Archive for October, 2009

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Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 – Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

October 31st, 2009

 

Special areas in the pancreas gland, the islets of Langerhans, produce a hormone called insulin. This hormone is a protein of small size. Insulin stimulates muscle cells and other body cells to take up glucose from the blood and convert the glucose to glycogen, a kind of starch, and then store the glycogen. By need the body cells convert the glycogen to glucose and use it as fuel. In this way insulin keeps the glucose level in the blood at a normal size.

 

By diabetes type I the cells producing insulin are destroyed. Then less glucose is taken up from the blood into the body cells and utilized there, and glucose accumulates in the blood.

 

 

THE CAUSES AND MECHANISMS OF DIABETES TYPE I

 

The cause of the disease is not well known. An auto-immune response attacking the insulin producing cells in the langerhansian islets may be a cause. Virus infection may be another cause. The disease also is to some extend inherited.

 

When the glucose uptake into the body cells is reduced, but glucose instead accumulates in the blood, the following physiological effects occur:

 

-The body cells do not get enough fuel for the work they shall do.

-The molecular thickness (osmality) of the blood increases. This causes water to be pulled out from the body tissues and into the blood. The tissues thus get dried out and the urine production increases.

-The tissues begin to break down protein and fat to get energy, causing weight loss and muscular reduction.

 

The symptoms of diabetes type 1 are a consequence of these mechanisms.

 

 

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES TYPE 1

 

The disease often starts suddenly. Often children or young people are attacked by the disease. The lack of insulin causes an increased amount of blood sugar. Early symptoms of the disease are:

 

-Increased urine production

-Dehydration (lack of water in the body)

-Abnormally high thirst as a consequence of increased urine production

-Dryness in the mouth

-An abnormal high appetite

-Feeling extremely tired and weak

-Weight loss, even when one eats well

-Impaired vision

 

If the blood sugar level is not stabilized to a normal value, there will be an accumulation of chemicals in the body called ketones, and this condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis. This serious condition can lead to coma and death. The signs of ketoacidosis are:

 

-Vomiting,

-Pain in the stomach

-Rapid breathing,

-High pulse rate

-Somnolence (abnormal tendency to sleep)

 

In the long term, diabetes type 1 can severely hurt the blood vessels in vital organs. This can further cause damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys or other body organs.

 

 

TREATMENTS OF DIABETES TYPE 1

 

Diabetes type 1 is treated with insulin injections. Implanting insuline cells in the pancreas is an experimental treatment. Another experimental treatment is to implant stem cells in the pancreas that can develop into new insulin producing cells.

 

Another important module of the treatment is regulation of the amount of sugar and fat consumed through the diet so that it fits together with the insulin-amount injected. Also regular monitoring of the blood sugar level to regulate the insulin amount is an important part of the treatment.

 

There are also natural products in the market that can help to normalize the blood sugar level by diabetes type 2. Those products cannot heal the disease or replace insulin injections, but they can help the body to regulate the blood sugar level. These products contain minerals that are working components of enzymes that stimulate the glucose metabolism in the body. They also contain herbs that have been used for a long time in traditional medicine to regulate the glucose level and that have proven their effects in scientific studies.

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Diabetics Are Getting Younger (Part 1)

October 31st, 2009

Causes Of Diabetes

Generally, the main causes of adult and young diabetics are

 a) over eating

 b) lack of exercise

 c) unhealthy diet

 d) inconsistent meal schedule

 e) hereditary

Do you know the diabetics community is expanding very fast nowadays? Do you know there are now more young diabetics than adults diabetics?

 

 Why?  How Could Children Be Diabetics?

Young diabetics are attributed mainly to their style of living and the types of food they consume as well as the overly loving parents they have.

Nowadays, parents pamper their children and feed them very well, in fact, too well ! Look into the fast food restaurants, just pick anyone and take a peek inside. Now tell me, Who are the majority of their customers? Yes, children ! Young children! And many of them have their meals at these fast food restaurant together with their parents. Very rarely would you be able to spot adults having their meals in fast food restaurants, without a child by their side.

Too Much Yummy Food

No, I do not deny the fact that the aroma of the fried chicken, the fries, the sandwiches are simply overwhelming, simply Yummy!…Irresistible!  Ahh… also not forgetting the well chilled soft drink! simply heavenly! Even an adult love fried food and sweet items, it would be unimaginable how the youngsters could turn away from such temptation. But gosh, the food is high in carbo & sugar! Favorite of the youngsters.

To make situation worse, most of us would slurp and gobble down the food … very quickly! Why? Very hungry, of course! I did that too … mainly because I would only start searching for food when I feel hungry. There are long queues every where, whether at the food courts, hawker centres, fast food restaurants, cafe, literally long queues at all food and beverages outlets. (By the way, have you ever wonder why queues at fast food restaurants are moving extremely slow? I just could not figure out why queues at fast food restaurants are so long (as if they are giving away free food) and did not seem to be moving at all!)

By the time we got our food, we would be feeling very terrible, our stomach groaning embarrassingly loud.

To silent the groaning stomach, many of us, especially younger children would gulp!… gobble down the food but because it would take sometimes for the food to reach the stomach and be digested, most of us would still be feeling hungry. This happen to both the olds and youngs.

Chances are, after eating, we would still be looking around for more food and stuff them into your almost fully filled stomach.

Ahhh…feeling very satisfied? Yes! but oops!… Yes, you have over eaten!

Your Body System Working Hard

Your digestive system is already working very hard to help digest the food you have eaten, turning the food into glucose or sugar to be distributed to the rest of the body which will give you energy to keep you going with your daily activities. In the meantime, your body system will also be busy producing a substance known as insulin to move the glucose into the blood system, the distribution system within your body, sending glucose to all parts of your body.

If you over eat, your digestive system will have to work doubly hard, turning the excessive food that you have eaten into glucose. With the excessive glucose, your body system will have to work hard distributing the glucose to all parts of your body.

Your Body System Cannot Function Normally

However, if your blood circulation is not too good, the glucose may not be sent around your body effectively. Glucose not being properly utilized would remain in the blood as sugar. when the sugar level in the body is too high, you will be exposed to type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, stroke etc. This apply to the youngs as well.

For people or children whose body system is unable to produce insulin or cannot produce enough insulin to help move glucose into the blood, they would also have the same problem of having too much glucose or sugar remaining in the blood. Thus, the number of young diabetics are increasing, due to over eating.

There are also others whose body system can produce insulin but the body system simply could not utilize the insulin to move the glucose into the blood. Such insulin resistance condition would also result in too much glucose or sugar staying in the blood.

If you continue to over eat regularly, there will be more glucose accumulated in your body system. This is very bad for your health. This is particularly so if you are already over weight and worse, if you do not exercise at all. Frankly, it is not a joking matter being a young diabetic… Please look out for Diabetics Are Getting Younger (Part 2)

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How To Fight Depression In Diabetes

October 31st, 2009

When I was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, I didn’t really understand what all the fuss was about. I’d just come out of critical on to an ordinary hospital ward. When a diabetic nurse turned up at my bedside with a handful of booklets and a blood-test kit I still felt numb.

Developing diabetes can be a life-changing event. Many people who are diagnosed with diabetes are overwhelmed with an onslaught of new information, medications, doctor visits and a feeling of helplessness.  Diabetes can be frightening, particularly for anyone who is not familiar with the disease. 

We are told about what complications may occur. We have to learn about insulin and medication and I certainly felt helpless and hopeless at the beginning. 

When first diagnosed many diabetics experience a period of denial. They refuse to believe there is anything wrong with them.

I had the same feelings. I’d felt perfectly healthy until a couple of days before I was rushed to hospital. I was sure it must be a virus that had affected me and that the doctors would soon discover this and I wouldn’t have to do insulin injections any more.

Alas this was not the case. Until you can accept the fact that you are diabetic you just get more and more frustrated and depressed. Depression and diabetes often go hand in hand.  According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes have a greater risk for developing depression than other individuals. 

The stress of managing your diabetes can wear you down.  There are new medications to take, blood sugar must be monitored frequently and a record kept for your doctor.  There are frequent doctor visits and there may be several different medication combinations needed before your blood sugar is kept under control.

You have to learn to read your own body signals in order to recognize the ups and downs of sugar levels and what happens when they go haywire.

If you’ve always preferred four hours in front of TV with a greasy take-away, you are in for a shock!  It’s healthy diet and exercise from now on. People who have diabetes are often faced with sudden lifestyle changes and even the thought depresses them.

 Foods that you once enjoyed are now taboo.  An exercise regime is often recommended. In fact exercise can be very effective in fighting depression but people with depression often have little energy to get physically active  As the depression continues, people often lose interest in monitoring their blood sugar levels and may even miss their regular  medication. 

Depression causes people to lose pleasure in every day activities and you may go off your food.  You may have trouble concentrating and have trouble sleeping.  Or you may even sleep too much.  Many people suffer from depression, but for a diabetic, it can be life threatening.  Depression and diabetes is a dangerous combination. 

The answer to fighting depression is to learn as much about the diabetes as possible from the beginning.  This can alleviate the feeling of helplessness that often accompanies the diagnoses.  Ask your physician questions.  Do research.  Find out how you can help manage you disease. You can be in control.

If you feel you are suffering from some of the signs of depression, ask your doctor to recommend a therapist who is familiar in dealing with people with chronic illness.  Do not be afraid to discuss your illness with family and friends.  Diabetes is a nothing to be ashamed of. It is a disease that affects millions of people.

If you can, join a support group for others who also have diabetes.  Here you can not only find kindred spirits who are experiencing some of the same fears as yourself, but you can also learn about new information and research. 

When a person is diagnosed with an illness it will always puts them at risk of depression.  If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you can take back the control and learn how to manage your disease.  Your diabetic health team will applaud you for doing it. Be enthusiastic about managing your diabetes, you will eliminate the depression.  Determine to think of the future in positive terms and enjoy life to the full.

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