Diabetes

Diabetes

What is Diabetes:-

High levels of glucose in the blood, known as high blood sugar levels are the cause of the common and renowned disease known as Diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that consists of prolonged periods of high blood sugar.

 Processes of food in our body to produce glucose, which is the fuel for cells of the body. Insulin is a hormone, produces by the pancreas. It helps to transport glucose into body cells for utilization. If insulin production is low for any reason, it causes Diabetes. 

Diabetes is when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or has reduced insulin sensitivity. Insulin allows sugar to go from the bloodstream inside of cells to use it for energy. Without insulin, the cells don’t get enough energy, and too much sugar circulates in the blood. High blood sugar damages your body.

Diabetes is a serious public health problem related to metabolic disordered condition in which patient's body is unable to release enough insulin required to reduce blood glucose levels to a normal level, especially after a meal, these defects can be at multiple levels. Diabetes is a silent killer.

 Average blood sugar level before breakfast it should be 70–99 mg/dl and after breakfast it should be 140 mg/dl.

Normally, Diabetes starts with Type2 Diabetes which comes after Pre-Diabetes stage. 90-95% of patients suffer from Type2 Diabetes. It can be a lifelong disease if attention is not paid initially or in Pre-Diabetes or in the gestational stage.

              

Before going into details of Diabetes, It is better to know about Pre-Diabetes.

Pre–Diabetes:- Pre-diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than it should be but, not high enough for your doctor to diagnose diabetes. It means that an underlying condition called insulin resistance is present,” When you become insulin resistant, insulin can no longer perform this job, and the pancreas ends up producing more insulin to compensate. Initially, this compensation works and blood sugar levels remain normal or only slightly elevated.

Pre-diabetes generally has no signs or symptoms. But as the condition progresses toward diabetes, people may experience type 2 diabetes symptoms, such as increased thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, and fatigue. Progression from pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes isn't inevitable.

Pre-diabetes is reversed permanently through dietary plan and change of lifestyle. But, again when lifestyle and dietary plans will change, it will return again.

What is Mellitus and Insipid-us Diabetes:-

Mellitus Diabetes: - Mellitus means “sweet” or “honey-sweet” in Latin. Diabetes Mellitus was first identified as a disease associated with “sweet urine” because the increased glucose in the blood spills into the urine increasing the concentration of blood- glucose, hence diabetes mellitus type 2 or diabetes mellitus type1.  Everything has to do with blood sugar.

Insipid- us Diabetes:-  It means passing lots of insipid or 'tasteless' urine. In Insipid-us Diabetes, due to pituitary problems, there is a lack of anti-diuretic hormone, or 'ADH' from the posterior Pituitary, and this is termed as diabetes insipid-us.

Types of Diabetes:-

There are mainly three types of diabetes:-   

 (A) Type 1 diabetes        (B) Type 2 diabetes      

 (C) Gestational diabetes (GDM)

Differences between above three types of Diabetes:-

(A)Type1 Diabetes:  People with type 1 diabetes don't produce insulin. We can think of it as not having a key i.e. insulin. No production of insulin is referred to as Type1 diabetes. The patients under this category are known as Insulin-dependent DM (IDDM) or Juvenile-onset DM and is seen in childhood. Type 1 diabetes occurs in children and adolescents.

                                       Type1 is a defect, caused by an autoimmune reaction where the body attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the patient’s pancreas. This destroys the ability to create insulin, meaning that it has to be injected. The cause of type 1 diabetes is not yet clear, though we know that it is in part genetic, and in part environmental.  

(B) Type 2 diabetes:  People with type 2 diabetes don't respond to insulin as well as they should and later in the disease often don't make enough insulin. We can think of this as having a broken key (insulin).  Insufficient production of insulin is called Type 2 diabetes. The patients are usually overweight and have other signs of metabolic syndrome.

.                                      In type 2 diabetics, the body builds up insulin resistance, meaning that the body needs to produce more insulin to keep the blood glucose levels down. Caught early this can be countered with diet and exercises, often with pills (e.g. metformin). If untreated, in time this will also lead to insulin fatigue, meaning that the pancreas starts to produce less insulin, causing the patient to need insulin injections, like type 1 patients do. Type2 diabetes is very much caused by the patient’s lifestyle, though genetics also play a role.

            

                            

                   The majority of people suffer from Type II diabetes.

Several common or different type of Complications is seen in both uncontrolled type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

(C) Gestational diabetes (GDM):- Pregnancy usually causes some form of insulin resistance. If this becomes diabetes, it’s called Gestational diabetes. It is spotted often in middle or late pregnancy. Because a woman’s blood sugar travels through her placenta to the baby, it’s important to control gestational diabetes to protect the baby's growth and development.

                       Risk factors include age, overweight or obesity, family history of diabetes, excessive weight gain during pregnancy, etc.

Causes of Diabetes:- Diabetes happens when, for anyone or several reasons, your pancreas doesn't work quite right, and it produces the wrong type or not enough insulin, or your body's cells develop a resistance to insulin. It has been described by most biological doctors as a "prosperity" disease, primarily caused by systematic overeating and consequent obesity. Not only the overeating of sugar and refined carbohydrate but also of proteins and fats, which are transformed into sugar if taken in excess, is harmful and may result in diabetes. Too much food taxes the pancreas and eventually paralyzes its normal activity. It has been estimated that the incidence of diabetes is four times high in persons of moderate obesity and 30 times higher in persons of severe obesity. Main cause as follows:-

§  Pancreas doesn't make any Insulin.

§  Pancreas makes very little insulin.

§  Body doesn’t respond like it should to insulin.

 The main reason for diabetes is the increased sugar level in your blood.

Some common reasons for Diabetes:-

§  Alcohol consumption

§  Obesity or being overweight

§  Having a heart disease

§  Age

§  Genetics

§  Family History

§  Eating too much junk

§  Lack of physical activity or Exercise

§  High blood pressure

§  High blood triglyceride (fat) levels

§  Gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

§  High-fat and carbohydrate diet

§  High alcohol intake

§  Sedentary lifestyle

§  Aging: Increasing age is a significant risk factor.

§  Smoking

 

Symptoms of Diabetes- Symptoms may vary from one patient to another. However, some most severe and common symptoms are given below:-

 

Most severe symptoms of Diabetes:-

a)      Bowels and bladder don’t work properly

b)      Lose your hearing

c)       Gums bleed.

d)      Dryness in the mouth or sore.

e)       Vision changes

f)        Skin cracks, itches, or changes

g)      Hands and feet tingle or feel numb

h)      Hands and feet frequently hurt.

i)        Legs cramp or ache.

j)        Sex becomes difficult.

k)      Sweat differently.

l)        Feel dizzy and lightheaded

 

General and common symptom:-

·         Increased thirst.

·         Increased hunger.

·         Excessive fatigue.

·         Increased and frequent urination, especially at night.   

·         Infections or wounds that are slow to heal

·        Unexplained weight loss

·         Sleeping too little or too much

·         Dry mouth.

·         Blurred vision or the weakening of eyesight.

·         Ulcers in the feet.

·         Frequent skin infections

·         Weakness and tiredness.

Prevention, Control & Cure of Diabetes:-

Diabetes to the maximum extent is not a curable disease however the focus should be given on its prevention & control:-

Preventive Measure:-

• Cut Sugar and Refined Carbs from Your Diet.
• Work Out Regularly. ...
• Drink more Water as Your Primary Beverage to protect your kidney.
• Lose Weight If You're Overweight or Obese.
• Quit Smoking.
• Follow a Very-Low-Carb Diet.
• Watch Portion Sizes.
• Avoid sedentary behaviors.

Control of diabetes:-

Diabetes can be controlled by adopting the following:-

·         By eating a handful of flaxseeds as it is very beneficial in keeping blood sugar levels in control.

• By eating a greater amount of boring and non-root vegetables like broccoli, verdant greens, cauliflower and so forth which are low in calories and high in fiber and supplements.
• Eat complex carbohydrates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Avoid sugar or sugary beverages, refined foods, sweets, etc. as these may spike up the blood sugar in the body.

·         Taking frequent water to keep the body hydrated.

·         Sunlight for at least 30 minutes.

·         Physical Exercise

·         Manage stress levels.

·     When eating a meal, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, one quarter with a lean protein, such as beans, or chicken or turkey without the skin, and one quarter with a whole grain, such as brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.

·      Instead of having 3 heavy meals per day, increase it to 5-6 meals but reduce the quantity. Use more vegetables & salad. Take a small portion of food at one time.

·      Eat healthy vegetables and fruit.

·      Be more active on most days of the week. Start slow by taking 10- minute walks, 3 times a day.

·      Meditation and Yoga

·     Sound sleep

·      Medication- By consulting Physician/Dialectologist  

·     Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Homeopathy or another path may also be helpful if your choice and belief.