What is diabetes? Diabetes is a metabolic syndrome where the blood glucose (sugar) levels are above normal. This results from the inability of the glucose to get into body cells. As a result the cells of body are starving for their food (glucose). About 366 million people globally are believed to have diabetes and one-third of those patients don't even know they have it. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. And most diabetics develop heart disease. In fact, just having diabetes carries the same risk of having a heart attack as someone who has already had such an event. Therefore it is very important for patients that have diabetes to also have a physician that closely monitors and treats their cholesterol levels as well as their blood pressure. Additionally, any use of tobacco products and alcohol multiply the risks. There are different kinds of diabetes. In any form of diabetes there is some underlying reason why the body is not able to utilize glucose (sugar) for energy, and that causes the levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood build up above normal. There are three areas that are important to understand the diabetes. First, the cells in the body which use the glucose are important as they must be able to remove sugar from the blood and put it inside the cell as a fuel. Secondly, the insulin which is produced by pancreas is important to allow the sugar to enter the cell (the key to unlock the door to enter), and lastly, glucose which is broken down from the food or from muscle and liver from a storage form of glucose called glycogen. Types Of Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults and only accounts for 510% of diabetes patients. In type 1 diabetes the pancreas doesn't make any insulin at all. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease. It accounts for 90-95% of all the cases of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body doesn't make enough insulin or the cells in the body ignore the insulin so they can't utilize glucose like they are supposed to. When the cells ignore the insulin, as mentioned above, it is often referred to as insulin resistance. Other types of diabetes which only account for a small number of the cases of diabetes include gestational diabetes, which is a type of diabetes that only pregnant women get. If not treated, it can cause problems for mothers and babies and usually disappears when the pregnancy is over. Other types of diabetes resulting from specific genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses may account for 1% to 2% of all cases of diabetes. How do you get diabetes? There are risk factors that increase your chance of developing diabetes. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. Risk factors are less well defined for type 1 diabetes than for type 2 diabetes, but autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors are involved in developing this type of diabetes.
What are the symptoms of diabetes? People who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for a diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms: frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger, sudden vision changes, tingling or numbness in hands or feet, feeling very tired much of the time, very dry skin, sores that are slow to heal, more infections than usual. Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms in the abrupt onset of type 1 diabetes. How diabetes is treated? There are several things you need to do to help control the diabetes. For type 1 diabetes, Healthy eating, physical activity, and insulin injections are the basic therapies. The amount of insulin taken must be balanced with food intake and daily activities. For patients with type 1 diabetes, blood glucose levels must be closely monitored through frequent blood glucose testing. For type 2 diabetes, healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing are the basic therapies. In addition, many people with type 2 diabetes require oral medication, insulin, or both to control their blood glucose levels. When the blood sugar is too high, doctor refers to it as hyperglycemia. When blood sugar is too high, one may not experience any symptoms, but the high levels of glucose in blood is causing damage to blood vessels and organs. When blood sugar is too low, doctor refers to it as hypoglycemia. Having low blood sugar can be very dangerous and patients taking medication for diabetes should watch for symptoms of low blood sugar. It is also important that one should monitor the blood sugar regularly to avoid both low as well as high blood sugar. What happens if diabetes is not controlled? The complications of diabetes can be devastating. Both forms of diabetes ultimately lead to high blood sugar levels, a condition called hyperglycemia. The damage that hyperglycemia causes to the body is extensive and includes: Damage to the retina from diabetes (diabetic retinopathy) is a leading cause of blindness. Diabetes predisposes people to high blood pressure and high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. These independently and together with hyperglycemia increase the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and other blood vessel complications. Damage to the nerves in the autonomic nervous system can lead to paralysis of the stomach (gastroparesis), chronic diarrhea, and an inability to control heart rate and blood pressure with posture changes. Damage to the kidneys from diabetes (diabetic nephropathy) is a leading cause of kidney failure.
Damage to the nerves from diabetes (diabetic neuropathy) is a leading cause of lack of normal sensation in the foot, which can lead to wounds and ulcers, and all too frequently to foot and leg amputations. Diabetes accelerates atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries", and the formation of fatty plaques inside the arteries, which can lead to blockages or a clot (thrombus), which can then lead to heart attack, stroke, and decreased circulation in the arms and legs (peripheral vascular disease). Check more about Ayurvedic remedies and Ayurvedic treatments: http://www.moolikaayurveda.com http://www.ayurhelp.com http://www.ayurveda-increaselibido.com