If a person has diabetes it means that either the pancreas produces little or no insulin or the cells do not respond normally to the insulin. Diabetes can develop gradually, very often without symptoms, over many years. People with diabetes are more likely to die from these conditions than the general public. So, prevention should be the best medicine whether you have diabetes or not.

There are two main types of diabetes, Type I and Type II. People with type I diabetes cannot make their own insulin in the body and must take insulin injections to meet the regular requirement. In type II diabetes, the patient’s body makes insulin, but is not able to use it effectively. Type II diabetes might have also a genetic component.

However, the primary goal in treating diabetes is to minimize any elevation of blood sugar glucose. Treatments for diabetes include drugs, prescription medications, alternative treatments, surgery, and lifestyle changes.

Diabetes is one of the few diseases where food monitoring is one of the treatments. Diet plays an important role in managing high blood sugar. The proper diet for diabetics is a consistent, well-balanced diet that is high in fiber, low in saturated fat, and low in concentrated sweets. Weight reduction and exercise are beneficial as well, because in most cases diabetes affects people with overweight.

In case diet and exercise aren’t enough, diabetes medications or insulin therapy are needed. The amount of insulin you need depends on your age, weight, exercise level, type of diabetes and how difficult your blood sugar is to control. Insulin lowers blood sugar by allowing it to leave the blood stream and enter the cells.

Diabetic blood sugar control is an important aspect of all diabetes treatment plans. Blood glucose sugar levels should be checked frequently - about every four hours or at least before meals and at bedtime. Once it can be controlled, the person affected with diabetes can lead a normal life if he or to be able to keep the blood sugar levels within permissible levels.

There are also natural methods of treatment available. One of them is naturopathy. It is the system of healing by means of natural remedies such as light, water, air, heat and other physiological measures. Healing by natural method is chiefly drugless and blood less.

Science does not have an answer as to why the pancreas stops making insulin, or why when it is produced the body is resistant to it. We do know that a mutant gene handed down from long ago ancestors may be responsible. Other possible causes include:

Genetics

Obesity/potbelly

Stress

Physical inactivity

Pancreatic infections

Elevated Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels

You will find that most risk factors responsible for diabetes, also are factors that exist for heart disease.

Diabetes is due to insulin that is either insufficient or ineffective leading to increased blood glucose levels. This leads to symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (excessive thirst). Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. When glucose levels are elevated, insulin changes glucose into energy that the body can use for fuel.

Inefficient insulin and it’s affect on the body:

When insulin is produced but the body fails to use it appropriately, it is said the body is resistant to insulin. A second reaction is when the body does not produce enough insulin to change glucose into energy. In both cases the insulin is inefficient and causes blood glucose levels to rise in the blood.

Is it curable?

Presently no, but there are several exciting and experimental procedures being performed that are showing high success rates. these procedure include;

Pancreatic Transplant: For those with uncontrolled Type 1 DM, but have a functioning kidney. Thankfully, these patients no longer need insulin injections to keep them alive. Additionally, their risks for developing complications associated with diabetes is greatly decreased.

Kidney/Pancreas Transplant: Reserved for patients who have substantial kidney failure, as well as uncontrolled Type 1 diabetes. This surgical procedure allows the patient to be free of dialysis treatments and insulin injections. Patients who avoid rejecting their organs in the first year after surgery, have a greater likelihood of non-rejection for 10 years and more.

Islet Transplants: This procedure is currently in clinical trials and involves replacing the bad Islets Of Langerhans with good islets from a deceased donor. Islets of Langerhans are the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas. The islets are extracted from the donor pancreas and injected into the liver of the receiver. The cells start manufacturing insulin which works to regulate blood sugar levels.

All of these procedures are currently experimental and are not yet approved by the FDA. In a study of 36 patient who received islet transplant, only five remain free of the need for insulin 2 years after their transplant.

The search for better treatments and a cure for diabetes is on-going, and it is hoped that a cure will present itself in the very near future. But until then, lifestyle changes will help those who are living with diabetes to live a long and productive life in spite of having the disease.

Type 2 diabetes really is not a mystery although many years ago it seemed that way. At that time when someone received their diagnosis of type 2, their choice was:

• to go on medication and
• consult with a dietitian for an hour or two

Really not a choice you might say … thank goodness things have changed. Now thousands of research studies have been carried out on the topic of diabetes. It is so much better to be newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes now than twenty years ago.

Due to research we are now aware:

• there is a gene associated with type 2 diabetes
• diabetes can be created in laboratory animals
• how to measure blood sugar control over a three month period (HbA1c)
• what the ideal fasting blood sugar level is
• of alternate ways to deliver insulin, for example via pumps (type 1 diabetics)
• of the complications associated with diabetes type 1 and type 2
• when the best time is to intervene so complications do not become life-threatening

Where insulin delivery is concerned:

• type 1 diabetics now use insulin pumps to control their blood sugars
• we now know how to prevent problems in those who give themselves insulin injections

All of these are medical and technological advances but it is the nutritional advances that are helping those with type 2 diabetes the most. It is now known antioxidants quench free radicals that are created during infections … diabetics are more prone to infections of all types.

Researchers also found:

• cataracts were the result of excess blood sugars needing somewhere to go
• in the 1980’s, the glycemic index (GI) of carbohydrates were not equal and it was the foods containing the most fiber that delayed the sharp blood sugar rise after a meal
• certain foods and herbs contain medicinal constituents that have the potential to lower your blood sugar levels and if we consistently eat them, our blood sugars can be drastically lower.

Many people with type 2 diabetes have discovered the more they focus on their diet, the more quickly they regain control over their blood sugar levels. The result then is they have less chance of developing any of the diabetic complications which include:

• peripheral neuropathy
• dementia
• cataracts
• infections
• high cholesterol
• kidney damage and high blood pressure.

Whenever you are starting any type of protocol for beating type 2 diabetes, it is absolutely essential you start with your diet:

• reduce carbohydrate foods that are high on the glycemic index (GI) scale
• replace hydrogenated fat foods with those rich in healthy fats such as avocados
• stop eating sugar and processed foods and only allow foods to touch your lips that are wholesome
• take supplements to insure you have healthy levels of all the nutrients your body needs

Why give your body a reason to develop any complications associated with type 2 diabetes?

Obviously, I have a child with Type 1 Diabetes; however, what you need to know is that I almost lost my daughter to this disease about 6 years ago when she was first diagnosed. Diabetes did not “run” in our family; therefore, we had no idea what the signs and symptoms were.

On Valentine’s Day of that year, we awoke to find her in a coma. We rushed her to the hospital only to find out that she was Diabetic with a current blood sugar level of 1482. At that point in time, my heart sank. The fact that she was Diabetic didn’t even cross my mind, at that point. It was the mere fact that she was in a coma and had to be lifeflighted to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

When we arrived in St. Louis, it was only then, that I realized the severity of the situation. As good as the doctors and nurses are, they were only honest when they told us that they didn’t know whether or not they would be able to bring her out of the coma. Only time could tell. It was pure torture to wait as long as we did, but after 36 hours, my daughter woke up only to find out that her life had changed.

Being a parent of a child that has Type 1 Diabetes, means being on your toes at all times. My daughter has literally put us through a lot, as she likes to “mess” around and see just what she can get by with. We have caught her sneaking insulin injections just so she could eat more, instead of just telling us she was hungry. We have caught her lying about what her blood sugar levels are (compared to her glucometer) so that we didn’t know that she has, once again, been sneaking food and/or candy. We have had to go as far as to pad lock her Diabetic kit in order for her not to be able to open it without our help.

She’s older now (but still in Junior High) and it seems as time passes on, that she just keeps getting more and more daring. I have found out, here recently, that she is still mad at her disease. She has even said that she hates her life and others hate her because she’s diabetic. Although, I would give my life to switch with her, it just isn’t a possibility.

As a parent, you have to be strong for your child. What your child is going through is tough. They just don’t understand how or why this has happened to them. It makes them different from other kids, and to them, they are not “normal”. They need the support of both friends and family until they get old enough to realize that this is something that just cannot be helped and they are going to have to learn how to live with it peacefully. One of these days, I pray that she will be able to accept her disease for what it is and learn how to live in harmony with it.

Diabetes is an illness in which the body does not use glucose properly. Glucose is a fuel that is carried by the blood to the body’s cells and requires insulin to allow it to pass into these cells. In a diabetic person the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t respond effectively to the insulin that is present. As a result, the glucose stays in the blood stream and the level becomes too high for the body to handle. There are two main types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system, partly or wholly, destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. The body is unable to produce insulin and requires insulin injections to survive.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the insulin is produced but the cells in the body don’t allow the insulin to work. The cells are unable to accept blood glucose.

Excess glucose in the bloodstream damages blood vessels and nerves in the body and can result in reduced blood flow, increased chance of infections, and lengthens wound healing time. Long-term damage can result in blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and amputation of limbs.

Diabetes can result from inheritance, an unhealthy diet high in sugar, obesity, or a combination of a bad diet and a lack of exercise.

Exercise Tips

- Use an extensive warm up and cool down period to adjust the body to exercise and then to adjust back to resting levels.

- Do not exercise for periods greater than forty-five minutes as it significantly increases the chances of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.

- Avoid exercising during periods of peak insulin activity.

- Be aware that the muscle the insulin was injected into may be swollen or tender. Exercising that muscle may be painful.

- Be careful of exercises performed above the head as this increases blood pressure and diabetes can result in the onset of cardiovascular problems.

- Monitor blood glucose levels frequently when starting an exercise program to learn how your body handles it.

- Always carry a quick fix of sugar in case of an emergency. Jelly beans are easy to carry and very effective.

There are several different treatment options for diabetic people. Your doctor could have you on a diet, oral medication, insulin injections, or a combination of them. It doesn’t matter if you are on oral medication, insulin injections, or both, diet is still going to be a required part of your diabetes control.

In Germany they are using adult stem cells from your own body (no fear of rejection) to combat diabetes in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. They are having good success at controlling both hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and hypoglycemia (acute low blood sugar).

Now I know a little about stem cells because one thing that I take is called Stem Enhance and it stimulates the body’s release of stem cells increasing the amount of stem cells available to help your body heal itself. Stem cells, it seems, are the body’s building blocks and are the only cells that can become any other cell in the body, unlike specific cells. A bone cell can only become, or replicate, as another bone cell, a skin cell may only become, or replicate, as another skin cell, and on and on.

A stem cell can become any other cell. Therefore, the injections of stem cells into the damaged pancreas can have startling effects, becoming new pancreatic cells and replacing damaged areas with healthy cells. I actually read a study on this a year or so ago, before I started taking the Stem Enhance product.

For me this is exciting news and perhaps this procedure will be available in Canada in the future. I can imagine being free of taking needles. I know that Canadian scientists are studying the relationship between stem cells and their benefits to some diseases, including diabetes. There have been some clinical trials here with the injections of stem cells, but you have to be in severe straights to qualify for these. I am under control so I don’t qualify. I look forward to a time when these treatments will be available to more people.

Another treatment for diabetes is the insulin pump. A tiny tube, so small you cannot feel it, is put under your skin, this attaches to a small machine that uses a fast acting insulin. It continuously injects a basal amount of insulin. A basal amount is used to keep your glucose at a level when you are not eating. You tell the machine to give extra when you are eating a meal. I am told that more and more diabetics are using this now as it frees one from injections several times a day and is more convenient.

Gastric banding has, in cases of extreme obesity and diabetes been used as a treatment. By reducing the weight of an individual, you also reduce the need for insulin and, if enough weight is lost, may reduce the need for anything but diet to control type 2 diabetes. This all depends on the individual as each case is different.

Islet transplant is another experimental treatment that holds promise for the diabetic. Islets are taken from a donor pancreas and transplanted to the pancreas of a diabetic. Islets are found in clusters in the pancreas and contain beta cells. Beta cells produce insulin. The human trials conducted so far in this area are showing great promise. Be advised, however, that one will be subject to taking anti-rejection medications as you would with any type of transplant.

As I do more research into the various treatments available, I will post more in-depth articles on them.

Are you or someone in your family affected with diabetes? Chances are either you or someone you know is dealing with diabetes, or may be considered pre-diabetic. If you have diabetes, more than likely you are very aware how significant your diet is in the management and treatment of your diabetes. Perhaps your diabetes requires you to receive insulin injections to help control the level of your blood sugar.

If you have to deal with insulin you know the importance of the proper dosage and receiving it at the right times.

Perhaps you don’t require receiving insulin however you do require diabetic medication to help you control your diabetes. One way or another you’ve got it under control with diet, diabetic medication, and/or insulin.

Let’s take the treatment of your diabetes a step further. Have you considered exercise as part of the treatment of your diabetes? Once you become aware of how exercise benefits the treatment of diabetes, your approach in dealing with your diabetes may change your life. Exercising with diabetes needs to become a lifetime commitment, one that will all around improve your quality of life.

Exercise benefits in managing diabetes in a number of ways. In fact, exercise combined with controlling your diet, and diabetic medication will not only help you control and maintain a healthy weight, but also control your blood sugar level. Exercising with diabetes improves the use of insulin in your body. It also burns body fat which helps to improve the effectiveness of the body’s insulin.

The reduction of blood sugar is most significant in the treatment of diabetes. When exercising, the muscles need extra energy in the form of glucose. With continued exercise the muscles use up to twenty times the amount of glucose compared to the normal rate. Often times, exercise has such a positive effect in lowering glucose that in some cases where one is taking diabetic medication the need for the medication can be reduced or discontinued completely.

In addition to exercise directly affecting one’s insulin and decreasing blood sugar, there are benefits to your overall health which indirectly improves your diabetic condition. For example, exercising with diabetes reduces stress, improves muscle strength, and lowers blood pressure. It also improves blood circulation and energy level while decreasing risks for heart disease and stroke.

Strength training has shown to be beneficial in the treatment and management of diabetes. Strength training not only makes the muscles stronger, but the muscles increase in size. With strengthening and enlarging the muscle also increases the need for more energy. The larger muscles then increase the ability to absorb and utilize additional blood glucose in order to provide fuel. The more glucose absorbed into the muscles and used as fuel, the lower the blood sugar in the blood.

Incorporating exercise with management of diabetes not only improves one’s health and well being, but it also helps to prevent other conditions and diseases which are the result of excessive glucose in the blood.

If you are suffering from symptoms that you fill of diabetes in the 1st place to make an adjustment is your diet. If your blood sugar levels are not controlled during the daytime then you could very well develop diabetes or further the condition if you already suffering from diabetes. If you’re on medication for diabetes a diet is a stronger cure than medicine. We have seen people who have developed diabetes and have been overweight, who start to eat correctly and start to reduce the amount of insulin injections and pills they take during their day.

You can now get a free diabetic meal plan online that can show you exactly how he correctly. Most doctors are not even aware how to eat correctly and control blood sugar levels. Most of these no plans cost up to two or $300 however companies are now releasing them at this time of writing. Did you know that most of the diets that are circulated around the fitness industry are actually diabetic diets? This is true because in order to lose fat you have to maintain your blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels will cause high fat gain and will cause your body to be thrown into a shock in either further the condition of diabetes or cause diabetes.

For information can help you check against your own diet to make sure that your meal planing is correct. there is no sense in guessing when it comes to your health and your diet.

Ok, you have diabetes and you are depressed. You have this strange idea that all sweets and foods with sugar are off limits to you now. At least, that is what some people are telling you that they heard from so and so. That is the #1 most ridiculous food myth about having diabetes. Trying to live like that would depress anyone!

The Truth

The truth is that fruits are sweet. Fruits are a critical part of your daily food plan to supply your body with healthy and life saving nutrients. Eating fruits is included in natural cures for diabetes. Normally you should be eating low glycemic fruits however, like apricots and certain berries. You can find information online in ebooks and some websites about which fruits have the lowest glycemic index. These are the fruits that will be good for people who have diabetes.

YOU absolutely need some sugar in your diet. The truth is that chemical sugars are bad for you. It goes without saying that you can assume that artificial sweeteners are bad for you. The truth is there is nothing wrong with having a sweet desert after a meal. Your nutritionist will include them in your menu planning. However, sweets should not be eaten after every meal and they certainly should not be a major part of your meal.

If you have to take daily insulin injections you are at risk for going into hypoglycemic shock if your insulin dosage is incorrect. Many times a person with diabetes has been helped by quickly eating a small piece of candy, a piece of fruit or by drinking a glass of juice. While these foods should be limited, they can really help a person who has diabetes in an emergency case of insulin overdose.

Don’t believe the myth!

It really is a ridiculous myth if you think about it. The creator made fruit for humans to eat so it is just crazy to think we can not eat these all natural foods that contain sugar even if we have diabetes. Yes, it is fruit sugar we are talking about here, not a chemically man made sugar which is bad for anyone. Even then, a small amount of that is ok if you are a diabetic, like in the case of insulin overdose.

Talk to your medical doctor or nutritionist about which healthy fruits and sugars are ok for you to eat. Armed with a little truth, you will be able to make wise food choices and avoid the many pitfalls of having a dangerously high blood sugar level. Protect your life, learn the myths and truths about this deadly condition.