What is Diabetes?
The most frequently seen kind of diabetes is type two. This is most commonly brought about by our own action or inaction. It’s a condition which occurs when the body builds up a resistance to insulin. This is a specialist hormone produced by the beta cells found in the pancreas; it’s used in the bloodstream to convert our blood-sugar into energy which is then transferred to all of the cells which make up our body. A resistance to insulin means that the insulin is much less effective in its role and allows the levels of blood-sugar to rise. It can take a long time for these levels to reach a dangerous point, largely depending on your diet and how much exercise you do. Prolonged high-levels of blood-sugar cause all of the damage which is associated with diabetes, which are some of the symptoms which are most commonly associated with a diabetes diagnosis.
Possibly the most iconic form of diabetes is type one, probably due to the necessitation for regular insulin injections. This form of the condition is a little bit of a mystery as nobody’s entirely sure what the root cause is. It’s generally diagnosed fairly early in life. Type one diabetes is caused when the body’s immune system mistakes the insulin producing beta cells as foreign entities. In an autoimmune reaction the beta cells are all killed off, leaving the body of a type one diabetic completely incapable of creating their own insulin. This is where type one and two are similar, without insulin the blood-sugar levels start to spike and damage occurs.
There are two other, much less common forms of diabetes. Gestational diabetes mimics type two but only occurs in pregnant women. Pregnancy brings about insulin resistance in these unfortunate women but it passes once they’ve given birth and as long as it’s managed gestational diabetes generally doesn’t do any lasting damage. One thing to be aware of is that it can increase your risk of contracting type two diabetes in later life.
Double diabetes is very new and occurs when type one diabetics fail to manage their condition effectively. They put on weight which increases the levels of insulin resistance in their bodies. In this way they contract type two diabetes on top of their type one diabetes, making it double diabetes.
Searching for signs of a Diabetes Diagnosis
If you’ve not had a type one diabetes diagnosis by the time you reach the end of your teen years then then you’re fairly safe from this condition. It was once known as ‘early onset’ diabetes because the diagnosis for it generally occurs when patients are still very young. This makes the condition a little less dangerous than type two diabetes as people have their whole lives to get used to the lifestyle changes necessitated by the condition.
Type two diabetes is much more of a risk factor than type one as it can occur at any time. It was once known as ‘adult onset’ diabetes but the boom in the levels of childhood obesity has meant that this condition now affects children too. In general people who’re heavily overweight or obese are at a very high risk of contracting type two diabetes and should be screened regularly. To give you an idea of the risk, ¾ type two diabetics are obese.
If you’re in this high risk group and are concerned about having a diabetes diagnosis of your own then there are some symptoms which you’re going to need to learn to look out for:
– Constant and unquenchable thirst
– Frequent urination
– Fatigue at times of the day which are unusual to you
– Weight loss or the loss of muscle bulk
– Blurred vision (If you even suspect this, your diabetes is very advanced and you should see a doctor as soon as possible)
– Numbness in the extremities, particularly feet (advanced symptom, seek doctors attention as soon as possible)
– Constipation
– Cramps
If you have any number of these symptoms and you’re in the high risk grouping then you should see your doctor immediately. A diabetes diagnosis is much more damaging if you wait. If you’re not in a high risk group and you’re suffering from any number of the symptoms (not including the advanced ones) then you should try and get checked out when you can. The two advanced symptoms (vision damage and numbness) should be taken to your medical health practitioner as soon as is physically possible. If you’re feeling them then your blood-sugar levels are very high and they have been for a fairly long time.
Upon Receiving a Diabetes Diagnosis…
Receiving a diabetes diagnosis, regardless of its type, isn’t the end of the world by any stretch. People live with the condition for their whole lives without it damaging them. There’s nothing you can’t do with diabetes but there’s plenty extra which you should start doing.
The first and most important thing you’re going to need to learn revolves around your diet. Your days of chowing down on piles of processed junk food are long gone. Diabetics all need to monitor what they put into their bodies very closely and be able to predict the effect which any given thing will have on them. Initially this can be tricky but with the help of a blood-glucose monitor and some patience you’ll get the hang of it very quickly. If you take note of your levels before and after eating you’ll be able to see how much your blood-sugar spikes and learn if those foods are good or bad for you. The aim of this exercise is to never allow your blood-sugar levels to spike dangerously and by doing this protect your health.
We’ve got a huge selection of articles dedicated to dealing with the dietary requirements of a diabetes diagnosis on Yourwellness.com. There are hundreds of things you can do to spice up your diet and plenty of things you should be trying to avoid too!
Exercise is another important factor in the treatment of diabetes. Depending on what kind you decide to do you can lower or increase your insulin resistance. Again, a glucose monitor and some careful trial and error is really important here. Once you know your body and how you’ll react to things it will be much easier for you to plan your exercise around your diet.
With a carefully monitored and structured regime of diet and exercise your diabetes diagnosis need never affect your health. As long as you take the time to look after your condition and yourself you can live a long and healthy life!