Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes—is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of frequent urination, increased thirst and increased hunger.There are three main types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes: results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes.)
- Type 2 diabetes: results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. (Formerly referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM for short, and adult-onset diabetes.)
- Gestational diabetes: is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 DM.
Other forms of diabetes mellitus include congenital diabetes, which is due to genetic defects of insulin secretion, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, steroid diabetes induced by high doses of glucocorticoids, and several forms of monogenic diabetes.
Treating type 1 and type 2 diabetes today is a lot easier than in the past. Thanks to modern treatment methods and medicine, you will see that it is possible for diabetics to live a near normal life. However, living with diabetes is not always easy. You have to remember that this disease will not only affect your lifestyle but it will also have an impact on your relationships with other people, work, emotions, as well as your hobbies.
Depressive illness like diabetes can get the sufferer to experience mood changes. It may be because of the unstable chemicals in your body that sends signals to your brain, or it may be because of the psychological and social impact that the disease have.
Besides, you too would really be peeved at the simple fact that having diabetes will require you to change the way you live your life. Suddenly, you will need to take insulin injections, check your blood glucose level regularly, and also take care at what you need to eat or drink. Some people get depressed or angry because they feel that they lost control on how they live their life. Some people even get depressed as they need to give up certain hobbies.
Family life and relationships with other people may also get affected. For young people or teens, the normal conflict associated with adolescent or puberty within the family may be magnified with diabetes, which can also become a source in family strife.
Adults too can have problems with relationships and family life if they are suffering from diabetes. It may be because of the lack of information on diabetes which can drive the concern of their partner.
It is important to remember that living with diabetes is far easier if a universal approach is taken. However, a compromise needs to be reached in order for the changes to fit in with the rest of the family. Some will need to make certain sacrifices in order to accommodate the management of the disease.
Diabetes can also have an impact on work. If you have diabetes type 1, then professional diving, driving articulated vehicles, and flying airplanes is considered to be incompatible with the disease. However, you will see that most people really don’t see diabetes affecting their ability to do their job. With proper management, someone with diabetes will still be able to work the same hours and work as hard as the person who doesn’t have the illness.
When it comes to driving vehicles, it is important to inform the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) about your condition especially if you need to take tablets or injections to control your blood glucose level. The DMV will contact your physician and may ask about your case.
Also, informing the DMV about your condition will entitle you to insurance if you are involved in an accident where your diabetes is also involved in causing the accident.
Having diabetes doesn’t mean that you can’t excel in sports. In fact, you can have diabetes and still win medals at the Olympics. This may sound a bit extreme but you have to remember that active lifestyle and diabetes are compatible. In fact, many physicians will recommend that you should go for an active lifestyle in order for you to have some sort of exercise, which can significantly help diabetes.
Physical activities can cause hypos in diabetics. In fact, people without diabetes can experience becoming hypoglycemic. To avoid this, adjust your diet and treatment in order to accommodate the physical activity that you do for recreation. It is also important that those around you should know about your condition and also know what to look for if you become hypoglycemic.
Diabetes is a serious disease. There is no cure for it but as far as living a normal life, you will see that you will be able to do so with proper management and care. Living with diabetes may be hard for anyone suffering from the disease. But, with self discipline and knowledge about the disease, you can be sure that you will be able to live a full and near normal life.
Diabetes: The Basics of Proper Management of the Disease
Even though diabetes has been around for many years, there are still quite a lot of people who knows little about it. If you have diabetes, it is important that you know how to properly manage the disease in order to prevent or at least minimize the complications brought upon by the disease. Living with diabetes is not easy but with discipline and with the right knowledge, you can be sure that you will find it easy to adjust and still live a normal and full life.
First of all, you need to know what exactly diabetes is. Basically, this is a condition of the body where it doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use insulin the right way. Insulin is responsible for converting blood sugar or glucose in to energy. Diabetes is a condition where it causes sugar to build up in the blood.
There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 and type 2. If you have type 1 diabetes, it means that your body is unable or only produces little insulin. If you have type 2 diabetes, it means that the insulin produced by your body isn't properly used by the body or it doesn’t produce enough insulin in order to control blood sugar level. Most adults who have diabetes suffer from type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes can cause a lot of health problems. Basically, the disease itself is not the one that you should watch out for. But, you have to look out for the complications brought upon by diabetes, which are blindness, kidney damage, nerve damage, and high risk of heart disease.
When treating diabetes, the main goal should be keeping your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible. It shouldn’t be too high or too low in order for you to minimize or prevent complications caused by the disease.
To do this, you need to have a healthy diet and exercise. What this means is that you will need to change your diet and exercise habits. For some people, it may even mean changing their lifestyle. You also need to watch your weight in order to regulate your blood sugar level.
It is important that you should consult your doctor about your condition in order for you to know more about it and also have knowledge on how to treat it. The doctor will tell you about the foods you need to eat, and also how much exercise you need to have each week.
When it comes to diet, the general rule for diabetics is low fat, low salt, low sugar, low carbohydrates, and high fiber diet. Snack in between meals is also recommended in order to regulate blood sugar levels in the body.
Another important factor in controlling blood sugar levels is by regularly checking your blood glucose levels several times each day. You will need to have a glucose meter in order for you to do so.
In some cases, diet and exercise alone are not enough in order to regulate blood sugar levels. The doctor will usually talk to you about other treatments for diabetes, such as medicine and insulin.
These are the basics of proper management of diabetes. Living with diabetes can be hard at first but with discipline and in time, you will be able to get used to a new lifestyle and continue on living a healthy, normal and full life.
Be Happy – Diabetes Can Be Cured Easily.
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