What Are the Common Diabetes Misconceptions and Myths?

Diabetes is a life-long metabolism disorder where the body is unable to produce or manage insulin in the body. There are two types of diabetes, namely type 1 where the body is unable to produce insulin and type 2 where the body either does not produce enough insulin or the body cells simply ignore the insulin. Although diabetes affects up to 20 millions Americans today, there are still many misconceptions about the condition to be discussed in this article.

The first myth is that if you are overweight, you will eventually get diabetes. There is some truth in it since obese people are predisposed to Type 2 Diabetes. To say that an overweight person will be diabetic is not accurate at all. There have to be other factors playing for diabetes to be acquired as there are many people who are overweight and with very healthy blood sugar levels.

Diabetes is not contagious. Simply having a family member with it or interacting with diabetics for a long time will not 'transmit' the condition to you. On the other hand, diabetes can be inherited, especially if you have family history of diabetes. The likelihood of this happening is not high all the time, especially if your parents are free of diabetes.

Eating too much sugar causes diabetes. Perhaps this is one of the most widely known myths about the condition. Saying that someone with a sweet tooth will get diabetes is like saying someone with a backache will get arthritis; it's just plainly inaccurate. Stuffing on cakes will make you gain weight but not give you diabetes. Diabetes is caused by genetics mostly, and some unhealthy lifestyle choices like regular consumption of saturated fats. Even people with diabetes can enjoy something sweet every now and then, though not with as much freedom.

People with diabetes can't digest and eat foods high in carbohydrates. The truth is everyone needs to have carbohydrates intake as our body needs them and having a blood sugar problem does not mean you can't take carbohydrates. They simply need to adjust their servings, and include plenty of vegetables and fruits for fiber. In fact, some diabetic diets emphasize on the intake of carbohydrates.

If you are taking insulin shots, or some associated medications, it is a go-ahead for you to eat anything you want. This is totally a misconception as these insulin shots are only supposed to give your body more edge in keeping blood sugar levels at optimal ranges. If you decide to snack on junk food, and eat too many carbohydrates and sugars, you are adding insult to injury and the medications will not prevent your blood sugar levels from constantly rising.

Diabetes can be treated completely or you only have a little diabetes. If your symptoms are not serious, it does not necessary mean that your diabetes is going into remission. Once you are diagnosed with diabetes, it won't go away as it doesn't have a cure. But diabetes is a manageable disease and as long as you keep your diet in check, exercise regularly and keep a happy lifestyle, then it will never be a problem for you.

These are only a few misconceptions about diabetes and the list is actually longer. If you are unsure of your diabetic condition, be sure to consult a doctor and seek professional advice.

Warning Symptoms of Diabetes - Two Common Symptoms

There are many symptoms attributed to the prevalence of diabetes. But, all the symptoms need not be felt or noticed simultaneously. It is also not mandatory that the occurrence of diabetes should follow after a symptom. This is because of the basic theory about diabetes that it is a silent visitor in any individual. Though you may experience a different condition of the body, it need not be related to diabetes. The new symptomatic experience may be due to some other reason in some cases. The symptoms could just be tentative complaints in your body. So, it may be consoling you that the noticed symptom need not be taken for acquiring diabetic condition. It is needless to get panic-stricken. But at the same time it is too risky for you to ignore any new symptoms and signs related to body's health condition.

Warning symptoms of diabetes:

Though there are some early symptoms of diabetes, some of them are not so serious to be taken for life threatening. Here we are concerned with common symptoms like numbness in hands and degenerated vision with the onset of diabetes. What you should do in such situation is to consult a doctor and get diagnosed thoroughly. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, starting treatment will be safe on your part.

Numbness in hands: A numbness or tingling sensation in your hands or feet is a warning sign of diabetes. When there is undue rise in blood sugar, the blood stream gets mixed with saturated blood glucose. Type 2 diabetes symptoms are felt slowly in which the sufferer is unaware of the same. Numbness rightly identified as sensory loss is a condition of high blood sugar. The elevated blood sugar in the circulation system affects the body or any part of the body. This is due to the central nervous system being affected by the increased sugar level. The damage to the nervous system naturally causes numbness or tingling sensation in hands or feet.

Blurring vision: When you allow your blood glucose to creep up, the saturated glucose spoils the purity of the blood stream. The blood supply to the retina behind the eye is thus interrupted resulting in retinopathy or degenerated vision. Blurred vision is a sign of extreme fatigue. But, the symptom threatens in a diabetic even just one hour after taking food. This is due to the condition of the consumed food being not burnt to energy either by non secretion or by insufficient secretion of insulin. However, early diagnosis and treatment may be good.

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The Common Complications of Diabetes Type 1

One form of metabolic disorder of the body is Diabetes Type 1. When you have this kind of condition, the problem is in your pancreas where it does not produce the needed insulin to your body that will help in delivering the glucose to your cells and organs as food. Without insulin, the levels of glucose in the blood will increase and thus cause you to experience different kinds of symptoms.

When Diabetes Type 1 treatment is not followed, it can lead to life threatening complications. When the glucose present in the blood is high and it is not controlled, then it can lead to certain problems that can affect the major organs of your body like the heart, kidneys and even affects the functions of your eyes. These problems develop gradually and can lead to death when not managed properly. Here is a list of the common complications that occur due to the poor management of this metabolic condition.

One of the complications of Diabetes Type 1 is a heart disease. The increased blood glucose level in the body can lead to poor circulation and when this happens it can cause occlusion in the blood vessels of the body especially those of the heart. This can cause heart problems like coronary artery disease which can lead to chest pains and even stroke.

Nerve damage is another problem that can occur when this type of diabetes is not controlled. Damage of the nerves is due to the problems that occur in the capillaries that provide nourishment to them. When this happens, the function of the nerves will be affected and you will experience problems in your sensation. A good example of this complication is the erectile dysfunction that occurs in men with Diabetes.

Aside from the heart and the nerves, it can also affect the function of your kidneys. The filtration system that is responsible of cleaning the wastes of the body are composed of very tiny blood vessels which can be damaged with increased sugar in the blood. This problem can damage the kidneys resulting to renal failure and shutdown that can only be treated with transplant and dialysis.

Moreover, Diabetes Type 1 can lead to cataract and glaucoma. It can even lead to even more serious problem like permanent blindness due to the damage of the retina. With loss of vision, activities of daily living are affected.

Lastly, when you have increased blood glucose levels, you can be prone to different kinds of infections especially fungal type of infections in the body most commonly attacking the skin and the mouth. Glucose can be a rich medium for food of these types of organisms that is why infections of the skin and mouth can happen.

These are the common complications that occur for a person with poorly managed Type 1 Diabetes. That is why if you have this kind of condition, you must make sure that you have followed the treatment plans set for you especially concerning your diet, medications and exercise. Prevent the complications from happening and take care of your body.

Common Signs of a Kid With Diabetes Type 1

If you think that Diabetes Mellitus can only affect adults then you are wrong. Kids with diabetes type 1 have the condition also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus. It connotes to a medical condition wherein the pancreas of your kid is no longer able to produce the insulin that the body needs. Consistent care is done by the child and the parents wherein blood glucose levels are monitored and insulin delivery and diet is followed. With proper education on the family and the child, the condition will be managed and it will not lead into life threatening complications.

Basic knowledge of child diabetes symptoms is important in order to diagnose the child at an early stage and to seek for prompt treatment. It also helps in preventing any complications that can threaten the life of your kid. Moreover, diet will be chosen properly especially when you have the diagnosis that your child is diabetic. Lifelong management must be done in order to control the levels of blood glucose in the body.

When your kid has child diabetes, he or she can experience increased thirst and frequent urination. Because the pancreas cannot produce insulin in the body, there will be increased glucose present in the blood vessels. Since your blood is highly tonic, fluid will shift from the tissues to your blood thus causing cell thirst. This will send signals to the brain that your cells are thirsty that is why your child tend to drink more fluids resulting in increased urination.

In addition, your kid will also experience hunger aside from thirst. Glucose is the food of the cells. It requires insulin so that it will be delivered to the cells of tissues and organs. However, since your pancreas cannot produce insulin, the cells of your body will not have enough food and energy. Your child will feel hungry all the time and would tend to look for food to eat.

Even if your child will increase its intake of food and fluids due to thirst and hunger, you may notice that there is unexplained weight loss. The tissues of the muscles and the fat stores shrink and thus cause loss of weight. Moreover, fatigue is felt and generalized weakness due to the lack of food in the cells and organs.

Lastly, your child can experience blurry vision which is already a complication when the glucose is too high and not monitored at an earlier time. The increased blood glucose can pull the fluid in the lenses which results in difficulty of focusing in your children. Aside from the eyes, if your kid is young girl, increased blood glucose is a good medium for the occurrence of yeast infections.

These are the common signs and symptoms that kids with diabetes type 1 have. As a parent you must be knowledgeable about these symptoms so that when it occurs in your children, you will be able to seek medical treatment. You can prevent further complications when this medical condition is known at an earlier time.