Tag: Diabetics

Weight Control In Diabetes Management

It is imperative for a person with diabetes to manage their blood sugar and carbohydrate intake. This is the objective of diabetic management. Unlike people without the disease, diabetics do not process certain sugars and carbohydrates through their system, which increases the glucose level in their blood,. Glycemia is the term used for the measure of glucose in your blood. People who have diabetes have to measure the amount of glucose in their blood several times a day. Monitors are provided to people with diabetes by their physicians so that they can do this. There are many different monitors on the market today that make monitoring blood glucose levels easy and painless.

There are several reasons as to why certain people are prone to acquiring diabetes. Although there is a genetic link to the disease, weight also plays a significant role in diabetes. People who are considered obese have an increased chance of acquiring diabetes and poor weight management makes it difficult for them to control the disease.

People who are overweight can, in some cases, eliminate the condition by losing weight. If, for example, a significant gain in weight caused a person to acquire Type II Diabetes, a proper diet and elimination of the obesity can reverse the condition of the disease. Weight control in diabetes management is not only essential in treating the disease, but can also actually reverse this potentially life threatening condition. There have been many instances where those who have been obese and who have lost weight have also lost diabetes. This reversal effect, however, only works with those who contacted the disease by being overweight. Those who contact diabetes through a genetic disposition cannot reverse the condition.

Weight control in diabetes management can take many facets. From eating the correct foods and eliminated carbohydrates, particularly those that are high on the Glycemic Index, from your diet, you can not only lose weight, but manage the disease.

Exercise is crucial for everyone. It raises our energy level, keeps us active, improves our mental state, is instrumental in treating depression but is essential when managing diabetes. By exercising, a person with diabetes can not only better control the glucose in their blood as active muscles can better eliminate blood glucose than idle muscles, but exercise is an excellent way to implement weight control in diabetes management.

Weight management in diabetes is one of the more important aspects of treating this condition. Other ways in which someone can manage their diabetic condition is to take the proper medication as prescribed by your physician and be certain to monitor your blood glucose with a testing device. Many diabetics, especially when first diagnosed, are in denial. Diabetes are among some of the most non compliant patients treated by physicians, which can be dangerous to the patient and frustrating to the doctor.

By following doctor’s orders, eating the proper foods, taking prescribed medication, monitoring your blood sugar levels and watching your weight, you can stave off harmful complications of this disease. Weight control in diabetes management is one of the first methods in treating your condition,.

Type I and Type II Diabetes

There are two different types of diabetes. Type I and Type II. Type I Diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and very young adults. Type I Diabetes differs from Type II in that a person with Type I Diabetes does not produce insulin at all. Insulin is needed to take sugar from the blood into the cells. Type I diabetes used to be called Juvenile Diabetes as it was diagnosed in children at early ages. The symptoms of Type I and Type II Diabetes are very similar. Frequent urination, frequent thirst, excessive hunger are three of the most common symptoms.

A person with Type I Diabetes must be on insulin for the rest of his or her life. This does not mean that they cannot lead a long, productive life. In fact, people who are diagnosed young in life become accustomed to the treatment and are generally more compliant than those who are diagnosed with Type II diabetes later in life and who tend to ignore many treatment options.

Years ago, a child who was diagnosed with Type I diabetes had to inject himself every day with insulin to remain alive. Today, however, insulin pumps are available that make daily injections a thing of the past. A person with Type I diabetes, as is the case with those with Type II diabetes, has to watch their diet and avoid certain foods high in sugar and starch.

In 1981, the Glycemic Index was developed at the University of Toronto that rated those foods diabetics should avoid on a scale system. Some foods were very high on the scale and took a longer time to process in the system, causing more strain on the kidneys and adverse affects on insulin. Other foods were low on the scale and digested at a slower pace. For years, it was commonly assumed that sweets were the cause of diabetes at that these were the only foods to avoid. With the advent of the Glycemic Index as well as other medical studies, it became apparent that sweets were not the only foods to avoid. As a matter of fact, a baked potato, often seen as a nutritional substance, is actually more harmful than a candy bar.

Carbohydrates are the bane to diabetics. And this is the food group rated on the Glycemic Index. People with Type I and Type II diabetes must limit their intake of carbohydrates. Certain carbohydrates, those rated low on the Glycemic Index, can be taken in smaller quantities. Those on the high scale should be avoided at all cost.

People with Type II diabetes are generally diagnosed later in life. This condition often effects older people and those who are obese. The incidents of Type II diabetes has mirrored incidents of obesity in the United States and most in the medical community agree that there is a clear link to obesity and the development of this disease. People with Type II diabetes do not process enough insulin to break down the glucose in their system and cause their kidneys to work overtime in getting rid of the waste. While some people with Type II diabetes are prescribed insulin, most are started on a regiment of medication.

Physicians generally hope that by taking medication as prescribed, exercising, eating the right foods and monitoring their blood glucose levels, they can avoid the use of insulin. In many cases, patients are very successful at maintaining good blood sugar levels by modifying their diet, exercising and losing weight. Others who are not successful usually end up taking insulin.

As with both Type I and Type II diabetes, there are complications. These complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, kidney disease and skin disorders can be avoided if patients comply with the instructions of their physician, learn about their disease and do all they can to manage it. Diabetes is far from a death sentence. With proper maintenance, those with Type I and Type II diabetes can live long and happy lives.

Kidney Disease and Diabetes

Not everyone who has diabetes gets kidney disease. This is yet another popular misconception about the illness. While uncontrolled glycemia can cause kidney disease, diabetics who maintain their proper blood glucose levels can avoid kidney disease.

Diabetics who get kidney disease acquire this life threatening condition because they are unable to dispose of the waste products of sugars and starches through their systems. These foods remain in their system and do not break down and eliminate, as they do in others without the disease. The sugars and starches stay in the system and cause the blood sugars to rise to high levels that can be dangerous. Not only that, it makes it difficult for proteins to pass through the system.

Eventually, when a person has uncontrolled diabetes and does not maintain their proper blood glucose levels, the elimination process through the kidneys ceases to function effectively. The kidneys have to work harder and harder to eliminate the waste products and the proteins are blocked. The kidneys filter too much blood and begin to leak. Protein is lost through the kidneys and from the body. Towards the end, waste products begin to build up into the blood.

This is the basics of kidney disease. Kidney disease is acquired in many ways. In diabetics, it is acquired because the kidneys worked too hard to filter out the sugars and starches and were unable to remove waste products from the blood. Eventually, like any organ that is overworked, they shut down. When the kidneys shut down, a person is often put on dialysis, in which a machine functions as the kidneys. In some cases, a person with kidney disease can opt for a transplant, however this is not often available to persons with diabetes.

A person cannot live without their kidneys. Therefore, it is imperative that a person with diabetes understands how their kidneys function and what they can do to help these vital organs function efficiently. A diabetic does not have to contact kidney disease at all. A diabetic can avoid most complications of the disease by simply following the orders of their physician and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Many diabetics are non compliant patients. Non complaint patients are those who do not do what the doctor instructs them to do. They do not follow the diet as recommended in the Glycemic Index. This chart was developed to inform people with diabetes of which foods to avoid. Those foods that are high in the glycemic index take the longest to break down and do the most damage to the kidneys, who try their best to eliminate the waste. The Glycemic Index was developed in 1981 and is a potential lifesaver for anyone with this disease as it clearly states which foods to avoid.

Other methods of non compliance include not monitoring their blood sugar. A diabetic is often prescribed a blood monitor that he or she must use several times a day to check their blood glucose levels. In addition, the levels are recorded and should be presented to the physician during their scheduled visit. Many diabetics do not comply with this integral part of their treatment.

Insulin or medication is usually prescribed for diabetics who sometimes refuse to take these lifesaving medications. The insulin or medication enables the foods to break down and assists the kidneys in eliminating waste. There is no reason not to take these medications and there are many different programs available for those who cannot afford these medications.

Exercise and weight control are crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle not only for diabetics, but for the general population. Yet many people simply refuse to follow these essential guidelines.

Diabetes is not necessarily a precursor to kidney disease. Kidney disease and diabetes are two different diseases. One does not always lead to the other.

How To Prevent Diabetes

In many instances, diabetes is an inherited disorder. People who have first degree relatives with this disease are more prone to developing this disease than people with no genetic disposition. People who have a first degree relative with diabetes can avoid contacting the illness by having themselves tested by their physician. The physician can do a series of blood tests that will determine whether or not the patient is pre disposed to this condition. If a person has a pre diabetic condition, there are many things they can do to avoid getting this disease.

However, Type II Diabetes has become nearly an epidemic in this country. Many in the medical community believe that one of the reasons many people acquire this potentially life threatening condition is from obesity. The diabetes epidemic has mirrored the obesity epidemic currently overtaking the United States as well as other countries. People consume foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugars and low in nutrients at an alarming rate. We often think of diabetics as being people with a sweet tooth who crave sugar. This is not the case. More often, a person who is obese has more of a chance of getting diabetes than a person who maintains his or her weight.

One way how to prevent diabetes is by managing your weight. Although there is little you can do about having a genetic disposition to the disease, there are ways you can prevent becoming one of the millions of Americans who develop diabetes each year.

When seeking how to prevent diabetes, the first thing a person can do is watch your weight. Studies indicate that people who are overweight are more prone to developing diabetes. How to prevent diabetes. Rule number one is manage your weight. One way to manage your weight is to stay way from foods laden with saturated fats, and sugars. Stay away from fast food, which is usually high in fats, carbohydrates and sugars. Most fast food offer little in the way of nutrition but are high in fat and carbohydrates.

Another way how to prevent diabetes is to exercise. Exercising regularly improves blood sugar control. Because active muscles dispel glucose from blood quicker than non-exercised muscles, regular exercise can do wonders in staving off or preventing diabetes. In addition, regular exercise also helps to maintain stable weight, another factor in preventing obesity.

Again, the misconception that people contract diabetes through excessive consumption of sugars is inaccurate. It is not only sugar that contributes to the disease. While it is good to eliminate the use of excessive sugar in your diet, carbohydrates are also contributory to the onset of diabetes. One way on how to prevent diabetes is becoming aware of the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index was developed in 1981 and rates which carbohydrates are more difficult to eliminate glucose from the blood.

When asking yourself how to prevent diabetes, focus your attention on your weight, exercise and diet. In many cases, simple lifestyle changes can prevent someone from getting this potentially life threatening disease.