away from eating cholesterol and fat rich foods. These foods should be non greasy, easy to digest and light but must full of dietary fiber.

Most diabetics are in search of list of foods for diabetics. Normally fruits fit well in this category. Here you will find a list of healthy fruits that will help the diabetics to keep their blood sugar level in range. Fruits are naturally low in fats and high in vitamins and nutrients. They give a positive effect on the blood glucose levels. However diabetics must avoid using fruit concentrates and fruit juices; as one glass of juice contains the concentrated sugar of 4 whole fruits and the dietary fiber of not even one.

A diabetic must

–Prefer whole fruits over fruit juices.

–Prefer fruits without additional syrups.

–Eat plenty of citrus fruits like sweet lime, oranges, olives and grapefruit.

Diabetics can have any fruit but it is good to avoid mango, chikoo and grapes. These three fruits are specifically beneficial for the diabetics

1) Apple: ?The most popular and beneficial fruit for diabetics is apple. Apples have a high level of pectin; which is beneficial to the diabetics. Pectin is largely found in pulp and rind. It acts as a detoxifier for the body by supplying galacturonic acid. This content aids to remove wastes from the blood stream thus lowering the insulin requirement up to 35%. Apples are also rich in vitamin B1; thus helps in preventing the damage done to cells of the brain because of diabetes.

2) Grapefruit It is a citrus fruit with a refreshing flavor. It contains medicinal properties that aid to fight against diabetes. It brings the blood glucose level down within three days of consumption. It is recommended that a diabetic patient with uncontrolled blood sugar levels must contain around three servings of fruits and vegetables. A diet only of grapefruit is not recommended.

3) Jambul:? Jambul is also termed rose apple or jamun. The constituents of jambul have a positive effect on the pancreas. It prevents the formation of bad sugar from starch. The seeds of jambul can be dried, powdered and consumed with water. It not only controls diabetes but also prevents excessive urination and relieves thirst. The bark of jambul tree is also used for the treatment of diabetes.

Treatment with actovegin improves the symptoms and quality of life of Type 2 diabetics with symptomatic polyneuropathy, report German researchers.

“Diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy affects approximately one-third of patients with diabetes and is responsible for substantial morbidity, being associated with excruciating neuropathic pain and foot ulcers leading to amputation,” explain Dan Ziegler (German Diabetes Center at the Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf) and team.

Actovegin is a deproteinized hemoderivative produced from calf blood. It stimulates oxygen absorption and utilization and cellular energy metabolism, as well as having insulin-like activity, and for these reasons has been used to treat cerebral vascular and degenerative disorders.

Ziegler and co-investigators carried out a randomized, double-blind trial in 567 patients with Type 2 diabetes and symptomatic polyneuropathy from multiple centers. Of these, 281 were assigned to receive actovegin and 286 to receive placebo.

Participants were initially given 20 intravenous infusions of 2000 mg/day actovegin or placebo, after which they took three tablets of actovegin 1800 mg/day or placebo three times a day for a period of 140 days.

Total symptom score (TSS) for the lower limbs and vibration perception threshold (VPT) were used by the researchers to measure change in symptoms over the study period, calculated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

Neuropathy impairment score of the lower limbs (NIS-LL), and quality of life (short form [SF]-36) were also measured.

The team reports that, compared with placebo, TSS improved by ??”0.86 points and VPT decreased by 5% from baseline to study completion, both of which were statistically significant differences.

In addition, NIS-LL significantly improved by ??”0.25 (AUC score) compared with placebo at 160 days, and quality of life measured by SF-36 also significantly improved.

Adverse events were minimal and did not differ significantly between groups.

“Sequential intravenous and oral actovegin treatment over 160 days improved neuropathic symptoms, VPT, sensory function, and quality of life in Type 2 diabetic patients with symptomatic polyneuropathy,” conclude Ziegler et al in the journal Diabetes Care.

“The mechanisms by which actovegin exerts these favorable effects on nerve function remain to be established.”

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a part of Springer Science+Business Media. © Current Medicine Group Ltd; 2009

Free abstract

Free fatty acids (FFAs) are associated with pulse pressure, a marker of arterial stiffness, in women, but not men, with Type 1 diabetes, and correlate with levels of abdominal obesity, researchers report.

FFAs are associated with insulin resistance, obesity and cardiovascular disease in the general population and are known to be elevated in people with Type 1 diabetes.

Trevor Orchard (University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) and co-workers investigated whether the elevated levels of FFAs observed in patients with Type 1 diabetes may help explain the increased risk for coronary artery disease in this population.

The study population was a subset of 150 patients from the Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) Study, which is examining long-term complications in individuals with childhood-onset Type 1 diabetes, who had fasting blood samples available at the 16-year follow-up for analysis of FFAs.

Coronary artery calcification, visceral abdominal adiposity, and subcutaneous abdominal adiposity were determined by electron beam tomography.

The results, published in the journal Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, show that FFAs were associated with pulse pressure in women with Type 1 diabetes, but not in men. However, there was no association of FFAs with coronary artery calcification in either gender.

“We also observed that the relationship of FFAs with pulse pressure varied by level of subcutaneous and visceral abdominal obesity,” write the authors.

In women, both subcutaneous and visceral abdominal adiposity influenced the association between FFAs and pulse pressure. In men, by contrast, visceral fat had no effect on FFAs and there was only a marginal interaction with subcutaneous abdominal fat, which disappeared in multivariable linear regression analysis.

Although FFAs were not associated with coronary artery calcification in either gender, they were associated with pulse pressure in women and their effect appeared to vary by abdominal obesity, particularly subcutaneous abdominal obesity.

“This finding might help explain the loss of the sex difference in cardiovascular disease in Type 1 diabetes,” conclude the authors.

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a part of Springer Science+Business Media. © Current Medicine Group Ltd; 2009

Free abstract

Diabetes treatment regimen includes various things such as diet, exercise, medication, lifestyle changes, monitoring blood sugar and the like. There is more for you to explore. The best way to treat diabetes is to control your blood sugar which helps you avoid any long-term complications.

The treatment for diabetes is a step-by-step process. The first step involves healthy diet and exercise. In the second place some alternative medicines can also be tried. If they are able to do no good, go for your doctor’s prescriptions and recommendations. If all these fail to provide any kind of relief, transplantation of pancreas or islet cell is the last avenue left. Treatment like transplantation works well for those people whose kidneys fail to respond to any other treatments. Let’s explore these steps of treatments in detail.

Diet for diabetes

If you have diabetes, it is not necessary that you will have to eat only bland and boring foods. Instead, you will have to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Foods that are high in nutrition and low in fats and calories should be the diet for the diabetics. Diabetes diet should include fewer animal products and sweets.

To know what and how much to eat is a very uphill task. A dietitian can bail you out of this problem. He/she will help you chalk out a plan that fits your health goals, food preferences and lifestyle. Once your meal plan is home and hosed, adhere to it very consistently. Consistency is of essence. By eating the same amount of food with the same proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats at the same time every day, blood sugar level can be controlled. Sticking to your diet can be very challenging but you are required to stay motivated.

Exercise

Exercise is essential for everyone and people with diabetes are no exception. It has been found that exercises that are good for heart and lungs also help lower blood sugar levels. But, before beginning any exercise, do consult your doctor. Once you are ready to take exercise, decide which activities you enjoy and are likely to stick with, such as walking, hiking, jogging, biking, tennis, cross-country skiing, swimming and the like.

At least a 30 minutes aerobic workout should be your target. To get the best results, combine your aerobic activity with strength-training and stretching exercises.

Medications

Medication is an integral part of diabetes treatment. Despite maintaining diet, exercise and healthy weight, you may need the help of medications. Everyone with Type 1 diabetes and some people with type 2 diabetes are required to take insulin every day. Insulin can not be taken in a pill form. That’s why, many people, by using a syringe or an insulin pen injector, inject themselves with insulin. Insulin pump can also be used which provides a continuous supply of insulin and eliminates the need for daily shots.

An insulin pump is a pumping device. It is worn outside your body. A small tube connects the reservoir of insulin to a catheter. Catheter is inserted under the skin of the abdomen. The pump gives out the set amount of insulin into your body and can be adjusted to infuse more or less insulin as per the requirement.

Synthetic human insulin is a widely used form of insulin, which is chemically identical to human insulin and manufactured in a laboratory. But, synthetic human insulin isn’t the last word in the diabetes treatment. Actually it doesn’t mimic the way natural insulin is secreted and this is its big shortcoming. But, there are some newer types of insulin, such as insulin analogs which resemble the way natural insulin acts in the body. Some of these are lispro (Humalog), insulin aspart (NovoLog) and glargine (Lantus).

Sometimes, some drugs are combined to have better results. With the help of drug combinations, you may be able to control your blood sugar in a better way. Any class of oral medications can be combined with drugs from any other class. Most doctors prescribe a combination of two drugs. However, the number of drugs may increase to 3, as per the need.

Transplantation

Transplantation is another way to treat diabetes. Researchers have been increasingly paying attention on transplantation for type 1 diabetics in the recent past. Transplantation is done in two ways:

1) Islet cell transplantation

2) Pancreas transplantation

Does the very thought of a diet for diabetic make you squirm in your seat Are you scared of all those much hyped diabetic diets that exclude all your favorite food items from your life forever Well, your days of agony are over.

Contrary to popular belief, a diet for diabetic patient isn’t one that will make you starve. A diet for diabetic patients includes many kinds of tasty and yummy as well as nutritious items that will fill your tummy and satisfy your taste buds as well. In this article, I will try to outline a proper diet for diabetic patient that will bust your diabetes in less than 4 weeks.

Diet for diabetic - proteins

Just because you are a diabetic patient, doesn’t mean you have to stop eating protein. Diabetic patients require more protein and nutrition than normal people.

So you should consume plant proteins like beans, lentils, millet, soy beans, brazil nuts, pea nuts, pine nuts etc and animal protein like deskinned free range chicken and turkey, non intensively reared lean meats like lamb, beef, pork, veal, eggs and free range chicken.

Diet for diabetic

Among fats, you may try out double toned skimmed milk, butter and cheese, cream, yoghurt and ice cream (all fat free), beef and lamb and pork, goose, duck, turkey, battery farmed eggs and chicken and coconut oil very sparingly.

Even sirloin and pork loin are allowed.

However you cannot eat any kind of flour or white flour products. Instead, you have to practice eating whole grain food products and whole wheat products. Don’t worry, if you have a sweet tooth. Non fat yoghurt and non fat cheese are very much allowed.

Though cakes, pastries and chocolates are still a big no no, you can occasionally indulge in diabetic sweet meats and diabetic desserts.

There are various kinds of calorie free diet drinks, herbal green tea or chamomile tea as well as water that you have to drink throughout the day. And you must bid adieu to sweetened fruit juices, aerated drinks and energy drinks fortified with sugar.

When you consume a variety of fresh green leafy as well as colored veggies along with a multitude of fruits, you can effectively keep diabetes under control.

Beet root, carrots, guavas, Indian gooseberry or amla are particularly beneficial in keeping diabetes in check. You must also make it a point to include all other varieties of citrus fruits in your diet for diabetic.