25Apr

Type 2 Diabetes – Evaluate The Best Exercise Routine For You!

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If you are a Type 2 diabetic, being physically active is one of the best natural ways to control your blood sugar according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. However, there are still many other benefits associated with taking part in regular exercise. This may include:

burning calories – even after you have finished exercising, your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate for a while
helping to control your weight especially once you’re approaching your desired weight
helping to increase your cell’s sensitivity to insulin
lowering your blood pressure
lowering the lipid or fat levels in your blood
lowering the risk for the development of heart diseases and vascular problems

What kind of physical activity or exercise is best for Type 2 diabetics?

According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, there are many ways of following a healthy exercise plan for people with Type 2 diabetes:

First off, discuss with your doctor your plan to exercise. Being a “couch potato” will never do you any good even without Type 2 diabetes. But if you continue being inactive, you will have less chance of controlling your blood sugar. With regular exercise, your blood sugar will be more controlled and eventually you will start feeling better:

playing with the kids
taking your dog for a regular daily walk
working in the garden
using the stairs instead of the elevator, and even
washing your car

are a few ways to burn-off a few of those extra calories.

Second method is by performing aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercise makes your large muscles contract continuously and you heart beat a little faster. Aerobic exercise makes you burn-off a lot more calories than you usually do. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, having a regular aerobic exercise routine thirty minutes a day, five times each week, gives endless benefits in helping to control Type 2 diabetes:

dancing
brisk walking
swimming
hiking
bicycle riding, and
enrolling in an aerobics class

are enjoyable aerobic activities that can help you burn some fat and control you blood sugar.

Exercises not recommended:

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse explains that there are certain diabetes complications that need to be considered when deciding on the best type of exercise routine for you. If you are having problems with your eyes as a result of your high blood sugar levels, lifting heavy weights may not be good for your eyes. If your feet are numb because of diabetic neuropathy, walking may not be the right exercise for you as you will not be aware of pressure from your shoes giving you blisters.

For most people, physical activity should be a combination of activities that accomplish these three goals:

build strength
increase endurance
increase your aerobic capacity (make your heart and blood vessels work more efficiently)

The best plan is to talk to your doctor. Find out what limitations you might have and how you could help work with them in an exercise program.

22Apr

Diabetic Health Maintenance: Should Be As Regular As an Oil Change

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For the millions of individuals suffering from juvenile diabetes, sticking to a health maintenance schedule should be as routine as changing the oil in your car’s engine. Considering the multitude of life threatening complications that can develop, if this disease is not kept under strict control, your actions will determine the difference between a healthy life and a short one.

Type one diabetes what is it?

Juvenile diabetes can strike at any age. In some cases, a person can be classified as a juvenile diabetic up till the age of twenty-four. It’s all predicated on dependence of insulin. While only about five percent of the population falls under this definition, the primary factor that distinguishes between juvenile and adult diabetes is that in juvenile diabetics, the pancreas no longer creates the hormone insulin at all.

What does this hormone do?

This hormone is vitally necessary in order to convert sugars and food that we consume to energy that our body needs. Sugar is the gas in the human gas tank. When the beta cells in the pancreas no longer make insulin, the sugar level in our system gets elevated and literally dries out our body. One of the primary indications that you may have developed diabetes is excessive thirst.

What are the complications?

As the body becomes dehydrated from high levels of sugar in your system, sight will be affected quickly. Other complications include circulatory issues and damage to the liver, kidneys, and heart. Until the early nineteen twenties, when scientists figured out how to manufacture insulin to make up for the lost production of insulin in a diabetics pancreas, the complications from the excessive glucose levels assured death in a matter of years. Today, the first part of the problem has been solved. We know how to get insulin into the system via syringe or with an insulin pump under the skin.

How will this affect my life?

Make no mistake; diabetes will change your life forever. You will have to be ever vigilant in monitoring what you eat, your blood sugar levels, and regular checkups with the doctor to make sure the complications are not over taking your hard work to remain healthy. The good news is that as opposed to some diseases, diabetes isn’t the death sentence it once was. When you think of it, most of us are very diligent about taking care of our car. Why should we be any less diligent in taking care of our health?

What can I do to stay healthy?

There are natural remedies that can help control some of the complications caused from damage by the strain that uncontrolled sugars cause to your body. Omega 3 fish oil is strongly suggested for several reasons. First, one of the most common complications from diabetes is inflammation to the cardio vascular system and body organs. Fish oil high in fatty acids works to combat inflammation throughout the body. In addition, Omega 3 fish oil has proven to fight high levels of cholesterol naturally. Cholesterol is a major cause of coronary heart disease in the general population. In diabetics, this is exacerbated by a factor of three because of blood sugar elevation. High blood pressure is another complication more prevalent in diabetics. For this reason, in addition to prescription drugs to fight high blood pressure, your doctor will most likely recommend Omega 3 fish oil as a health supplement to lower blood pressure naturally.

Conclusion

Now that you know the many benefits that rich Omega 3 fish oil can deliver to diabetics in the quest for good health, it’s vitally important to remember that the most important job for a diabetic in protecting his or her health is proper regulation of blood sugars. Omega 3 fish oil can do wonders to help protect your organs and arteries, but job one is always your blood sugars. Many people have led healthy lives by following these rules, you will too!

21Apr

Selected Frequently Asked Questions About Glucose And Diabetes

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Diabetes just like high blood pressure and heart disease is a chronic disease that affects millions of people all across the globe. In fact millions more people are living with diabetes without knowing it. When left unchecked diabetes can even cause loss of sight, limp loss through amputations and may cause other existing diseases to deteriorate rapidly such as high blood pressure, heart disease and even kidney disease. The following are some questions often asked about glucose and diabetes;

What Is Glucose Monitoring?

Glucose monitoring involves a keeping watch of the levels of blood glucose. This prevents a diabetic condition from deteriorating any further. It helps diabetes patients to be in control of a diabetic condition. Results of a glucose monitoring will inform what food one eats, the activities they engage in and the medications they need to take. Using a blood meter a patient pricks the tip of a finger with a special device to obtain a blood sample which the meter uses to interpret blood sugar levels.

What Is Whole Blood and Plasma Calibration?

This is a simple concept which yet confuses many that is used to define how blood glucose is measured. A blood glucose meter can be calibrated to measure glucose levels in the blood using whole blood or plasma. Plasma is a part of whole blood. Plasma calibrated measurements are often used in labs.

Both whole blood and plasma measurements numerically point to one and the same thing. It is best understood as temperature measurements. temperature can be measured in degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit. Both mean the same thing in as giving us an understanding of the accurate state of the weather.

What Is Continuous Glucose Monitoring?

A fairly new technique, CGM as it is also known in short involves the insertion of a tiny device under the skin to continuously provide glucose levels for days on end and even up to a week. This device sends signals to yet another device that is attached to the belt like a pager of the patient. This does not eliminate the need for a standard meter. The user will still need it to take a sample of their blood in order to program the CGM device.

These are some of the often asked questions about diabetes and glucose. It needs to be remembered that diabetes is a chronic disease which can be managed for a life time. Monitoring and measurement is only but a part. A lot more depends on what a person eats, exercise and so on. Our eating habits will need to change to accommodate a diabetic condition.

18Apr

Type 2 Diabetes – With or Without Drugs!

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Do you have Type 2 diabetes? How do you feel about taking oral anti-diabetic medications or insulin for the rest of your life?

Many diabetics experience medication fatigue… imagine taking the same set of bitter bad-tasting medications day in and day out just for the sake of controlling your blood sugar. For some people, seeing and tasting the same medications everyday can give them enough stress that may last a lifetime. One of the most common questions raised by many diabetics is this: “How can we possibly control our blood sugar without the aid of anti-diabetic drugs?”

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Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic problem that results from high blood sugar levels caused by the increased resistance of your body’s cells to the action of insulin. Insulin, a special hormone that facilitates the transfer of sugar extracted from your meals to your cells, is essential to life and has wide-spread effects all over your body. Risk factors for the development of blood sugar problems include:

age… the older you are, the greater your risk for Type 2 diabetes
being overweight or obese… being overweight predisposes you to diabetes
lack of exercise goes hand in hand with obesity
heredity… if you have a family member who has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you are at a greater risk for getting it yourself
sleep habits… insomnia makes you more prone to diabetes
decreased “good” cholesterol level, increased “bad” cholesterol level, high blood pressure and a history of diabetes in pregnancy.

Many experts consider Type 2 diabetes as a lifestyle disease, therefore, with proper correction to the lifestyle you live, this condition really can really be managed without the use of drugs.

According to the Joslin Diabetes Center, many diabetics control their blood sugar levels without the aid of anti-diabetic medications by:

normalizing their body weight
by having regular physical exercise, and
by eating a proper diet

Many studies have shown how both weight loss and exercise can increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, thus reducing insulin resistance. The more sensitive your cells are to insulin, the healthier you body is. Choose to eat properly and to exercise, and your pancreas will thank you by functioning well. Then no drugs are involved.

However, according to Joslin Diabetes Center many diabetics fail to normalize their blood sugar levels despite their best efforts. For these diabetics it will be necessary for them to continue taking their anti-diabetic medications.

Check your blood sugar reading every day… if your blood sugar still spikes even with your best efforts, there is no other choice but to continue your anti-diabetic medications. This is important in order to prevent both immediate and long-term complications associated with high blood sugar.

15Apr

Introduction to the Diabetes Diet Menu

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Diabetes has several adverse effects to a person’s body. It may even lead to very serious complications that in the worst case scenario can lead to paralysis, amputation of extremities, or even death. Fortunately for those suffering from type 2 of the disease the dangers can be greatly minimized through proper exercise and a diabetes diet menu. A healthy meal plan is essential not only to ensure that the diabetic meets all his nutritional needs without causing his blood glucose level to become too low or two high but also to help him maintain a desirable weight. Being overweight is a major handicap for a diabetic because it greatly increases the dangers of having the illness.

A diabetes diet menu can help type 2 diabetics more than any available medicine. It helps stabilize blood glucose levels more effectively by guiding the diabetic in consuming the proper amounts of nutrition. A meal plan usually comes in the form of a seven-day eating program. It includes the preparation and composition of each meal including the size of each component as well as when each meal should be eaten. Most plans provide six small meals in even intervals of two to three hours. The small size of the meals helps avoid sudden spikes on the blood sugar level after a meal. The increased number of meals helps compensate for the reduction in meal size. And the regular interval between each meal helps stabilize the amount of nutrients in the body.

Adjusting to the diabetes diet menu may be really hard at first especially since small meals tend to not be satisfying enough. Keeping track of the time also has a high chance of being overlooked. But the biggest hindrance in following a meal plan is the taste. This is why one’s food preferences should always be considered when creating an eating program for him. Avoid including foods he does not like to eat and replace them with alternatives he finds more appealing. Alienation can also slow down the adaptation process. Eating something different from the rest of the family members can be very discouraging. It is best that other family members also follow the diet. Healthy eating will never hurt anyone.

It will take some time before you and your body can fully adjust to the diabetes diet menu. Be patient. Eating right is will not only allow you to keep the illness under control, it will also help you avoid other sickness.

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13Apr

Diabetes Diet Menu

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If a person is diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor will recommend you go to a licensed dietician. The licensed dietician will help you in creating a suitable diabetes diet menu for your daily food intake.

The main reason a diabetic needs a diabetes diet menu is to regulate the carbohydrate and sugar intake in his everyday meal. Regulating does not necessarily mean having to stop eating sweets and your favourite dishes. This diet menu only aspires to immediately lower the glucose levels in the blood.

Below is a sample diabetes diet menu that will provide you the right number of nutrients for your daily needs. Keeping carbohydrate intake at minimal level is the key to checking the insulin levels to normal levels.

Everyone knows that a diabetes diet menu is hard to follow. Many people have started to take this for granted due to their daily menu being bitter or tasteless. These menu ideas can help you have a diet that is not the same each passing day.

For breakfast: Diabetics are recommended to take their breakfast at least after an hour upon waking up.

• 3/4 cup of cereals with a cup of strawberry together with a cup of low – fat milk will do.

• 2 slices of whole wheat toast laced with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a banana.

For Lunch: Remember to prioritize this one. This should be your biggest meal of the day. A mix of protein, carbohydrates, dairy and vegetables or fruits is the ideal meal for a diabetic.

• 1 cup of vegetable soup. A turkey sandwich (1 ounce turkey) on a whole wheat bread together with a small apple.

• 1 cup steamed broccoli together with 3 ounces lean roast beef on a whole bread. The sandwich could be laced with 2 tablespoon of mustard.

For dinner: A diabetic’s dinner plate should be well balanced. You can add additional calories in this meal provided you add additional minutes of exercise in the morning before eating breakfast.

• 4 ounces of chicken breast seasoned with herbs and cooked in mono-saturated cooking oil. 2/3 cups of rice and a vegetable salad dresses in low – fat dressing. A small slice of angel food cake may be added in this menu.

• 6 ounce of broiled white fish together with a mixed green salad dressed with reduced fat dressing. A 2/3 cup of whole wheat couscous is recommended to be added in this menu.

04Apr

Hypoglycemia – The Dangers of Low Blood Sugar Levels

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People with diabetes are normally concerned about their blood sugars, especially if they are experiencing higher than normal blood sugar levels, because that is the major diabetic problem in life that a person with diabetes normally has to deal with. But it is also important for the diabetic to be aware of a situation that is “opposite” to high blood sugar levels, a condition that doctors call hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia is characterized by an abnormally low level of blood sugar. The sugar carried in the bloodstream, called glucose, is an essential nutrient for the body and is the body’s main source of energy, needed constantly by the body’s cells.

Episodes of hypoglycemia are not common and are not often experienced by most adult diabetics or diabetic children of 10 years and older, but they do happen and the condition should be quickly recognized and treated promptly when it does. Hyoglycemia must be treated promptly because it can become progressively worse in a relatively short time, sometimes after tens of minutes, and can lead eventually to additional problems and in some extreme cases, it can become a life-threatening event.

From my own experience as a diabetic I suspect that most of my fellow diabetics have had a few such lower than normal blood sugar occurrences. Food is the source of the blood sugars, especially the carbohydrate content of food. One reason that a hypoglycemic event might occur in a diabetic person is when they have not eaten any food for too long a period of time. An additional or alternative cause might be when they have deliberately avoided consuming carbohydrates, ironic perhaps, because by not eating carbohydrates they wish to combat their own above normal blood sugars that they know can be caused by a high carbohydrate intake.

Just as the avoidance of too many high-carbohydrate foods is a standard recommendation in the treatment of diabetes, so too is the recommendation to participate in some form of exercise. However, sometimes too much exercise can cause blood sugar problems. The muscles involved in exercise require sugar, and low blood sugars can occur after having been involved in vigorous exercise at a time when the body has insufficient blood glucose to supply the necessary energy for the extra activity.

For the person with diabetes, it is not easy to know, without taking a blood test, whether or not they have above normal blood sugar levels but in the case of lower than normal blood sugars, the symptoms experienced are usually noticeable. When glucose levels become too low it can have an effect on the brain and often a sense of confusion and an inability to perform routine tasks becomes apparent. Should that happen, fortunately it can serve as a warning, an alert for the diabetic who is familiar with such symptoms to take immediate action to rectify the situation, usually by eating food that can provide a quick boost of sugar to their system.

Some other recognizable possible symptoms are sweating, anxiety and a sense of unease, trembling hands, perhaps heart palpitations, hunger pangs, blurred vision or other visual disturbances.

The important thing is to know what to do if and when it happens. Whenever a low blood sugar event occurs, a prompt response is needed.

The quick solution is to eat or drink a fast-acting glucose food item. The condition has occurred often enough to me to know what to do, my personal choice is to first drink half a glass of apple juice and I try to always keep a supply of apple juice available.

Possible food items to raise blood sugar levels back to normal, any one of the following:

a half glass or half cup, 4 ounces, of apple juice, orange juice, or similar fruit juice

a teaspoon of honey or sugar

glucose tablets, usual 3 or 4 are sufficient

5 or 6 pieces of hard candy

an 8-ounce glass of milk

a half glass of non-diet pop

Something containing about 15 grams of carbohydrate such as a fast acting energy bar or a serving of glucose-gel snack.

Be ready for an emergency even though it is a rare event

If a hypoglycemic event is not promptly treated and then progresses to a more serious stage, it can lead to a diabetic coma or seizure, even to the extent of becoming life threatening, I’m reluctant to say death but it can happen. The fact that this is known to happen underscores the need to be ready for an emergency of any degree. Try to always have a suitable supply of a fast acting glucose source readily available.

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02Apr

The Dangers Of Diabetes For Women Who Are Pregnant

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More women than ever before are carrying fetuses while they are diabetic. This can have an effect on the mom as well as the developmental process for the baby. Fortunately, modern medicine is doing all it can to make this process less difficult for diabetic women.

Why do some women, with no prior history of diabetes, develop diabetes over the course of their pregnancy? Known as gestational diabetes, this condition occurs in approximately two out of every 100 women who become pregnant. In a normal pregnancy process, the woman’s placenta creates a variety of hormones to nourish the fetus and help it to grow and develop. Of these hormones, some of them have anti-insulin properties. In the women who develops gestational diabetes, the hormones decrease the body’s sensitivity to insulin so much that the body over produces glucose to compensate. The result may end up causing diabetes. In the women to whom this occurs, it usually happens around the 22nd week of the pregnancy.

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Normally, the woman’s blood glucose levels will return to normal once the baby is delivered. In some cases, however, the diabetes will remain. Also, women who develop gestational diabetes, do have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. To lessen the chances of this happening, the woman should work with her doctor and nutritionist to develop a post-delivery plan to return her body’s glucose and hormonal levels to normal as soon as possible. This will usually involve developing healthy meal plans, starting an exercise program, and scheduling follow-up blood work with her doctor.

In the case of a woman who is already diabetic when the pregnancy begins, special precautions are necessary. In the first month of the pregnancy, the fetus has already begun to develop. The fetus’ only source of food is glucose from the mother. If the blood glucose levels are high, the excess sugar can impact the organs of the developing fetus – possibly resulting in birth defects or a miscarriage. That’s why, early on, it’s important that the doctor ensure that the blood glucose levels of the mother are stable and under control as early in the pregnancy as possible.

Many diabetic women are on oral medications. Even though some of the oral diabetes medications have been tested for safety in pregnant women, some women may be advised by their doctor to use insulin during the pregnancy. This is because many doctors believe that insulin is the safer choice for the fetus in controlling blood glucose levels.

Essentially, the primary reason for the preference of insulin is simply that it has a longer history of tests, studies, and observations surrounding it. In addition, many oral medications only work with type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, insulin therapy has been used by doctors for many decades making the woman’s chances for a successful pregnancy nearly as good as for those women without diabetes.

Some women also make use of herbal remedies to control their diabetes during their pregnancy. Any woman that does this, however, should make sure that her doctor is aware of this and that her doctor approves.

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01Apr

Warning Signs For Type Two Diabetes

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Type 2 Diabetes is a sign of the times it seems. Today’s society is the perfect breeding ground for type 2 diabetes. Busy, stressful schedules that leave little time for exercise, latch key children and teenagers who spend hours in front of the television or computer, combined with the availability of convenient yet deadly fast food has paved the way for America’s self destruction.

Are you at risk for Type 2 Diabetes? Symptoms may develop slowly and creep upon us unnoticed. As with any health problems, it’s best to catch this deadly disease as early as possible.

Here’s a list of 5 warning signs:

Are you constantly tired or have extreme energy crashes during the day? – Spikes and crashes in blood sugar can cause extreme fatigue. The truth is, no one should have to experience that “after lunch tiredness” although many people talk about it as if it is common and acceptable. A properly functioning body that receives the right kind of fuel can keep going at a steady pace throughout the day. That after lunch tired feeling may not be type 2 diabetes, but it is a warning sign that you are not eating properly and your body is not running the way it should.
Does your vision ever become blurred? – The medical explanation for blurred vision with type 2 diabetes is because during blood sugar spikes necessary fluid is sometimes pulled from the lenses of your eyes. This can impair your ability to focus.
Do you find yourself extra thirsty? When sugar builds up in your blood stream, fluid is needed, so your body will pull it from your tissues and cause you to be extra thirsty.
Do you have intense cravings for starchy foods or bread products? If your body doesn’t have enough insulin to transfer sugar into your cells for fuel, your body will send hunger signals to your brain even though you may have recently eaten. Your body naturally does all it can to survive, so it will trigger hunger because it is unable to use the supply already in your body.
Do you have sores that take exceptionally long to heal or frequently become infected? Non-healing sores are one of the most common signs of diabetes.

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28Mar

A Warning to 40 Year Olds

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The release of the updated National Diabetes Fact Sheet in January 2011 — the previous one dates back to 2007 — underscores the need for Americans to pay more attention to their health, especially for those aged from 40 to 64, for the reasons given below.

The Fact Sheet statistics, summarized in publications of the American Diabetes Association, provide a truly alarming outline of the growing rate of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes and its related condition, now given the medical term of Prediabetes.

Diabetes is a serious disease that can occur in people of any age, from birth to old age. There are three main forms of the disease, referred to as Type-1 Diabetes that occurs most often in children and young adults, Type-2 Diabetes that occurs primarily in older people and is by far the major diabetic condition comprising about 90% of all diabetes cases. There is also another type called Gestational Diabetes, a mostly temporary condition that can develop in a small percentage of women during pregnancy.

From other information sources relating to the 2011 Diabetes Fact Sheet, I came across some significant details regarding age and prevalence. There were 3 groups defined by ages 20 to 44 years, 45 to 64 years, and people of age 65 and older.

Most diabetes occurs in the oldest group
Currently, in existing cases of diabetes, the incidence of diabetes increases with age. The smallest number of diabetic people are included in the 20 to 44 age group. About 4 times as many people are in the 45 to 64 age group and in the 65 years and older age group, there are most by a factor of twice as many as the younger 45 to 64 age group.

Estimated number of new cases
However, the statistics seem to indicate that things are changing. Here are the figures for the estimated number of new cases diagnosed for a more recent period for those same ages, note the numbers for group 2:

Group1: Age 20 to 44 – new cases of diabetes were 465,000
Group 2: Age 45 to 64 – new cases of diabetes were 1,052,000
Group 3: Age 65 and older – new cases of diabetes were 390,000

Conclusion and a warning
Diabetes starts a little earlier and gradually develops over time until it may be finally diagnosed by a doctor, sometimes without warning from any significant identifiable symptoms, although there are some when you know them.

The warning: Therefore, if you are over 40 years of age, overweight, and follow a lifestyle of little physical activity, take warning, see a doctor who can requisition a simple blood test that will show whether you are in the high risk Group 2, if not, there is still time to prevent it, but unfortunately, once diagnosed, there is no cure.

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