The dictionary gives one definition of stress as “the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response.” Stress has also been defined as “forces from the outside world that impinge on an individual that can cause severe problems.” From time to time you will hear someone say that they work better under stress, but would that really be an effective strategy for long-term gain

Stress takes a toll on the body of each and every person; however, the effects of stress on people who have been diagnosed with diabetes have been found to be more critical as stress makes an already bad situation even worse. Studies indicate that it is important to practice effective stress management techniques on a regular basis and these should be an active part of managing diabetes. Following are three areas that are affected by stress and recommendations for managing stress:

1. Stress Hormones Raise Your Glucose Level: When you experience stressful situations your body immediately gets into action to provide you with what it thinks you need to fight off attacks. Hormones begin to be pumped like adrenaline, but also the stress hormone cortisol. These hormones cause your breathing and heartbeat to accelerate and send glucose to the blood for the muscles to use as energy. Unfortunately, because of diabetes the muscles may not be absorbing the blood and the result is a rise of the sugar in the blood. Your blood sugar level spikes!

2. Stress Hormones Can Cause You to Gain Weight: The stress hormone cortisol has been identified as being responsible for increasing the appetite. That is perhaps one of the reasons why many people find that when they are agitated or upset, they reach for something to eat. Cortisol also encourages belly fat, and it has not been proven in the field of medicine that heart attacks are linked to the size of your waistline.

3. Stress Adds to the Body’s Inability to Absorb Insulin: Many patients with diabetes have already developed insulin resistance. In addition, stress hormones make it more difficult for the pancreas to secrete insulin that is necessary to move glucose out of the blood again leading to serious spikes in blood sugar.

Stress management includes practicing relaxation techniques like taking deep, slow breaths when you begin to feel agitated. A side effect is that it will strengthen your diaphragm. When possible, get a massage, which could also lower your glucose levels. When stress hormone levels are reduced you will feel less hungry. Are you getting enough rest Sleep is a powerful weapon for lowering your blood sugar.

Taking a leisurely walk serves two purposes:

1) It gives you time to think and see things in their perspective and hopefully lower you level of stress.

2) It should already be part of your exercise routine, another essential ingredient in stress management and management of diabetes.

Did you forget to test your blood-sugar before eating? Even the best diabetes management can go ka-blooey with a slip in memory. And sometimes, let’s admit it, we didn’t really forget. We just wanted to get to the food without the delay of a test. It is easy to just eat, and then say, “Oops! I forgot to test!”.

We might try to catch up with testing and adjustments later, but this simply doesn’t work. It blows your average for the day because you don’t know what your blood sugar level was or how much insulin was needed, if any.

If you forget to test your blood-sugar and you suddenly remember after one or two bites, then go ahead and quickly test right away. The reading will still likely be higher than if you had tested when you were supposed to, but at least you’ll have a better idea of your pre-meal blood-sugar level than a blind guess. If you use a fast-acting insulin you might want to go ahead and take some if the reading is really up there.

If it’s been more than a few bites or a few minutes, then it’s probably useless to test now. Wait an hour after the meal to test, and again at two hours after the meal. You can make reasonable adjustments at the two hour mark, but again, your average for the day will be more guesswork than tested accuracy.

Be sure to mark in your record book that you missed or delayed testing at the right time. If you use a diary system to help you control and manage your diabetes, be sure to include it there as well. By making a record of it, you emphasize it as an error in your mind. This will help motivate you to test before eating in the future, especially if it was a case of just saying the heck with testing, gimme the food.

Of course the best thing is not to forget in the first place. Here are a couple of ideas to help you to remember to test before eating. First, always have a test kit available. It seems obvious, but if your kit is at home while you are dining out, then you can’t very well test your blood sugar.

Therefore I recommend having several test kits. Keep one or two at home - near the kitchen or dining room and by your bed - one in your purse if you carry one, perhaps one in your lunch box or locker at work or school. Don’t keep one in your car, however, as the temperatures will often be too hot or cold for accurate readings. Insulin is also very sensitive to temperature.

Try to eat your meals close to the same time every day. Not only is this a good idea for blood sugar control, having a regular routine creates and reinforces habits — such as test first, then eat.

If you have a fancy watch with timers and alarms you can set reminder alarms for pre-meal testing as well as for two hours after meals.

Use bright colored “sticky notes” to remind you. Post them on the refrigerator and pantry door, cabinets, or wherever you will see it when you start to fix a meal or go for something to eat. A bright neon-purple or hot-pink note with a simple: DID YOU TEST? is a quick and simple reminder.

If you wear glasses to read you can put the same message on your glasses case. When you go out to eat, you will be reminded when you pull out your glasses to read the menu.

Think about the circumstances where you forgot to test. If you had it to do over again, how might you have remembered? Put all of these things together and make it a part of your diabetes management, to keep it working smoothly.

Choosing a diabetic meter is something that you need to pay close attention to. If you suffer from diabetes then monitoring your blood glucose levels is the key to successfully managing your diabetes.

How a Diabetic Meter Works
These days it is easy to use a glucose meter (also called a Glucometer). All you need to do is make a tiny prick on your finger and a speck of blood is then taken as a sample and tested with the device. It then gives you your blood glucose reading.

This whole process takes just a few seconds and these devices have revolutionized diabetes management. In days of old people had to visit their doctor every time they wanted to check their blood glucose levels. Now you can easily check your own at home, work or anywhere else. Most diabetics will check their levels several times per day in order to stay on top of things.

Where To Get a Diabetic Meter
There are several places that you can obtain a glucose meter. These are:

- At your local pharmacy (no prescription needed)
- From your doctor
- Free starter kits and trial offers

Some insurance companies will cover meters but others won’t. Some will also only cover particular brands or types so it is worth asking your insurance company about their coverage if this is a concern for you.

Remember, monitoring your blood sugar level is vital and the key to doing it properly is to have a high quality monitor that records accurate results.

If you have diabetes I am sure that planning your meals is frustrating for you. It is the hardest and the most important part of curing your diabetes and losing weight.

Having a meal plan that is just right for you is the key to losing 30 to 40 lbs and curing that diabetes. There are so many that do not have a good food plan and they just struggle along and do not lose weight and do not get rid of their type 2 diabetes.

The complications from diabetes are kidney failure, heart attacks, blindness and even loss of lower limb.

Often times diabetics are just told to lose weight and get their blood sugars under control and then sent away to figure out this complicated food plan themselves.

It is a fact that since there are so many that are overweight and have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes there are companies that have released diabetic meal plans to make it easy for you.

These meal plans have the right amount of calories to give you energy, yet still lose weight. They are also packed with nutrients with fiber which also give you energy and help you lose weight and keep that blood sugar level normal.

If you have a professional meal plan then the guesswork is gone. You will know exactly what you need to eat, when you need to eat it and how much to eat.

Do not take a chance with your health. Get stated today to change your future.

The diabetic meal plan is in fact the most effective treatment for diabetes. Diabetes pills are not going to cure your diabetes or help you lose weight, but this diabetic meal plan will do just that!

Whenever a person is diagnosed as diabetic or pre-diabetic he starts to collect information about the disease. First of all he needs to learn about normal blood sugar levels and abnormal blood sugar levels. If you are also a newly diagnosed diabetic then the following reading will be of great help to you as it contains a chart which depicts the normal range of blood sugar levels.

As we know that glucose is the prime source of energy. Glucose is the class of sugar that enters the human body whenever he consumes foods rich in carbohydrates. The level of glucose is regulated by the hormone insulin. This hormone is produced by the pancreas and then released into the bloodstream.

It is not an easy task to monitor the level of glucose in blood. There are hundreds of meters in the market that are designed to measure the level of glucose in blood at home or while traveling. Sometimes doctors recommend even more sophisticated devices that are simple to use and give more detailed data.

Given below is a simple blood sugar level chart. This chart will help you to better understand which levels are required for maintaining better health and avoiding diabetic complications.

- Normal Range of Blood Sugar Level should be

70 mg/dl ~ 150 mg/dl

Typically these levels are lower in morning but rise slightly after having full meals.

- Random Blood Glucose Level should be

Less than 200 mg/dl

Regardless of the time of last meal the blood glucose must not rise above this level. If it rises it means the person is diabetic.

- Fasting Blood Sugar Level should be

70 mg/dl ~ 99 mg/dl

This must be the level when a person wakes up in the morning. If the level rises above 126 mg/dl it means the person is diabetic.

It is important to watch the pattern of blood glucose readings. One must note which type of food, activity or medication cause an unwanted increase or decrease in the blood glucose levels.

Many of the symptoms of diabetes can be so subtle that often times the signs of diabetes can go undetected by those that are diagnosed with the disease. Chronic fatigue is one of those symptoms.

Unfortunately most times it can be quite easy to overlook many of the symptoms of diabetes, for example, frequent feelings of thirst, more than the usual sweet cravings as well as slight feelings of depression are symptoms that are associated with many different conditions and diseases. Diabetics can often go without any knowledge that they are indeed suffering from such a devastating disease, and then all suddenly they’re hit with a heart attack or stroke, which reveals the devastating news that not only did they just suffer a heart attack or stroke but that he or she is also suffering from diabetes.

Situations like the one previously stated are becoming more and more frequent as millions of Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year. Because the symptoms of diabetes can masquerade as so many other less threatening problems, often times many people never think a condition that they may be facing at the moment could actually be a pre diabetes symptom.

For example feelings of exhaustion can be one of the telltale symptoms of diabetes. But how many times have any one of us you have ever gone to bed feeling exhausted only to arise with the same feelings of exhaustion? This could be attributed to a host of things. Believe it or not often times an overall feeling of being tired all of the time can be one of the signs of diabetes.

It is important to pay attention to one’s own body. If you are going to bed at a reasonable hour that is sufficient enough that it should provide an adequate amount of sleep, and you are still feeling tired upon arising in the mornings, it may be time to discuss this with your health care provider. He or she can prescribe tests that can evaluate your blood sugar level that will determine if in fact you are experiencing any symptoms of diabetes. If you are at risk for diabetes more tests will likely be prescribed.

If high blood sugar levels happen to be what is causing your fatigue then you can take steps that will help to combat these symptoms of diabetes. Unfortunately many people are unaware of the fact that they are walking around with the onset of diabetes. By the time they discover that their symptoms where in fact diabetes, much more damage has began the damage to their bodies. This unfortunately can play havoc in so many people’s lives

For example, often time feeling tired is not only one of the symptoms of diabetes but it is also often acquainted with the flu or even the common cold. Extreme feelings of fatigue can be a sign that something is wrong with our health.

The need for a gestational diabetes diet occurs when you are pregnant and your blood glucose level gets too high. This type of diabetes often disappears after the baby is born. But it will leave you more susceptible to developing diabetes later in life if you have it while you are pregnant.

If you are affected by diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin to break down your sugars, or the insulin it does make does not work properly. This will cause your blood sugar to measure out at too high a level. This can be harmful to your unborn child and yourself. You need to control your blood sugar during pregnancy to protect your baby’s good health.

Your ob-gyn will put you on a gestational diabetes diet so that you can control the levels of sugars in your body. The carbohydrates that you take in when you eat become glucose in your body, an important source of energy. Carbs come from foods like grains, rice, potatoes, pasta and breads. They are also found in sweets, sugars, dairy foods, vegetables and fruits.

Even more so than usual, you must watch your carbohydrate, protein and sugar intake when you are pregnant. It will require you to do more planning, if you need insulin to control your blood sugar during your pregnancy.

You may need to count your carbohydrates, which simply means keeping track of how many carbohydrates you eat every day. Eat roughly the same amount of carbs at about the same time every day, to help keep your blood sugar level normal.

Pregnant women generally need about three hundred extra calories per day in their second and third trimesters, so they can store enough nutrients for their baby. This should add up to approximately 16-17 calories per pound of what your ideal body weight is.

Your dietitian will help you to develop a gestational diabetes diet plan that isn’t too hard for you to follow. She may have a sample menu to start you off with and give you some ideas. She should also give you a handout called CareNotes, which will explain about the diabetic exchange diet, and to help you find serving sizes for foods not on your sample plan.

If you have gestational diabetes, you may still be able to control your blood sugar with just your diet. You will need to eat three meals and one to three snacks a day to do this. Eat a bedtime snack to prevent your blood sugar levels from dropping too far down overnight. Then you may need snacks in the morning or afternoon to keep the levels normal between meals.

You will need to eat your meals at about the same time each day, to get your body on a regimen. Following the gestational diabetes diet will help insure that you and your baby will both be healthy.

The most effective treatment for type 2 diabetes is the diabetes meal plan, but that does not necessarily leave out sweets. It was once thought that a person with diabetes could not eat any sweets, but that is just not true anymore. You can add sweets to your diet as long as you eat them along with you balanced meal plan.

You can substitute a piece of cake for another carbohydrate in your meal plan such as piece of bread or a potato. At one time it was thought that substituting honey for sugar was a good idea, but not anymore because honey and sugar affect your blood sugar the same way.

There is now strong evidence carbohydrates overall affect blood sugar level no matter if your carbohydrate is a potato or a cupcake. Of course, one is better for you than the other, but a substitute every once in a while is thought to be fine (and that baked potato is a lot bigger than that little cupcake).

15 grams is suggested as a serving of fruit - that would be the following fruits: 1/2 medium banana, 1/2 diced mango, 1 1/4 cup watermelon, 1 1/4 cup whole strawberries.

There is one way to know exactly what you should eat, bring your blood glucose down and lose 30 to 40 pounds and that is with a diabetes diet. This diabetic meal plan is now being offered by companies for free because there is such an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes today.

Have a professional create the diabetic meal plan for you because if you strictly adhere to a diabetic meal plan you will lose weight as much as 30 to 40 pounds, be able to come off of your medications and feel better than you have felt in a long time.

Don’t take any chances with your health.

Diet alone is designed to provide the diabetic patient with calorie, support normal growth in young people with diabetes and bring the weight of the obese diabetic patient down to the correct level. A balanced diabetes diet with high fiber content and the food being digested and absorbed slowly is necessary for people with diabetes.

Highlighting diabetes diet further, foods that are being consumed by man contain one or more of the six classes of food which are; carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. Each of these food classes has vital role to play in the normal functioning of the body system. After thorough study of diabetes diet, some classes of food were found to be helpful while others can worsen a diabetic state.

Two vital symptoms implicated in diabetes are overweight and excess sugar. Based on this, it became apparent that for good diabetic diet, avoidance of certain food becomes necessary. It could also be the only requirement for prevention or control of diabetes. Any food that can make one become fat or one with high energy content should be excluded from diabetes diet.

A word of caution to everyone is this: In managing diabetes diet, bear in mind that high sugar foods are more concentrated in carbohydrates. High sugar foods are always tempting to eat, so it is recommended that you go for low sugar foods. That is diabetes diet for you.

Please don’t deceive yourself by feeling free to consume so much food just because there is no taste of sugar. Your diabetes diet meal plan is designed in a way that the carbohydrate contents of your food remain as consistent as possible. Strict adherence to your diabetes diet aids in controlling diabetes.

Oral hypoglycemic Agents: They work by making the pancreases of a diabetic patient secrete more insulin thereby lowering the blood sugar level in the blood. Thus there should be residual pancreatic activity. Pancreatic activities include reduced hepatic release of glucose and increased sensitivity to insulin.

Side effects include fever, jaundice, photosensitivity, headaches.

Insulin: Insulin is a polypeptide hormone which is usually extracted from beef or pork pancreas and purified by crystallization. It can also be made biosynthetically by recombinant DNA technology. It is easily digested by the GIT enzyme hence its parenteral use. It may be given in the abdomen, arm and thigh with their absorption in that order. It could come as rapid onset short acting, intermediate acting or delayed onset long acting insulin. Patients requiring very large doses of insulin should receive two or more injections of soluble insulin daily.

Complications of insulin include unusually low level of blood sugar in the blood, a localized shrinkage and loss of fat under the skin, presence of microorganisms in tissue etc. Complications of diabetes requiring expert management include diabetic retinopathy (a disease of the retina), nephropathy (a disease or medical disorder of the kidney), diabetic foot etc.

Most expectant women look forward to pregnancy as a time filled with joy and wonder. Many are excited about spending time on fun activities like shopping for cute baby’s clothes, decorating the baby’s room or simply awaiting their baby’s first kicks. However, for an increasing number of mothers-to-be, pregnancy also means that they have to face a serious health risk known as gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes (GDM) technically means “high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) first recognized during pregnancy”. The symptoms of GDM are:

• extreme thirst
• hunger
• fatigue

but many women do not notice them. GDM usually resolves after giving birth but may recur in future pregnancies.

Gestational diabetes:

• occurs in between three to twelve per cent of all pregnancies
• alters the way your body uses glucose, the body’s chief source of energy
• occurs between the twenty-fourth and twenty-eight week of pregnancy
• usually resolves after delivery but may recur in future pregnancies.

Knowing how sugar is normally processed in your body can help you understand how this diabetes occurs. After you eat:

• your body breaks down carbohydrates from foods into various sugar molecules
• one of these molecules is called glucose, and is usually absorbed into your bloodstream
• glucose cannot enter the cells without the help of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas
• insulin facilitates the movement of glucose from you bloodstream into cells in your body where it can be used as energy

The exact mechanism behind gestational diabetes is still unknown but it is thought to occur because of hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy. These changes cause:

• your body to be less sensitive to insulin as the growing placenta secretes hormones that can block the insulin your pancreas normally makes
• this then forces your pancreas to work harder and make three times as much insulin as usual
• when your pancreas is no longer able to keep up with the higher demand your blood sugar levels rise

How is gestational diabetes treated?

The treatment goal is to keep blood sugars in the normal range and, as it usually follows the form of type 2 diabetes, it can be managed through diet and self-monitoring of your blood sugars. Your health care provider will teach you how to self-monitor, modify your diet, and exercise properly.

Recent research though has shown that only one third of pregnant mothers with this form of diabetes were able to control their blood sugar levels through diet and self-monitoring, therefore insulin may be necessary.

After giving birth, your health care provider may recommend regular testing of your fasting blood sugar level. Why? Because within five to fifteen years of the pregnancy, ten to fifty per cent of women who had GDM develop 2 diabetes.

In some cases, gestational diabetes really reveals type 1 or type 2 diabetes during pregnancy. If you have type 2 in your family, you are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in the future after having gestational diabetes.