The reason I decided to write this article on diabetes is because this subject is real close to my heart. I hope that this article can give you some help, some hope, and a lot of encouragement. You see, my husband has been diabetic for almost 49 years and one of my twins has been diabetic for almost 11 years. Thank God both are doing well and are under great control. Even though my husband has been diabetic for a long time, he has no complications and that is because we have learned how to combine a healthy diet, regular exercise program, and traditional medicine with natural alternatives to get excellent results. Actually, the best success we have had, as far as controlling the blood sugar levels, has been through natural alternatives.
One of the things that concern me is that most people are not familiar with the common symptoms of diabetes. As you can see from the above statistics, from the 16 million people who suffer from diabetes mellitus, only half of these individuals have been diagnosed. Here are the most common symptoms of diabetes
There are other symptoms that indicate the presence of diabetes, but the ones I mentioned above are the most common ones.
What is Diabetes?
In simple terms, diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by insulin failure. Insulin, a hormone produced by special cells within the pancreas, is essential for metabolism, especially of glucose (blood sugar), the body’s major fuel.
There are two major types of diabetes:
Juvenile-onset or Type I, in which the body fails to produce insulin, also called Diabetes Mellitus.
Adult-onset, Type II, in which the body is unable to fully utilize insulin. Without adequate insulin, body cells cannot properly utilize glucose, which then accumulates in the blood and is also excreted in the urine.The most widely recognized type of diabetes is Type II. This form of diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all cases of diagnosed diabetes in the United States.Consistently, around 650,000 individuals learn they have the disease. The onset of Type II diabetes usually happens after the age of 40, and most often after the age of 55. Because symptoms develop slowly, most people with the disease may not immediately recognize that they are sick. Researchers trust that in a few people weight gain or stoutness triggers diabetes—about 80 percent of diabetics with this form of the disease are overweight.
Importance of Diet -
One of the most important factors in controlling diabetes is a sensible diet. In our family we follow a very healthy and balanced diet. Dietary goals are directed to control blood sugar, as well as preventing heart and kidney diseases, major complication of diabetes. Some guidelines that you want to stick with are as follows:
Here are a few ideas to help you stay healthy and keep your diabetes under good control.
Consistency in times and the amounts you eat will help ensure better blood sugar control, a healthy diet and better weight control. My husband eats 3 light meals a day with two small snacks in between.
Get regular exercise - Exercise usually lowers your blood sugar level for several hours. Test your blood glucose just after exercising and then again several hours later.
Reduce your stress level as much as possible - During times of stress, it's important to continue taking your diabetes medication as scheduled and to monitor your blood glucose frequently, even if you're not eating as much as usual.
Drink alcohol in moderation - Alcohol stops the release of glucose from your liver and can increase the risk of your blood sugar falling too low. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do thus solely moderately, and eat food before you've got a drink. Food helps moderate the effects of alcohol.
Based on our experience, we found that the traditional medication, in itself, is not enough to help sustain normal levels of blood sugar. When combined with natural alternatives, the results have been dramatic. Diabetes does not have to take control of your life. If doesn't need to be a debilitating disease. As you can see, there are many things you can do to control it.
