Diabetes is one of the fastest growing lifestyle diseases that have affected millions of people around the world. This disease affects the overall health of patient and is also responsible for gradually affecting various parts of the body. Diabetics are known to suffer from serious foot problems. Foot problems start when the nerve cells stop working and the feet loses all sensation.

This loss of sensation can be very dangerous since the patient cannot feel anything even if he hurts his foot or has some sort of an injury. Since there is poor blood circulation this injured foot also takes a long time to heal which may in turn result in a severe infection. Due to these reasons diabetics need to take special care of their feet. For this purpose special diabetic socks have been designed to keep the feet dry and well protected.

These diabetic socks are more comfortable and offer a snug fit which keeps the feet well protected. They are made from cotton and have a good deal of elasticity that makes it easy to wear. These socks are soft and skin friendly which ensures that the feet is well protected and also that the blood flow is not restricted in any manner due to the socks being too tight. The material used for the same is hypoallergenic and breathable fabric. They do not have any wrinkled seams and neither do they have any harmful dyes that might cause skin allergy. There are no toe seams in these socks that may cause any injury to the toe while the toe area is also broader as compared to normal socks that allows the toes some area to move.

Diabetic socks are different from normal socks in a way so that they can offer greater comfort and protection to the delicate feet of a diabetic patient. It has been proved that use of thick socks combined with cushioned shoes help prevent foot injuries in diabetics. If feet are kept well protected then it prevents serious injuries which in case of diabetic patients might lead to infection and in the end, amputation. So if you are a diabetic patient or have a diabetic patient in the family, ensure that the feet gets regular exercise and are properly taken care of. When purchasing a pair of diabetic socks, you can look for the reputed companies which sell special superior quality diabetic socks which are meant for patients.

If you do proper caring for your feet, you’ll be able to avoid problems and you can maintain a strong and healthy leg despite having diabetes.

Even though your taking it for granted, your feet are an essential part of your body. They’re useful to us for running, balance and walking. Without our feet, standing is very difficult.

When you’ve got diabetes, you’ll likely develop a problem in your foot. In every difficulty that may come up from diabetes, a serious foot condition that may result to amputation is controllable.

How does diabetes causes foot problem

There are people who have diabetes, they sometimes have complications. There are 2 very usual types of complications, they are adversely affecting your feet, it damages nerves or neuropathy, and damages blood vessels or vascular diseases.

How can you take good care of your feet

If you don’t have nerves or damaged blood vessels in your feet, you still need to take good care of both of your feet.

Wash your feet and dry it on a daily basis. Take good care of them especially those between the toes.

Moisturize your feet lightly on a daily basis, do not apply moisturizer between your toes.

Wear a sensible and well fitted shoe like deep and broad sports shoe.

Take a look at them everyday, monitor if they’re looking normal and healthy. Report changes to a doctor.

Make a regular monitoring of your feet to a doctor, diabetes pro or podiatrist to know if there’s a developing sign of numbness or poor blood circulation.

If you’ve got a damaged blood vessels or nerves in a foot, you must:

Ask a foot doctor for some suggestions on how to properly cut your toenails. Lots of the problems in the feet developed from an accident when they cut their nails.

When the pain had been reduced get a specialist cutter that is trained in cutting toenails.

Always monitor your shoe before putting it on; there might be objects there inside.

Make a thorough examination in your feet, particularly in your toe and in your nails. Check for cracks, redness, bruises, blisters or swelling. Get an immediate assistance from a doctor if there are problems seen.

Wear a thick sock, its preferable if there’s no seam. Seams might cause a pressure and result to ulcer or blister.

Do check your bath temperature with an elbow before you get in, avoiding an accidental burn on your feet.

Have a regular feet checkup by a podiatrist in your visits and even during your visit for another reason.

Try keeping an ideal weight.

Question your foot doctor about fitting a shock absorber in your shoe.

Quit smoking. You need to ask a doctor how you’ll stop smoking.

Shown above are tips on how your take good care of your both foot. However, if you’ve got a damaged blood vessels or nerves taking these steps prevents a problem to arise. It will be better if you take good care of your feet than losing a part of it later.

Diabetes whenever left untreated leads to a lot of complications. Few of the complications are cardiopathy, sightlessness, nephropathy, amputation and nerve damage. Is there any way to prevent these complications? Luckily the answer is yes, there is a way.

Diabetics have the ability to care and control their diabetes which could be controlled with proper knowledge and education of diabetes. A diabetic (type 1 or type 2) can modify his living style and start living a standard life by just following the below mentioned 12 simple and easy to follow steps:-

01) Bound the consumption of carbohydrates in every meal.

02) Avoid eating more than 45 grams of carbohydrates in every meal.

03) Consume around 25 grams of total carbohydrate in each snack and blend it with an unsaturated fat or a lean protein such as fruit with low fat cheese or yogurt with nuts.

04) Administer the consumption of carbohydrates equally throughout the day to avoid drops in blood sugar.

05) Consume foods that are slowly digested examples are oatmeal, brown rice whole grain bread etc.

06) Test the blood sugar levels prior to taking meals and at least 2 hours after meal to measure whether your body can deal the quantity of your carbohydrate consumption.

07) Target for the following results while testing the sugar levels twice i.e. before taking meal (Fasting) 90-127 mg/dl and 2 hours after meal below 180 mg/dl.

08) Eat after every three to four hours to keep your metabolic process functioning well.

09) The break between two meals should be a minimum of 2 hours.

10) Go regularly for the HbA1C test and aim for below 6%. This test states the average blood glucose level of the last 3 months.

11) Exercise minimum 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes a day as physical exercise helps insulin in its effective working.

12) Visiting your doctor regularly so that he may adjust your medication, exercising pattern, diet plan according to your body requirements.

There is no magic tablet or secret recipes to cure diabetes. You’ve the full control in your own hands the food, exercise, medication and strain level. You just have to learn to use these 12 easy steps and by complying to the above mentioned twelve steps you will be able to care and fine tune your diabetes and if decently abided you may even reverse your diabetes.

So just don’t allow diabetes to take control of your life when you are the in charge.

Baby Boomers Living with Diabetes: Keeping my toes, feet, and legs.

If you’re a baby boomer living with diabetes, you need to be aware of steps you should take to decrease your chances of losing a limb. The loss of a toe, a foot or a leg is quite traumatic, and the therapy, after such a procedure, can be extensive. But an even bigger fear a diabetic may have is, “what if they didn’t get all the infection?” Or, if the infection returns, “what will they have to cut off next??” Today, there is tons of helpful information available for baby boomers living with diabetes, to guard against a devastating loss of this nature. Your information gathering starts right here so, read on!

Just because you have type 2 diabetes, does not mean, sometime in the future, you will face amputation. Foot problems arise because of nerve damage, poor circulation, or both. Nerve damage is often the cause of a loss in feeling, not being aware of pain or temperature. If pain goes untreated, and the skin breaks down, an infection will most likely, set in. And infections are difficult to treat because of poor circulation found in most people with diabetes. Nerve damage can sometimes change the shape of your feet and toes. Ask your physician about therapeutic shoes and socks for comfort and to guard against future foot injuries.

Foot injuries require serious attention because diabetes causes a narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels in the feet and legs. This is described as poor circulation. Poor circulation makes fighting foot infections much more difficult. With diabetes the primary cause of hardening and narrowing blood vessels, smoking only makes the problem worse. For all diabetics, the single best thing you can do to improve

your condition is to STOP SMOKING!

To protect against foot injuries and possible infections, you should adopt a routine of

daily checking and caring for your feet:

- Daily exercise improves the circulation in your feet and legs.

- See a podiatrist to help you resolve minor foot problems, before becoming large ones

- Check your feet every day and notify your physician of any sores or changes in your feet.

- Wash your feet daily with a mild soap and warm water, before drying completely.

- As previously mentioned, stop smoking!!!

- Wear only well-fitting, comfortable shoes.

- Soften dry skin (especially the heels of your feet), with lotion or petroleum jelly.

The trauma involved in losing a toe, foot, or leg needs no explanation. And in the back of your mind is the question, “what will I lose next?” The harsh reality of an amputation is to keep you alive with the afterthought being, “will I face this again sometime in the future”? Poor circulation and nerve damage make it difficult for the heart to pump vital nutrients through out the body. But it’s important to know most amputations are preventable with proper foot ware and regular foot care.

Always follow the advice of your physician and notify them immediately whenever a problem surfaces. There is plenty of additional information on what you can do to lower your chances of dealing with such a predicament. Read all the information you can get your hands on and confer regularly with your doctor.

All baby boomers living with diabetes will not face amputation. Express your concerns to your doctor, follow his/her recommendations, and research preventing amputations on your own. Learn what you can do to minimize your chances of losing a limb and reducing the exposure to possible infections. Arming yourself with the latest information, will put you in a place of control over your illness. Do your homework!

To your continued health,

Rudy Venice