Health Affects of Diabetes

There are many health complications that are experienced with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. There are many serious risk factors that necessarily must be monitored with the disease as well. The American Diabetes Association recommends that diabetics receive regular screenings, so that any early warning signs of damage to body can be detected.

If a patient can control his or her blood sugar, many of the problems associated with health problems can be delayed or even avoided. People who have diabetes have very high sugar or glucose levels that has to be controlled. The body will not function correctly due to excess glucose that attaches to protein in the blood vessels and completely alters the normal function of the body.

The most serious risk factors that accompany Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are:

Heart and Blood Vessel Disease

Having a high blood sugar level damages blood vessels which can lead to blockages. If a blockage in vessels occur, this can lead to a heart attack. It can also cause pain and circulation problems in the extremities. This can lead to limb amputations due to damage in the lower legs and in the feet.

Nerve Disease

When the nerves become damaged due to diabetes the normal sensation of pain, pressure and hot/cold on the skin is not completely felt. Nerve disease causes numbness and tingling and allows injuries to go unnoticed.

Kidney Disease

Diabetes can cause Kidney Disease and it is recommended that all diabetics undergo screening of the urine to check for protein levels every year.

Diabetic Eye Disease

Continuing damage to blood vessels will begin to close off and weaker vessels will replace them. The new vessels are not strong enough and can leak blood into the eye which then blocks vision. A yearly eye screening for all diabetics is highly recommended by healthcare professionals.

New Research on Diabetes and Incarcerated Inmates

The Federal Bureau of Prisons recently conducted research studies to determine risk factors for the disease in incarcerated inmates. Diabetes screening is routinely instituted as part of the facility's preventive health care program. Utilizing a fasting serum glucose test they were able to come to a few findings.

There was only one group of asymptomatic, otherwise low-risk individuals for whom routine diabetes screening was warranted. Those with a blood pressure greater than 135/80 was be screened every 3 years. Otherwise, glucose screening was be performed as clinically indicated, i.e., in association with management of hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, history of gestational diabetes, or history of poly-cystic ovary disease.

Inmates with impaired glucose homeostasis due to nutritional habits were at increased risk of developing diabetes. Approximately one third of the inmates with IFG or IGT would develop diabetes within five years.

Many studies have demonstrated that diabetes can be delayed, and sometimes prevented, in individuals at high risk for developing diabetes (those with IFG, IGT, or both). All inmates with IFG or IGT should be counseled on the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and a conscious approach to meal planning. Such inmates should be counseled about the benefits of modest weight loss and regular physical activity. They should be monitored annually for development of diabetes. Inmates with IFG or IGT should be assessed for other cardiovascular disease risk factors and provided treatment as indicated.

What was most interesting about the study was that researchers concluded that refined processed foods such as those used in prisons tended to begin the onset of diabetes in inmates who were not previously predisposed to hereditary genetic risk factors of diabetes. The moral of the story concludes a high fat high sugar diet can make an otherwise healthy person a diabetic.

If you or someone you know has diabetes and would like a health insurance policy to cover treatment, please visit our website at http://www.health-insurance-buyer.com and leave your contact information. One of our licensed insurance agents will respond to your inquiry and help you locate a carrier.

Diabetes, Emotions and the C Type Personality Connection

So what do we know about Diabetes as a disease? Diabetes is the de-sensitisation of red blood cells to insulin, due to the high concentrations of glucose present in the blood serum. An increased amount of Insulin which is secreted form the pancreas is then needed for the breakdown of the blood glucose. The high saturation of Insulin then creates a downgrade of insulin receptors on the red blood cells which stops the excessive influx of insulin within the cells, creating insulin resistance, energy resistance, depression, anxiety, confusion and angry people suffering from constant highs and lows.

Some would argue that diabetes is the reason for the emotional upsets experienced from the dis-ease, although could it be that the diabetes is just the physical representation of the stress and emotional suppression on the inside. It is documented that when a person whom suffers insulin resistance and type II diabetes is stressed their blood glucose raises and often continues in an upward gradient until the emotional state returns to a base level. This state also increases Cortisol levels and affects adrenal exertion, kick starting the adrenal sympathetic response of fight or flight.

So what creates this emotional upset? To name a just a few; financial commitments, worries, relationship problems, children, work, traffic, pollution, lack of sleep, state of the economy, world affairs, etc. Often these situations are also associated with emotions of doom and gloom, devastation, lack of control, worthlessness, low self esteem, fear, anger, sadness, shame, guilt etc.

Dr. Linda Mundof (ND) and Dr Gabor Mate (Canadian physician) have studied the links between personality types and the onset of disease. A C personality type is someone who is at heightened risk for a slew of afflictions, immune suppression, asthma, cancer and diabetes. Type C is a contrast to that of the Type A person (who angers easily and has difficulty keeping feelings under wraps) and the Type B person (who has a healthier balance of emotional expressiveness). The Type C person is a suppressor, a stoic, a denier of feelings. He or she has a calm, outwardly rational, and unemotional demeanour, but also a tendency to conform to the wishes of others, a lack of assertiveness, and an inclination toward feelings of helplessness or hopelessness and low self esteem.

Type C's tend to obsess over the emotions held within as they have difficulty expressing them outwards, leaving them chronically stressed, with increased blood pressure, fat gain, muscle loss, diabetes, heart problems, lowered immunity, digestive problems, increased appetite, fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, anxiety and depression. It also increases Cortisol which depresses DHEA levels, causing muscle wasting and premature aging.

Dr Mate also began to notice a pattern when studying Type C personalities: individuals who were unable to express anger or other emotions, who didn't seem to recognize the primacy of their own needs appeared to be the ones most susceptible to a slew of other auto immune dis-eases where the immune system of the body actually starts attacking itself internally. These diseases included asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

So lets look at who tends to suffer type II diabetes, when we firstly think of the typical type two diabetic they tend to be overweight, middle aged, female between the ages of 25-44 and males between the age of 45-74 (National Diabetes register 1999-2005, http://www.aihw.gov.au). As a societal judgement one could say overweight people represent laziness, with a lack of motivation and self commitment and control, general emotional fragility although not forthright with their emotional status and someone that has possibly suffered a significant emotional event or trauma with numerous internal conflicts.

So what if we were to look at Diabetes as not a clinical disease but an emotional/mental dis-ease of the sufferer. This internal dis-ease moves the sufferer to a position of chronic stress where coping mechanisms are represented as repetitive behaviours either physically or emotionally, such as over eating to feel better mentally. This emotional eating leads itself to food that is generally high in sugar, creating an artificial stimulation of serotonin and dopamine. This stimulation temporarily improves mental status yet suppresses the represented state of turmoil within. This undealt with suppressed emotional status then imbalances the internal homeostasis of the body and here lies the mind, body connection.

So it could be hypothesised that your typical type II diabetic is someone that has a type C personality type, is emotionally reactive, chronically stressed, suffers from obsessive behavioural disorders and suppresses their emotions leading to fatigue, depression, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, blood glucose and Cortisol, with a higher prevalence of auto-immune disease all represented as the dis-ease commonly known as diabetes.

When we think about controlling our diabetes, we think of doing this with diet and exercise quite often combined with medication. Seldom do we even consider the fourth leg, emotional health.

Emotions and diabetes are a two-way street, a so called coexistent relationship. When our emotional status is positive, we can more easily control our physical triggers for the diabetes such as a reduction in stress and emotional eating and when we control our diabetes, we feel better with increased emotional stability, self-esteem and confidence.

The study published by the Annals of behavioural management (Katherine T Fortenberry M.S 2006), looked at fluctuations of positive and negative emotions toward daily tasking competency having a direct effect on blood glucose. This study involved sixty two adolescents with type one diabetes who were required to complete daily diaries for two weeks detailing their mood, emotions and average blood glucose levels, overall confidence in their ability to manage their diabetes, and their ability to manage daily diabetes tasks, such as eating healthy foods and taking insulin.

Teens which reported more positive feelings, such as happiness or excitement, self control and successful achievement tended to have lower, in fact near normal blood glucose levels. Those that reported having negative feelings such as anger, sadness, guilt and failure revealed a tendency toward higher blood glucose levels, concluding that emotions can affect blood glucose both positively and negatively.

Looking at the results from this study, would it not be a logical thought to support those with diabetes emotionally and deal with the underlying internal conflicts that kick started the stress response rather than masking the symptoms with pharmaceutical prescriptions?

Signs to Look For To See If You Are a Diabetic

Most people diagnosed with diabetes did not come to realize they had the condition until they were brought to emergency medical treatment.

Usually the problem is that persons with the disease have no severe symptoms and do not seek medical care at all. On may occasions, people think that they are just simply aging and their symptoms are related to the fact. It is important to regularly screen or test for diabetes especially in the most common age group in the mod 40's where it develops in what is described as Adult Onset Diabetes.

What are the most common signs?

Dry mouth and increased, excessive thirst. These are the most common diabetes type 2 symptom and often the first symptom that people notice as unusual.

Increased urination, this symptom is often overlooked.

Fatigue which has no explanation is another very common symptom and a strong red flag that shouldn't be ignored.

Hunger is often overlooked, especially if weight gain is involved because people think it's normal.Weight gain caused by increased hunger often triggers insulin resistance which is a metabolic syndrome considered a pre-cursor to diabetes.

Irritability is another diabetes symptom that is often overlooked because people just attribute it to other reasons.

Circulation problems which is a symptom signifies one of the most dangerous components of the disease. Circulation problems cause most of the complications of diabetes like high blood pressure, blood vessel blockage in the heart, blood vessel blockage in the brain (stroke), blood vessel blockage to the legs, kidney damage, and nerve damage and eye damage (retinopathy). Of all the diabetes type 2 symptoms, this one should never be ignored... regular visits to the doctor are a must to make sure that diabetes is not causing circulation problems.

Blurred vision is another factor caused by circulation problems and should be a concern as well.

If you have experienced any or all of theses symptoms. Consider getting your self checked, remember the saying early detection constitutes prevention. If you or somebody you know has diabetes and would like for a health insurance company to provide coverage, please visit our website at http://www.health-insurance-buyer.com and leave your contact details. One of our licensed agents will contact you and help you locate a carrier.

Useful Information Regarding Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes type II, is frequently called the non-insulin diabetes, it is the usual form of diabetes, which affects ninety to ninety five percent of the twenty one million individuals with the disease.

People with diabetes type II produce insulin unlike individuals with diabetes type I; however, their pancreas are not creating sufficient insulin or body can not make use of enough insulin (insulin resistance). When insulin is not enough or if insulin was not used, the glucose can not enter the body cells. When glucose assembles into the blood and do not go inside the cells, the body cells can not be able to work properly.

The following are some problems linked with the increase of glucose into the blood:

- Dehydration - the elevation of blood sugar level may cause the increase in the amount of urine. When kidneys loses blood sugar by means of urine, big amount of fluids are also lost, which cause dehydration.

- The Diabetic Coma or Hyperosmolar nonketotic diabetic coma- As the person with diabetes type II turns out to be dried up severely and not capable to drink sufficient fluids to rehydrate or makes up for lost fluids, they probably will develop these serious complications.

- Damage created to the body -the elevated sugar levels into the blood can harm nerves and tiny blood vessels from the kidneys, eyes and heart that subject a person to hardening of the big arteries (atherosclerosis) which may cause stroke and heart attack.

Diabetes type 2 in children:

Plenty of children are diagnosed with diabetes type II. Anyone may get this disease, however, those who are at the uppermost risk are those persons who are overweight, and women who had suffered diabetes in pregnancy, individuals having family member who had suffered from diabetes type II as well as the people who experienced metabolic syndrome ( bunch of health problems which includes elevated cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, low good cholesterol or HDL and high bad cholesterol or LDL and elevated blood pressure.

Older persons are more prone to the development of the disease because aging can make the body lesser tolerant of the sugars. And in addition, that person that is smoking, with inactive lifestyles and those who has certain dietary pattern also has higher risk to develop the type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Guidelines on Proper Foot Care

Diabetes Mellitus is a medical condition wherein there is increased glucose in the blood due to the problem of the pancreas of the body to produce insulin that helps trigger the liver and the cells to take up increased levels of glucose in the blood. With increased concentration of glucose in the blood, it will have the characteristic of being viscous. This leads to poor circulation of blood throughout the body. When the body is not able to circulate properly, there is poor nutrition and oxygenation to the cells and when there is the presence of wound, it will not heal properly which can lead to infection and gangrene.

In diabetic patients, this poor circulation is evident mostly on the feet. That is why management of this condition involves foot care. According to diabetes news, there are a lot of patients who have undergone amputation due to neglect on the care of the feet. Even a small wound can become complicated because of the slow wound healing that occurs in diabetic patients. That is why it is very important to teach the patient about the facts about diabetes and how to take care of the extremities to prevent complications.

Diabetes care of the feet involves the examination and taking not of certain indications of infection daily. You must check your foot carefully from top to bottom. If it is very hard for you to do it, have someone check your feet for certain signs of impending infection. You must check whether there is a break in the skin or dryness that can lead to breakage. Feel for warmth and tenderness and see whether you can see any redness on a specific portion of your skin. If you can notice any blisters, just cover it up so that it will not be infected.

Included in the diabetes guidelines in taking care of your feet is to wash and clean them with warm water regularly. It helps take away any bacteria that are harbored. Make sure that you will not rub it to prevent any break in the skin caused by friction. Just pat it until it is dry. After that, apply moisturizers or lotions to prevent any cracks.

When you cut your nails, you must be very cautious not to include the skin of your feet. Make sure that you cut it straight across and use a nail file. However, if you are unsure of what you are doing, ask someone to do it for you or to be sure, seek the services of a foot doctor. Lastly, wear shoes and socks that are comfortable for you. You must not wear tight fitting shoes or those with heels. Make sure that you do not walk around barefooted.

These are the diabetes guidelines that you must follow in order to prevent any complications especially foot ulcer that can lead to a gangrenous foot when not taken cared for immediately. Management of the effects of diabetes on circulation includes proper foot care. It is your responsibility as a well informed patient to do what you need to do.

Diabetes Info on Insulin Administration

One of the methods of diabetes treatment that can be done by the patient is insulin administration. Insulin can effectively control the metabolic problems of diabetes only if it is administered properly. Correct administration is a multifaceted procedure including proper storage of insulin, knowledge of insulin syringes, accurate withdrawal and measurement of the dosage, knowledge on injection sites, rotation sites, injection technique and the injection schedule.

First of all, diabetes info for patients includes proper storage of insulin. Insulin remains stable for many months at room temperature and for considerably longer time when refrigerated. At temperature above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, these products deteriorate more rapidly. Thus, a partially used vial of insulin may be kept at room temperature and still retain its potency, whereas refrigeration is recommended for any unopened supplies.

Moreover, specially designed syringes are used for insulin injection and for measurement of the said substance. The barrel of the syringe is graduated in units of insulin rather than milliliters. A 0.5 ml syringe is graduated in one unit increments especially if you only require small doses of insulin. Devices today which looked like pens are already used today to let you accurately measure the amount of insulin that you need to inject. The only thing that you need to do is replace the needles.

The body areas commonly chosen for sites for subcutaneous injection of insulin in adults are the upper arms, thigh, abdomen, and buttocks. These areas have subcutaneous tissue thick enough to allow proper injection technique and assurance of a properly positioned dose after injection. Many patients absorb insulin from one body area faster than from another, the abdomen generally being the fastest of the areas mentioned, although the insulin may be absorbed more rapidly from an extremity that is being exercised.

Sequential sites should be chosen so that a rotating schedule will allow use of an entire area. Care must be taken to record the rotation schedule and where the last injection was given. It is suggested that sites be 1 inch apart to allow a large number of sites per body area while avoiding overlap of injection sites.

Once a site is chosen, the skin is wiped with alcohol. The injection technique is to gently pinch the skin to raise a tent into which the insulin is injected. A perpendicular injection straight through the skin is perfectly acceptable in most adults. In thin persons the insulin is often injected at a 45 degree angle to lessen the likelihood of injecting into deeper structures. Injections of insulin intradermally will cause a red irritated lump.

Various injection schedules can be used. The choice is related to the patient's metabolic needs as manifested by changes in the blood glucose level during the course of the day. It can also be based on the patient's motivation level as evidenced by the willingness to make the injection more than once daily and it can be related on lifestyle factors such as eating habits, exercise and working schedule.

If you are advised for insulin injections, you must have the fundamental knowledge about how to do it. You must be responsible enough to inject on schedule and have it when needed.